Sun Nov 08 2009
By BECKY MARTINEZ
Mushroom hunters search diligently for wild mushrooms, particularly the morel mushroom during springtime.
"I've probably been mushroom hunting for about 12 years. I've been up as far as Lovells, Mich., but mostly search in Williams County and southern Michigan," said Tonya Bockover of Bryan, a teacher's aide at Slocum Elementary School in Defiance.
Bockover looks for the "elusive" morel mushroom. "They're tasty. I've been out several times this year and haven't found any. They're hard to find. I've found them in one woods, returned to the same woods and didn't find any," she said.
She hunts with her husband, Matt, and sometimes their two girls.
"There are two different kinds (of morel mushrooms). The early ones are the grays; they come out earlier than the yellows. The grays taste better, they're smaller," said Bockover.
When she does have a successful hunt, she brings the delicacy home where she washes and halves them. "I flour them and fry them in a pan of butter. Some people put them in their omelets, but I wouldn't waste them for that," said Bockover.
Since she was unsuccessful this year, her husband traveled to Fremont, Ind., and got her a pound of mushrooms for Mother's Day. "Right now they're about $35 a pound. I've heard of them as high as $50 a pound to as low as $17 a pound. The price itself will keep you in the woods hunting for hours."
Bockover said the morel mushroom looks like a sponge. "They only grow wild and the old timers say when the lilacs bloom then the mushrooms are ready. I do watch for the lilacs to bloom."
She added that if a mushroom hunter is successful, "they won't reveal their location."
Though she doesn't do much hunting in Defiance County, she does know some Williams County folks who come this way to hunt along the rivers.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, mushroom hunting is permitted in all of the state forests. The morel, or sponge mushroom, is the most common of wild mushrooms.
Wild mushrooms emerge in Ohio forests during April and May and are most productive in abandoned orchards and areas with ash or elm trees. They typically grow under the cover of leaves, dead wood and other forest debris, sprouting after a moderate or heavy rain.
ODNR recommends that beginners be accompanied by experienced mushroom hunters and they bring along a field guide to help identify edible mushrooms. "Some mushrooms are poisonous and can cause sever illness or even death if consumed."
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