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Panama
Fungi Apprenti


Registered: 02/06/11
Posts: 68
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
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Is This What I Think It Is?
#14406620 - 05/05/11 06:16 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Okay, so this afternoon I was walking through my woods, and spotted a nice sized patch of leeks - I know, it's not shrooms, but they are considered somewhat of a seasonal delicacy around here...anyway, I'm climbing a slope to get to them, when, right below an old stump, I found this!

It is huge, almost as big as my fist...the bottom is easily as big as my wrist...to give you an idea of the size I put a pint jar next to it, and propped up a quarter...

Did I actually find a wild golden morel, or is this something else?
Right now it's wrapped in paper and sitting in my fridge...can I use this for cloning? spores? Should I want to? Maybe this is not so unusual, but I've never seen one before out here, and certainly no one I have spoken to out here has mentioned any...
Edited by Panama (05/05/11 06:17 PM)
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Not Quite Social


Registered: 07/16/10
Posts: 1,418
Loc: Midwest
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Re: Is This What I Think It Is? [Re: Panama]
#14406877 - 05/05/11 07:04 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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That's a gyromitra caroliniana. Some people eat them, some don't. They have a carcinogen in them with chemistry similar to jet fuel that is removed by thorough cooking. I found some of these this year for the first time. They're commonly called "reds" or "beefsteaks" here in the Midwest. I chickened out- was too scared to eat anything other than one charred bite. They show up a week or so before true morels. It's a cool find.
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Edited by Not Quite Social (05/05/11 07:09 PM)
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Panama
Fungi Apprenti


Registered: 02/06/11
Posts: 68
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
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Thanks for the i.d. NQS... I'm not so sure I want to try this one either...it has no smell whatsoever, unlike most of the edibles I find in the woods. Ah well, I'll just add this to the list of 'do not ingest' shrooms I've found.
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flugelizor
Furious ball of nothing


Registered: 11/16/08
Posts: 2,110
Loc: Western NY
Last seen: 47 minutes, 23 seconds
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Re: Is This What I Think It Is? [Re: Panama]
#14412305 - 05/06/11 08:25 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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I know the feeling. I found several of these yesterday, and I was really psyched... Until I started to figure it out. Detached cap. Gnarly raisin looking cap. no hollow interior. Bummer. At least there is still a chance to find the real ones. Nice picures
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Panama
Fungi Apprenti


Registered: 02/06/11
Posts: 68
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
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Re: Is This What I Think It Is? [Re: flugelizor]
#14412564 - 05/06/11 09:13 PM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Yeah, exactly what I'm thinking...I'm going out tomorrow to look for the real deal in the woods. I've got some old apple orchard leftovers and some ash trees, and that's where I'm going to start...
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phalcon005

Registered: 12/21/05
Posts: 217
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Re: Is This What I Think It Is? [Re: Panama]
#14423531 - 05/09/11 08:09 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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For what it is worth, the gyromitra caroliniana or "false morels" I would find in Missouri where I grew up were always solid inside when you cut them open, whereas a morel is hollow.
I always found more false morels that ture morels, but the only consistent morel patch I knew of was less than 100 feet away from a false morel patch, so I would keep checking that area if you are itching for some true morels.
Happy hunting!
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Panama
Fungi Apprenti


Registered: 02/06/11
Posts: 68
Last seen: 11 years, 8 months
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Re: Is This What I Think It Is? [Re: phalcon005]
#14428563 - 05/10/11 07:08 AM (12 years, 8 months ago) |
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Ahh, thanks for the info phalcon. I'm heading back to the wild leek patch ('ramps' for you Southerners) where I found this gyromitra caroliniana, and I'll search the area for some true morels. If I find anything, I'll be sure to post here!
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