1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm 4 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:20,920 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan, and today we are switching things 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,240 Speaker 1: up and the interest of arming you all to engage 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: in local, social, distance friendly activities and affordable means of 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,840 Speaker 1: acquiring food. We're delivering to you today the ultimate deer 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: hunter's guide to that tastiest of springtime endeavors, mushroom hunting. 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: All right, welcome to the Wired Dunt Podcast, brought to 10 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: you by on X. I'm I'm excited about this one 11 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: today because back with us on the podcast. He He's 12 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:51,919 Speaker 1: disappeared for a couple of months now, but we are 13 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: back with the hot tub hunter, the baritone bomber Spencer 14 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: new Hearth. I'm glad you're back on the show. Spencer. 15 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: How are you doing? What's up? Mark? I'm doing good. Um, 16 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: just in the same boat as everyone else with the 17 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: quarantine thing. So how how are you coping? Uh? You 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: know it's not too bad. Um. We have these zoom 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 1: calls like every day at work, and every day I'm 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: more grateful that I'm not dealing with like regrets at 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: the house. So the quarantine thing isn't awful. I'd love 22 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: to be like traveling out of state and hunting, um, 23 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: but it's just like more important matters. So I'm okay 24 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: putting this side for a spring. Yeah, I feel like 25 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: you're leaving. You're living a very different quarantine life than 26 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: a lot of us, because it is Yeah, like you 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: just said, me and Ben and a lot of the 28 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: guys in the Meteor team, we're just just trying to 29 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: keep our heads above water, chasing kids around and trying 30 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: to still get work done and all that. And when 31 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: I go on Instagram and I look at what Spencer's doing, 32 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: He's playing like four Game night with his wife. Like 33 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: you're going off doing all these crazy things, not going places, 34 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: but it looks like you're living this wonderful life still, um, 35 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: and I don't like it. I don't like seeing your happiness, Spencer. 36 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: It's killing uh good. Well, I hope I make you 37 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: jealous again a small with like some giant bucks or something. Yeah, 38 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: I imagine you will. Um. So So, Spencer, the reason 39 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: why other than just catching up, the reason why I 40 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: wanted to get you on for this one is kind 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: of this whole quarantine thing that's been going on. It's 42 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: got me thinking about different things I can be doing 43 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: locally since I can't travel lot of stay right now, 44 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: there's a lot of people in the same boat. They're 45 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: stuck at home. Um, hopefully they can do some turkey hunting, hopefully, 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,679 Speaker 1: some deer scouting, hopeless, some stuff like that. But we're 47 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: a little more limited than usual. And one of the 48 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: things that I personally was thinking, you know what this 49 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: year I'm finally gonna get serious about it is mushroom mounting. 50 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: And you have been harpened on me about this for 51 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: a while, and I know you're still passionate about mushrooms 52 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: that you would be the guy that talk to It 53 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: seems like, given the lockdown, given the fact that you know, 54 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: grocery store runs are an endeavor right now, that anyway 55 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: you can get more wild food from the outdoors safely, 56 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: socially distance from people, that's that's a good thing, and 57 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: mushroom hunting seems to provide that. So what I thought 58 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: we could do is get a deer hunter's guide to 59 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: mushroom hunting. So right, everyone listening as a deer hunter, 60 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: so we all have that same shared context, and you 61 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: are a deer hunter, so you've got that shared context, 62 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: but you're also this mushroom nut. I figured you could 63 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: be the guy that's best suited to train people that 64 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: know how to deer hunt how to translate that into 65 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: mushroom hunting skills. So number one, do you feel like 66 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: you're up to the task? And then number two, why 67 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: the hell should we care about mushroom hunting? Did my 68 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: did my reasons ring the bell? Or is there something 69 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: else to it? There is more to it? But I 70 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: think I am of the task. Yes, I love mushrooms. Um, 71 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: I would. I would confidently say that in the last 72 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: decade I've picked up more pounds of mushrooms than they 73 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: have more pounds of shed alers. I know that for 74 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: a fact. It might just because you're Spencer, but it's 75 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: it's it's multiple things going on in there. It's that 76 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: I'm not very good at shed hunting, uh, And I 77 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: do love mushrooms. So I think I went to the task, 78 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: and I think your audience should care about it because 79 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: as deer hunters and assumed turkey hunters, they're already familiar 80 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: with areas that are going to contain a lot of 81 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: morale mushrooms. Um. And then as we'll talk about a 82 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 1: little bit later, one of the things that makes morales 83 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: so valuable is their inability to be farmed. UM. So, 84 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: as we you know, like talk about how this is 85 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: an amazing time to be outdoors people and have all 86 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: this wild food in our freezer, this is like a 87 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: whole another level of that. You are going to go 88 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 1: to a grocery store and buy morale mushrooms because they 89 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: don't exist in the same context that like packaged meat 90 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: or packaged vegetables do. Morales can't be formed like a 91 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: lot of other um, mushrooms can be. So there's a 92 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: value in that that it's like really really hard to measure, 93 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,239 Speaker 1: and it's one thing that makes these mushrooms so special. Yeah. 94 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: I from the little bit of mushroom hunting of done 95 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: and a little bit of eating of them, I think 96 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 1: the last thing that surpriably noted is just how delicious 97 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: they are too. Not only are they rare, but they 98 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: taste really, really really good. UM. So that's certainly something 99 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 1: to keep in mind for all this as well. But 100 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta bring up one past story because 101 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: I think people listening you know, they've heard you on 102 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: rough Fresh Radio, they've heard you on regular episodes of 103 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: Wired Hunt, they've heard you just out the fact that 104 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: you've picked up more mushrooms and sheds. But they still 105 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: might be wondering about your mushroom credentials. Honestly, I might. 106 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 1: If I was listening right now, I might still be 107 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: sitting here and saying, you know, I've seen pictures of 108 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: this guy, I've heard him. I just don't know if 109 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: he's a mushroom man. So I just want to lay 110 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: out one anecdote for you. We were we were in Montana. 111 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: I was in Montana this past December. I think it 112 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: was December early January, I can't remember which, but we 113 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: were at a bar. It's really Christmas party, so it's 114 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 1: so like mid December, Okay, yeah, yeah. So we're at 115 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 1: a bar in Montana, kind of a dievy bar that 116 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: Ryan Callahan recommended, and we're sitting in the back corner 117 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,359 Speaker 1: all the table, and I noticed that Spencer wasn't with 118 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: the group. Everybody else was in the group talking and Spencer, 119 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: you were gone, And of course I'm concerned about your 120 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: well being, so I start looking around, Where is he? 121 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,840 Speaker 1: Where is he is he okay? Did he get lost? Um? 122 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: Common things you've got to worry about with a character 123 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: like you. And I look up towards the bar itself 124 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: and there you are sidled up next to another guy, 125 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: and you're very close, speaking very excitedly to each other. 126 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: I didn't know what to think. I wasn't gonna pass 127 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: any judgment. I had no idea what was going on 128 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: over there. But I could tell that you were really 129 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: into something. And so later that evening I asked you 130 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: what you guys were doing, and you informed me that 131 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: you had just joined the Rocky Mountain Mushroom Club. I 132 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: think is what it was? Is that true? Can you 133 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: confirm or deny this? It is the Southwest Montana Micological Association. 134 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: E've ben better and what what does that mean? Well, um, 135 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: mid December is a really awful time to join a 136 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: foraging club because there's not really anything to do when 137 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: there's like a foot of snow on the ground. So 138 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,119 Speaker 1: thus far I haven't done anything. But at this point, 139 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: it's just like a regular newsletter that goes out to 140 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 1: like the one fifty something members of the Southwest Montegana 141 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: Micological Association. I'm speechless. And I'm impressed that that. I 142 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: think that warrants or that showcases your dedication to this 143 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: pursuit if nothing else does. The fact that you're part 144 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: of a club, you get a consistent newsletter and you 145 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: use the word micaological mycaological. Wow. All right, So there 146 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: you have a spencer. Is the reality of when it 147 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: custom mushrooms? Uh so I can add more to that. 148 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: So it wasn't It wasn't just by chance that like 149 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, this guy looks like a mushroom 150 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: water now. He he had his laptop up at the bar. 151 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: Like Bozeman is a college town, this was very clearly 152 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: a college student, and the background on his computer was 153 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: a fly Garrick mushroom, which is like this very niche 154 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: mushroom that unless you're like really into my college, you 155 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: wouldn't like recognize it's important. And so I was like, hey, uh, like, 156 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: what's to deal with the uh flag Eric's And then 157 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: he started telling me that he was doing part of 158 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: his dissertation on it. He was a grad student uh 159 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,599 Speaker 1: in Bozeman here, and he was a member of the 160 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,079 Speaker 1: mushroom club. And that's how I got in. And then 161 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: we spent like a half hour talking mushroom hunting. And 162 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: you know, I'm like, I'm a happily married guy. So 163 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: that was like my version of picking up a woman 164 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: at the bar was finding someone to talk mushroom hunting with. Yeah, man, 165 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: you you uh had a hell of a one night 166 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: stand as far as mushroom talking. Um, you said that 167 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: he didn't look like a mushroom guy. You saw the background. 