Oh yes, it's about time to hit the woods in search of the Morel mushrooms! Before you head out there, take a moment to study the specimen submitted here by Frederic Koski. We want you to be sure you're picking the true morels and not the false ones! Hunting and picking mushrooms gives you twofold joy... the sheer pleasure of being out in the woods, plus the delectable flavor, once you get them home and prepared for consumption.

Morel hunters are a special breed of person and are usually quite protective of the location of their patch. Take this little test to see if you have what it takes: You're out all morning, unsuccessfully searching for the elusive morel, when you suddenly slip in a wet, muddy spot, falling to the ground, hurting your pride and twisting your ankle badly. You lie there a moment and suddenly hear someone walking by, on the road, you... (A.) Call for help. (B.) Quickly pick the morels you just spotted, before hollering for help. Or (C.) Quickly pick the morels you just spotted. Then hobble on one leg back to your car and home, to ice your swollen ankle. Heaven forbid you have to go to the Doctor, since he may steal your morel location, while you recouperate.

If you didn't choose (C) as your answer, chances are you don't have enough SISU to pick morels! :->

GOOD MORNING!

Just checking in at lunch, am I the first today?

The first from Germany :o)

Watched a cooking show that said the false morels were good as well and can be cooked along with the real. No?

I am honored to be the EARLY BIRD... Finally. How big/tall is that mushroom? It looks like it could feed an army! This is one thing I never encountered while in the U.P., though I think I've seen some photos of it here before... Not sure. Mushroom Pasties?

Good Morning Alex, and all early bird cam watchers!
Glad you got the "early bird" posting!
Wet and rainy in downstate Michigan.

I wish I knew how to place the 6AM photo of the bridge in here... Or at least what is supposed to be the bridge... I can't believe the fog! Except for the lights on the side of the tower, there is no bridge. Pretty awesome.

They need to get a 'fog horn on the bridge, that way when they see the fog coming, they can blow the horn and scare it away......oh well....so much for my attempt at humor so early in the morning without coffee...(<:

A mushroom walks into a bar, sits down and orders a drink. The bartender says, "We don't serve mushrooms here."

The mushroom says, "Why not?! I'm a fun-guy.

Groan. I never even knew there were mushroom jokes.

Ahhh, a picture to make my mouth water. I personally wouldn't be mixing any false morels in, the kind where the cap is not attached to the stem. But, I have eaten many a beefsteak with no ill effects.

Dead Elm was a sure bet for bags of white ones. I have to quit thinking abut it, my tongue is hanging out, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

You have us laughing in Virginia, and that is after a cup of Joe.

Very nice photograph choice today.

Fun - guy... Ha Ha Ha!
Love those morels; but no way will we be eating the falsies OR beefsteaks. We had a friend who ate a few too many beefsteaks and was one very sick boy!

Spring has brought the flora to life along the lakeshore too. Hard to find pics on rainy days, sometimes you take what Mother Nature has to offer.....

Looks like a beautiful day shapin up in the Copper Country!! Wish I was there on a little farm in Bootjack!!

As a forester the 2 great perks of the job are finding morels and deer sheds,as far as false morels- some people can eat them with no ill effects but I've never taken the chance.

FFOOORRRREEEEE!!!!!!

Are false morels like false hopes? Hmmmmmmm. ;>)

Love the fog and the 'critter' hanging on the bird feeder!

Too bad i hate 'shrooms. Oh Well; leaves more for that German guy up there with his tongue hangin out. ;)

SISU???

...and the morel of the story is...

False morels: maybe good, maybe not
False morals: definitely not good

I know that Edith Engman of Dollar Bay would have answered (C)

Yumm Yumm! We used to pick tons of these when I was young and Mom would fry them in butter.

Morning from Texas!

Kniv,

Are you a Knivila? That's my dad's family's name and seems like I remember he has a cousin that's a forester--just wondering if we're related?

