Earthstar Examiner - February 2022
A Scientific Approach to Finding Morels
By Judi Thomas
Have you ever been frustrated by not being able to find morels? Have you yet to find your first one, or have you ever wondered how you could improve your morel foraging skills? You may be surprised to learn there is a way to “train your brain” to find what you’ve been looking for.
I spent my first two years as an amateur mycophile looking for morels in all the “right” places without any luck. I followed mentors’ advice to look near dead and senescent Elms, to search south and west facing slopes, to wait for optimal ground temperatures, to avoid flooded areas. I even chased down a few old wives’ tales, but still my basket never saw a single morel. I was demoralized every time I walked right by a specimen only to have my hiking buddy point that out to me.
Photo by Judi ThomasThen one day a casual conversation about goal setting with a neighbor (who just happens to be a life coach) gave me an idea. She introduced me to the Reticular Activating System (RAS), a small bundle of nerves in our brain stems that function as the gatekeeper to our conscious minds. She described how the RAS filters, sorts, selects and prioritizes the constant barrage of stimuli that enters our subconscious minds every second of the day. The RAS automatically pares down the irrelevant background stimuli we receive from our eyes, ears, muscles, skin and other organs (1) and selects the information that is most important to us. Then, without any conscious effort on our part, the RAS conveys that information to the forefront of our mind, effectively bringing it to our attention … even when we are sleeping. Without the benefit of this evolutionary gift (2) our brains would be in a constant state of overload, unable to effectively separate the trivial from the most urgent information it receives, and it would be impossible for us to intentionally focus on important tasks.
Now you are probably wondering what the Reticular Activating System has to do with finding morels. It seems that we can train our brains to select what we are most interested in, e.g., finding morels in this case. Your individual RAS has already effectively programmed itself in your favor throughout your life without you even realizing it. Training and retraining your RAS is a continual process. What you repeatedly focus on grows in importance and changes over time. My life-coach neighbor explained that techniques for enhancing that personalization are used all the time when working with athletes and job seekers to improve their skills and achieve their goals. Here are some tips she shared with me:
- Set a goal you want to achieve; maybe finding your first morel or, if you are very ambitious, finding enough morels for a meal or even finding a basketful.
- Put the goal in a basket of important things in your mind by gathering some photos of morels and taping them around the house where you can look at them frequently (bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, kitchen cabinets, your computer, etc.). Study those pictures often throughout the day and imagine yourself collecting those morels and maybe even posting photos of your finds on Facebook. Put the goal in a basket of important things in your mind
- Doodle or draw pictures of morels focusing on what the ridges and pits look like.
- Mentally rehearse/think about how happy you are going to be when you find morels and the joy you will feel as you collect them and fill your basket with them.
- Affirm your imagined success throughout the day by saying positive things to yourself like, “I love finding morels. I can’t wait to cook up a batch.”
You don’t have to do all these things or complete them in any particular order. The main thing to remember is that repetition is the key for letting your brain know what’s most important to you and what your goals are. If you focus hard on your goals your RAS will help you achieve them. It worked for me. I now see morels when I am not even consciously looking for them … and sometimes in places I would never expect them to be.
(1) The stimuli we take in through our sense of smell is the one exception; it is wired to our brain’s emotional center rather than to the Reticular Activating System.
(2) Anthropologists believe the RAS, which also controls our reflexes, breathing, muscle tone and other vital functions, developed as a means for recognizing risks to our safety. It decides for us which stimuli can be safely ignored and which are of utmost importance.
Name that Fungus
Can you guess this month’s specimen?
We are happy to welcome Catherine Hu, our new illustrator, and to be bringing back this Earthstar feature.
Catherine Hu is a land manager who works in St. Louis, conducting ecological restoration in urban natural areas. She paints plants and animals to learn their characteristics and relationships, helping her become a better botanist and ecologist. Supporting native plants and wildlife is the goal of ecological restoration and they have become the subjects of her current paintings. She hopes you learn something through her art and are inspired to incorporate some natives into your life.
Visit her website at: https://www.sedgeshaveedgesart.com/
October 7, 2021 Reflection
Text and photos by Eric Nemen
It all got to be too overwhelming yesterday, so I went straight to the woods. My escape is nature, my camera, and Pink Floyd in my earbuds.
Yesterday I set my intention on finding mushrooms. They are at the center of all life on our planet, and yet they just hide among the dead things in the forest.
Here is my take-away from the hike...
The Buddha teaches us about non-duality and impermanence. Non-duality or inter-being is the belief that there is no separation between anything in the universe. Impermanence is how life can happen. With no end, there can be no beginning. Mycelium, and its fruits (mushrooms), are the perfect examples of both. That tree was once part of another tree. It then became a seed that fell to the ground and began to germinate. It needed soil, sun, and rain to grow. It grew and thrived for decades, producing oxygen, sheltering animals, shading the undergrowth of the forest. At some point, it stopped living. It fell to the forest floor where it has lain for years. Mycelium and other decomposers went to work, breaking down the tree and fertilizing the soil. The cycle starts all over because of them.
