Mushroom?

[Alpha Buck]

I was wondering if you could tell me if these are safe to eat? They have a hollow stem and look like morels but I have not found them this long before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/gregknapp/morels002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/gregknapp/morels007.jpg

Here is what I found.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/gregknapp/morels006.jpg

[STEINFISHSKI]

Those are false morels or half free ones, notice how the cap edges separate from the stem. It is advised not to eat, but some people do.

Lot's of falses in the woods this year!

[STEINFISHSKI]

http://www.michiganmorels.com/morels2.shtml

[Boardman Brookies]

The top left are totally fine to eat. The bottom ones are half free morels. I have eaten them before and have had no problems, but some do get sick from them.

[Alpha Buck]

Thanks Tim. I was not sure, someone had told me that there was some kind of half morel that was different. I would rather be safe than sorry though.

[Matt V]

We have alway's eaten the half free's, I believe they are considered true morel's. I will have to check my book when I get home. The Verpa's are the ones that you want to watch out for, they do not have a hollow stem. It look's like the stem is full of cotton.

[Oldgrandman]

We have alway's eaten the half free's, I believe they are considered true morel's. I will have to check my book when I get home. The Verpa's are the ones that you want to watch out for, they do not have a hollow stem. It look's like the stem is full of cotton.

This is true. Tim, we didn't see any half free morels and while they resemble the false ones they are actually a morchella species.
Don't worry, we were not throwing any of those at each other :lol:. I never found half free morels where we went, or we would have been bagging them!
Nice find Alpha Buck. Just make sure the stems are hollow and attached to the cap on the sides.

[twohats]

I found a bunch of them two years ago.But left them as I was new to shrooming and not quit sure about them. I havent seen any sence then ,but if they come up this year in my spot I am picking a few to try.

[lpgreg]

The half free,s or peckerheads are a moral. I ate them 2 years ago.

[mjmmusser]

Do a search on Morchella Semilibera. You could also go here http://www.mushroomexpert.com/morchella_half-free.html

[Alpha Buck]

Thanks for the info guys. It is always nice to find a decent spot right behind the house.

[knockoff64]

I actually prefer the half free's. I think they taste the best.

200 plus in the last 2 days! Got a batch drying now.

[Linda G.]

Half frees are a type of morel, but I wouldn't eat them. Some people have told me only to eat the cap, not the stems, and others say just don't eat them. Since I had a very knowledgeable mushroom expert tell me that the toxins in poisonous mushrooms sometimes have to build up in the body over, literally, years, to be deadly, that was enough for me.

I don't eat the half frees.

As it is, half those half-frees you have there are already starting to rot, which further builds up the toxins...don't eat them, and DON'T let any small children have them-smaller person, poisons build up faster.

Those mushrooms in the upper left hand corner of your third pic are whites, they are very edible. Note that the edges of the caps are connected to the stems, and note the color difference.

It's also bad news to mix alcohol with any type of wild mushroom, I've been told by that same expert. So don't drink a lot of beer over a huge plate of morels, even if they are the true morels.

[wannabapro]

We call those "spikes" and always ate them w/o issues in my family.

[shadow]

Since I had a very knowledgeable mushroom expert tell me that the toxins in poisonous mushrooms sometimes have to build up in the body over, literally, years, to be deadly, that was enough for me.

.

i can not preach enough about the lack of anti-toxin for mushroom poisoning. very serious situation, you either live or you die so why play russian mushroom roulette.

[knockoff64]

Half frees are a type of morel, but I wouldn't eat them. Some people have told me only to eat the cap, not the stems, and others say just don't eat them. Since I had a very knowledgeable mushroom expert tell me that the toxins in poisonous mushrooms sometimes have to build up in the body over, literally, years, to be deadly, that was enough for me.
.

Care to post a link or any other info you have pertaining to this.

Everything I have read is contrary to these claims. Half Frees resemble False Morels, so many experts suggest not eating them unless you are absolutely sure they are not False Morels. Not one has suggested that Half Free's are toxic.

[knockoff64]

As it is, half those half-frees you have there are already starting to rot, which further builds up the toxins...


