# 2019 OHIO 4th Quarter Fall Mushrooms



## sb

Let's try this new thread and see if it overcomes the *corruption of the time-line* and* post numbering duplication* in the 2019 - Ohio Summer & Fall thread.

Those issues have made it difficult for us to find new posts and find replies in that thread.


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## sb

(this is a repost of an earlier itemt that appeared in the wrong time space)

Pedro - thanks for posting of your west central OH Lions Mane finds. (even though you posted it on the Indiana Forum, not OH)
It inspired me to go check some of my regular Lions Mane spots.
*
Central OH - Franklin County
*
Saturday, Sept 28, I harvested 2 magnificent Lions Mane.










This little guy below in just starting on this log and is the* 4th year in a row I've found Lions Mane on this very log* and on the same end!!! Ha!
So . . . recheck your prior year Lions Mane spots . . . for sure. I'll go back in a week and get this little guy if it's grown enough. I found the Lions Mane one day and went back the next to harvest them. In that time, the size of the little one had doubled!! I take that to be the effect of the high temperatures.









I dried all of yesterdays Herecium. The two shrooms filled the 5 trays on my dehydrator.


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## sb

I went back yesterday, Oct 4th and rechecked the little Lions Mane above. It had grown to be cauliflower sized (below pic) and I harvested it.










If you look to the left side of this pic above, you'll see another new little one starting, pictured below.










In another week I'll go back and get this one as a cauliflower sized Lions Mane.


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## sb

Jack - In response to you post on the corrupted thread: SB, How do these (Lions Mane) turn out after drying them? Will they reconstitute well later?

I think I only tried reconstituting the dried Lions Mane and cooking it just once 4-5-6 years ago and I don't recall anything specific about it.

Perhaps others have have experience and can add to this exchange . . .

I dry because I then later take the dried Lions Mane and put it into a Coffee Bean Grinder (whirling blade variety) and powder it and use it in cooked cereal, pancakes, health smoothies, etc. For many years, before I started harvesting it myself, I bought Lions Mane (Herecium) capsules through the internet. I could take this powder and fill capsules . . . but too much work . . . I consume it for the medicinal benefits, mostly.


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## sb

I prefer to fry fresh Herecium erinaceus in butter, till the edges get crisp.


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## MorelMe330

Awesome a new thread. This was Tuesday.


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## shroomsearcher

Good idea, sb! 

I went out the other day after the cold front, which unfortunately was pretty much a dry front, passed through. What little rain we got was so light I could walk around shirtless and not be uncomfortable! I was on a mission and went to every place that I knew of that held hens, and some that I didn't know anything about except that they had big, old oak trees! I found zip, zero, zilch, and nada! It is so dry here. The creek that runs through the one spot I know is as low as I've ever seen it. 

And it wasn't just hens, I didn't see a single thing shroomy out there. Last year, when I was finding them, we got rain every 2-3 days. We have more rain forecast for tomorrow, and hopefully we'll actually get some. Maybe that, with the more seasonable temps, can get things going. Hope so.


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## sb

Last week my sweetie and I stayed in a cabin in the woods in Hocking County, OH. for 3 nights. I walked the woods around the cabin, downhill to a creek which was dried up. Cracked earth everywhere and no mushrooms anywhere.

Where to find Lions Mane when it is dry like the past several months in *Central OH* (as well as elsewhere).

1. The Lions Mane above came from a tree trunk cut down along a central OH river. The bank on both sides of the river are about 20-25 feet high and wooded. At night, the air volume within the river channel and banks becomes a river of humid air and deposits dew on the surrounding vegetation. This nightly dose of moisture helps keep the downed trees from drying out as fast as in other locations. So, I can find Lions Mane growing nicely there when I can't find them in other spots that I find them during more normal moisture levels.

2. The other spot I can find them despite dry weather is a mature woods that has some 2nd and occasionaly 3 canopies keeping the earth and downed trees from drying out. No sun and very little wind gets to the fallen trees in these thickets. I just have to be willing to wade in and look.


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## Zabz

Thank goodness for the order. I've been out looking in NE Ohio and haven't found much of anything for 2 weeks.


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## morelseeeker

sb said:


> (this is a repost of an earlier itemt that appeared in the wrong time space)
> 
> Pedro - thanks for posting of your west central OH Lions Mane finds. (even though you posted it on the Indiana Forum, not OH)
> It inspired me to go check some of my regular Lions Mane spots.
> *
> Central OH - Franklin County
> *
> Saturday, Sept 28, I harvested 2 magnificent Lions Mane.
> View attachment 23760
> 
> 
> 
> This little guy below in just starting on this log and is the* 4th year in a row I've found Lions Mane on this very log* and on the same end!!! Ha!
> So . . . recheck your prior year Lions Mane spots . . . for sure. I'll go back in a week and get this little guy if it's grown enough. I found the Lions Mane one day and went back the next to harvest them. In that time, the size of the little one had doubled!! I take that to be the effect of the high temperatures.
> 
> View attachment 23764
> 
> I dried all of yesterdays Herecium. The two shrooms filled the 5 trays on my dehydrator.


