Shrooms

 No, not that kind!

We went hunting for the elusive delicacy known as the Morel mushroom.  The Morel mushroom is the favorite of many mushroom lovers.  They only appear for a short period during spring each year.  We searched a few spots just South of Des Moines, at the very head end of Morel season.

 

 

 

 

 Never having seen this area, I was surprised by how densely wooded it was.  Iowa isn’t exactly known for its vast forests.

 

 Limbs and full trees littered the ground of this rare untouched woodland area, downed by the ice storm of this last winter. 

 

Here is a morel mushroom.  Usually they look much nicer, this was a less fresh find.  Before you go grubbing down shroomz, you should read up about identifying the poisonous ones.  Hallucinations may be fun, but some varieties can kill you from eating only one shroom cap.  The Missouri Conservation department has a page to help identify poisonous mushrooms in this area.  Especially note the “false morel” species.  Species in your area may differ.  It’s recommended that you start out following experienced shroom seekers.

 

 Another Morel, the discoloration shows that it’s not the freshest.

 

 

 

 

 We run into another Morel mushroom hunter, on the left.  This area is popular because it’s well suited for mushroom growth.

 

 A better find.

 

 Even better.  This Morel is much closer to how the freshest look.

 

 Like a needle in a hay stack.

 

 We moved to a new location, near the extra land owned by the Des Moines International Airport.

 

 

A different species of mushroom that doesn’t quite look appetizing.

 

 Found what appears to be a decaying deer on an island surrounded by creeks.  The nearby area has steep muddy banks, possibly it injured a leg and couldn’t move on.  Looks like something feasted on him.

 

 

Mushrooms, it’s what’s for dinner.  Before they’re ready to eat, they need to be soaked in water and salt.  This helps get the dirt and bugs out.  It’s amazing how many bugs get inside them.  They taste best sliced and pan fried in a egg/flour batter.