Wild Hogs And Morels!

[jdmidwest]

Wind blowing 90 to nothing again today, so we headed out in search of mushrooms. Decided to hunt along the Castor River in some Conservation Land. Stopped at Jay's in Marble Hill and wolfed down a big pork steak, grabbed a sweet tea and headed to the woods. We hit several places and came up empty. Found one about the size of a thumb along one of the creeks. Picked 2 at another spot. Picked a spot along a creek by the gun range and walked it out. At that spot we found lots of wild hog tracks, wallows, and diggings. From the looks of it, they had been using the area for some time. We either scared them off when we got there or they left not long before us. Big tracks and little ones, largest about 3 inches.

Stopped at the range and limbered up my new Ruger 22/45 that I bought this week. Then we moved up to the Blue Pond area. Along the road to the parking are, we came across some huge red False Morels growing up at the edge of the road. Snapped a few pics and headed out. Back to one of my honey holes and we picked a sac of about 2 dozen nice yellows averaging 3-6 inches tall. Chasing turkeys in the morning.

Per MDC website on the reds.

False Morels (Helvella and Gyromitra spp.)

Helvella sp. Gyromitra caroliniana

False morels are difficult to treat in an article on edible and poisonous mushrooms, because they so clearly fit both categories.

On one hand, many people have enjoyed eating false morels for years and may even consider them a favorite wild mushroom. On the other, false morels have definitely caused serious illnesses and deaths in the United States.

The problem seems to involve the amount of a toxic chemical, called monomethyl hydrazine (MMH), present in these mushrooms. MMH causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe headaches, and occasionally it can be fatal. However, because of different cooking techniques and different individual sensitivities to MMH, false morels poison some people but leave others unaffected. In addition, false morels in some areas of the country contain more MMH than in other areas. All this makes these mushrooms a very doubtful group as far as edibility is concerned.

False morels have wrinkled, irregular caps that are brainlike or saddle-shaped. They may be black, gray, white, brown or reddish. (The "big red morel," Gyromitra caroliniana, common in Missouri, is a large false morel with a reddish cap.) Other names include elephant ears, Arkansas morels and brain mushrooms. Size 2" to 8" tall.

False morels differ from true morels in two obvious ways:

1. The cap surface has lobes, folds, flaps or wrinkles, but it does not have pits and ridges like a true morel. You might say their caps bulge outward instead of being pitted inward.

2. The bottom edge of the cap of a false morel hangs free around the stem, like a skirt. On true morels, the bottom edge of the cap is attached to the stem.

False morels are found in spring, summer and fall, on the ground in woodlands.

Note: Because these mushrooms have definitely caused deaths, we cannot recommend that you eat them. If you nevertheless choose to do so, they should be thoroughly cooked in a well-ventilated room, since MMH is driven off by heat.

[Stephen Hall]

MMH is a fuel propellant, which is why cooking or heating releases the toxins. Which is also why proper ventilation is recommended. There is no reason to eat them as there are hundreds of other types of mushrooms not containing toxins. Only a novice would mistake Morchella for Gyromitra and if one decides to eat a mushroom without positive identification... that's evolution baby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomethylhydrazine

Don't be a novice, read Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora and/or join some local fungal club.