The chefs want the smaller ones.


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## morelseeeker

I went this morning and found about 8 pounds of chickens that came on from the rain before this one. All rotten. I didn't go when we had that rain because it seems too little but I guess it was just enough. They were all compact ones.


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## Zabz

Anyone in NE Ohio find any Hens, Shrimp, shaggies or meadows yet?


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## MorelMe330

Found 5 Hens so far, tons of shrimp, no shags or meadows. This is in 330 area code.


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## Zabz

I saw honeys come up in droves, but no shrimps. I'll have to get on my rocket skates this weekend and cover some ground.


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## morelseeeker

I went out this morning for 1 1/2 hours after over sleeping. Found 12 pounds of very fresh chickens and one fresh lion's mane about the size of my fist.


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## shroomsearcher

I haven't seen anything shroomy in a while. Haven't seen a shaggy mane around here for 2 years now! 3 years back it seemed like they were in every other front yard. I don't know what shrimp are. No chickens or hens. I have a spot where I know meadows and horse grow, and nothing is happening there yet. Hope it does before we get a freeze.


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## Zabz

The leaves are barely turning up here, I'm thinking we have a solid month+ of terrestrial shroomin. I remember getting chickens well into November in the past. Come on rain!


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## sb

*Franklin County Central OH - The Rest of the Story*

After harvesting Lions Mane twice from the same logs as shared in post 2 & 3 above, on Sept 28 and Oct 4, I went back on Oct 10 and got this cauliflower sized Lions Mane, below. I waited 6 days after I found it as pin cushion size,


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## sb

Out of curiosity I juxtaposed the images of 6 days Lions Mane growth so the knife sizes are the same. You can therefore see how much the Lions Mane grew by my waiting to harvest it for 6 days.


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## morelseeeker

I'm up to only 32 pounds of chicken mushrooms this year. Supposed to rain Wednesday so maybe I'll get some more. No hens yet. I've checked every hen tree I know of. Doubt if I find 197 pounds of hens like last year.


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## morelseeeker

A sad note. Recently in Hocking Hills a woman photographer was struck by a falling tree limb and killed. I try to avoid being in the woods when it is windy. Even when there was very little wind last week a big limb fell about 30 yards in front of me. It did make a lot of noise when it fell so it is likely I may have gotten out of the way if it fell above me.


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## MorelMe330

Couple older chickens. Just a couple.


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## shroomsearcher

Stop bragging! It's unbecoming!


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## MorelMe330

None were able to be harvested.


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## sb

*Hocking County
*
After getting spring water Monday, I spent time in the woods and found Dead Man's Fingers.

Duh . . . it was only on the trip home that it dawned on me that I should have harvested them.

With Halloween just two weeks away, they would have been the perfect appeasement to feed to any Zombies coming after me!!

Ya think?










Found some Resinous Polypore below. Everything I found was at the bottom of a gorge where moisture lingered.










Happy Hunting Everyone!


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## sb

Anyone have any id on this. Sorta reminded me of some form of Stinkhorn mushroom.


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## adamrichard

Hello! This was my first year looking for morels and now I'm hooked. Is it too late in the year to find Chicken of the Woods in my area? I'm in the Cleveland area. Thanks for the help!


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## sb

adamrichard: It is not too late.

While out in the woods looking for Chicken of the Woods, you'll also possibly find Hen of the Woods or Maitake Mushrooms--another excellent edible; or autumn Oyster mushrooms; or Honey Mushrooms; or Lions Mane Mushrooms: or Puffballs.

Get out see what you find and then identify them.


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## adamrichard

sb said:


> adamrichard: It is not too late.
> 
> While out in the woods looking for Chicken of the Woods, you'll also possibly find Hen of the Woods or Maitake Mushrooms--another excellent edible; or autumn Oyster mushrooms; or Honey Mushrooms; or Lions Mane Mushrooms: or Puffballs.
> 
> Get out see what you find and then identify them.


Appreciate the response and info. I have tomorrow off and will report if I have any luck. Thanks!


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## sb

Ok . . . Here's the rest of the story on post #26 above.










. . . an old metal cable, Ha!


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## goshawk75

sb said:


> Ok . . . Here's the rest of the story on post #26 above.
> 
> View attachment 23850
> 
> 
> . . . an old metal cable, Ha!