168 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: But if you had to try to describe what a 169 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: mushroom guy looks like, could you, Oh, well, I I didn't. 170 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: What I meant by that was that, like, you don't 171 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: look at somebody and recognize necessarily at their mushroom guy. 172 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: But I do like if if you had to, though, 173 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: if I forced to try to sketch out what your 174 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 1: stereotypical mushroom guy would be, that's what I want to hear. Um. 175 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: You know, like Ryan Callahan is a pretty good example. 176 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: You mentioned his name, and that's a good one. Like 177 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: somebody who has facial hair of some sort. Certainly if 178 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: you're a male, that's a requirement. And then like fairly 179 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: dirty clothes when you're out in public places. That's that 180 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: seems like something else that um, mushroom hunters have UM 181 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: besides that, I don't I don't really know, probably drive 182 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 1: some sort of vehicle that's not like real high end UM. 183 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: I come across all kinds of mushroom hunters that are 184 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: like driving these old station wagons or these um little 185 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: s tens, really real beat up pickups things like that, 186 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 1: so that that would be like a stereotypical mushohunter. I 187 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: think is there a little bit of like a counterculture 188 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: vibe within, like the hardcore mushroom people like people like 189 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: to be like people take pride in the fact that 190 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: they kind of fly under the radar, they do something 191 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: that's just a little bit off the main road that thing. Yeah, yeah, 192 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: I think I think there's definitely like in off the 193 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: grid thing to mushroom hunting. It It feels like another 194 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 1: level of kind of UM self sustaining is going out 195 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: in the wild and discerning like what is an edible mushroom? 196 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: What is a magical mushroom in which one might kill you? 197 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: I think there's like a whole another level to that 198 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 1: UM beyond like killing a deer and taking it to 199 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: a butcher and then having these steaks in your freeze, right, 200 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 1: I think that's certainly part of it. Yeah, yeah, okay, 201 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: So I feel like I've got a good foundation now 202 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: to get serious about this UM. Alright, So you mentioned 203 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: something that has always been on my mind when I 204 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: looked at possible lingering concerns about getting in a mushroom hunt. 205 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: Is this idea that I could kill myself if I 206 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: accidentally ate the wrong mushroom? How likely is that? Is 207 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 1: that like a real thing we need to be worried 208 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: about UM or with a little bit of basic information, 209 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,679 Speaker 1: can we safely do this? Like, help me understand that preliminary. 210 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,679 Speaker 1: One of the great things about morales is that they 211 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: are part of what's called the fool proof for. There 212 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: are these four mushrooms that are very common. They have 213 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: a wide distribution across North America. UM. They are choice edibles, 214 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: meaning they taste great, they are easy to work within 215 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: the kitchen. And then on top of it, which is 216 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: maybe the most important thing of being one of the 217 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: fool proof for is that there's hardly anything like it 218 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 1: that can be UM confused for what that mushroom is 219 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: and make you sick or kill you or poisoning or 220 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: anything like that. And so a morale is part of 221 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: that fool proof for now. There is this thing out 222 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: there called the false morale, which is largely like an 223 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: incorrect term um and a very loose term um. A 224 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: false morale mushroom to one person might be a totally 225 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 1: different mushroom to another person, and a totally different mushroom 226 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: to another person. A false morale refers to this other 227 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: type of mushroom that is like not even very closely 228 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: related at all and doesn't look all that similar to 229 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: a true morale. UM. And there's a handful of these 230 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: mushrooms that are categorized as false morales. Most of them 231 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: are edible and taste fine, but there is one that 232 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 1: is highly toxic um and it can kill you. I 233 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,839 Speaker 1: think the University Alaska has done some research and it 234 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: said that it produces this chemical that's like similar to 235 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: what's in rocket fuel and it basically causes your organs 236 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: to shut down and diarrhea and lightheaded is and things 237 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: like that. But as I said, UM, just a very 238 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:11,079 Speaker 1: little amount of um mycology knowledge and you'll be totally fine. 239 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: It's it's like if one of your listeners were to 240 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 1: look at a white tail next to an antelope, you'd 241 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: be like, well, these are very clearly different things. Um. Sure, 242 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: they all have board legs and hoofs and they've got 243 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: these things coming out of their head. But that's like 244 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: basically where their similarities end. And so if you look 245 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: up a little bit what a false morale looks like. 246 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: Obviously this is impossible to describe um over the podcast, 247 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: they grow a little bit sooner than true morales. UM. Typically, 248 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: a true morale is going to be like yellow or gray, um. 249 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: A false morale is going to be like purple or 250 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: um more maroon or brown. And a false morale it 251 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: has that kind of brainy cap like a true morale has, 252 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: but it also looks like somebody stepped up, stepped on it, 253 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: and it was left outside in the sun and rain 254 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: um for a while. So if you just get a 255 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: little bit of information on what those look like, it's 256 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: going to be as quick to you as looking at 257 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: an analok next to a white tail to recognize that 258 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: these are different things. Yeah, that's a good analogy, and 259 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,640 Speaker 1: you've got there's an article on the Mediator website which 260 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: shows an image of the two next to each other. Right, Yes, 261 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: there is um, and that shows one of the species 262 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: of the false morale. As I said, there are a 263 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: handful of mushrooms referred to as false for false morales. UM. 264 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: Many of them are just fine to eat, But as 265 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: a beginning mushroom hunter, I would just cross them all 266 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: off your list, don't mess with them at all, just 267 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 1: in case you were to get the one that is 268 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: the wrong one. YEA. If if I wanted to just 269 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: be super duper safe about my mushroom hunting the spring, 270 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: and I was going to pick up a mushroom identification book, 271 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: is there one you'd recommend or one that you have 272 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: that's good for pre in anything like that. So I 273 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: have a handful of um mushroom hunting books, and I 274 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: think that's right. I think it depends on what level 275 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: of involvement you plan for. So if you are somebody 276 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: who lives in Illinois and you want a mushroom hunt there, 277 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: but you also plan on taking a spring turkey trip 278 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: down to Louisiana and you plan on taking a white 279 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: tailed trip out to Nebraska or something like that, then 280 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: I would get a broader one, UM the Peterson Field Guide, 281 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: which has that like very recognizable cover of having some 282 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: pictures of illustrated mushrooms and then it's like green and yellow. 283 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: That that's a very common field guide for anything, whether 284 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: it's it's birds or trees or mushrooms. So that's a 285 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: great one, UM if you plan on like getting serious 286 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: about this in hunting in multiple places. But if you 287 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: are that person that lives in Illinois, UM, there's a 288 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: lot of really good regional guides for wherever you live. UM. 289 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,959 Speaker 1: And with those regional guides there's often more specific information, 290 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: better information for your area. And so I would recommend 291 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:14,879 Speaker 1: one of those. Okay, you mentioned this, UM, this fool 292 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 1: proof for so morales are one of those. But what 293 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,439 Speaker 1: are what are some of the other mushrooms that we 294 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 1: should be thinking about that we might be able to 295 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: pick up the spring um? And maybe there's more than 296 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: just those three additional but I guess what are the 297 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: common ones that if I was starting out, I should 298 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: have on my radar. So Morales is one of them, UM, 299 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: and we'll talk more about those later. Chicken of the 300 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: Woods or another one. UM. I would rank them as 301 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 1: the top five tasting mushroom. They taste great. They have 302 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: this super distinct coloration. It's is very vibrant orange and yellow, 303 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: and it's one of the things that makes them so 304 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: easy to identify. And a really cool thing about chicken 305 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: of the woods is that they grow in war miss patches. 306 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: So if you go out morale hunting, there's a good 307 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: chance you're only gonna come home with like as much 308 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: that will fit in your pockets, and that's it. Just 309 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: have enough for like a saw tepe pan. Chicken in 310 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: the woods, on the other hand, will grow in these 311 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 1: enormous patches where it's nothing to go find. Um a 312 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: statue of chicken in the woods. It's like ten pounds 313 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: and more so, they are bright orange and yellow. Some 314 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: people call them sulfur mushrooms. Um. Some people call them 315 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: rooster of the woods, but they have that name because 316 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: of their very bright colors that are similar to a rooster. 317 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 1: And then they also have that name because the way 318 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,159 Speaker 1: they function in the kitchen is similar to that of chicken. 319 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: So vegans are very big fans of chicken in the 320 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: woods because they're a great substitute for whatever you would 321 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 1: normally do with chicken. You can toss them in a 322 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: pasta or eat them as they are, like like slice 323 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: them into these big honks. Um. There's a lot of 324 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 1: things you can do with the chicken of the woods. 