The morel hunters are in their glory here in Flathead County, Montana. The bad fire season last year (burnt over 300,000 acres in and around Flathead county) has made for a good morel season this spring. But, I still haven't figured out what someone would do with 30lbs of shrooms? I just might have to try them and find out what the craze is all about...can't be as scrumptious as huckleberries!

-DJE

Hey der Dave in MI. SISU means GUTS

Mushroom hunters beware.....some of the wild shrooms can put you into liver failure if you are not sure what you are eating...be sure you know your pickens......

Sandstone Princess... EMail me thanks B

30 dollars a pound here in Indiana!

Flathead Dave - You are in some beautiful country also. I haven't been to MT. for a couple of years, but I love Glacier, the east side of Flathead Lake, and the rest of western MT. (I love the U.P. as well) These are my two favorite places.

Hi to Flathead County Dave, My brother and his wife have a little diner in Butte, called "Jan's Dip-n-Diner". She makes pasties on occasion also. They live across the divide in Whitehall, great area there along the Jefferson, but there isn't much area around there that isn't beautiful.

Life doesn't get much better than NW Montana!! I'm from Calumet and haven't missed home to much since moving to Kalispell, MT 4 yrs ago!

Ha! I love it! "fun-guy" - thats good. Thanks for the laugh and nice picture too! Morels - yum!

Hi Shawn, you're definitely living in one of the most beautiful areas of the U.S. Shhhhh, don't tell, or they'll be flocking there from the U.P. to escape the fudgies!!(Just kidding, fudgies)My favorite area of MT is the Seeley-Swan Valley between the Swan and Mission Mountains!

A morel mushroom is a fungus amungus.

Have spent many hours floating flies on the Swan River between Swan and Seeley Lakes. Sure is a beautiful area! To be sure, I do miss Lake Superior and the spring steelhead runs up in the Copper Country!

Morrell Falls (speaking of morels, and MT.)in the Seeley-Swan valley, as well as Holland Lake are very nice indeed. Vacation time is a tough split between the UP and MT.

Kate, CA, What are fudgies? Was a Yooper2, but don't recall hearing of a fudgie.

Bobby,
"Fudgies" - dem t'rists who come up to da Yoop and buy FUDGE! A?

so can someone say if this is a morel or a false morel? doesn't look like the the black or later
occuring white morels that i've seen and picked
and fried in butter.

Remember the old expression . " If it ain't hollow, don't swallow".

I have a question.... the 4th of July is on a Sunday this year, and I am wondering what day the South Range parade and fireworks will be. Does anyone know? Thank you in advance!

Long day today!! Yum! Morels! My childhood revisted. Gran never gave up her spots to anyone. Not one Morel to be found in West Texas.

What is so special about a morel mushroom. Do they taste the same as regular mushrooms or different? Don't know, never had one. Or is it much to do about nothing?

Morrel mushrooms: If I had to pick only one food that was my favorite, it would be close between morrels and wild blueberries, but I think morrels would win out for first place and blueberries would be second.

Dave....sisu is persistance! (never giving up)

Are we on this SISU questiion again. Time to give it a rest!

Bthecute1:What is so special about a morel mushroom. Do they taste the same as regular mushrooms or different?
Does Dove chocolate taste the same as Hersheys?
Faygo Redpop the same as Shasta Strawberry?
If you have never had a Morel, you don't know what you are missing.
One of the best dish's that I ever had was venison backstrap with morel mushrooms.
Talk about a taste of heaven.

HELLO UP THERE. NOBODY UP IN THE U.P. TODAY. THIS THING STILL SAYS THE 18TH. HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL.

Coffee's on!

OOO, someone is picking a morning to sleep in. Bthecute1: MORELS! oh my, live somewhere where you can't get them.

Here's a pic of this mornings bridge cam while we are waiting for the sleepyheads....

