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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Feb 7, 2015 23:10:40 GMT -6
Someone asked me if I could share my knowledge of growing morel mushrooms for market, so I decided to start a new thread; all about morels, from transplanting spore inoculated sawdust, to growing the final harvest.
Please add to this thread with your replies, if you have further knowledge concerning the subject of morels, or have any questions to pose to our other guests.
Morel mushrooms are found in lightly wooded areas, with dappled shade, such as old, mature, and dying, apple orchards, elm thickets, ash groves, hackberry stands, and at the edge of cedar outcrops. They prefer shade, but not full shade, and are often found near the edge of heavy, old growth timber.
Morels like rich, moist soil, with a well balanced pH ~ neutral to slightly alkaline ~ soils bearing heavy particles of eroded limestone, as found in river, or creek bottoms, are some of the best. For this reason, many times morels can be found at the base of, and along the top edges of, low lying limestone bluffs.
Morels need well drained soil with lots of moisture, but do not grow in boggy ground, or in very dry ground. They are found only in early Spring. Temperatures need to be above 70 degrees during the daytime, but anytime temperatures reach 90 during the day, morels will disappear.
In Oklahoma, this usually comes in early April until early May, though I have seen a few "stragglers" as late as mid June in mild years.
Morels feed off of dead, and decaying, tree roots, and will only pop up when spores need to be spread to new ground, as their resources are becoming depleted. Often, they are found around elm trees that have died, but usually, only as long as the bark is still intact. By the time the bark falls from dead elm trees, the dead roots are usually spent as well.
Morels spread by spores, and can be cultivated with moderate success by purchasing spore inoculated materials to be transplanted into an ideal location, though they will not likely be ready for harvest the first year after transplanting. Morel spores usually take two years to reach critical mass, before erupting from their intricate, underground lacework of mycelium, to put forth the visible mushrooms that we call morels.
L
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Feb 7, 2015 23:36:34 GMT -6
Growing morels for market is an uncertain Science. there are many factors determining harvest; much of this is due to our unstable Oklahoma Spring weather. Some years harvests are moderate, some years they are heavy, some years they are sparse to non-existent. A yearly morel harvest cannot be depended on, but in good years can be quite substantial, selling for upwards of $30.00 per pound more or less.
Fortunately, Morels also grow readily in the wild, and a person with a sharp eye, some luck, and a keen sense of what he is looking for, can usually compliment his home cultivated harvest with those found on scouting trips into the woods found on many of our public lands that surround the many man made lakes in our State.
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Feb 7, 2015 23:52:56 GMT -6
Reliable morel Mushroom spawn can be purchased from: www.gmushrooms.comAll the materials you need are explained on their website. They also provide excellent planting instructions, and guarantee their product to grow. Over the course of several years, a great number of these mushroom beds can be established in a variety of locations to help ensure a sustainable harvest. People "in the know" as to the location of these sites, can hope to provide a decent guide service business each Spring, being employed by would-be seekers of these very popular mushrooms. The harvest and sale of these early Spring commodities can be a very helpful 'pick-me-up' providing much needed farm income at a time when cash is needed to establish other garden plantings.
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Mar 29, 2015 15:22:19 GMT -6
We went on our first morel hunt of the season on Saturday, March 28, 2015. The weather this week was just too cold to produce any good morel hunting results.
We did however, happen onto a find of watercress, a wild onion patch, a horsetail swamp, some brier root, some wild mint, some good sour dock, some stinging nettle, some mullein, some yarrow, some spice wood, a spectacular natural waterfall, and some root of sassafras.
An old friend, and reliable morel mushroom hunter told me at Church this morning, that he kind of uses April the 8th as a kick-off date for morel hunting. We both agreed, the weather was still just too cool this weekend, but that didn't stop us from having an enjoyable afternoon hike in the woods, along the beautiful Scenic Illinois River.
I want to thank our hosts, at our undisclosed location, for having us out to their beautiful place this weekend to go prowling through their woods. They were very gracious hosts, hopefully, someday we'll pay them back with the bounty of our good fortune, by sharing a find of morels with our new friends.
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Apr 12, 2015 13:22:39 GMT -6
April 12, 2015
The morel mushrooms in Cherokee County, Oklahoma finally sprang to life this weekend!
I was taking a walk in the woods, after feeding the chickens, early this morning, before Sunday School when I found my first "Yellow Morels" of the season; they were about 4" inches tall on average, so they've been around for a while, I just didn't have time to go hunting them before this morning.