325 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: That's that's two of them. Um. A giant puff ball 326 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: is the third of the fool proof for now. These 327 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: are super recognizable mushrooms UM. And they range from the 328 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 1: size of like a baseball, which is pretty common. Um. 329 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 1: I've seen some as big as softballs. But there are 330 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: these legendary puff balls that get up to the size 331 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: of volleyballs or even basketballs. UM. And basically it is 332 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: um exactly like what I just described. It is this 333 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,119 Speaker 1: volleyball that is sitting on the ground with like no stem. 334 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: If if you cut one of these puff balls open, 335 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: it is pure flesh throughout the entire thing. And so 336 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 1: it is this very dense mushroom. UM. And those those 337 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,159 Speaker 1: grow across the country. You'll see them in the spring, 338 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: but I've also found them in the summer. They kind 339 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: of grow in these more meadowy areas like around I 340 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 1: don't know, ankle high grass, and a lot of people 341 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: refer to them as the breakfast mushroom because is they 342 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 1: are great to use in omelets, uh, just with eggs 343 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: on toast things like that. So the giant puff ball 344 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: would be the third of the four, and then the 345 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: last one is a shan trail. Um. Chantrails grow typically 346 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 1: a little bit later in the year. They're one that 347 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: can grow though, like from spring all the way through fall. 348 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 1: UM usually at higher elevations in more molinous areas, and 349 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: shan trails are very obvious and like a chicken in 350 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: the woods. They also grow in these enormous patches. UM. 351 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,880 Speaker 1: My first time like experience in shan trails was this 352 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 1: last year in Montana and I came across this whole 353 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: entire hillside that was orange um. I could have left 354 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 1: with fifty pounds of shan trail as if I wanted. 355 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: And they don't have anything that looks really like them. 356 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 1: There is this thing like jack laner and mushroom um 357 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: that is very toxic. But again it's like comparing a 358 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,199 Speaker 1: white tail to an antelope. They're not that similar. And 359 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,479 Speaker 1: Chantrell's tastes great um similar to morales. They have like 360 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: this earthy, nutty flavor that is awesome in the kitchen. 361 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: I feel like ninety of the time when I hear 362 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: about mushroom hunting, it's people talking about morrel's. Is that 363 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: because Morel's are the most prevalent. Is it because the 364 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: mushrooms you're gonna find out there morals. So they're just 365 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:30,160 Speaker 1: so popular because of that or is it just because 366 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: people because they're easier to find, or is it because 367 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: they just taste so good? Like? Why is it that 368 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: morales seem to be the thing when someone says mushroom hunting, Oh, 369 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 1: they're gonna go find morrel's why why is that? I 370 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: would say that um, similar to like what makes a 371 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: walleye so good is that they have this firm flesh 372 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,439 Speaker 1: that is super easy to work with. You can do 373 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: anything with them in the kitchen, And so if I 374 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: wanted to, I would sound like Bubba Gump them the 375 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: Forest Goat movie, where he's like, you could put them 376 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 1: on toast, you can put him on a burger, you 377 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,360 Speaker 1: could put them with eggs, you could throw them in aposta. 378 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,479 Speaker 1: There's just like an unlimited amount of things you can 379 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: do with morales. Um. And and then there's also this 380 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: perceived value. Whether or not you choose to cash in 381 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: on that value, UM, it still means that, like it 382 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: makes it extra special when you're eating this thing that 383 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: in some years it's worth fifty dollars a pound. UM. 384 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: So that's that's certainly part of it even if you 385 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: never sell a morale in your life. It's just like 386 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: this cool thing to eat. Uh, Like what would ordinarily 387 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:48,400 Speaker 1: be part of this Michelin Restaurants five star meal. Yeah? Interesting, Okay, Um, 388 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: I feel like is it is it? Is it fair 389 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: to say if I'm gonna pick up much from hunting 390 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: for the first time, and I don't wanna, you know, 391 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: over stry my skill set and I'm just gonna I 392 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: want to focus on just one kind of mushroom morrel's 393 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: would is the fairest that morales would be like the 394 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: beginner's starting point, Like start there. Morales are a good 395 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: place to start because they are one of the fool 396 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: proof for they taste so good. Um. They grow during 397 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: a time of year like for your audience where they're 398 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: likely already in the woods. Um, whether that's turkey hunting 399 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: or shed hunting or doing some like early spring scouting 400 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: whatever that is, you're already on the woods anyway, so 401 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:35,640 Speaker 1: you're not really sacrificing, um, like you're not interrupting white 402 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: tail hunting for example, to go look for morales. And 403 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: so I think that makes them a big plus as well. 404 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: Where it gets difficult for a beginner is that mushroom 405 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: hunters are as tight lipped as anybody in the outdoor community. 406 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: I've said this before, but like I've had people offer 407 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: up their best turkey hunting spots or exactly where to 408 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,879 Speaker 1: go catch a limit of walleyes in the spring, but 409 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 1: most mushroom hunters take their best spots to their grave. 410 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: And so for that reason, you basically have to set 411 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: out and discover your own barrell mushroom hunting areas, which 412 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 1: which is tough. That that's that's certainly a barrier four beginners, 413 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: But hopefully a podcast like this in articles that we 414 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: have on the mediator dot com things like that can 415 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: like shorten that learning curve and make you confident when 416 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 1: you go onto the woods that you are going to 417 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: find some Yeah, it's funny you mentioned this secret spot thing. 418 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: I've got a good friend who whose dad is a farmer. 419 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: He owns a lot of land, and he gives us 420 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: all permission to go out there in turkey hunt all spring, 421 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: and he's like, go at it, shoot you know, go 422 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: ahead and shoot turkeys. Doesn't care about that at all. 423 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: But if you even touch a morale, you're in deep trouble. 424 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: So let's your deer hunt, turkey hunt, whatever, but don't 425 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: you dare get into his mushroom spots. Yeah, so yeah, 426 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: that definitely seems to be true. It's that kind of 427 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,880 Speaker 1: a community. Yeah, I get it. They're they're delicious. Um. 428 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: So what's the timeframe, what's like that window of time 429 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:05,880 Speaker 1: that we can be thinking about this. I think we're 430 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: smacked out in the middle of it, right. Yeah, this 431 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: this is um maybe peak mushroom hunting in the country. 432 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: For the South, um, mushroom hunting is just kind of 433 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: wrapping up. But for the Midwest, they're in it right now. 434 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: And then for like the North, um, they're going to 435 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: be starting out here probably within a few weeks. So 436 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: what does that uh from what march so in like 437 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: when those mushrooms pop up, it's not super well understood. 438 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: And this is something that we should say on the 439 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: front end of this podcast that as much as it 440 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,440 Speaker 1: may appear that I know about mushrooms, or other people 441 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: know about mushrooms or like the available literature, mushrooms are 442 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: truly an enigma. Specifically morales. Morales are an enigma, UM. 443 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 1: And part of what speaks to that is our inability 444 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: to cultivate them. There was this grad student in two 445 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,439 Speaker 1: who he cracked the code on morale mushrooms. He was 446 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: at San Francisco State University. I believe it was. Um 447 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 1: he was like the first person to artificially or to 448 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: harvest artificially grown morale mushrooms. And this would like absolutely 449 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: change the mushroom industry. But three months before his patent 450 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: was granted, he was murdered. Um. Yeah, and this is like, 451 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: this is like part of the wildness of morale mushroom 452 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: hunting lower anyway, do you have a desire to someday 453 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: write a book, Spencer, because if they do, there's your 454 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: book right there, man. Yeah. Yeah. Uh. Despite Ronaldo or 455 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,159 Speaker 1: like leaving behind this public patent that anybody can go 456 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: see right now. Um, he very clearly left some things 457 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: out as most patents due to like kind of guard 458 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 1: his secrets. Um. And he also had this super lucrative 459 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: contract with Domino's Pizza that went with him to the grave. 460 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: And nobody since then has been able to replicate morale mushrooms. 461 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: And so I just want to like put all that 462 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: on the front end. Our world's greatest minds have worked 463 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: on this and they can't solve it. There's just so 464 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:27,239 Speaker 1: many mysteries around morale mushrooms, and so there's not a 465 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: ton of this that is like super firm. It leaves 466 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 1: a lot of areas for foragers to kind of fill 467 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:38,400 Speaker 1: in the gaps. UM. And that's where like different than 468 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 1: maybe white tail hunting. Um. I think white tail hunters 469 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: are as smart as they have ever been at any 470 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: period of time because of like how small the learning 471 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: curve he's got with podcasts like this and things like 472 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 1: the q d m A that that distribute all this 473 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 1: great scientific literature. UM. Mushroom hunting. On the other hand, 474 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:03,199 Speaker 1: with morales, there is loads of value in listening to 475 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: those old timers and figuring out like where they like 476 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: to look for mushrooms and when they like to look 477 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:13,160 Speaker 1: for mushrooms, because that might truly be the best information 478 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: we have available. So I want to put all that 479 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 1: on the front end before we get into some of 480 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: these things, which like this is when they grow, this 481 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 1: is where they grow, this is how to find them, 482 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:28,640 Speaker 1: things like that. It's fascinating hearing you talk about this stuff. Um, 483 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: I'm really stuck on this guy's story. I want to 484 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: learn more about the dominoes murders of the much man. 485 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: I would love for there to be something more. They're like, 486 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:43,040 Speaker 1: some competitor hired these people, but it came down it 487 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: was a botched mugging in this park in the middle 488 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: of the night by these teenagers. Um, and that's just 489 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: kind of where it's been left at. So they say, right, 490 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: so what are what are the what are the old 491 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: timer tails? You know, like within the deer hunting world, 492 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:04,720 Speaker 1: you know, folks like to say that certain moon phases 493 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 1: impact dear movements, certain such and such like. We always 494 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,080 Speaker 1: like to debate these things, the various factors that might 495 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: influence dear. Um, what are some of those myths or 496 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: beliefs are you know, old sayings when it comes to mushrooms. 