# Southwest part of Mo.



## veronica

They are up.
I picked enough for dinner tonight. 
Need rain badly though to seal the deal


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## mrgta67

Found 6 small morels just north of Branson today. Also found a bunch of false morels. The Morel King and I believe we just found the "early" ones. We definitely need the rain and they should be popping big time by Friday of next week!


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## mrgta67




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## mrgta67

Oh yea, this was from today, not yesterday. Couldn't find today's gas receipt. Two were already eaten when I thought about posting and another 1 or 2 were devoured by my wife before I could get the shot taken. We must pray for rain to insure many more plate fulls of the deliciousness...



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## mrgta67

I looked at a few "good" spots Friday north of Springfield and didn't find one.

Walked 3 1/2 hours + to find the shrooms in the pics. There were no clusters...just an occasional straggler. Worked HARD for the two meals we'll get out of our mess. We need some significant moisture and humidity before the start coming out in groves (at least that's what we hope!). I keep telling myself its better to be early than late...


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## smguffer

serious question.. why risk eating false morels? .. ive heard lots of stories of people eating them for years with no problems, then suddenly die from eating them.


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## mrgta67

You've "heard Stories", I've heard stories. I don't eat them, mainly due to my wife and what she's heard. False morels are just an indicator for me. If you find them; the real ones are about 2 weeks behind...from what I've heard. 

I wouldn't suggest anyone eating them, nor have I suggested anyone eat them BTW.


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## terrysapp

Stories? Stories are just that. Stories. I'm not saying people won't get sick from eating them. My brother's family does. However, there are no confirmed deaths from eating them. And I have never heard of one person that has eaten them their whole lives and then suddenly get sick from them. We have always eaten them. Never had a problem. My suggestion would be to eat a small amount. If you get an upset stomach from them, then don't eat them.


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## smguffer

have you ever researched false morels? .. pretty much every site (Including MDC site) says "do not eat.. they are toxic and have resulted in fatalities" =/


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## smguffer

deaths have been recorded... lots of deaths:

http://books.google.com/books?id=AFlfpnaGu4AC&amp;pg=PA28&amp;lpg=PA28&amp;dq=false+morel+related+deaths&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=RN6jSGgVgp&amp;sig=pCw2U8uh1eLEZUxOoPAjJgSOxWo&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=RhVUU_zVIMGsyASW5oKAAw&amp;ved=0CFEQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&amp;q=false%20morel%20related%20deaths&amp;f=false


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## 0101010101

I would never eat false morels, aka Gyromitras. They are not "reds," as in another variety of morel that is red in color. They are a completely different species that just happens to vaguely resemble morels, and fruits under similar conditions.

Some people may be able to eat them and not get sick, however some people do die. And there are also unknown longterm effects. My position is: why risk it? There are plenty of other mushrooms that are perfectly safe to eat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyromitra_esculenta


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## terrysapp

You guys copy and paste really nice articles that say people can die from eating them. But, search the internet and find me where John Doe died from eating them. Anyway, you don't have to eat them if you don't want to. I will continue. Good luck.


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## 0101010101

@Terrysapp

That's great, Terry, go ahead and knock yourself out. But they can be dangerous to eat to for somebody who doesn't know any better reading this message board and thinking they are just another type of morel. They are absolutely not.

I linked to wikipedia because it's simple to find and read, but I have several mycological books that say the same thing. There's a reason every responsible news story about morels mentions the differences identifying morels and gyromitras (false morels).

Eat them all you want, I could care less. I just want the info out there for people, especially inexperienced people, that they need to be cautious and know exactly what they are doing when identifying, collecting and preparing mushrooms.


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## fungiguy

Nice finds Mrgta67, Keep it up


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## veronica

Actually the Peterson field guide say's that Gyromitra Caroliniana is edible. 
page 50 to be specific.

G.caroliniana is what I mostly see in southern mo. , but I do find a few G. esculenta. 
It's a personal choice whether or not to consume the thing's. The MMH does supposedly cook off and vaporize. 

Just try not to breath while cooking them


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## veronica

Most dont know that the common store bought "pizza and salad " mushroom contains similar compounds as "beefstaek" mushrooms.
this link sums it up rather well IMO

http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/EatingRawMushrooms.html


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## greggster

Found 2 yesterday, and 19 this morning. Haven't had any luck around the creeks, so I hoofed it up to the hills, and there they be! Found a new "honey hole" too! :lol:


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## smguffer

if someone wants to eat false morels and knows what they're getting themselves into .. thats all good. i just dont think its a good idea even suggesting that they're not that dangerous here on the forums. someone will read that, believe it, eat it, and might seriously harm themselves or others. they have killed hundreds if not thousands of people. the fumes alone from boiling them are dangerous if inhaled.