I took a couple of them with me to Church, to show off to the other guys; Don said he's been finding them all week, but they are starting to dry up.
We kind of feel like, if it rains this week, there will be a flurry of white, gray, and black, morels to come, but it had better get here quick, or it will be too late in the season to do any good!
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Post by macmex on Apr 13, 2015 8:19:33 GMT -6
We found a good many off the side of our milking shed. Never seen them there before. But I won't complain!
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Apr 13, 2015 15:58:52 GMT -6
Awesome!
Did you get a chance to photograph any of your morels, or did you eat all of them already?
That's great that you found them on your own place, without having to drive, or walk, half way across the county! I've got about two dozen of white morels treed for later, when they get a little bigger; I picked a few yellow ones yesterday morning, before Sunday School. The wild onions out there are prolific this year! I'm looking forward to getting our first cutting of poke picked, to go with them, and some fresh scrambled eggs.
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Apr 13, 2015 16:09:17 GMT -6
Wow!
What a find! My Internet connection is so slow, that the picture didn't download the first time I read your post.
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Apr 14, 2015 1:03:36 GMT -6
I went out again at dusk, in the rain, and found 16 more yellow morels. I marked the spot and left them to grow a little bit bigger. My asparagus is growing like crazy! My wild onions are going nuts!!! I've got some spare ribs from the two hogs I butchered this Fall, some deer steak, a few pounds of feta goat cheese with basil, dried tomatoes, olive oil, and artichoke hearts, and a couple blue channel catfish, ready to go! In a couple more days, we'll be eating like redneck Kings!!!
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Post by glen on Apr 22, 2015 14:00:09 GMT -6
Oh, I am sorry. Thought I was in the okra department. Could you redirect me?
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Post by fourteenmilecreek on Apr 23, 2015 7:17:42 GMT -6
April 23, 2015
I found a few more morels this morning, but they were waning, and sparse; the color is darker now, and the texture drier than those found a week ago. I think this season might be coming to a close. However, for those still wishing to venture out looking for morels, all hope is not gone. There are a few low places along the river, where cold air lingers, and the seasons are delayed by the shelter of high bluffs, and heavy timber, where a lucky, and persistent person might still find a few.
I left the ones I found today. Hopefully, they will seed future forays into the Springing of another year's woods.
The time for spice wood bloom has come, and along with that, the pursuit of high water and sand bass fishing.
Learn always to enjoy a good hike in the woods, and you will have discovered the secret to a happy existence.
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Post by lucky Duck on Apr 29, 2015 13:03:42 GMT -6
April 29, 2015
I guess it's time to change gears now that the morels are played out for the season. I've been finding lots of lamb's quarter this week! The poke is ready for a second picking, and the cleavers are ready to harvest too. There is plantain, and sheep sorrel everywhere you look, and it's fried dandelion time again.
It's also season for making fresh goat's milk feta cheese!
Come on tomato season and homemade ice cream!
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Post by Heavy Hitter Okra on Mar 3, 2016 21:17:58 GMT -6
Today is March 3rd, 2016.
Morel Mushroom season is only about 35 days away!
Time to start scouting out those low, moist places, where ash, elm, and cedar trees grow.
Morels like moisture, but not standing water, dappled shade, but not full sun, and limestone outcroppings. So keep your eyes peeled, and be ready to start looking in earnest by the first week of April.
Happy Hunting, Ron
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Post by macmex on Mar 4, 2016 4:58:54 GMT -6
Ron, thanks for the heads up! Last year we found quite a few in our LAWN!
Today I'm going to "seed" some logs with shiitake spore. This is a new venture for us. I understand it will likely take a year, at least, to start harvesting.
George
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Post by Heavy Hitter Okra on Mar 4, 2016 15:02:58 GMT -6
That's awesome George!
I've always wanted to do that with shiitake mushrooms, but never have.
I've seeded Morels though, they take at least one year, sometimes two, but because I made an effort to seed them I'll always have them in Spring now, instead of just happening on to them in the wild.
They didn't take the first time I seeded them, because of the 2011-2012 drought years, but they were guaranteed to grow, so the Company I bought them from replaced the spores. The last couple years, I've had quite a few come up several yards from where I planted them.
Let us know how your shiitake project turns out, I might try that someday. Right now, I'm busy planting 100 sugar maple seedlings on the hill behind the house.
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