497 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: So if you want to simplify all this, you could 498 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 1: look at soil temperature and even this is like an 499 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: enormous window for when morales grow. Um, if you look online, 500 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,760 Speaker 1: you're gonna find numbers that range from forty five degrees 501 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: up to like sixty three degrees when morales will be growing. 502 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: If I had to pick a window when mushroom hunting 503 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: is best, I would say in that mid to high fifties, 504 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: So fifty six fifty seven around there. When you're soil 505 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: temperature in that first four inches reaches about that temperature, 506 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: morales are going to be popping up. But for that 507 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: old timer wisdom that we reference, there are these awesome 508 00:29:55,600 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: folksy sayings that are are made to help you figure 509 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: out when to hit the woods. And I've gathered a 510 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: whole bunch of these over the years through forums and 511 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 1: through you know, talking to people firsthand, and and interviewing 512 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: folks from morale mushroom hunting articles. And I'll go through 513 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: the list here in the Great Plains where I grew up. 514 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: The most common one is that about five to ten 515 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: days after the dandelions get their yellow is when you 516 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: should be morale mushroom hunting. So if you live somewhere 517 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 1: from North Dakota down to Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, places 518 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: like that, when the dandelions starts showing up in New Yard, uh, 519 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: five to ten days after that, that's when the mushroom 520 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: hunting is great. In New England, I've heard it said 521 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: that when the blood route starts to flower. Now, I 522 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: don't even know what a blood looks like or what 523 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: that is, but the best one that I've heard repeated 524 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: many times in New England and the East. Another one 525 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 1: of the East is when the peak turkey strut has happened. 526 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: That's also when peak morale time is um, which kind 527 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: of makes sense, Like I could I could say that 528 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 1: also works for the Great Plains, but what really is 529 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: the peak turkey stripe? You know that that's like a 530 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 1: hard thing to nail down. In the Midwest, um, when 531 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 1: oak tree buds are the size of mouse ears. So uh, 532 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 1: if you want to imagine what a mouse ear looks like, 533 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: which is basically nothing. But once those buds start to show, 534 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 1: that's when it's time to look for moraws. In the South, 535 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:34,760 Speaker 1: and this is a very common one, maybe, like one 536 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: of the most common ones is that when the dogwood 537 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: trees reach the size of a squirrel's ear. Again, very 538 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: similar to like the oak trees and mouse ears, same thing. 539 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: Once those buds start to show on the dogwood trees, 540 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 1: its tund to look for morales. In the Great Lakes area, 541 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: these are maybe a little bit more specific. When jack 542 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: and the pulpits start to open, or when may apples 543 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: put on their umbrellas. Are those things that sound familiar 544 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,840 Speaker 1: to you? Mark I've got no idea what a jack 545 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: pulpit is. Jack, Jack in the pulpit, Jack in the pulpit. Okay, Yeah, 546 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: i'mna have to look that one up. Okay. So that's 547 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: that's like, uh for for the great legs folks in 548 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: the West. Um, when the when the oysters start popping, 549 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: So in oyster mushroom is this other very obvious mushroom 550 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 1: that uh, it's not one of the food proof for 551 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:33,719 Speaker 1: but it could be. Um, it's this large mushroom that 552 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,240 Speaker 1: grows on the side of dead trees near waterways. When 553 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: you see those, then it's time to look from morales 554 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: in the Pacific North in the Pacific Northwest when the 555 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: wild flowers start to open, and then on the West 556 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: coast when the daffodils start to bloom. So there are 557 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 1: all kinds like like dozens of these folksy sayings for 558 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: when it's time to look for morales, um, all of 559 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 1: which I think are really cool. I read in one 560 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:07,280 Speaker 1: of your articles about this um about the shortness sometimes 561 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 1: of the window that you have. You know, it comes 562 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: to like a turkey hunting season, let's say here in 563 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 1: Michigan openings April eighteenth, then it runs through the end 564 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: of May, so I've got like six weeks to chase turkeys. Um. 565 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: And it sounds like there's these varying windows for morals. 566 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 1: They could be popping in March, they could be popping 567 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: in June, depending on where you are in the country. 568 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 1: But like, how long does that window last in any 569 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,880 Speaker 1: given area? Like, am I looking here in Michigan? I'm anecdotally. 570 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: I feel like I've seen or heard people talk about 571 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 1: finding mushrooms as early as like now, middle of April 572 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: ish all the way through May. Um? Is that is 573 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: am I? Am I right in that recollection? Or is 574 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: it usually a shorter window, because I feel like I 575 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,239 Speaker 1: read somewhere that you said sometimes it might be ten 576 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: days and then they're gone or something like that. So 577 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: the window that you have from mushroom hunting is totally 578 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: depends ending on weather. Ideal temperatures for morale mushrooms are 579 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: like wind nighttime lows during the fifties and daytime highs 580 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:14,200 Speaker 1: are in the seventies. That is the perfect mushroom growing weather. Um. 581 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:18,719 Speaker 1: And for a lot of the Midwest, um, like right 582 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 1: now is when they start to show up further north. 583 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:24,240 Speaker 1: The end of April there are kind of like these 584 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:27,680 Speaker 1: windows where it's guaranteed to happen, Like in Michigan, Mark 585 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 1: you're never gonna have morales showing up in March probably 586 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,839 Speaker 1: that that's like not gonna happen, and the same thing 587 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: in the South and the South they're not gonna be 588 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:40,360 Speaker 1: picking morales in June, but they might be in Montana. 589 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 1: So there are these like very vague windows. But the 590 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:48,359 Speaker 1: whole thing is dependent on weather, and so there might 591 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 1: be some years where the mushroom season so to speak, 592 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: uh last for just a week because you get like 593 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,720 Speaker 1: these great temperatures where the mushrooms pop up. And once 594 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,040 Speaker 1: they once they do pop up. Despite morales appearing to 595 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: have like this firm flesh, they are super delicate when 596 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: it comes comes to the temperature. So if you have 597 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: morales that are visible and the daytime highs are in 598 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 1: the seventies and nighttime lowers are in the fifties, and 599 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:22,320 Speaker 1: then you see in the forecast there's like three street 600 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:27,319 Speaker 1: three straight days of high eighties with no precipitation at all, 601 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: or if there's an enormous cold snap that's going to 602 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,759 Speaker 1: show up where it's like thirty degrees, that is your 603 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:37,399 Speaker 1: mushroom hunting deadline. UM, they might still be visible, like 604 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,359 Speaker 1: into that window where it's very cold or very hot 605 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,160 Speaker 1: and very dry, but their quality is going to disappear. 606 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 1: They're not going to be like choice edibles any longer. 607 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:52,800 Speaker 1: So some years, if you have this perfect uh temperatures 608 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,919 Speaker 1: and you get precipitation, um like mild temperatures and rain, 609 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,480 Speaker 1: that's exactly what you want for a good mush from season. 610 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:02,880 Speaker 1: If you have that, it could last like three weeks. 611 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:07,280 Speaker 1: Or if you live in a state, um like Idaho 612 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,239 Speaker 1: where you have these river bottoms where you can go 613 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 1: and find moraus and kind of these textbook areas, but 614 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:15,879 Speaker 1: then you also have these high elevations where they grow 615 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,480 Speaker 1: that might be spread out over the course of like 616 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 1: a month and a half. Granted, those mushrooms are being 617 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: found in very very different areas. But if you're in 618 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 1: someplace in the Midwest and you have this white tail property, 619 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 1: normally that mushroom hunting season isn't gonna last for more 620 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: than a few weeks UM, but it's almost always at 621 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 1: least like five days long. Do you do you We're 622 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 1: not trying to say do they regrow? Like if I 623 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:45,880 Speaker 1: were to go in and I find a patch and 624 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:49,479 Speaker 1: I pick them. Could I come back two weeks later 625 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:53,799 Speaker 1: and there will be more there if you get the 626 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: right weather. Um, you'll you sometimes have like these secondary girls, um, 627 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 1: but largely it is that the mushrooms are showing up 628 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: in some other area. Now, if if you find this 629 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:11,960 Speaker 1: patch around a dead tree where there's like twenty morales, 630 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:14,080 Speaker 1: and you pick them all, and then you come back 631 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 1: in a few weeks, there's probably going to be a 632 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,200 Speaker 1: few left that you just missed. Um. But if you 633 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: have those perfect temperatures, the mushrooms are going to continue 634 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,880 Speaker 1: to grow. So yeah, you can come on like a Monday, 635 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,960 Speaker 1: grab a bunch of mushrooms, and then come back, you know, 636 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:33,040 Speaker 1: like two weekends later, and you'll find some more interesting. 