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## terrysapp

I have never read where they have killed hundreds if not thousands. Anyway, PEOPLE, DO NOT EAT THE BIG REDS---FALSE MORELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## smguffer

just google "false morel recorded deaths" .. many credible sources (MDC site, medical sites, and university studies) saying eating them has resulted in death

recently saw an article claiming 2-4% of all mushroom deaths were associated with the false morel

im gonna take their word for it


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## greggster

To smguffer, do you know the difference? And have you eaten a false morel, or maybe a psilocybin?


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## vibrantenergies

Veronica - Wow! I am impressed as usual with your knowledge of esoteric fungal information! I found another interesting tidbit in this article that states hydrazines are in only THREE species of edible mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus, Gyromitra esculenta, and Lentinus edodes, or Shiitake. Obviously G. esculenta must at least sometimes contain either more of or a stronger toxin than the other two, since there are few if any poisonings from either of the other two edibles mentioned, at least that I can find. I am sure the key is in the preparation of the mushroom, as the article you posted stressed. Cook your shrooms and you won't die - easy, right? Every account I have read, ten at least, of poisoning by false morels indicated either improper cooking or some kind of individual sensitivity, like when one person out of several becomes severely ill or dies while the rest are unaffected. 

I am mystified by the false morel dilemma and this has been a great addition to my outlook on the issue. The world of the fungus ceases to amaze me! Thanks again V. for the article and awesome information! 

Greggster - smguffer, from reading his posts for the past few weeks, seems quite well-informed on his mushroom facts and I think he "knows the difference" And what does eating psilocybes have to do with false morel poisonings?!? Psilocybin is not a deadly toxin like gyromitrin, and you don't fry up psilocybes for dinner! That would be pretty nasty to eat that kind of mushroom in very much quantity, and a very different kind of experience from exposure to gyromitrin definitely! 

I feel that it is a choice for the individual, as I feel about just about everything else, and there is obvious, massive contradiction and confusion about whether a false morel will hurt you or not. If you are a cautious person, it would be your choice to not eat false morels ever, but also not store bought button mushrooms or shiitakes either, since they contain similar toxins as the false morel which are also destroyed by cooking. But if you like to live life on the edge, and some may say to the fullest, you might find an experienced old timer to show you the world of the "Reds" and try one! I have yet to brave the experience, but I am intrigued and definitely fall into the latter category of a person who is willing to go against conventional wisdom and trust the knowledge of a well-seasoned forager who can assure me of the well-established safety of our meal based on his or her personal experience.

So if it is safest to NEVER eat a false morel, should we NEVER eat store bought button mushrooms or Shiitakes either?

Sorry for the giant post - great topic!


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## vibrantenergies

But wait - there's more! 

The wikipedia page for morels, Morchella species, states that our beloved quarry to which we devote so much adoration, contains small amounts of hydrazines also! On pages 271-272 of Paul Stamets' book Mycelium Running, he states that you can get sick from the vapors of cooking morels due to the release of toxic hydrazines caused by cooking. Crazy! So I have never heard that morels contain similar toxins as false morels, has anyone else? So the article I mentioned that claims hydrazines are in only three species seems to be inaccurate and there may be others as well! 

Here's the link to that article which I forgot to include in the last post: http://books.google.com/books?id=vYeZVwpb8t4C&amp;pg=PA566&amp;lpg=PA566&amp;dq=agaric+hydrazine&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=J2uV5JbgMB&amp;sig=6sxKbvroi9D_JjEd6jg4scDl_Tc&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=keFYU-3xHsmh8AGjnIHICA&amp;ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;q=agaric%20hydrazine&amp;f=false
The statement about three species is at the bottom of page 566 and continues on to the following page.

Cook your shrooms!


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## smguffer

Greggster yeah false morels are actually really easy to identify and looks nothing like a real morel. so if you know what a real morel looks like you're not going to mistake anything else for them... just to be safe though, when you get ready to eat your find of real morels, just cut them in half after you rinse them. if they're not hallow all the way through the inside it's not a morel! good luck!


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## greggster

smguffer:I didn't realize you were posting in reference to Veronica's link. Didn't mean to be offensive, and that was a good read on all the edibles and non-edibles. Happy hunting!


