morel time almost here!

[bfishn]

I was gonna say that. (Maybe I did).

[ness]

"worth the ride if you survive".

That's what they used to say about 4-way blotter.

Oh man, that takes me back to when we were riding with the Doobies! That was far out, man!

[trythisonemv]

You guys are making me hungry and eager listen to led zeplin

[jdmidwest]

I have read that the Red Morel contains hydrazine, a chemical normally found in rocket fuel. Others say there is another toxin in the red morel that builds up in your system. Some say if you cook them good enough, the chemical burns off mostly and you will not have any side effects. But I don't really risk it, when in doubt, toss it out. They have caused death.

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2002.html

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/big-red-false-morel

http://morelmushroomhunting.com/redmorel.htm

http://thegreatmorel.com/falsemorel.html

http://www.ncsu.edu/project/bio183de/Black/protista/protista_news/poisonous.htm

[fishinwrench]

After all the crap I've been thru, it would be rediculis to have anyone say..... "Wrench? Yeah he died from eating a bad mushroom".

I refuse to go down that way.

[jdmidwest]

I had the conversation with a neighbor on the back porch before I came in and read this post, don't eat them. He was going out to pick some Wed. His buddy likes them and eats them all of the time. But I have not read anything good about them or tried one. I would rather ride the tram thru St Louis without any firepower than eat one.

[ness]

I've heard about people eating reds for years. The story was always that it made some people sick, but most were ok -- not deadly. The last several years I seem to hear much more bad stuff, like severe illness and even death. They're not for me.

[Kayser]

The red morels (false morels) have a heat-susceptible toxin that causes severe gastrointestinal distress (vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps and pain) akin to a bad case of food poisoning. If you fully cook said mushrooms at a high enough temp (i.e.- fry them), you should be fine. I ate them for a couple years, fried, and was fine. Then I had one that was grilled, but didn't get fully cooked, and I paid for my mistake with several hours curled up on the bathroom floor (tequila was never this cruel). My dad ate one that was more cooked, but still not done, and didn't have nearly as bad of an experience as I did, though he won't touch them anymore.

Long story short- cook them all the way done, and they are delicious. Don't, and I would suggest keeping your bathroom floor clean and cozy, and having some gatorade around to recover. Yes, I would eat them again, even with this mishap. Then again, I'm still kinda stupid.

Good luck, FW.