637 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: So let's talk about finding them. Um. When I first 638 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: started shed hunting, I used to go out and just 639 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: walk every square inch of the property I had access to, 640 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: look at it all and hope to find something. But 641 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 1: now after I've done that for a long time, I've 642 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: learned to try to become more efficient with my shed hunting, 643 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,719 Speaker 1: and I'll spend most of my time shed hunting in 644 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 1: a couple of smaller areas that I think there's high 645 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:00,719 Speaker 1: odds of their being anglers. So I more time and 646 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: those best spots and a skip over or just gloss 647 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:08,000 Speaker 1: over all the other lower likelihood places. UM. I read 648 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: you describe something similar for mushrooms, but I'm kind of 649 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 1: curious to hear you explain this a little bit more 650 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: how you actually approach you know, your process of searching 651 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 1: for mushrooms. So as you've said with shed hunting, Um, 652 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: you've written this on the metior dot com and shed 653 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,640 Speaker 1: hunting articles that like eighty percent of the sheds are 654 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: found on twenty of the landscape. That that's an accurate quote, right, ye, yeah, 655 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: and that also can apply to morale mushrooms. Um. Although 656 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:41,680 Speaker 1: it may seem totally random, and I just you know, 657 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:45,120 Speaker 1: laid out how we don't hardly know anything about mushrooms, 658 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:50,200 Speaker 1: it's not completely random. We can still somewhat predict like 659 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:54,120 Speaker 1: where they're going to be, and to understand that or 660 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:57,960 Speaker 1: to predict where these areas are, it's helpful to like 661 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,480 Speaker 1: get into the weeds a little bit and under stand 662 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: how and why morale mushrooms. Girl, So morale's are the 663 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:12,640 Speaker 1: fruiting body from this mycelium that lives in trees. There's 664 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: this my celium and it lives in treesum Uh. The 665 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,359 Speaker 1: simplest way to put that would be that it's like 666 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:24,800 Speaker 1: the roots of a mushroom, or it's the vegetative portion 667 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: of a mushroom, and then the morale that you see 668 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: and that you eat is its fruiting body. So maybe 669 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 1: think of like the morale mushroom as an apple, and 670 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: then like the mycelium is like the branch from that 671 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,239 Speaker 1: apple that you don't really care about, or you know, 672 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: you don't really pay attention to. This mycelium lives in trees, 673 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 1: and when a tree is healthy and happy, it will 674 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 1: only put out the mycelium will only put out a 675 00:39:55,160 --> 00:40:00,239 Speaker 1: handful of these fruiting bodies. But when there's a eve 676 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:03,040 Speaker 1: threat to the tree and the tree gets stressed out, 677 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 1: that's when it puts a lot more effort into reproduction 678 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 1: and it kicks out all kinds of these fruiting bodies. 679 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,160 Speaker 1: So the first thing you want to look for when 680 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 1: you're looking for morales is it a wooded area. That's 681 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,800 Speaker 1: that's a must have. You're not gonna go out um 682 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 1: into like the bad lands of Nebraska and find morale 683 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: mushrooms or like the desert of Arizona, and find morale 684 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:32,600 Speaker 1: mushrooms that won't happen. You need trees. The next thing 685 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 1: to pay attention to is if the landscape has been 686 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,720 Speaker 1: stressed out, And by stressed out, I mean an area 687 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,920 Speaker 1: that has experienced some kind of fire, whether that's a 688 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:48,759 Speaker 1: wildfire in the West or some like low intensity prescribed 689 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:51,960 Speaker 1: burn in the South, that stresses out those trees and 690 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: helps them kick out mushrooms. Floods are maybe the best 691 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:58,400 Speaker 1: and the easiest one. You just have to, you know, 692 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 1: search along waterways that experience flooding and you're gonna find morales. 693 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:08,640 Speaker 1: Um The year following two thousand and eleven, when every 694 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:13,359 Speaker 1: river in the country was swollen and swallowing up all 695 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:17,600 Speaker 1: this river bottoms and islands, two thousand twelve was like 696 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,000 Speaker 1: the best mushroom hunting year that I've ever had because 697 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,360 Speaker 1: it just stressed out all these areas uh and caused 698 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:27,239 Speaker 1: all these trees to produce the fruiting body that is 699 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:32,480 Speaker 1: a morale mushroom. So fires, floods, logging areas, those will 700 00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 1: kick out morales. Mining areas the same thing. If you 701 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:40,680 Speaker 1: have wind damage. If you may be hunting like a 702 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:45,760 Speaker 1: river bottom that experiences some flooding or swamp area. UM, 703 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:48,520 Speaker 1: and the roots system doesn't take really well. And then 704 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:51,600 Speaker 1: you have this huge wind event in the summer and 705 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: it knocks over some trees or bends over some trees, 706 00:41:54,239 --> 00:41:57,440 Speaker 1: but they're still alive. UM. That's a great time to 707 00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,280 Speaker 1: go find morales is the spring after the wind damage 708 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:04,279 Speaker 1: to trees, because that tree will have been stressed out. 709 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:07,600 Speaker 1: And so with with this, when I talk about something 710 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:12,160 Speaker 1: being stressed out, UM, you want to go in mushroom 711 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:15,480 Speaker 1: hunt the spring after an event. So if if a 712 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:19,600 Speaker 1: property is burned in the summer, go look next spring. 713 00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 1: If a property floods in May, go look the next April. 714 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:29,840 Speaker 1: Um that that first growing season after traumatic event is 715 00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:32,239 Speaker 1: going to be the best time to find the morales. 716 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:35,720 Speaker 1: And then each year after that you'll still find some morals, 717 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: but not at the same level you did that first time. 718 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:45,080 Speaker 1: Have you ever heard of people proactively managing their properties 719 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:48,400 Speaker 1: are doing things to stress the environment to produce more mushrooms, 720 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,799 Speaker 1: Because a lot of things you just describe are things 721 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,320 Speaker 1: that deer hunters do on their properties to improve the 722 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:56,480 Speaker 1: habitat for deer, like a prescribed fire or I'm thinking 723 00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 1: like a selective cut or or hinge cutting. Right. Hinge 724 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:03,399 Speaker 1: cutting is you're cutting a tree partially but not killing it. 725 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,080 Speaker 1: So I wonder if you hinge cut a bunch of 726 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,480 Speaker 1: areas for your deer, if that also is gonna gonna 727 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:12,960 Speaker 1: become a mushroom hot spot? Is that is that possible? Yeah? Absolutely, um. 728 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,440 Speaker 1: But as far as people intentionally doing it, besides maybe 729 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 1: those folks that are trying to um realize Ronald Ower's 730 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:23,480 Speaker 1: work after he was slain, I don't. I don't think 731 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:27,320 Speaker 1: anybody is out there like manipulating the landscape to grow 732 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:31,920 Speaker 1: more morales. Um. But with that said, like wildfires in 733 00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:36,480 Speaker 1: the West are um obviously a lot more common. And 734 00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: that's like the worst kept mushroom hunting secret is that 735 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:43,520 Speaker 1: after a mountain range burns that you can go find 736 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,880 Speaker 1: all these morales because they're super easy to smot and 737 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 1: it's like as predictable as a morale gets. But I 738 00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:54,200 Speaker 1: don't want other people to think that those burns can't 739 00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:56,400 Speaker 1: apply to them, because, like I said, there's all kinds 740 00:43:56,440 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 1: of like low intensity burns that happen. Or farmers are 741 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:03,399 Speaker 1: constantly torching ditches to to get rid of the old 742 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:06,759 Speaker 1: plan matter. Um, if any of that happens, like near 743 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:09,799 Speaker 1: a waterway or near a wooded area, those spots are 744 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:16,839 Speaker 1: going to produce moral mushrooms. Okay, So like walk me 745 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:23,279 Speaker 1: through the the bullet list of hot spots to check. 746 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:25,759 Speaker 1: I think you've kind of described this, But okay, if 747 00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:29,480 Speaker 1: i'm if I'm trying to recall, I'm gonna be hitting 748 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:32,399 Speaker 1: anything that's been burned, I'm gonna be hitting anything that's 749 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:35,759 Speaker 1: been flooded. I'm gonna hit anywhere where there's a lot 750 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: of dead trees. Um, Are there any other of these 751 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:42,400 Speaker 1: hot spots that I should make sure I've got on 752 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,719 Speaker 1: my list that I'm checking off as I walk through 753 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:46,640 Speaker 1: my property or a piece of public land, any other 754 00:44:46,719 --> 00:44:51,239 Speaker 1: quick like specific spots to look for. Yeah, And and 755 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to give the wrong impression that those 756 00:44:54,080 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 1: are the only places to find arouse. Those are just 757 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,040 Speaker 1: the most obvious places to find arouse. Like I said, 758 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:02,840 Speaker 1: a healthy tree is always going to kick out morale 759 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:06,200 Speaker 1: mushrooms that has this my celium in it. Um. So 760 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:09,440 Speaker 1: you can go out to a cattle pasture that doesn't 761 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:12,160 Speaker 1: get wind damage or mining or log or anything like that, 762 00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:14,880 Speaker 1: and you can find morale mushrooms there just now to 763 00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:18,040 Speaker 1: the same quantity that you would with some of these 764 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:21,880 Speaker 1: other things. Copy that. As far as other things to 765 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:26,560 Speaker 1: look for, it's kind of a seasonal thing. And so 766 00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,640 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the morale mushroom growing season, you 767 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:34,840 Speaker 1: want to look for um like more permeable soils like 768 00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:38,680 Speaker 1: sandy or soils um south facing slopes, things like that, 769 00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:44,600 Speaker 1: places that catch more sunlight, uh have less trees, those 770 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,800 Speaker 1: sorts of areas, those are going to grow the morales first. 771 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:51,880 Speaker 1: But as you have um like less permeable soils and 772 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,600 Speaker 1: more shaded areas, that's where the morales are going to 773 00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:57,640 Speaker 1: grow next. And if you want to if you want 774 00:45:57,680 --> 00:46:00,600 Speaker 1: to think of this like an island um because islands 775 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:03,280 Speaker 1: flood all the time that they're one of my favorite 776 00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:06,120 Speaker 1: places to go look from arale mushers. If you want 777 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,000 Speaker 1: to think of this like an island. Early in the 778 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:10,120 Speaker 1: growing season, you're going to look around the perimeter of 779 00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:12,600 Speaker 1: the island where the soil is sandy or where there's 780 00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:15,799 Speaker 1: less trees. But as that season progresses, you're going to 781 00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:19,840 Speaker 1: move into those dancery areas where it gets less sunlight 782 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:23,400 Speaker 1: and where that soil temperature doesn't rise quite as quickly. 783 00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:33,280 Speaker 1: That's all I got on that parts are confusing. Oh 784 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 1: that's awesome. Um okay, so what about the specific types 785 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:42,200 Speaker 1: of trees. One of the things that I've been told 786 00:46:42,239 --> 00:46:46,800 Speaker 1: by my mushroom hunting buddies is to look for dead 787 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:50,799 Speaker 1: elm trees specifically. And I was told to look for 788 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,120 Speaker 1: a tree that is dead but it still has some 789 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,320 Speaker 1: of his bark on it, but it's in the process 790 00:46:57,360 --> 00:46:59,400 Speaker 1: of starting to shut it's bark. That is like a 791 00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:02,160 Speaker 1: specific thing I was told to do. And like they 792 00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:05,680 Speaker 1: told me, just walk around the woods or farm fields 793 00:47:05,719 --> 00:47:07,480 Speaker 1: and look for trees that look like that and then 794 00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:11,960 Speaker 1: just go check eats tree. Um is that true? Are 795 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:15,880 Speaker 1: there any other specific trees like that or anything along 796 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:19,239 Speaker 1: those lines? To narrow down even further, Yeah, so we 797 00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:21,640 Speaker 1: we kind of just covered the macro since like you 798 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,919 Speaker 1: want a wooded area and preferably a wooded area that's 799 00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:29,120 Speaker 1: been stressed, that has quality soil, gets sunlight, um, and 800 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:31,960 Speaker 1: get some water. That's kind of like the macro view, 801 00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:35,600 Speaker 1: but down to a micro since you're absolutely right on 802 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,480 Speaker 1: you want to search around trees um, trees that are 803 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:42,040 Speaker 1: in the process of dying or trees that have very 804 00:47:42,120 --> 00:47:45,560 Speaker 1: recently died. They're going to kick out the most morale mushrooms. 