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## veronica

the term "false morel " could apply to many fungi---Verpa's, Elvin saddle's , Gyromitra's....so saying that deaths were caused by false morels is like saying someone died in a crash with in some kind of a moving vehicle

My uncle knew a man that ate "beefsteak" mushrooms for years, and he did die
he was 96 when it happened..lol


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## smguffer

i think we all pretty much identify false morels in these parts as Gyromitra esculenta which have killed people. some people eat them and are fine, others arent. not sure if its an allergic reaction or if they're not thoroughly cooked. like i said, i think its a bad idea suggesting they're harmless or safe to eat for everyone reading these forums to see. but thats the last ill say about it.


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## vibrantenergies

smguffer - Gyromitra caroliniana is fairly common here and known as "reds" or "big reds". They are usually bigger, have a deeper red cap, and a chalky looking white stalk. They are known to NOT contain high levels of gyromitra. I'm still not ready to eat one though!


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## veronica

I to was talking about G. caroliniana, of which the photo's on the previous page are taken of. I would never recommend G. esculenta as an edible, and nor did I recommend G. caroliniana.
I simply posted that Kent Mcknight wrote that they were edible. He also was the first I had ever heard mention MMH present in Agaricus campestris (the cousin to the common "pizza mushroom")
He also has a very in-depth description of all the "false morels" in the Peterson field guide. 

My real point is that the gyromitra's are neither morels or false morels. 

happy hunting ...hope you all find the real thing soon!!


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## smguffer

ok that's fair, but lets be honest here.. Gyromitra caroliniana and Gyromitra esculenta look almost identical to the untrained eye.


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## pirogue66

smguffer,
The picture u posted is a giromitra korfii....not the same as what what u said it is.....two different animals !!


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## mrgta67

Hi Veronica,
Looks like I should have started a post for Taney Co.! I have yet to find any in Greene Co. Have you found any here? What Co. did you find your original ones? Find any more since them?


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## veronica

Many many morels up in or near Osceola Mo. 
The time is now to pick...good luck


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## veronica

I mostly hunt christian county and douglas....but did hunt St. clair yesterday and it was great


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## ksmorelhunter

Veronica, were you having luck along the bottoms or in the hills? Any trees in particular where you had the most luck? Any info is much appreciated.


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## smguffer

piro you might want to look at some pictures from various sites of esculenta ... unless all these "mushroom experts" are all wrong that is definitely a picture of esculenta. 

make sure you know what you're eatin guys! lol ... as for me, im stickin to morels only


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## veronica

KS --
I found most on hillsides and in christian county I have mostly Oaks to hunt, but when I hunted St. Clair county I was finding mushrooms by Ash , Oak , and Elm.

Found another large bag full yesterday in Christian county on northern facing slopes . They seem to just be coming up where the sun never shines (north slopes..lol)


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## cleverhunter

Was hoping to go out today.... But rain and storms coming. If it clears up a bit I will go out. Has anyone gone to Wilsons Creek Battlefield?? I called there this morning and she said you can hunt morels there and you can take out one gallon per person. It costs $5 to get into the national forest though..


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## veronica

I have hunted summer mushroom's at Wilsons Creek. 
It was pretty wooly though for my taste. I like more open woods. 
The park ranger also told me it was OK to hunt shrooms as long as I did not get greedy.


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## cleverhunter

We went for 3 hrs today. Didn't find one morel. 

We looked hill sides, by the creek, and everywhere. Nothing! 

Dunno if it's because of the rain?


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## cleverhunter

It rained yesterday and was sunny and 68 today. I busted but to get home. Grabbed both my boys (6 and 10) and headed out. 

We started off with no luck at all in lower areas. After looking there for a half hour we hiked up the hill to a railroad. Started walking it and looking up its steep bank. Soon we started seeing some. Then more. The most we found around a tree was 5. Most were fresh and some starting to dry up. Found 6 really nice ones around a dead elm tree on the walk back by the road. 

These were all large yellows btw. Found them mainly around elm trees. Some large oaks yielded one med size morel on the north side of the tree. Found a couple under a large hedge tree. Youngest boy stopped to tie his shoe on a rail road tie and one about bit him. Big one! He was excited to say "got one"! Total today was 20 morels. 1lb 1.6oz.


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## cleverhunter

If I new how to post pics from my phone to here I would.


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## cleverhunter

Ok. I figured it out.


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## swmohunts

I found theses south of Highlandville on a steep eastern slope.


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## swmohunts

Sorry, I forgot the photo.


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## seismic744

Nice photos SWMO!! I love the picture with the dogwood in the background. Very picturesque!!!


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