We just found Morel mushrooms

[zeeland]

growing in one of our garden beds. There's about eight good
size shrooms found under the burlap we placed last Fall.
What can we do to encourage more to grow next year or whenever
they are do to come up again? My husband wants to just plant
in the box as we normally would. We just pinched them off
the roots (?) and are wondering if we should move the part
left underground and put somewhere dark and moist.

Thanks in advance.

[Scuba]

1. Crumble a few up and spread them around.

I LOVE morels!!!!!!!!!

[uppityperson]

2. Morels? Yuck. Bring them to my house and I'll take care of them for you.

Actually, you lucky dog you. Good luck with them, hope you get more later.

[zeeland]

3. Yes we are very excited!

Could never afford to buy the. Ok, will crumble a couple up and spread
And wait for any other suggestions. Thanks so much!

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Don't bother trying to cultivate them.

The mushroom is just the fruiting body of the mushroom, which is actually the strands of a fungus growing underground. And that fungus has found a suitable place to grow, with the conditions that it prefers. Trying to duplicate the proper conditions will be next to impossible. You will probably not hurt the mycelium, which is the threadlike strands that are underground, by using the planter. The mycelium are probably associated with tree roots or dead wood underground, and you will not damage that. Just look for them in that same area every year, and enjoy.

If you have more questions, just ask, but I don't want to do a dissertation on fungi here. Just know that the morel that you see is just like an apple on a tree---you can't transplant it have grow an apple tree, it is just a fruit of a much larger organism.

[zeeland]

5. That answers the question. Since we rotate crops,

Is there something that would be a good choice to plant there
this season? Tomatoes, peppers, peas, greens, onions, most of the
basics.

Once again thank you for the mini-shroom lesson.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. Plant whatever you want to plant there.

I don't believe that the morels are using the annual vegetable crops as their food source. They normally have a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. Mushrooms can be huge and cover acres under the ground, so the fruit (what we call the mushroom) can pop up anywhere in that area of the root/roots. But they would not be associated with an annual plant.

I hunt wild mushrooms all the time, and I have spread pieces of mushrooms for years hoping that some will take....never with any luck. I wish you good luck in having them show up again next year, and for many years to come. It may not be in the exact some location, but at least you know you have the mycelium of morels in your area. Great news.

Now get a skillet and saute those morels in butter with just a little salt and pepper.

[MuseRider]

7. YAY!

Our weather has been so cold ours have not started yet. This weekend should be a big one. I can't wait. We have them all over the woods and pastures on the farm.

Never had them come up in our gardens. Wow, that is really cool.

[mopinko]

8. i'm coming.

jk. but we had them in our yard when i was a kid, and we thought you would drop dead to eat them.
i have never eaten them, but i will look around this week and see what i can find.

[MuseRider]

11. Be careful.

Be certain they are not false morels.

God they are so good. Looking good for us this weekend, possibly before but this weekend should be when they pop.

100 feet out my front door is the first of the timber. They even come up in my pastures. We have a lot of organism here apparently

Brush em off, saute in butter. Dry the rest. Ahhhhh. So much for the diet.

[JaneQPublic]

9. Tips from Mother Earth News...

http://www.motherearthliving.com/sustainable-food/morel-hunting-zmoz12mazmel.aspx

[opiate69]

10. Lucky dog, you!!

I'm hoping to be able to start hunting spring mushrooms soon here... enjoy!!

[BlueToTheBone]

12. Sounds like they found their home. n/t

[zeeland]

13. This is a great group !

Sautéed in butter and served with salmon and spinach salad.
Now I get it...never understood what all the fuss was about.

Last fall we went to our local recycling place and bought a yard of
Veggie Mix to top off the beds and add some nutrients. We'd forgotten
about that but now realize that is where the spores must have come
from. We make our own compost but just didn't have enough.