Looks a little too far gone to be edible.


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## Kokomorel

sb said:


> Ok . . . Here's the rest of the story on post #26 above.
> 
> View attachment 23850
> 
> 
> . . . an old metal cable, Ha!


Looks like a old logging cable


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## sb

Koko - Yes. You are right. That gorge and hillside is crisscrossed with 100 yr old logging roads which make for easier hiking.

Many are being resurrected as private hiking trails, as part of the popular and successful Vacation Cabin Rental industry in Hocking County and surrounding counties.

In one woods, especially, I find late-season Chanterelles growing in the moisture holding parallel ruts of old logging trails.

On this day, though, I found 6-8 Varieties of mushrooms -- all by running the bottom of a gorge.


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## morelseeeker

adamrichard said:


> Hello! This was my first year looking for morels and now I'm hooked. Is it too late in the year to find Chicken of the Woods in my area? I'm in the Cleveland area. Thanks for the help!


Watch for chicken mushrooms on living oak trees. When the tree sap starts moving down to the roots from cooler weather they will fruit just like hen of the woods do.


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## morelseeeker

It has been such a prolonged drought in my areas that even when it rains it doesn't help much. Now I am up to 45 pounds of chicken mushrooms as of yesterday. In a good year I could have gotten that many in one morning.


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## Zabz

morelseeeker said:


> It has been such a prolonged drought in my areas that even when it rains it doesn't help much. Now I am up to 45 pounds of chicken mushrooms as of yesterday. In a good year I could have gotten that many in one morning.


I agree, there's been little to no rain. I think I may look one last time this weekend, but things were looking grim the past 4-5 times I've been out this past month.


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## shroomsearcher

We had a pretty good soaker starting middle of the night through the morning. My Sis is up from Florida, so I'm going to be busy with family duties, but if I get a chance to get out either Friday or Sunday, I'll do it. Although I don't hold out much hope. Haven't seen anything happening anywhere! No chickens, no hens, no pinkies, no nothing! Looking like a bust Fall!


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## morelseeeker

I am feeling fortunate to have now found 67 pounds of chickens. There is supposed to be a big rain event coming so maybe the hens will also come.


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## morelseeeker

Went out this morning and found another 11 pounds of chickens. 78 pounds so far now. West Central OH.


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## morelseeeker

morelseeeker said:


> A sad note. Recently in Hocking Hills a woman photographer was struck by a falling tree limb and killed. I try to avoid being in the woods when it is windy. Even when there was very little wind last week a big limb fell about 30 yards in front of me. It did make a lot of noise when it fell so it is likely I may have gotten out of the way if it fell above me.


I had the idea that the limb just fell on her but a travel for the stars reporter in Columbus told me that two men rolled the log or big tree limb on top of the woman photographer that killed her. How can people be so cruel.


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## morelseeeker

O.K. I'm just trying to keep you all informed and am not trying to boast. I am up to 102 pounds of chicken mushrooms. Today I went after this big rain and found nada, nothing, zip.


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## morelseeeker

Something I'd like to share. Last year I pulled Hen of the Woods mushrooms into strips then cut them into 3 inch long pieces. Place in a 1 gallon zip lock bag with some sweet and sour sauce and marinate overnight. Then wet batter them and deep fry. Tastes so good.


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## Zabz

The end is nigh!

I literally just saw that the meadows were coming up today after work......and tomorrow is going into freezing temps at night. 

Weeeellllllp.

Crumby fall season for me but the spring and summer mushrooms were the best I've had since I started looking a few years ago.


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## shroomsearcher

Zabz said:


> The end is nigh!
> 
> I literally just saw that the meadows were coming up today after work......and tomorrow is going into freezing temps at night.
> 
> Weeeellllllp.
> 
> Crumby fall season for me but the spring and summer mushrooms were the best I've had since I started looking a few years ago.


Are you serious?! I've been checking my meadow spot, and nothing doing!


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## morelseeeker

Went this morning to a woods where normally I'd find at least twenty pounds of hens and all I found was two pounds of very fresh emerging chickens. So now I'm up to 104 pounds of chicken mushrooms. This year must have been the year of the chicken mushroom and last year was my best ever year for hens so it was the year for hens. I can't find any hens. I guess the drought we had effected them.


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## shroomsearcher

Well, I think Zabz might have nailed it! I haven't seen crap around here for quite a while, and have been checking every place I know! It's been a bad year!


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## morelseeeker

Well I found 197 pounds of hens last year and this year I found one that someone else got to first and cut it off with their knife.


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## morelseeeker

I put 30 pounds of ground chicken mushrooms in the freezer. Last night I got some out and dehydrated them then put them in a food processor and ground them into a fine powder. Thinking I'm going to do this to all of them.


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