805 00:47:46,239 --> 00:47:51,600 Speaker 1: As far as tree identification goes, this is something that 806 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:57,640 Speaker 1: is widely debated. Um. Somebody on the East Coast might 807 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:00,560 Speaker 1: have an absolute favorite tree to find morales wise, but 808 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:04,680 Speaker 1: then somebody in the Midwest, UM might swear that morales 809 00:48:04,719 --> 00:48:07,880 Speaker 1: don't exist around trees like that. I think maybe like 810 00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:12,720 Speaker 1: the three trees that are agreed upon by all mushroom 811 00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:17,360 Speaker 1: hunters in every region are elms, ashes, and apple trees. 812 00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:20,759 Speaker 1: Those those three trees seem to be pretty agreed upon 813 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:23,839 Speaker 1: that they will grow morales. But then you have these 814 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:28,360 Speaker 1: other ones like tulip poplars, um yellow poplars, cotton woods, 815 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:32,480 Speaker 1: fir trees. Those are all sort of these regional things. 816 00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:36,040 Speaker 1: And like one of the best mushroom hunters I know 817 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 1: in the Northeast will say that tulip poplars don't grow morales. 818 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:43,360 Speaker 1: But then someone in the East who picks tons of 819 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:46,480 Speaker 1: mushrooms told me that they never find did I say 820 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:49,560 Speaker 1: this backwards? Someone in the Northeast said that they don't 821 00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:52,319 Speaker 1: like finding them around tulip poplars, but then somebody in 822 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:55,000 Speaker 1: the East said that that's their favorite tree to pick 823 00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:59,720 Speaker 1: morales around. So this is something that kind of goes 824 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,640 Speaker 1: to or the how to find more morale mushrooms is 825 00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:08,600 Speaker 1: that when you do stumble upon a morale mushroom, stop 826 00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:14,040 Speaker 1: and like visually taken as much as you possibly can, Like, 827 00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:17,080 Speaker 1: is the soil here wet or dry? Are there other 828 00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:20,319 Speaker 1: mushrooms growing around it? Is the tree dead? What kind 829 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:23,319 Speaker 1: of tree is it? What other vegetation is here? Is 830 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:26,560 Speaker 1: this spot getting a lot of sunlight? Just like deer hunting, 831 00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:32,040 Speaker 1: morale mushroom hunting favors those that are detail oriented, um 832 00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:35,239 Speaker 1: and are prepared to look in the correct areas. So 833 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:40,360 Speaker 1: take note of all those things. Um. Somebody who finds 834 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:44,840 Speaker 1: a crapload of morale mushrooms in Illinois around elm trees 835 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:49,600 Speaker 1: might not like have the same success if they went 836 00:49:49,680 --> 00:49:52,920 Speaker 1: over to Oklahoma and looked around elm trees there, it 837 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,080 Speaker 1: might be apple trees in that area. So it's just 838 00:49:56,239 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: very regional and it comes down to like paying attention 839 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,840 Speaker 1: to what trees they grow u upon when you do 840 00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:06,040 Speaker 1: find them. Yeah, are there any other tips like that 841 00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:09,440 Speaker 1: when it comes to actually spotting them? You know, you 842 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:11,520 Speaker 1: just describe this idea, like if you find one here, 843 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:13,759 Speaker 1: it's a good thing to look around more. And there's 844 00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:15,640 Speaker 1: so many things like that when it comes to shed hunting, 845 00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:17,640 Speaker 1: Like if you find one side, you should take some 846 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:19,759 Speaker 1: extra time right in that area and circle out because 847 00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:22,840 Speaker 1: the other side might be nearby. Or one idea is 848 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,680 Speaker 1: to change your perspective. So when I'm walking through a 849 00:50:25,719 --> 00:50:28,160 Speaker 1: spot that I really think there's gonna be sheds, I'll 850 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:29,719 Speaker 1: stand on top of a dead tree to get a 851 00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:31,800 Speaker 1: higher perspective, or all crouch down low to get a 852 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:34,279 Speaker 1: lower perspective, or all make sure to look behind me, 853 00:50:34,360 --> 00:50:37,960 Speaker 1: because you know, sometimes there's different obstacles blocking view. Is 854 00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:40,359 Speaker 1: there anything like that that would apply to mushroom hunting too, 855 00:50:40,480 --> 00:50:45,680 Speaker 1: or something else entirely? Yeah, So I I've done a 856 00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:48,040 Speaker 1: lot of like most of my public or a lot 857 00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:51,200 Speaker 1: of my mushroom hunting has been done on public lands. 858 00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:54,839 Speaker 1: And sometimes you'll be in an area that you very 859 00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:59,360 Speaker 1: clearly got beaten to um You'll come upon these little 860 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:02,160 Speaker 1: stems of morale mushrooms that have been pinched off in 861 00:51:02,239 --> 00:51:05,560 Speaker 1: little groups, and you'll recognize that someone else has been there. 862 00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:08,399 Speaker 1: When that's the case, then you want to get off 863 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:11,600 Speaker 1: the trails. If that person is like following a game 864 00:51:11,640 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: trail or something, they're likely just gonna stick on that 865 00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:18,359 Speaker 1: game trail. Um. And then think about other things on 866 00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:24,040 Speaker 1: the ground that like act as um. What's the word 867 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:27,880 Speaker 1: I'm looking for here, Like little nurseries for morale mushrooms. 868 00:51:27,920 --> 00:51:30,560 Speaker 1: And so a few examples of this would be like 869 00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:33,720 Speaker 1: around a down tree, You'll have this bark on the ground. 870 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:36,279 Speaker 1: If you remove some of that bark, a lot of 871 00:51:36,280 --> 00:51:38,880 Speaker 1: times you'll have morale mushrooms growing right there. They're just 872 00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:41,040 Speaker 1: out of sight. Um. So that's a great place you 873 00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:44,840 Speaker 1: can find morales. Another example that was mushroom hunting the 874 00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:48,239 Speaker 1: sandbar in Nebraska one time, and I kicked over a 875 00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:51,760 Speaker 1: tumbleweed and there was like this huge patch of twenty 876 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:56,080 Speaker 1: morales sitting underneath this tumbleweed. And so there's some things 877 00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:59,480 Speaker 1: like that that's that's not always necessary, um, But if 878 00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:02,640 Speaker 1: you weren't an area that has competition, then keep that 879 00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:07,000 Speaker 1: in mind. As far as finding morales just anywhere. This 880 00:52:07,120 --> 00:52:12,160 Speaker 1: may seem obvious, but not enough foragers, pay attention to 881 00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:15,400 Speaker 1: the other mushrooms in the area. A lot of mushrooms 882 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:19,759 Speaker 1: favor the exact same kind of conditions that morales do, 883 00:52:20,120 --> 00:52:22,600 Speaker 1: and so if you're walking and all of a sudden 884 00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:26,920 Speaker 1: you spot some shaggy manes or spot some inky caps whatever. Um, 885 00:52:27,120 --> 00:52:30,120 Speaker 1: stop what you're doing and really look around, because there's 886 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:33,040 Speaker 1: a great chance that morales and that morals are in 887 00:52:33,080 --> 00:52:41,120 Speaker 1: that area. Mhm um, what about this. I take binoculars 888 00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:44,000 Speaker 1: with me every time I go shed on it. And 889 00:52:44,280 --> 00:52:47,680 Speaker 1: every time I see something that even gives me the 890 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,560 Speaker 1: tiniest bit of curiosity that it might possibly be an antler, 891 00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:54,000 Speaker 1: I pull up my bios and I glass it up. 892 00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:57,200 Speaker 1: I'd always be rather be safe than sorry. Do you 893 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:01,440 Speaker 1: do something similar mushrooms? Do you bring byn Nope, nothing 894 00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:06,279 Speaker 1: like that, because you're often mushroom hunting and like these 895 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:10,799 Speaker 1: closed quarters. Um, you're never going to spotted mushroom that's 896 00:53:10,840 --> 00:53:14,640 Speaker 1: more than like ten yards away. So something like binoculars 897 00:53:14,680 --> 00:53:17,960 Speaker 1: it's necessary. But other things that you do want to 898 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:21,600 Speaker 1: bring with you. This is like a very um like 899 00:53:21,960 --> 00:53:26,560 Speaker 1: low gear activity is mushroom hunting. You don't need binoculars, 900 00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:30,080 Speaker 1: but you should. You need something to carry the mushrooms in. 901 00:53:30,480 --> 00:53:33,719 Speaker 1: And this is something that all of the best borgers do, 902 00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:38,520 Speaker 1: But they carry their morales in a mesh bag. And 903 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:41,960 Speaker 1: the reason for that is is the mesh bag is 904 00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:45,960 Speaker 1: delicate enough that it doesn't like crush the mushrooms. It's 905 00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:49,440 Speaker 1: not like putting them in your pocket or throwing them 906 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,800 Speaker 1: in your backpack where you also have a camera and 907 00:53:52,920 --> 00:53:55,840 Speaker 1: a bottle of water. So you you need to store 908 00:53:55,880 --> 00:53:59,960 Speaker 1: them in some place that they're not going to be crossed. 909 00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:03,520 Speaker 1: But part of the mesh bag thing is that morales 910 00:54:03,560 --> 00:54:07,239 Speaker 1: are spread by these trillions of spores that are inside 911 00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:11,320 Speaker 1: those brainy caps. And so in theory, as you're carrying 912 00:54:11,320 --> 00:54:14,200 Speaker 1: around these mushrooms that you just found, you were helping 913 00:54:14,280 --> 00:54:18,239 Speaker 1: distribute those spores in other areas, so that that's not 914 00:54:18,360 --> 00:54:23,680 Speaker 1: a necessity. Um, But it's like a nice nod to 915 00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:29,000 Speaker 1: future mushroom hunters that they can find those as well. Yeah. Man, 916 00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:32,799 Speaker 1: that's karma right there. I love it. Um. So so 917 00:54:34,040 --> 00:54:36,799 Speaker 1: we gotta we have to talk about one step that 918 00:54:36,840 --> 00:54:41,640 Speaker 1: happens before putting them in your special future mesh bag, 919 00:54:42,080 --> 00:54:45,799 Speaker 1: which is how to properly pick a mushroom. The first 920 00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:48,680 Speaker 1: couple of morales I found I did this wrong. I 921 00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,759 Speaker 1: later found out, Um, can you walk me through the 922 00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:56,680 Speaker 1: correct way to pick a mushroom? So and in this 923 00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:03,280 Speaker 1: wasn't until recently that I understood this better, but of morale. 924 00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:07,319 Speaker 1: Mushroom hunters will tell you too. Either when you find 925 00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 1: a mushroom, a pinch it off at ground level and 926 00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:14,680 Speaker 1: just take with you what is visible, or the more 927 00:55:14,719 --> 00:55:17,719 Speaker 1: serious people will carry a scissors or knife with them 928 00:55:17,760 --> 00:55:20,520 Speaker 1: and do a clean cut right at ground level. What 929 00:55:20,600 --> 00:55:24,120 Speaker 1: I've learned is that that's actually not really necessary. It's 930 00:55:24,160 --> 00:55:28,560 Speaker 1: not indicative of helping that morale grow in the future. 931 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:34,520 Speaker 1: Unlike some other mushrooms, um, morales don't have a volva 932 00:55:34,600 --> 00:55:37,080 Speaker 1: that is kind of like that root system, and so 933 00:55:37,200 --> 00:55:39,160 Speaker 1: whether or not you pull a mushroom out of the 934 00:55:39,160 --> 00:55:42,640 Speaker 1: ground isn't going to determine if the mushrooms grow again 935 00:55:42,680 --> 00:55:47,160 Speaker 1: there next year. But I still prefer to just take 936 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:51,759 Speaker 1: what's above ground level, because often when you're pulling these 937 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:54,040 Speaker 1: things out of the ground, you're just bringing dirt with you, 938 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:57,120 Speaker 1: um and other things that you're going to end up 939 00:55:57,120 --> 00:56:02,040 Speaker 1: removing later on. So it's it's dealer's choice. I just 940 00:56:02,080 --> 00:56:05,759 Speaker 1: still prefer to take what is above the ground and 941 00:56:05,840 --> 00:56:09,040 Speaker 1: leave everything else. Okay, alright, I feel a little less 942 00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,839 Speaker 1: bad about what I did then, Um so all right, 943 00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:14,399 Speaker 1: then that brings us very naturally to the next step. 944 00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:17,440 Speaker 1: In the process. We've we've picked them carefully, we put 945 00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:20,000 Speaker 1: them in our mesh bag, We've spread our spores all 946 00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,399 Speaker 1: over the place for future generations of mushroom hunters. Now 947 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:27,720 Speaker 1: we get them home. I made this mistake myself. I stored, 948 00:56:28,280 --> 00:56:31,680 Speaker 1: I cleaned or stored my mushrooms wrong and ended up 949 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:34,480 Speaker 1: drying them out and not, you know, not getting as 950 00:56:34,480 --> 00:56:36,839 Speaker 1: good of a final product last time I tried this. 951 00:56:37,440 --> 00:56:40,160 Speaker 1: What's the proper protocol for once I get home with 952 00:56:40,200 --> 00:56:42,520 Speaker 1: all those mushrooms? Should I should I clean them? How 953 00:56:42,560 --> 00:56:44,799 Speaker 1: should I do that? Where? Should I put them in 954 00:56:44,840 --> 00:56:48,120 Speaker 1: the fridge, outside in the bag? What? Tell me? Walk 955 00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:52,920 Speaker 1: me through the whole thing. So with morales, the less 956 00:56:53,080 --> 00:56:57,000 Speaker 1: cleaning the better. Again, while they appear to have like 957 00:56:57,080 --> 00:57:00,640 Speaker 1: this firm flesh, it's still pretty delicate. And so if 958 00:57:00,680 --> 00:57:03,359 Speaker 1: you get a morale that doesn't have any kind of 959 00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:06,680 Speaker 1: bugs living in it or little worms, or it's not 960 00:57:06,800 --> 00:57:11,000 Speaker 1: really sandy, then just like a gentle rinse will do. 961 00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:14,959 Speaker 1: But it's very common that you get a whole bunch 962 00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:18,760 Speaker 1: of morales um from kind of a muddy area after 963 00:57:18,840 --> 00:57:21,120 Speaker 1: like a fresh rain, and so they're covered in dirt 964 00:57:21,600 --> 00:57:24,360 Speaker 1: and they've got these little insects living in them, and 965 00:57:24,440 --> 00:57:26,840 Speaker 1: you can see these little holes in the cap of 966 00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:29,880 Speaker 1: the mushroom where worms have been in. And with that 967 00:57:29,920 --> 00:57:33,600 Speaker 1: you'll have to do thorough cleaning that can look like 968 00:57:33,600 --> 00:57:38,200 Speaker 1: a number of different things. Um. Gender Razl is a 969 00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:42,800 Speaker 1: great forager from the Northeast. And her preferred method and 970 00:57:42,880 --> 00:57:45,760 Speaker 1: she's picked when they mushrooms, as anybody I know, is 971 00:57:45,800 --> 00:57:51,680 Speaker 1: to do this very gentle uh soaking of mushrooms. So 972 00:57:51,720 --> 00:57:55,320 Speaker 1: if you've got a bowl full of mushrooms, you run 973 00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:58,600 Speaker 1: water over them, cold water, and then you shake them 974 00:57:58,640 --> 00:58:02,400 Speaker 1: around in this content in or whatever the container is. Um. 975 00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:05,200 Speaker 1: Her description was at a scale of one to ten. 976 00:58:05,560 --> 00:58:08,840 Speaker 1: Like the vigor that she uses for shaking these is 977 00:58:08,880 --> 00:58:12,280 Speaker 1: a three, So it's like fairly gentle that you josti 978 00:58:12,360 --> 00:58:14,760 Speaker 1: these mushrooms around. Then you get rid of that water, 979 00:58:15,080 --> 00:58:18,520 Speaker 1: and then sometimes you do this two or three times over. UM. 980 00:58:18,560 --> 00:58:21,840 Speaker 1: That's like a pretty standard way to clean a morale 981 00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:25,360 Speaker 1: is just toss them in some water and then you 982 00:58:25,400 --> 00:58:29,040 Speaker 1: have to let them dry. UM. Whether that means laying 983 00:58:29,080 --> 00:58:32,800 Speaker 1: them on paper towels in your refrigerator or if you 984 00:58:32,880 --> 00:58:36,120 Speaker 1: have like um cookie sheets where you have that air 985 00:58:36,160 --> 00:58:39,520 Speaker 1: coming up from underneath putting those in your refrigerator. Those 986 00:58:39,560 --> 00:58:43,720 Speaker 1: are great things to do. You can cut your mushrooms 987 00:58:43,880 --> 00:58:47,320 Speaker 1: in half vertically before cleaning them. I think that's the 988 00:58:47,360 --> 00:58:50,120 Speaker 1: best way to do it rather than cleaning them whole. 