Authentic Mushrooms?

[archieclement]

Here in Missouri morel mushroom season will be wrapping up in next couple weeks, with a fairly short season, guess round 3-4 weeks ussually, they wouldn't have been a common food source.

But I wondered if anyone has seen period account of soldiers foraging/hunting morel mushrooms?

 

[donna]

Interesting question. Will require some research. Maybe Albert Sailhorst knows.

 

[Sheltowee]

I meant to make an effort to go morel hunting this year- may have waited too long.
Never ate one- they say terrific. Dad calls them "dry land fish".

 

[donna]

Morel Mushrooms are a fleeting Springtime treat in the Midwest and West. It has conical and spongy look. Has a woodsy flavor.

Caution: do not forage for morels unless you are 100% sure they are morels. There are other mushrooms they can appear to be morels. They are poisonous.

I would recommend that you buy your mushrooms unless you are an expert on knowing them.

 

[Yankeedave]

I think they are illegal yall. Cow stop because the educated things and stuff with the poop and paper bags.

 

[archieclement]

Morels aren't illegal, virtually everyone in Midwest hunts them.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I wish I had a spot to hunt them in Western, IL.....I know they're here, but I don't have the land to hunt them!
I've hunted them in West Tennessee many years ago! Great fun, those elusive little creatures, and good eats, too!

 

[major bill]

Didn't any one watch the either of "The Beguiled" movies? I do not eat wild mushrooms because of those movies.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

My one and only wife plays along with me when I do this at parties or gatherings, always nodding at the right places to show sympathy. I would introduced Judy as my 3rd wife, mentioning I was twice the widower. Someone would always ask what happened to the first 2 wives. I would reply, "My first wife, rest her soul died from eating poisonous mushrooms. After the shock of this answer and some further discussion someone would always ask what happened to the second? "My second wife died from a fractured skull" I would reply. When asked how she got a fractured skull I would reply "because she wouldn't eat her mushrooms". You can flesh out the details and reel'em in like fish with this story.

 

[John Winn]

I don't have any accounts of CW soldiers hunting morels. That said, they're the only wild mushrooms I'll collect and eat. I know how to identify them and have a good collection area where they're known to occur. Out here they're really not hard to identify (unlike some others). I think ours are smaller than the eastern varieties but they are great sautéed with just a little butter and (very little) salt and pepper. Some add garlic but I don't as I think it overpowers the delicate flavor of the thing itself.

Were I a CW soldier who happened to luck out and be in the right place at the right time and knew what to look for I'd definitely have gathered all I could find.

 

[archieclement]

I don't have any accounts of CW soldiers hunting morels. That said, they're the only wild mushrooms I'll collect and eat. I know how to identify them and have a good collection area where they're known to occur. Out here they're really not hard to identify (unlike some others). I think ours are smaller than the eastern varieties but they are great sautéed with just a little butter and (very little) salt and pepper. Some add garlic but I don't as I think it overpowers the delicate flavor of the thing itself.

Were I a CW soldier who happened to luck out and be in the right place at the right time and knew what to look for I'd definitely have gathered all I could find.

Most here like the bigger yellow ones to fry, but personally I prefer the smaller grey's sauteed in butter on eggs or steak.