Huh?

Care to elaborate?

[Oldgrandman]

Well they are old ones as the very long stems and dark elongated cap shows. If unsure it sure pays to be safe.
But being a morchella species it should not be toxic at all. But it is very easy to mistake a verpa for a half-free!
If I had a working scanner I'd scan in what my book says. You'll have to trust I can read and copy what it says about edibility...My book is published by U of M Press and is by Alexander H. Smith.

Morchella hybrida (aka morchella semilibera): "Edible and of good flavor, but the stalks are not as good as the caps and tend to be stringy. In about one season in three, in Southern Michigan, one can collect this fungus in sufficient quantity for the table. If one is sensitive to the early morel (Verpa bohemica 'not a true morel') he should not eat morchella hybrida without checking the number of spores in the ascus to verify his identification."

I think it is the confusion with the verpas that is at issue here. They are bad news. My parents eat them (verpas) every year and are in their mid 70's and are OK so far, well mostly ;). I try to talk em out of it every year. But my buddies aunt used to eat them every year then got real sick one time after having them and quit eating them. I don't eat the verpas, but will consume the true half-free's, I know the subtle differences.
I added a picture of a 'regular' morel (left) and a verpa (right) but their color and cap shape varies from this particular speciman...

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/medium/Side_by_side.jpg

[Linda G.]

I can't verify anything I said cause he's dead.

Larry Lonik. I'm sure a few of you have heard of him. Tree. Mr. Morel. And a very good friend of mine for a long time. I miss him dearly.

The year he died, in April in Missouri, was the best morel year we'd seen in 20 years up here. It was like he was sitting on his cloud, sending the spores down.

It's a free country, and you can do anything you like when it comes to wild fungi. Just remember everybody's different, your own body changes, too, over time, heck, your chemistry can change from taking anti-biotics and suddenly you'll react...and you could be taking a big chance.

I have a friend who has Lupus, and her doctor told her not to eat ANY wild mushrooms, for that matter, domestic grown, either. Period.

Up here, we call the true false morels, which grow mostly in old popple that gets a lot of sun and is usually pretty dry, beefsteaks. They grow like sponges, with darker caps. Don't really look like morels at all. Nobody eats those.

[knockoff64]

A little research goes a long way.

We all should be very careful which fungus we consume.

When in doubt, throw it out!

For the record, many consider the Beefsteaks a delicacy. They are toxic, to what extent depends on the person and how many you eat. I won't be taking that chance, ever.

I haven't been mushroom hunting long, but all the info I need is available on the net or in books, just have to look for it.

Of course the help of some M-S members is invaluable as well!:)

[UkiahDog]

I agree with that last post. go to northerncountrymorels. (This stupid forum won't let me post a link because I haven't made fifteen posts, which is a gay rule.)

It's a good site. I say why eat the half-free when;
1. the caps are always small, they are all stem, and
2. you should have plenty of good ones to eat any way.

When I pick, I feel under the cap and if it's skirted, I don't pick it up. It's that easy.

Remember Darwin's law? Don't take youself out of the gene pool arguing over a mushroom.

One more thing, your guide book was not written by a mycologist. That's guaranteed.

[UkiahDog]

Also, why can't you drink alcohol with wild mushrooms? I've never heard that, and I don't think I've ever been morel hunting without drinking beer while doing it. It gives me "morel eye". Then I always eat some when I get home.

If someone knows something factual about this post it, please. It'd be good to know.

[Boardman Brookies]

I have read about people getting sick from drinking and eating the half free morels. Also to eat half frees in moderation. I have eaten blacks, whites and half frees all with alcohol, but only a few beers. Good luck everyone and be safe.

This was a very good weekend for myself. I found about 150 white and 30 or so blacks. The whites were all about 1-2 inches big and the blacks were all monsters. I need to post some pics of this years haul. I ate quite a few and dried a bunch. I did not find many half frees and only saw a dozen or so verpas. I also found one gyromitra korfi(type of beefsteak) this afternoon. I personally don't eat these at all, but kinda of cool to find them.