Kevin K., you mentioned Faygo Redpop and I got tears in my eyes! That's my absolute favorite, and we don't have it here in Jersey. That and Vernor's and Squirt. I think I'm the only person I know who would drive all the way to Michigan and bring home 10 cases of pop as souvenirs. :-)

UP Dreamer, Don't forget the Koegel's. The best hot dog in the world. It's not until you leave Michigan before you know what you have.

Vollwerth's natural casing hot dogs and Baroni's Spaghetti sauce!! Anyway, off to the course....FFOORREE!!

Kevin in Lodi: What is venison backstrap? I can't imagine myself eating something that looks like a Morel. Never had a Faygo Redpop - is that a special brand or flavor? Guess I have been gone from the Upper Peninsula to long.

Bthecute1, San Jose:

The Backstrap (And any one out there correct me if I'm wrong)runs along the both sides of the backbone. and is very tender, considered the choicest cut from the deer.
Faygo is a brand of "pop" (soda) that used to be made in Detroit. Redpop is their strawberry soda. Just as Vernors doesn't taste like other ginger ales, Redpop has it's own flavor.
Believe it or not I found it in a store out here in Stockton. Anyone remember the Faygo commercial shot on the Boblo boat?

Kevin of Lodi------Would that be Boblo, the island Park in Detroit?

Backstrap = serloin
choicest cut = tenderloin

Does anyone find leeks or ramps up here?

Kevin Lodi,CA and Bthecute1:
Yes, there was Bob-lo Island which is no more. Houses are built on it. I believe the Bob-lo boats were sold. Sad piece of history gone and yes, the Faygo commercial on the Bob-lo boats was one of my favorite commercials. Faygo is still sold in stores in Michigan.

Troll, Lower MI
Did some searching today and found info on the Bob-lo boats : Columbia is docked @ Great Lakes Steel in Ecorse, In disrepair hoping for backers to restore her.
Ste Claire is in Lorain OH. in her final phase of restoration.
If you go to Faygo.com you can purchase a VHS of the Faygo commercial for $9.95.
I had fun researching this, and it brought back alot of fond memories.

Kevin K. Lodi, CA
Hey thanks for the info. Back in '65 went on one of the Bob-Lo boats and met Captain Bob-Lo...was kid of 9...then in the mid-70's my boyfriend, now hubby and a bunch of us went on the Moonlight cruise. Fun times. I can still hear that Faygo commercial song a playin in my head.

Troll, Lower MI....Here ya go!
"Remember When You Were A Kid?"

Written by Ed Labunaki
Originally sung for Faygo by Kenny Karen

Comic books and rubber bands
Climb into the tree top
Falling down and holding hands
Tricycles and Redpop
Pony rides and Sunday nights
Roller skates and snowball fights
Climbin' through the window
Remember when you were a kid?
Well, part of you still is
And that's why we make Faygo
Faygo remembers
Flying kites and funny shoes
Easter eggs with speckles
ABCs and counting by twos
Washing off the freckles
Kissing a hurt to make it stop
Startin' school in September
So many things you almost forgot
Tryin' to remember
Remember when you were a kid?
Well, part of you still is
And that's why we make Faygo
Faygo remembers

the worst part about living in Green Bay is ...It is 63 miles to Marinette/Menominee the closest stores with Volwerths and Baroni's..

Whoops! Guess I got beeped off again. Don't know what I said that was wrong about Boblo Island. But anyway, thank you Kevin in Lodi for the information.

Kevin K, Lodi, CA:
I remembered some of the words but now that you put all the words down, its all coming back to me now...and seeing those people dancing on the deck of the Boblo boat in the commercial. Good memories. Thanks!

How many of you remember these.....

YOU'RE AN OLD DETROITER (OR JUST OLD)
if .......

...You took a "moonlight cruise" to Bob-Lo with Captain Bob-Lo
or went to Edgewater Amusement Park.

.....You shopped at Hughes and Hatcher, B Siegel, Peck and Peck, Himelhoch's, Robert Hall, Crowley's, Shoppers Fair, EJ Korvettes or Federals.