989 00:58:50,320 --> 00:58:52,320 Speaker 1: That kind of helps gets out some of those insects 990 00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:56,880 Speaker 1: and stuff. But if you have morales that um seem 991 00:58:56,960 --> 00:59:00,480 Speaker 1: like they really have lots of little creepy crawlers in them, 992 00:59:00,520 --> 00:59:02,520 Speaker 1: you might have to do like a twenty minute silk 993 00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:05,800 Speaker 1: in some salt water. UM that that's not super common. 994 00:59:05,960 --> 00:59:09,360 Speaker 1: Usually just like standard cleaning methods can do it. But 995 00:59:09,440 --> 00:59:11,960 Speaker 1: however you clean them, whether it's just a rinse or 996 00:59:12,040 --> 00:59:15,160 Speaker 1: a twenty minute silk and salt water, that drying is 997 00:59:15,200 --> 00:59:18,160 Speaker 1: super crucial. So put them on paper towels, put them 998 00:59:18,160 --> 00:59:20,520 Speaker 1: on those drying sheets, whatever that is. When it comes 999 00:59:20,560 --> 00:59:23,600 Speaker 1: to cooking them, you want to do it ideally like 1000 00:59:23,680 --> 00:59:27,560 Speaker 1: within twenty four hours. UM that's the window where they 1001 00:59:27,560 --> 00:59:30,200 Speaker 1: taste best. You can do it two days later, you 1002 00:59:30,200 --> 00:59:33,040 Speaker 1: can do it three days later, but the quality continues 1003 00:59:33,120 --> 00:59:34,880 Speaker 1: to go down. So you want to eat them usually 1004 00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:38,280 Speaker 1: within that first twenty four hours and usually not clean 1005 00:59:38,360 --> 00:59:41,960 Speaker 1: them until like an hour before you're going to cook them, 1006 00:59:42,120 --> 00:59:45,160 Speaker 1: so that you you just clean them, and now you've 1007 00:59:45,240 --> 00:59:47,640 Speaker 1: let them dry and they they've firmed up again and 1008 00:59:47,680 --> 00:59:49,360 Speaker 1: got rid of that water, and now they're going to 1009 00:59:49,440 --> 00:59:55,280 Speaker 1: be a good product for cooking. So what about that 1010 00:59:55,600 --> 00:59:58,680 Speaker 1: in between time period though, between when I found them 1011 00:59:58,760 --> 01:00:01,040 Speaker 1: and before I washed them cook because the Washington cook 1012 01:00:01,120 --> 01:00:04,480 Speaker 1: is gonna happened the last hour, but between when I 1013 01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:07,440 Speaker 1: found them twenty four hours ago and then how do 1014 01:00:07,480 --> 01:00:10,760 Speaker 1: I store them? Doesn't matter how I store them. I've 1015 01:00:10,800 --> 01:00:14,040 Speaker 1: heard this paper bag thing before. Is that what you 1016 01:00:14,040 --> 01:00:16,160 Speaker 1: should do? What do you do with them before you 1017 01:00:16,440 --> 01:00:19,600 Speaker 1: get to that final step? Yeah, it really does matter 1018 01:00:19,640 --> 01:00:22,680 Speaker 1: how you store them. It's super important that whatever you do, 1019 01:00:23,240 --> 01:00:26,880 Speaker 1: your mushrooms can breathe, and so it like paper bags 1020 01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:30,840 Speaker 1: are probably the most common answer to this, that if 1021 01:00:31,200 --> 01:00:32,840 Speaker 1: if you pick them on a Monday and you're not 1022 01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:35,720 Speaker 1: going to clean them and cook them until Tuesday, that 1023 01:00:35,800 --> 01:00:37,360 Speaker 1: you just put them in a paper bag and then 1024 01:00:37,360 --> 01:00:41,480 Speaker 1: put those in your refrigerator. Um. Now, when when I 1025 01:00:41,560 --> 01:00:45,080 Speaker 1: say that they need to breathe, um, I really want 1026 01:00:45,120 --> 01:00:47,600 Speaker 1: to stress that because you might think that, Okay, well, 1027 01:00:47,640 --> 01:00:50,480 Speaker 1: I can take all these morales that they have and 1028 01:00:50,520 --> 01:00:53,520 Speaker 1: put them in like this big salad bowl. Or something 1029 01:00:53,640 --> 01:00:56,160 Speaker 1: and then put those in my fridge. But all those 1030 01:00:56,200 --> 01:00:58,440 Speaker 1: morales at the bottom of the salad bowl, they're not 1031 01:00:58,480 --> 01:01:01,320 Speaker 1: breathing properly, and so those are going to like start 1032 01:01:01,320 --> 01:01:04,080 Speaker 1: to deteriorate and get really soft, and they're not going 1033 01:01:04,120 --> 01:01:06,600 Speaker 1: to be a nice product when you're done. And so 1034 01:01:07,160 --> 01:01:10,000 Speaker 1: whether that means like storing them in a paper bag 1035 01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:13,800 Speaker 1: or laying them out on a plate um or whatever 1036 01:01:13,840 --> 01:01:16,640 Speaker 1: that is, it's super important to have them cool and 1037 01:01:16,720 --> 01:01:22,760 Speaker 1: let them breathe. So refrigeration is a must. Yes, Okay, 1038 01:01:22,800 --> 01:01:24,880 Speaker 1: what about like laying them out on a cookie sheet 1039 01:01:24,880 --> 01:01:27,080 Speaker 1: you describe that for the drying press. What about lay 1040 01:01:27,120 --> 01:01:29,439 Speaker 1: them on a cookie sheet in the fridge too, because 1041 01:01:29,440 --> 01:01:32,439 Speaker 1: that way they could all be spread out. Um, I'll 1042 01:01:32,440 --> 01:01:34,320 Speaker 1: get air and then just throw that in there. Does 1043 01:01:34,320 --> 01:01:37,640 Speaker 1: that work? Yeah, that's a great practice. Whatever you can 1044 01:01:37,640 --> 01:01:40,920 Speaker 1: do to help each mushroom breathe a little bit and 1045 01:01:40,960 --> 01:01:43,680 Speaker 1: stay cool, that's what you need to do. Just the 1046 01:01:44,040 --> 01:01:47,360 Speaker 1: absolute worst thing you could do is like throw them 1047 01:01:47,400 --> 01:01:50,800 Speaker 1: in a tupware dish and snap the lid on. Um. 1048 01:01:50,840 --> 01:01:52,760 Speaker 1: Even if you put those in a fridge, they're gonna 1049 01:01:52,800 --> 01:01:56,240 Speaker 1: come out all slimy um and soft. It's not going 1050 01:01:56,280 --> 01:01:58,880 Speaker 1: to be a nice product. So I found my most 1051 01:01:58,960 --> 01:02:02,240 Speaker 1: morales ever last year. I actually like I was looking 1052 01:02:02,280 --> 01:02:04,919 Speaker 1: for them. I didn't actually I didn't go out proactively, 1053 01:02:05,160 --> 01:02:07,240 Speaker 1: but when I was turkey hunting or doing other work, 1054 01:02:07,280 --> 01:02:09,400 Speaker 1: I was kind of peeking around. And so I found 1055 01:02:09,440 --> 01:02:12,880 Speaker 1: a handful. And but I didn't do any of my 1056 01:02:12,920 --> 01:02:14,640 Speaker 1: homework leading up to that. Like, the only step I 1057 01:02:14,680 --> 01:02:16,400 Speaker 1: took was the fact that I'll kind of pay attention, 1058 01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:19,120 Speaker 1: and so I pulled them out of the ground all 1059 01:02:19,160 --> 01:02:20,840 Speaker 1: the way, so I got a bunch of dirt on them, 1060 01:02:20,960 --> 01:02:22,640 Speaker 1: and then when I got them home, I threw them 1061 01:02:22,640 --> 01:02:26,360 Speaker 1: in plastic bags and so it was like everything wrong, 1062 01:02:26,840 --> 01:02:28,960 Speaker 1: not a good end product. So I wish I had 1063 01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:33,040 Speaker 1: done this podcast a year ago. Um, but okay, I'm 1064 01:02:33,040 --> 01:02:35,120 Speaker 1: gonna do it right this year. I've I know the 1065 01:02:35,120 --> 01:02:37,440 Speaker 1: places to look, I know how to pick them the 1066 01:02:37,520 --> 01:02:39,320 Speaker 1: right way. I know how to properly store them and 1067 01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:43,360 Speaker 1: how to clean them. Now it's time to cook them. 1068 01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:48,360 Speaker 1: What are your what are your favorite mushroom morale recipes 1069 01:02:48,440 --> 01:02:53,760 Speaker 1: or preparations or ideas. The simplest thing, uh is I 1070 01:02:53,760 --> 01:02:55,840 Speaker 1: think the best way to cook a morale is like 1071 01:02:55,880 --> 01:02:59,360 Speaker 1: the simplest whatever you can do to like let those 1072 01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:04,120 Speaker 1: mushrooms gine and so make that like the ingredient in 1073 01:03:04,240 --> 01:03:08,040 Speaker 1: whatever you're doing. Um, unlike some other wild mushrooms that 1074 01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:09,960 Speaker 1: I take you're not You don't want to take a 1075 01:03:10,000 --> 01:03:13,560 Speaker 1: morale and like mix it with a soup or put 1076 01:03:13,600 --> 01:03:16,560 Speaker 1: it in a pasta that also has chicken and like 1077 01:03:16,680 --> 01:03:19,360 Speaker 1: these bold sauce flavors and anything like that, You're just 1078 01:03:19,400 --> 01:03:21,960 Speaker 1: not doing it justice in that case. And so my 1079 01:03:22,080 --> 01:03:24,880 Speaker 1: favorite way to cook morale is just sauteing it in 1080 01:03:24,960 --> 01:03:27,560 Speaker 1: butter with a little bit of garlic. Um. And so 1081 01:03:28,120 --> 01:03:31,920 Speaker 1: once you have these morales that have been sliced in half, 1082 01:03:32,240 --> 01:03:36,840 Speaker 1: vertically cleaned and dried, then you just get a sautape 1083 01:03:36,960 --> 01:03:40,360 Speaker 1: and like really hot with butter that is popping, and 1084 01:03:40,360 --> 01:03:42,360 Speaker 1: then just toss them in there for a few minutes 1085 01:03:42,440 --> 01:03:44,840 Speaker 1: with a little bit of salt, pepper and garlic. I 1086 01:03:44,880 --> 01:03:47,440 Speaker 1: think it's the simplest way in the best way to 1087 01:03:47,520 --> 01:03:51,800 Speaker 1: cook morales. Is there the risk of over cooking morals 1088 01:03:51,880 --> 01:03:54,160 Speaker 1: like a lot of things, you can dry them out. Um, Like, 1089 01:03:54,200 --> 01:03:56,560 Speaker 1: how do you know when you gotta stop cooking? I 1090 01:03:56,560 --> 01:04:00,919 Speaker 1: guess this is my question. Yeah, that's that's a really 1091 01:04:00,920 --> 01:04:06,720 Speaker 1: tough one to answer, You certainly can overcook a morale. Um. 1092 01:04:06,760 --> 01:04:09,800 Speaker 1: If this is your first time messing with morales, you 1093 01:04:09,880 --> 01:04:13,840 Speaker 1: might be a little bit startled that the end product 1094 01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:19,400 Speaker 1: um comes out like kind of shriveled and uh like 1095 01:04:19,720 --> 01:04:25,320 Speaker 1: gets darker. Um, So you can overcook a morale, but 1096 01:04:25,520 --> 01:04:30,000 Speaker 1: I think you'll sort of naturally know like when they're done, 1097 01:04:30,040 --> 01:04:34,520 Speaker 1: and you can't like there's no safety hazard really an 1098 01:04:34,640 --> 01:04:38,920 Speaker 1: undercooking morale. So I always like lean more towards the 1099 01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:43,640 Speaker 1: side of these might not be at perfection than going 1100 01:04:43,760 --> 01:04:48,480 Speaker 1: beyond like what that window is a perfection? Okay, so 1101 01:04:48,720 --> 01:04:52,600 Speaker 1: a few minutes at a pretty hot saute and give 1102 01:04:52,680 --> 01:04:56,680 Speaker 1: him a shot. Yeah, yep. And then besides that, like 1103 01:04:56,720 --> 01:04:58,480 Speaker 1: other things you can do if if you have a 1104 01:04:58,560 --> 01:05:01,880 Speaker 1: super bountiful harvest, Um, that's when it's maybe time to 1105 01:05:01,880 --> 01:05:04,920 Speaker 1: get creative and do other stuff like toss them in 1106 01:05:04,960 --> 01:05:07,680 Speaker 1: a pasta where that is the focus, or put them 1107 01:05:08,040 --> 01:05:10,840 Speaker 1: on top of a burger, or serve them next to 1108 01:05:11,440 --> 01:05:16,120 Speaker 1: um venison steak or whatever that is. Or um, you 1109 01:05:16,160 --> 01:05:18,600 Speaker 1: can get really midwestern and throw them in a deep 1110 01:05:18,640 --> 01:05:22,480 Speaker 1: frier first you would like batter them with some flour, 1111 01:05:23,320 --> 01:05:25,200 Speaker 1: freeze them for a little bit, tossom in the freezer 1112 01:05:25,240 --> 01:05:27,560 Speaker 1: for like thirty minutes and let those get kind of 1113 01:05:27,560 --> 01:05:30,439 Speaker 1: firm to like where you would be throwing a French 1114 01:05:30,480 --> 01:05:33,000 Speaker 1: fry in a deep fat fryer, same sort of thing 1115 01:05:33,520 --> 01:05:35,800 Speaker 1: with a morale mushroom, lets firm open a freezer for 1116 01:05:35,880 --> 01:05:38,800 Speaker 1: just a little bit tossom in the deep fat fryer. Um. 1117 01:05:39,080 --> 01:05:43,919 Speaker 1: Other people I've seen will not slice their morales. Every 1118 01:05:43,960 --> 01:05:46,520 Speaker 1: every morale I've ever cooked has been sliced vertically. It's 1119 01:05:46,560 --> 01:05:48,760 Speaker 1: just like a really standard way to do it. I've 1120 01:05:48,800 --> 01:05:52,960 Speaker 1: seen other people take and inject the morale that has 1121 01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:56,480 Speaker 1: not been sliced with like cream, cheese, um, and then 1122 01:05:56,520 --> 01:05:58,560 Speaker 1: like throwing that in the deep fat fryer on the grill. 1123 01:05:58,640 --> 01:06:02,240 Speaker 1: That's certainly an option. I don't love that idea because 1124 01:06:02,600 --> 01:06:06,120 Speaker 1: you don't want to get them as clean and morales 1125 01:06:06,200 --> 01:06:10,320 Speaker 1: tend to like harvest quite a bit of um whatever 1126 01:06:10,360 --> 01:06:12,320 Speaker 1: sort of soiler in so if it's in a sandy 1127 01:06:12,400 --> 01:06:16,280 Speaker 1: or soil um, it's super super important to get that 1128 01:06:16,360 --> 01:06:19,200 Speaker 1: sand out. And cutting them in half like really helps 1129 01:06:19,560 --> 01:06:22,600 Speaker 1: with that process. And so you can't keep them whole 1130 01:06:22,880 --> 01:06:24,400 Speaker 1: and get creative with some of those other things. But 1131 01:06:24,440 --> 01:06:27,000 Speaker 1: I would wait until you have like ten pounds of 1132 01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:33,000 Speaker 1: morales to screw it out with it man. Um. I 1133 01:06:33,000 --> 01:06:39,280 Speaker 1: I am legitimately converted, I think, at least from from 1134 01:06:39,320 --> 01:06:42,800 Speaker 1: an intrigue standpoint, like, I am legitimately ready to get 1135 01:06:42,840 --> 01:06:47,840 Speaker 1: into this, to take it serious, to find some mushrooms. Um. 1136 01:06:47,880 --> 01:06:50,320 Speaker 1: And shame on anybody who chose not to listen to 1137 01:06:50,360 --> 01:06:54,080 Speaker 1: this episode because it wasn't just about daring. I hope, 1138 01:06:54,520 --> 01:06:56,160 Speaker 1: I hope people were willing to give this thing a 1139 01:06:56,200 --> 01:06:58,360 Speaker 1: shot because I I think this is pretty cool. I 1140 01:06:58,400 --> 01:07:00,760 Speaker 1: know there's a lot of people love musher money, um, 1141 01:07:00,800 --> 01:07:02,800 Speaker 1: but it seems like such a natural thing for deer 1142 01:07:02,840 --> 01:07:05,920 Speaker 1: hunters to add to our to our schedule throughout the year, 1143 01:07:05,960 --> 01:07:08,040 Speaker 1: a fun new thing to do out there while we're 1144 01:07:08,120 --> 01:07:10,440 Speaker 1: learning our properties or learning the public clan over to 1145 01:07:10,520 --> 01:07:13,040 Speaker 1: hunt and get some good food out of it. So 1146 01:07:13,600 --> 01:07:16,600 Speaker 1: I'm pumped. I'm pumped give a shot. The only downside 1147 01:07:16,640 --> 01:07:20,080 Speaker 1: Spencers that we've got like eight inches of brand new 1148 01:07:20,080 --> 01:07:22,360 Speaker 1: snow to the here in Michigan. So I don't think 1149 01:07:22,400 --> 01:07:27,200 Speaker 1: I've got mushrooms in my near near future, but hopefully 1150 01:07:27,640 --> 01:07:30,640 Speaker 1: hopefully soon. That's okay, Like one of one of the 1151 01:07:30,680 --> 01:07:33,680 Speaker 1: things that attributes to whether or not it's going to 1152 01:07:33,720 --> 01:07:37,880 Speaker 1: be a good spring for morales is if the soil 1153 01:07:38,400 --> 01:07:40,640 Speaker 1: is very moist in the spring. So if you get 1154 01:07:41,000 --> 01:07:44,640 Speaker 1: a late snowfall before that mushroom growing season, that's great. 