The blacks, in my area, are almost done. The whites that I have been finding are average size. I think that with some warm rain and raising temps that this week will be the prime for whites and the season should hopefully last two more weeks.

[fasthunter]

Also, why can't you drink alcohol with wild mushrooms? I've never heard that, and I don't think I've ever been morel hunting without drinking beer while doing it. It gives me "morel eye". Then I always eat some when I get home.

If someone knows something factual about this post it, please. It'd be good to know.
I quit drinking. Now this means if I find some Shaggy Mane mushrooms I can actually eat them. (There's an Alcohol Shaggy Mane that if you drink it while eating or within that day you'll get VERY sick on due to the fact that it won't allow you to filter out the alcohol.) Now I know I'm safe when I finally find some of those buggers to try.:D (Yeah they aren't a morel either:lol:.) Interesting info on the half-frees though.:cool:

[shadow]

alchohol intensifies the toxins.....dont quote me but what comes to mind is your liver can only clean through so much?

[knockoff64]

Anybody have info on the toxicity of Half-Frees?

Besides hearsay!

I have spent hours looking and cannot find any substantiation to the claims being made here.

Anybody?

[Oldgrandman]

Linda G talks about the true false morel or beefsteak the 'helvella esculenta' species I believe. Very bad news. I tried em once and while cooking they smelled like medicine so after a taste, I pitched em. Not for me.
I don't have a problem with alcohol and eating wild "morels" of any kind. I may not notice the reduced muscular control that can be associated with it, from what I have read about it :). My liver checked out ok a couple years ago :coolgleam.

If you want good info on all this a book is a must. One that describes edibility and seasons and where to look like mine is great. Even has cautions on the ones in question. Don't rely on the internet!
Always be freakin careful if you are not 100% positive...

[Linda G.]

I'm no expert, folks, I'm only telling you what Larry Lonik, who was well known for his morel expertise all over the world, told me.

I am not talking about false morels, the beefsteaks, which look like sponges and grow low to the ground with a dark, flattened cap. THOSE ARE TOXIC and no one should question that.

I am talking about the half-frees...the ones that LOOK like morels but the cap isn't joined at the skirt to the stem. It's joined to the top of the cap. THOSE are the mushrooms that I've been told can be trouble, too, and that the toxins in those can build up in you over time. Yes, I know people that eat them, but I also know people who have become deathly ill from them. Everyone is different, why take any chances at all, just don't.

I find good morels in all the spots I found half-frees in earlier in the season.

Larry wrote about this in his several books and videos, too.

[tooldini]

I found this on a msu.edu site having to do with some poison mushrooms and it spoke of morels on the page
Description: Coprine is interesting in that
it is not, strictly speaking, a poison. Many
people can and do eat these mushrooms
with no ill effect. Alcohol, on the other
hand, is a poison. The human body deals
with alcohol by quickly degrading it into a
series of less toxic compounds until it is no
longer harmful. Coprine interferes with
this process by inhibiting one of the
enzymes used in alcohol processing.
Alcohol is broken down partway, to
acetaldehyde, but is not completely
processed. The symptoms of coprine
poisoning are due to the buildup of
acetaldehyde in the blood. Incidentally,
disulfiram, which is used to treat
alcoholism, operates in the same manner. I think this may explain why not to drink for a bit after eating wild mushrooms.

[StumpJumper]

Linda I think is confused between a half-free and a Verpa..

The half-free's as already stated is a TRUE morel..

They are not joined at the top of the stem they are joined anywhere from half to even 3/4 of the way up.. if you cut one in half you will still see a space inside the cap.

The Verpas on the other hand join at the very top of the cap. You can pull the cap right off the stem and also the stem is not hollow it is filled with a whitish pith.. People do eat these, however it is considered unsafe due to excessive amounts causing severe stomache upset and loss of muscular coodination.

If someone gets sick from eating a half-free they are more than likely going to get sick from blacks, greys and yellows also...

I'm no expert but I've been picking and eating morels for 30 years and have eaten lots of half-frees.. they taste as good as the rest of the TRUE Morels.

[Happy Jack]

Thats what I was thinking too Jumper. Anyways I ate some half frees yesterday and they were tasty.