.....You rode the elevator at J. L. Hudson's,
which was "run" by an elevator operator.

.....You remember a Winkleman's and Sanders store in your neighborhood.

.....You remember the "Big Snow", Buffalo Bob, Howdy Doody, Clarabelle, Phineas T.Bluster, Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring.

.....You remember Twin Pines Dairy delivered milk and juice to the chute on the side of your house and Milky the Clown performed magic with the magic words "Twin Pines".

.....You remember the Good Humor man in a white uniform, ringing the bells as he drove down your street.

.....You remember Olympia Stadium.

.....You remember when Vernors was made on Woodward Ave., and a bearded troll was on the bottle.

.....Your Mom got groceries at Great Scott, Food Fair, Wrigley's or Chatham.

.....Your Mom saved Holden Red Stamps, S&H Green stamps, or Gold Bell Gift stamps, and you licked them into those little books.

.....Kresge's and Woolworth's were "Dime Stores".
.....You had an uncle in the furniture business (Joshua Door).

.....You know who Bill Kennedy is.

.....You saw the Detroit Lions play football in Tiger Stadium.

.....You remember Black Bart and the Faygo song. Or how about "Which way did he go? He went for Faygo, old fashion root beer".

.....You watched Rita Bell's! prize movies in the morning.

.....You remember Jack LeGoff and Van Patrick.

.....You remember Milky the Clown,
Soupy Sales, Johnny Ginger, Poopdeck Paul, Captain Jolly, Sagebrush Shorty and maybe even Sergeant Satko Salute.

.....You visited the Wonder Bread Bakery and got to take home a mini loaf of bread.

.....Your address had a two-digit "zone" before there were zip codes. Detroit 19, Michigan

.....You remember "Get on the right track at 9 mile and Mack, to get the best deal in town. Roy O'Brien...it's the best deal in town".

.....You remember a laundry chute and a milk chute and a coal chute.

.....You remember going to Detroit Edison with your Mom to exchange burned out light bulbs for new ones.

Pass this one on to some old Detroiters you might know.

to whom ever sent in the faygo song lyrics for me, thanks a million!!!!!!!!!!!!! im 54 years old and live in michigan. i remembered some of the words but not all and my daughter was tryin to sing it last week and said mom whats the rest of the words and i couldnt tell her-shes 30, but she remembers me singin it to her and her brother and sisters when they were littler. so many thanks to all who helped. and yes i remember the red stamps and the green stamps, returning the burned out bulbs and yes even bill kennedy!
many thanks again

Hi -
I'm from Michigan but have been living in China for several years now. This is really fun - reading all about Michigan - my dad used to take me to JL Hudson's to see Santa, and get fancy crinoline 'slips' to wear under my really puffy dresses.
This was a nice memory. Thanks.

To: Once a yooper... Sorry I couldn't answer this earlier, I've been offline the last 5 1/2 months.
It's a Black Morel and absolutley delicious.
Saute' in butter w/ salt and pepper, serve with your favorite steak. (I wish it were May again)
Fred.

It's a black morel, and it was very delicious!!

20 morel mushrooms found yesterday in Kerrville, Texas, our first of the year. A few were small but most were thumb size and very fresh.

I'm from Estill County Kentucky, home of the
Irvine Mountain Mushroom Festival. Here you
will be able to find tons of fresh morel
mushrooms for sale, and things that deal with
morel mushrooms. I work for the local
newspaper, and I am trying to find another
mushroom joke, besides the only one in
history the FUN GI joke.

We have to wait until May up here, 1 more month to go!

I couldn't wait any longer, went out yesterday, no luck, the nature was absolutly beatiful. Going to give them another week, If I can stand it....

Oh my God! I didn't think I'd ever find all the words to the Faygo song. You guys are great! Thanks so much. I loved this commercial! I loved being a kid from Detroit. Because we DID have the Boblo boats and Boblo Island. Speaking of old school Detroiter's. Who remembers Edge Water Amusement Park? Now that's nostalgic!!