A Successful Mushroom Hunt.

I dislike Morels.   I think I have covered that before on this blog.   Everyone wants them.  Everyone is out looking for them.  No one wants to share their successful hunting spots.  It is a dodge ball, secretive competition that seems to favor everyone but me.   So I hate them.  Silently.  ( unless you read this blog) 

So needless to say.... I did not find any morels  this year... Again! A big zero!  Unless you count the one that someone left in the middle of the path a few weeks ago.  ( I don't!)  As if to taunt me by showing me that they are in the area.. but I will never find any.   And THEY can find them so often that they just leave the surplus on the trail for random strangers to find.  So mushroom hunting for morels is a complete waste of time!

And yet... I continue to look for them.   Why?  Such self abuse should be banned.   But similar to fishing...  you never know when you will find something out there that was unexpected, but still desired. 

And so it was that Sunday afternoon,  I found my first Oyster Mushrooms of the year. Pleurotus populinus     Also known as the "Spring Oyster mushroom."

I found them in a stand of big leaf aspen.   And they were growing in several places.   I gathered what I could and brought them to Dave.  

He was excited and wanted to hunt  for some more.   And since it was mother's day,  they was still the opportunity to possibly find a morel or two. ( except for me... cause morels hate me.) 

On the way out to the woods,  we found a tree loaded with Dryad Saddle!   

Honestly,  ever since I found those ones pinning a few weeks ago, I had given up on dryad saddle being anything other than survival food!  But catch them early... while they are still tender, and they are awesome!   These guys were still in the pinning stage and had not yet formed their pores under the cap.  They were tender and brittle when you flexed the caps.  We harvested everything we could. 

Once in the woods,  we found even MORE!  But these guys were past their prime.  It was obvious the moment we tried to cut them from the tree.  They were tough and leathery!  We took a few of the smaller ones, but even those will be set up for drying later.   Once they open those pores, they seem to get overly tough and inedible for normal dishes. 

Once home,  I cut up all of the oysters and about half of the dryad saddle.   Dave whisked them up with some noodles and beef tips and they were delightful! perfect texture and flavor. I guess part of the mushroom education is knowing when to harvest certain mushrooms and how to cook them at their best.  Our education continues. 

So I just wanted to post that since it was not going to make it in the last post.   Certainly a different subject from racing and family.   So... here it is.   I now will be looking forward to hunting other mushrooms as they make their appearances.   And I will be enjoying the forest now that many of the morel people will be leaving.  I doubt they will be caring much about new and exotic species of edible mushrooms that make their appearances all summer long.  ( Except the Chicken of the Woods....) And this is where I will gain ground and use my new found knowledge to acquire mushroom species they have ignored or  abandoned.  They will be mine!  All Mine!  muhahahaha!

Hope everyone had a great Monday. And thanks for stopping in.