Montana Mushrooms?

[TRS_Montana]

So, trying to add another item to the list of things I don't have time to do. Have always been haphazard in my attempts to collect mushrooms here in MT. However, last year on a bear hunt, I stumbled across a patch of maybe 15 morels and realized I need to be spending more time scouring the woods for mushrooms. Also want to get into other types of mushrooms besides morels.

SO...does anyone have some good info on what other types of edible mushrooms there are in MT? Any favorites? Any good resources to start learning about some of this stuff? Obviously I can google this stuff, but was wanted to hear of personal stories/preferences from you guys.

Thanks!!

 

[StykbowMT225]

I'm excellent on finding the poisonous ones while looking with my kids, then trying to talk myself into believing they are a different, edible species. I now stick to morels, and I have found them in MT as early as 4/29.

 

[RobG]

Shaggy manes and chanterelles are pretty easy to identify. I've seen bolete mushrooms but never been brave enough to try.

 

[mdunc8]

Oysters are good and easy to ID

 

[----]

I get at least one batch of puffballs every spring, I don't think there's any worries about mis-identification there.

I've never picked morrels, but I have a spot I think should be productive for them. When would you guys recommend I start looking? Mid-May?

 

[RobG]

I get at least one batch of puffballs every spring, I don't think there's any worries about mis-identification there.

Careful... amanita is poisonous and when emerging it looks exactly like a puffball, but if you cut it in half lengthwise you can see the gills, gills=poisonous.

 

[WestT]

Not sure about MT but the morels are just beginning to pop up in my part of Illinois. Planning to go out either this weekend or next week.

 

[dcopas78]

I get at least one batch of puffballs every spring, I don't think there's any worries about mis-identification there.

I've never picked morrels, but I have a spot I think should be productive for them. When would you guys recommend I start looking? Mid-May?

I have always heard that the "magic" soil temperature is around 50 degrees for them to start up. I just have a few different things that I look for around here and I can usually tell when they will be out. I have one patch of may apples (a ground plant here in Ohio) that I watch pretty closely. When they are about 4" tall, I know that my areas should be producing well.

 

[Kaitum]

I get at least one batch of puffballs every spring, I don't think there's any worries about mis-identification there.

I've never picked morrels, but I have a spot I think should be productive for them. When would you guys recommend I start looking? Mid-May?

May 8th was always my magic date (plus minus a couple days) on the middle Missouri River so I'm guessing we're a good week behind in this area. A few rains followed by some warm days really gets morels popping.

I picked a bag full of morels in Alaska over Labor Day weekend a few years ago. Can't explain that one.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Randy, river bottom morels tend to be out a little earlier than the ones in the burns. I've found them as early as mid -April. Later in the spring they will be higher on the mountain. I'm forecasting a great year for them around here. Lot's of burns from last year.

 

[Bulldog0156]

We're going to have sooooo many morels this spring/summer! :hump:

 

[NoWiser]

Boletes are fairly easy, Rob. If you do a bit of research, there are 3 rules to follow that eliminate the toxic ones. And, even with the toxic ones, the main danger is getting HFS (Human Faucet Syndrome). They most likely won't kill you like an amanita. I still haven't found a bolete that doesn't remind me of eating a garden slug, though. I like the morels, chanterelles, hedgehogs, oysters, and black trumpets the best.

 

[landon55]

I get at least one batch of puffballs every spring, I don't think there's any worries about mis-identification there.

I've never picked morrels, but I have a spot I think should be productive for them. When would you guys recommend I start looking? Mid-May?

The secret is always 2 1/2 weeks after you see your first dandelion flower. Or if the seeded dandelion part (the thing kids blow into the wind) is out then morels are out.

 

[Gellar]

It is interesting to see when the morels pop in different regions. If you are looking to get into mushrooming I would strongly advise getting a good Mushroom ID book. I use the Audobon Society Field Guide to N.A. Mushrooms. There are also foraging clubs that may offer clinics on ID and beginning mushroom hunting. Do not stop after morels in the springtime though, edible mushrooms continue into the fall.

 

[NoWiser]

I agree with Gellar. I got started on morels, but the real mushroom season for me starts a couple months later when the summer mushrooms make their appearance. There is much more of a variety and a lot less people out looking for them.

As for when the morels pop, I always like to say that in Minnesota it's when the oak leaves are as big as squirrel ears. Lilacs blooming are as good of an indicator as anything.

 

[JohnCushman]

Why do shrooms when you can come to Colorado and get weed?

 

[Rob Allen]

Last year I found Morels on Rock creek near Clinton MT on labor day weekend, most of them were a little old so a little earlier would have been better.

Morels will start at low elevation and climb uphill as the season progresses.. I'd start looking around cottonwoods in the valleys near the end of April.. Pay special attention to broken or dying trees or areas where the soil has been disturbed...

 

[jumpshooter]

I would recommend two books for you to take a look at:

All the Rains Bring and More and Mushrooms Demystified, both by David Aurora

 

[Power54]

I would recommend two books for you to take a look at:

All the Rains Bring and More and Mushrooms Demystified, both by David Aurora

I think its All the Rain Promises and More but definitely get it. Its my favorite field guide, period. Aspen and King Boletes (i.e. porcinis) are easy to ID (with help from the All the Rain...) and really good if not wormy. They get wormy pretty fast but if you cut the cap in half, you can tell quickly if you've got a keeper. Remove the spongy gills and skin on the cap and you're in for a treat. Puffballs, chanterelles, and shaggy manes (inky caps) are all easy to ID and taste really good.

 

[schmalts]

You guys have a lot of different altitude changes but if you're planning on looking an area close to the same altitude as your house, start looking the second time you have to mow your lawn. I've been using that as a marker for a long time and it's spot on because it coincide with soil temps. The dandelion thing is very similar. Contrary to folklore, they don't pop up overnight either. If you got a good spot that hasn't produced check it again in a week or 2 depending on temps.
I used to hit it hard but kind of got burnt out on it. My best year was 80 pounds