1155 01:07:45,200 --> 01:07:47,880 Speaker 1: A lot of people love to see that. So while 1156 01:07:47,880 --> 01:07:50,520 Speaker 1: I might suck right now, um, in like three weeks 1157 01:07:50,560 --> 01:07:53,160 Speaker 1: when those morales are popping, you might be happy that 1158 01:07:53,200 --> 01:07:56,920 Speaker 1: it happened. All right, you're making my Friday man, Thank you? 1159 01:07:58,080 --> 01:08:02,080 Speaker 1: Is there any final there anything glaring that we need 1160 01:08:02,160 --> 01:08:03,840 Speaker 1: to know that I haven't asked you about yet? Or 1161 01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:06,360 Speaker 1: have we got? We got? The deer hunters gude to 1162 01:08:06,400 --> 01:08:09,720 Speaker 1: much from hunting covered. I think there's one thing that 1163 01:08:10,520 --> 01:08:14,760 Speaker 1: deer hunters would very much so relate to with morales, 1164 01:08:14,920 --> 01:08:20,040 Speaker 1: and that is that, um, it's it's super beneficial to 1165 01:08:20,280 --> 01:08:26,360 Speaker 1: understand the growing process of the morales. And so a 1166 01:08:26,479 --> 01:08:29,679 Speaker 1: lot of foragers refer to this thing as the pop. 1167 01:08:29,800 --> 01:08:31,799 Speaker 1: They'll be like, are the morales popping? Did the morales 1168 01:08:31,840 --> 01:08:34,080 Speaker 1: start popping yet? Oh? Yeah, the morales started popping here 1169 01:08:34,160 --> 01:08:39,360 Speaker 1: last week. And that kind of infers that, like the 1170 01:08:39,400 --> 01:08:42,240 Speaker 1: morales all of a sudden, like this three inch mushroom 1171 01:08:42,320 --> 01:08:45,080 Speaker 1: just shows up above ground. That's really not the case. 1172 01:08:45,560 --> 01:08:48,760 Speaker 1: It's not the pop. Isn't this thing that happens in 1173 01:08:48,800 --> 01:08:51,040 Speaker 1: the course of a weekend and then it's just totally 1174 01:08:51,080 --> 01:08:54,599 Speaker 1: over with, Like the rut. It's kind of this drawn 1175 01:08:54,640 --> 01:08:58,000 Speaker 1: out thing. Um. There isn't like a lockdown where it 1176 01:08:58,080 --> 01:09:02,400 Speaker 1: just stops. And so if you are a white tail 1177 01:09:02,479 --> 01:09:06,320 Speaker 1: hunter who has this private ground with morale mushrooms on it, 1178 01:09:07,080 --> 01:09:10,400 Speaker 1: and you go out and you find all these morales 1179 01:09:10,600 --> 01:09:12,960 Speaker 1: that are just like two inches big, and you see 1180 01:09:12,960 --> 01:09:16,240 Speaker 1: in the forecast that for the next you know, four days, 1181 01:09:16,400 --> 01:09:19,679 Speaker 1: it's gonna be in the sixties and seventies and there's 1182 01:09:19,720 --> 01:09:22,320 Speaker 1: like a fifty chance of rain on two of those days. 1183 01:09:22,880 --> 01:09:25,760 Speaker 1: You can just leave those morales go and then come 1184 01:09:25,800 --> 01:09:28,679 Speaker 1: back in a few days. Because the morale growing process 1185 01:09:28,880 --> 01:09:32,000 Speaker 1: isn't this thing that just like happens and then it's 1186 01:09:32,000 --> 01:09:35,599 Speaker 1: over with with that nice weather, those morales that keep growing. 1187 01:09:36,240 --> 01:09:38,800 Speaker 1: And so I've had cases in the past where I 1188 01:09:38,920 --> 01:09:41,439 Speaker 1: found morales that were two or three inches big. I 1189 01:09:41,479 --> 01:09:44,599 Speaker 1: saw that the weather was perfect for growth, and then 1190 01:09:44,600 --> 01:09:47,200 Speaker 1: you come back in three days, and those morales have 1191 01:09:47,320 --> 01:09:51,200 Speaker 1: often doubled or tripled in size. And so don't let 1192 01:09:51,240 --> 01:09:56,280 Speaker 1: people talking about the morale pop kind of Uh, fool 1193 01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:58,920 Speaker 1: you into thinking that it's like this thing that happens 1194 01:09:58,920 --> 01:10:00,720 Speaker 1: and it's this burst of grow and then it's just 1195 01:10:00,840 --> 01:10:04,120 Speaker 1: over with. Interesting. I was about to say, we should 1196 01:10:04,160 --> 01:10:08,599 Speaker 1: do a mushroom Fresh radio. I mean, that's a free 1197 01:10:08,600 --> 01:10:10,920 Speaker 1: idea for somebody out there. That's that's a good one. No, 1198 01:10:11,040 --> 01:10:13,240 Speaker 1: we should claim it, Spencer, that's gonna be our next 1199 01:10:13,240 --> 01:10:16,679 Speaker 1: spin off. That's right. One. One more thing I think 1200 01:10:17,000 --> 01:10:20,360 Speaker 1: is worth covering, maybe not in great detail, but you 1201 01:10:20,400 --> 01:10:24,240 Speaker 1: can sell morale mushrooms. Um. I know this is like 1202 01:10:24,280 --> 01:10:27,880 Speaker 1: a really hard time of the year for people with 1203 01:10:28,439 --> 01:10:31,120 Speaker 1: COVID and layoffs and things like that, so this could 1204 01:10:31,160 --> 01:10:34,200 Speaker 1: be like a real option that you'd consider. But morale 1205 01:10:34,320 --> 01:10:39,599 Speaker 1: mushrooms have this incredible market that changes from year to year, 1206 01:10:39,720 --> 01:10:43,519 Speaker 1: and it changes within the year. Um, some years you'll 1207 01:10:43,560 --> 01:10:46,120 Speaker 1: get like fifteen dollars a pound, other years you can 1208 01:10:46,120 --> 01:10:48,479 Speaker 1: get fifty dollars a pound. Generally you can kind of 1209 01:10:48,479 --> 01:10:51,439 Speaker 1: expect to get that like fifteen to thirty dollar range, 1210 01:10:51,479 --> 01:10:55,559 Speaker 1: but there are things that dictate within a given season 1211 01:10:55,840 --> 01:10:58,479 Speaker 1: what that price is going to be. And so if 1212 01:10:58,560 --> 01:11:01,800 Speaker 1: if you live in the Upper Midwest, um, and the 1213 01:11:01,840 --> 01:11:05,520 Speaker 1: growing season just starts and you find all these mushrooms 1214 01:11:05,520 --> 01:11:08,360 Speaker 1: on the south facing slopes and in this sandy or 1215 01:11:08,360 --> 01:11:11,960 Speaker 1: soil before anybody else, people are going to be willing 1216 01:11:12,080 --> 01:11:15,160 Speaker 1: to pay higher prices because there's not a ton of 1217 01:11:15,160 --> 01:11:19,120 Speaker 1: morales in the market. But if it is this bomb 1218 01:11:19,240 --> 01:11:24,919 Speaker 1: spring for everybody and the entire region has this perfect weather, UM, 1219 01:11:25,240 --> 01:11:28,080 Speaker 1: and the market is flooded with morales that you might 1220 01:11:28,120 --> 01:11:30,880 Speaker 1: only get like ten or fifteen dollars a pound, and 1221 01:11:30,920 --> 01:11:35,200 Speaker 1: how to sell morales is anymore than this has changed 1222 01:11:35,400 --> 01:11:38,960 Speaker 1: like over the last decade of mushroom hunting, Facebook is 1223 01:11:39,200 --> 01:11:42,360 Speaker 1: the easiest in the most obvious place to look in 1224 01:11:42,400 --> 01:11:48,280 Speaker 1: the marketplace. UM genuinely you'll find different sorts of buyers. UM. 1225 01:11:48,360 --> 01:11:53,200 Speaker 1: Grocery stores are pretty common, more like UM niche grocery stores. 1226 01:11:53,240 --> 01:11:55,760 Speaker 1: For example, You're not gonna see like a high V 1227 01:11:56,479 --> 01:11:59,160 Speaker 1: or a Sunshine or a Krogers or anything like that. 1228 01:11:59,160 --> 01:12:01,280 Speaker 1: They're not gonna be buying house. But some of these 1229 01:12:01,320 --> 01:12:06,040 Speaker 1: smaller grocery stores will be restaurants are definitely like the 1230 01:12:06,320 --> 01:12:10,840 Speaker 1: number one buyer UM and not like dive bars or 1231 01:12:10,880 --> 01:12:13,320 Speaker 1: Applebe's or anything like that, places that you need a 1232 01:12:13,320 --> 01:12:16,360 Speaker 1: reservation for. They're going to be looking to buy morales, 1233 01:12:16,400 --> 01:12:19,639 Speaker 1: and that might change with with COVID and and how 1234 01:12:19,960 --> 01:12:21,880 Speaker 1: things have adapted. For restaurants, it might not be the 1235 01:12:21,920 --> 01:12:24,320 Speaker 1: same this year, but they're great places to sell. And 1236 01:12:24,360 --> 01:12:28,200 Speaker 1: then farmers markets are probably where you can go and 1237 01:12:28,240 --> 01:12:31,519 Speaker 1: get the highest dollar amounts. Again, that's likely different this 1238 01:12:31,640 --> 01:12:35,559 Speaker 1: spring because farmers markets are probably shut down, but those 1239 01:12:35,560 --> 01:12:37,960 Speaker 1: are great options to go and sell morales. Check your 1240 01:12:37,960 --> 01:12:42,519 Speaker 1: regulations in your state. UM. Some places don't allow you 1241 01:12:42,520 --> 01:12:45,360 Speaker 1: to sell morales that we're taking off public lands. Other 1242 01:12:45,439 --> 01:12:49,439 Speaker 1: places make you have like a special foraging permit things 1243 01:12:49,520 --> 01:12:53,959 Speaker 1: like that, So that's something to consider before you sell morales. 1244 01:12:54,240 --> 01:12:58,679 Speaker 1: And the morale market is always dictated by what's happening 1245 01:12:59,479 --> 01:13:03,200 Speaker 1: in your region. So if you are a mushroom hunter 1246 01:13:03,360 --> 01:13:08,599 Speaker 1: in Ohio, UM, and it's like a really good season 1247 01:13:08,920 --> 01:13:12,120 Speaker 1: down south, it doesn't matter what's happening with the morale 1248 01:13:12,240 --> 01:13:15,040 Speaker 1: mushrooms down in Georgia. It just matters what's happening like 1249 01:13:15,560 --> 01:13:18,920 Speaker 1: Ohio and Pennsylvania and Indiana places like that. It's a 1250 01:13:19,000 --> 01:13:22,000 Speaker 1: very regional thing, so you can keep that in mind 1251 01:13:22,520 --> 01:13:26,120 Speaker 1: as you're considering the pros and cons of selling your morales. 1252 01:13:26,880 --> 01:13:30,679 Speaker 1: Have you ever personally sold in your morales. I did, 1253 01:13:31,040 --> 01:13:33,519 Speaker 1: um back in college. I paid for a lot of 1254 01:13:33,560 --> 01:13:38,360 Speaker 1: beer with morale mushrooms. It was quite common then, UM. 1255 01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:42,960 Speaker 1: And that was when the harvests were like just ridiculous 1256 01:13:43,000 --> 01:13:46,639 Speaker 1: for a few years. UM. Places were flooding all the time, 1257 01:13:47,520 --> 01:13:51,120 Speaker 1: and the morale numbers were just outstanding. UM. But that's 1258 01:13:51,160 --> 01:13:53,760 Speaker 1: kind of changed. On an average year, if I just 1259 01:13:53,800 --> 01:13:56,080 Speaker 1: have like five pounds and it's too much for me 1260 01:13:56,120 --> 01:13:58,400 Speaker 1: to eat or something, I'll just give it away. It's 1261 01:13:58,400 --> 01:14:02,120 Speaker 1: a super nice gesture you can do for people and landowners, um, 1262 01:14:02,800 --> 01:14:06,759 Speaker 1: especially if they also realize the value that you're handing 1263 01:14:06,800 --> 01:14:09,880 Speaker 1: them something that's worth forty pound and that can't be 1264 01:14:09,920 --> 01:14:13,240 Speaker 1: bought in a most grocery stores and has this super 1265 01:14:13,360 --> 01:14:16,320 Speaker 1: unique nutty flavor. Those are the kinds of people that 1266 01:14:16,400 --> 01:14:19,320 Speaker 1: you want to give him around mushrooms too. Yeah, some 1267 01:14:19,479 --> 01:14:23,439 Speaker 1: got a great way to keep your hunting permission. That's right, yep. 1268 01:14:23,960 --> 01:14:26,799 Speaker 1: So back to your selling mushrooms are real quick, I 1269 01:14:26,800 --> 01:14:29,880 Speaker 1: I gotta believe. Is it kind of like a drug deal, 1270 01:14:29,960 --> 01:14:32,120 Speaker 1: Like did you pull into a back alley and open 1271 01:14:32,160 --> 01:14:34,439 Speaker 1: the trunk of your car and kind of open your 1272 01:14:34,439 --> 01:14:36,280 Speaker 1: coat jacket up a little bit to cover it up? 1273 01:14:36,280 --> 01:14:38,080 Speaker 1: And have the guy coming real close and you pass 1274 01:14:38,160 --> 01:14:42,080 Speaker 1: something in between your hands. Was it that kind of thing? No? Um, 1275 01:14:42,160 --> 01:14:44,439 Speaker 1: yeah I was. I was mostly selling too, some like 1276 01:14:44,560 --> 01:14:47,720 Speaker 1: local restaurants. But there is this funny thing that if 1277 01:14:47,760 --> 01:14:50,559 Speaker 1: you like, um, if you think of a movie and 1278 01:14:50,600 --> 01:14:53,479 Speaker 1: they're like doing this drug deal and the buyer like 1279 01:14:53,600 --> 01:14:55,400 Speaker 1: comes in and lays down a lot of coke and 1280 01:14:55,400 --> 01:14:59,679 Speaker 1: then sniffs it and he's like, yeah, that's that's good stuff. Yeah, yeah, 1281 01:14:59,760 --> 01:15:02,080 Speaker 1: that's there's something like that with the morales. Well, they're 1282 01:15:02,080 --> 01:15:04,120 Speaker 1: like they'll like hold it up in front of their 1283 01:15:04,120 --> 01:15:07,320 Speaker 1: face and kind of rotate it like it's a precious jewel. Um, 1284 01:15:07,560 --> 01:15:09,920 Speaker 1: and they'll like examine if it has too much sand 1285 01:15:09,960 --> 01:15:13,000 Speaker 1: in it or not, or like what, um, if these 1286 01:15:13,080 --> 01:15:15,519 Speaker 1: mushrooms are too dried out or how long you've been 1287 01:15:15,520 --> 01:15:19,920 Speaker 1: holding onto them. All that process kind of takes place. Um. 1288 01:15:20,000 --> 01:15:22,960 Speaker 1: So it is like sort of similar to a drug deal. Shore. 1289 01:15:23,360 --> 01:15:26,519 Speaker 1: I love it. I absolutely love it. If if people 1290 01:15:26,600 --> 01:15:29,240 Speaker 1: want to learn more about this kind of thing, we've 1291 01:15:29,280 --> 01:15:31,760 Speaker 1: got we've got some other resources, right Spencer, Can you 1292 01:15:31,800 --> 01:15:33,920 Speaker 1: can you tell us where to find some of that? Yeah, 1293 01:15:33,920 --> 01:15:36,200 Speaker 1: So if you go to the meat eater dot com 1294 01:15:36,240 --> 01:15:40,920 Speaker 1: and go under our cooking section and then our foraging section. 1295 01:15:41,920 --> 01:15:45,320 Speaker 1: I've written probably a half dozen articles this spring on 1296 01:15:45,479 --> 01:15:48,160 Speaker 1: morale mushroom unting. You'll see our things from from last 1297 01:15:48,240 --> 01:15:50,760 Speaker 1: year as well, and we cover everything that we just 1298 01:15:50,800 --> 01:15:54,479 Speaker 1: talked about, and possibly in even greater detail. The wind 1299 01:15:54,479 --> 01:15:58,240 Speaker 1: to find morales, how to find morales, where to find morales, 1300 01:15:58,240 --> 01:16:01,400 Speaker 1: how to cook morales, how to al morale's. All those 1301 01:16:01,400 --> 01:16:03,679 Speaker 1: things are covered around the media here dot com. Yeah, 1302 01:16:03,880 --> 01:16:07,519 Speaker 1: lots of good recipes too, I think right, not not 1303 01:16:07,640 --> 01:16:10,960 Speaker 1: quite so far. Um. I think this is this episode 1304 01:16:11,000 --> 01:16:14,160 Speaker 1: is coming out here next week and Danielle Pruittt is 1305 01:16:14,200 --> 01:16:17,120 Speaker 1: currently working on a morale recipe for the end of April. 1306 01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:21,360 Speaker 1: I'm writing something on how to dehydrate morale mushrooms. So, um, 1307 01:16:21,400 --> 01:16:23,040 Speaker 1: there's not a ton there right now, but there will 1308 01:16:23,080 --> 01:16:27,360 Speaker 1: be cool, all right, man. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this 1309 01:16:27,439 --> 01:16:30,719 Speaker 1: change of pace and I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna 1310 01:16:30,720 --> 01:16:32,760 Speaker 1: be a mushroom hunting man this year, and if I 1311 01:16:32,880 --> 01:16:36,240 Speaker 1: don't find a boatload, I will personally blame you. That 1312 01:16:36,280 --> 01:16:39,600 Speaker 1: sounds good. And and if you're listening to this and 1313 01:16:39,680 --> 01:16:42,320 Speaker 1: you have questions, reach out to me. I'd love to 1314 01:16:42,320 --> 01:16:45,280 Speaker 1: help you and answer any questions I can. Like I said, morale, 1315 01:16:45,520 --> 01:16:49,280 Speaker 1: Like I said before, morale, mushrooms are like very closely 1316 01:16:49,360 --> 01:16:51,680 Speaker 1: guarded secrets among people. But I don't want that to 1317 01:16:51,680 --> 01:16:53,920 Speaker 1: be the case. So if there's something that you still 1318 01:16:54,280 --> 01:16:56,920 Speaker 1: aren't sure about, slide into my d m s and 1319 01:16:57,000 --> 01:16:59,599 Speaker 1: Instagram or on Facebook, whatever, and I'll try to help 1320 01:16:59,600 --> 01:17:02,559 Speaker 1: you out. You're such a cool young kids spencer. You 1321 01:17:02,680 --> 01:17:04,640 Speaker 1: just told us to slide into your d m s. 1322 01:17:05,560 --> 01:17:08,639 Speaker 1: That's right, and talk about possibly like the oldest thing 1323 01:17:08,720 --> 01:17:11,920 Speaker 1: there is to like have a discussion around. And that's 1324 01:17:12,080 --> 01:17:16,639 Speaker 1: much ladies and gentlemen. The hot tub hunter, good good stuff, 1325 01:17:16,720 --> 01:17:19,000 Speaker 1: my friend. Thanks for thanks for walking us through all this, 1326 01:17:21,080 --> 01:17:24,439 Speaker 1: and that is a rap. I hope you guys enjoyed 1327 01:17:24,439 --> 01:17:27,200 Speaker 1: this one. Hope you gonna get out there and do 1328 01:17:27,320 --> 01:17:31,920 Speaker 1: some mushroom hunting in addition to whatever hopefully fun, safe 1329 01:17:32,120 --> 01:17:35,519 Speaker 1: outdoor activities you have planned for the spring. We're just 1330 01:17:35,520 --> 01:17:37,880 Speaker 1: starting to get some sunshine here in Michigan. It's feeling 1331 01:17:37,960 --> 01:17:41,720 Speaker 1: very nice. I'm just dying he gets some of that 1332 01:17:41,800 --> 01:17:44,519 Speaker 1: sun and some outdoor times, so that's a great way 1333 01:17:44,520 --> 01:17:47,439 Speaker 1: to do it. So thank you for listening. Be safe, 1334 01:17:47,520 --> 01:17:51,639 Speaker 1: be well, and until next time, stay wired to hunt.