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Posts Tagged ‘Morel Mushrooms’


When the Lilac’s begin to bloom it’s time to start hunting. Visitor’s to Fat Man’s Landing know when winter’s chilly breeze is replaced by the warm sun and smells of Mother Earth’s fall display decaying, you will find me hunting for my favorite mushroom — the Morel. How do you find Morel’s?

TIP: Search south-facing hillsides for trees that have died and are now loosing their bark. Look around the base of trees and as far out as 30-feet!

Wild Morel Mushroom Soupmorelmushroomsoup

Ingredients:

  • 2 -1/2 cups fresh Morel mushrooms
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Green onions
  • 5 cups beef stock (cook roast in crock-pot for pulled beef sandwiches; save the juices)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 2 fresh chives roughly chopped
  • salt and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add chopped green onions, garlic and 1 sprig fresh thyme and sauté for 5 minutes.
  2. Chop fresh Morel mushrooms and add to the pan. Stir over medium heat until softened. Pour in the beef stock and bring to boil. Add fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, half cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Pour about 3/4 of the soup into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return to the remaining soup, stir in the cream and heat thoroughly. Check consistency, adding more stock or water if the soup is too thick. Serve hot and sprinkle with chopped chives and fresh thyme.

Special Note: You can add Horseradish to spice to give it some kick!

 

 

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“I love Morels!”

A simple reminder…once you start to see Lilacs blooming, it’s time
to start looking for mushrooms.
Look for trees loosing their bark on south-facing hillsides, especially
towards the bottom of the hill!

Fat Man’s Landing, MN

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Searching for Morels is a lot like deer hunting.

With temperatures in the low 70’s and high-skies, it was a great day for a walk!

To find the elusive mushroom, you must use all your deer hunting instincts!

Pictured Right: Ryan with our first find of the year.

Questions will flow through your mind, like: “If I were a mushroom…where would I hide?” Start looking in those areas where your mind takes you.

We intensely watch the ground to catch a glimpse of a Morel, but did you see those footprints? Perhaps, from another mushroom hunter that has already been here? Make corrections to your plans if you feel things are not right.

It’s very dry this year. The local forecast calls for rain. This will be good for mushroom lovers next week. Today, I must use my hunters instinct.

I decided to concentrate on the north and south-facing hills where it’s cool and shady. I walked straight to bottom of the hill to the first tree with bark falling off. Turning to my buddy Ryan, I said, “Guess what I see?” Sure enough. It was a Morel — twenty to be exact!

Morels will evade those who give up to quickly. You must use your instincts!
Your determination will help fill your desire to find Morel mushrooms.

Special Reminder: It’s Turkey season! Wear at least one article of clothing (above the waste) that is blaze orange.

Fat Man’s Landing, MN

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“Wild About Morels!”

Wow! Another season has quickly arrived! Once you see Lilacs blooming, it’s time for a walk in the woods! Now — if you’ve never hunted Morel Mushrooms, please don’t be discouraged if you don’t find them right away. It takes patients, a good eye and a whole lot of luck. Listed below are my hottest tips:

  1. Wear light clothing (Ticks are attracted to darker colors, plus
    they are more easily seen) and use rubber bands around cuffs
    and tuck your pants into your socks.
  2. Look for areas with dense tree growth (Your local parks
    are a great resource)
  3. Look for trees that are loosing their bark. (Not completely,
    but just starting to!)
  4. Walk slowly around trees. Using a stick, look under the leaves
    covering the ground. The mushrooms my be 20-feet away!
  5. Oh! I’d go now! Before your neighbor picks them first!

See our Outdoor Recipes section for Morel Mushroom Soup and other tasty concoctions.

Fat Man’s Landing, MN

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Upper Iowa RiverIowacampingcanoeinghikingUpper Iowa River

The Upper Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River located in the northeast corner of Iowa. This weekend we canoed the most picturesque portion, bordering rolling hills and shear limestone cliffs, from Bluffton to Decorah, Iowa.

There’s a wonderful campground just outside of Decorah called, Pulpit Rock Campground. We arrived late Thursday night. Once our tents were assembled, we cracked-a-cold-one and proceeded to sit around the fire-pit swapping stories and conversing about the news.

We didn’t have any firewood so, I placed my Coleman LED lantern in the middle of the fire-ring, which gives-off a yellow glow when set to low. As the cold night air began to take over and the conversation grew wearisome, I quickly scooted off to bed. (more…)

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morel mushroomsI’m so glad we went south for this years annual canoe trip. With all the research I’ve done, I knew this area was good for Morel mushrooms.

As we pulled out of the river Saturday, I noticed a red pickup truck parked next to mine. We proceeded to load our canoes. I heard someone in the woods. A young college kid carrying what I hoped were mushrooms. It was exactly what I had hoped — Wild Morel mushrooms!

Morel Mushrooms — As beautiful as the day my daughter was born!

I talked to him for a little bit and tried to get some inside (or shall I say, outside) tips. He said, “Look for the tree with the bark falling off.”

I read about this but didn’t realize how important that information was — until later. (more…)

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Wild Morel MushroomReady for this season’s morel mushrooms harvest? This will be my first year hunting for these tasty little morsels! I have an idea that Southern Minnesota is going to be plentiful!

For the past two years, places like Rochester and Zumbro Minnesota have seen extreme flooding. As a result, massive areas of dead-fall have been created.

See our Outdoor Recipe section for Morel Mushroom Soup and other tasty concoctions.

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