Events conspired to postpone a return trip to Mt. Hood until Memorial Day weekend. Historically, this would put us in the heart of prime time. This year, however, continues to be very different.
These warted amanitas were a lovely surprise on our
May Mt. Hood foray.
Global warming, you say? Maybe so, but no one told Oregon – or specifically, Mt. Hood and the Cascades, where near-record snow pack and (with the exception of a few days of warm weather) a decidedly cool spring left many of the roads leading to our favorite spots blocked by the white stuff. Even when open, the roads in many places were lined with snow, and we have the sense that everything is going to be a couple of weeks late this year. That said, we have the sense that the seasons – for plants, flowers, and most importantly for mushrooms – may be briefer than normal. Example: our wild rhododendrons were late this year, but were the most spectacular we’ve seen; every bush was literally covered with blooms. Their burst of glory was short-lived, however, and already they are shedding their blooms even though there have been no hard rains or strong winds to dislodge them.
The inside of a puffball should always
be bright white, not colored like this
upper puffball.
Our favorite area for puffballs – usually all done by Memorial Day – was just past its peak, and we found plenty, although perhaps 20% were past their prime. This means starting to discolor inside; anything less than pure white is rejected, although if you find some that have just a small part that’s discolored and the rest is white you can trim off and discard the discolored part. Note, however, that these must be either eaten or preserved immediately (same day) as the process of deterioration is fast indeed with puffballs. To preserve them, we dehydrate them, although with puffballs, other methods work well, too.
With snow still around, we thought we find some more Montana Helvellas (see earlier article), but they were very scarce and we found only one nice one. Northwest Spring Coral was out here and there, but nothing like it should be for this time of year. We think that in another two or three weeks, you should be able to find all you want. One traditional indicator for the spring coral is the appearance of Bear Grass, and we saw none of it this weekend. The coral family can be a little tricky to identify with certainty, but we have always been told that the spring corals are safe edibles. Nevertheless, we always check the innards for gelatinous material, one indicator of problems. We have never found it in spring corals, but caution is always wise. Corals have a pleasant flavor but are difficult to clean, so they have never gained a big following.
Violet Star Cups were another delightful
find on our outing.
We found no spring boletes. These are among our favorites, and if we find them just as they are starting to break the surface of the ground, we usually beat the ting worms that converge on boletes with amazing speed. Spring boletes in general have far fewer worm problems than their autumn cousins. There will usually be a few, though, so refrigerate them as soon as possible and process them right away. For preservation, dehydration is best.
Most of our morels were fruiting next
to specific plants.
Now for the morel report. We did find morels, both blond and black. They were not exactly abundant, but we found them, and when we found one, we usually found several nearby, as is generally the case. Those that we found were in fine condition, of average size or larger, and their flavor (as usual) was heavenly. We don’t pick in burns, as a rule, and we usually avoid recently logged-over areas as well. This choice no doubt results in fewer morels for us each spring, but it is an aesthetic choice we feel comfortable with, as these areas are ugly, dirty and simply aren’t much fun to search in. We look in areas of mixed pine and fir, and we generally get enough to satisfy our morel yearnings for the season. We keep waiting and hoping to hit the mother lode for these one of these years, but it hasn’t happened yet.
According to one couple we know who knows Mt. Hood mushrooming as well or better than anyone we know, you simply won’t find morels on Mt. Hood after the first of June. In an average year, we agree, but this year is far from average, and we think there will still be some around until perhaps mid-June. We’re hoping to make one more foray around Mt. Hood this spring and will file our report promptly if that happens.
Mt. Hood looked serene as we drove contentedly back to
Brightwood late in the day.
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