There is no life and death, only continuation. Without ending, there can be no beginning.
May we all find peace in impermanence because it will always be followed by a beginning.
Peace and love to you all.
MO-NAMA 2022
September 29- October 2, 2022
Trout Lodge, Potosi, Missouri
By Maxine Stone
Put it on your calendar NOW. This fall there will be a fabulous NAMA/MOMS annual foray. This was supposed to be in October of 2020, but we all know what happened then!
Missouri is a large state, so MOMS consists of 5 chapters with over 400 members in total. We take pride in offering lots of forays, monthly educational zoom meetings and many events like an annual winter luncheon, mushroom dinners at restaurants, Morel Madness, Sweat n’ Chanterelles and so much more.
The annual foray will be held at the YMCA Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri, which is about 1 ½-2 hours from St Louis.
From the Trout Lodge Website “The lodge, just 90 minutes from St. Louis, is a family-favorite non-profit resort with a whole host of amenities and facilities all within walking distance. Everything is nestled into gently rolling forest-covered hills beside a beautiful lake.”
This is a beautiful and comfortable place for the NAMA weekend. Many of you might have already enjoyed a stay at Trout Lodge. The lodge features 60 guest rooms and 19 loft rooms, all with gorgeous lake views. The lodge is equipped with a reading lounge, a television in the lounge area and board games. The large outside deck has seating and tables and ping pong tables. The lodge provides soap, towels, bedding and housekeeping services. Pack ‘N Plays, hairdryers, irons/boards and mini-refrigerators are available upon request at the Front Desk. Accessible rooms can be reserved upon request.
There are also ten lake view and ten forest view cabins that feature accommodations for up to ten people, each with a fireplace, couch, table and chairs, screened-in porch, crib, microwave and mini-refrigerator. Wi-Fi is available everywhere, but there are no televisions in the rooms or cabins.
Aside from mushroom hunting, there’s a lot to do at Trout Lodge. Horseback rides, zip lines, water sports, games galore and so much more. Check the website for the full listing. There’s also a lot to do in the surrounding area, including a winery, antique shops, golf, Elephant Rocks State Park, Tom Sauk Mountain State Park, Mina Sauk Falls and Johnson Shut-ins State Park.
We will be in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest. With 1.5 million acres of public land, over 750 miles of trails and 350 miles of perennial streams, the Mark Twain National Forest has everything you could think of for wonderful mushroom hunting. And we are definitely here for the mushrooms!!! What will we find at that time of the year? Here’s a list provided by Jay Justice who, along with Dr Andrew Methven, will be one of the two chief mycologists at the foray.
Edible Fungi:
- We should find the Ringed Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea) and the Ringless Honey Mushroom (Desarmillaria caespitosa)
- Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)
- Hericiums - Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Comb Tooth Fungus (Hericium coralloides)
- Beefsteak Fungus (Fistulina hepatica) (good chance of finding some specimens of this fungus)
- Hedgehog Mushrooms (Members of the genus Hydnum) - we have several species of this genus in MO.
- Lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum)
- Blewit (Lepista nuda)
- Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) (maybe! Might be a bit early for Hens)
- Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) - Most definitely
- Cauliflower Mushroom (Sparassis spathulata) - Good chance of seeing some of these
- Black Trumpets (Craterellus fallax) - there is a fairly good chance of some of these being found.
We should also find several species of Amanita including, but not limited to:
- A. polypyramis, A. brunnescens, The American Blusher, (members of the A. amerirubescens complex) and the Yellow blusher (A. flavorubens)
- We should find many species of Boletes, perhaps Imleria pallida, Butyriboletus frostii, Boletus curtisii, Aureoboletus innixus, Aureoboletus auriporus, Leccinum longicurvipes, Strobilomyces spp., Tylopilus spp., and Xanthoconium spp.
- We could find some Chanterelles such as Canatharellus cinnabarinus and/or Cantharellus corallinus, Cantharellus lateritius, and Craterellus ignicolor
- Coral Fungi – Artomyces pyxidatus, various species of Clavaria, Some examples of Clavaridelphus, various species of Ramaria.
- Puffballs – Lycoperdon pyriforme, Lycoperdon perlatum, Calvatia cyathiformis, Calvatia craniiformis
- Milky Caps (Lactarius) – several edible species including Lactarius paradoxus and Lactarius chelidonium as well as Lactarius imperceptus and Lactarius chrysorrheus.
- Hopefully we will find specimens of two somewhat rare fungi – those being Pluteus mamillatus which is a Pluteus with a partial veil and Podocypha aculeata (common in the central states within the US – but not encountered in other areas).
Look for more details and registration info in April or May. So, save the date and plan to come to MO-NAMA 2022! You might even want to volunteer. We’ll need lots of you.
Questions? Contact Maxine Stone at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Mushroom Classes for all MOMS Members
So, you want to learn more about mushrooms? MOMS has the perfect answer for you! We offer 4 classes a year. Each class covers 10 mushrooms in its category. If you attend all 4 classes, you'll know 40 mushrooms. We offer optional homework and a test for each class. If you successfully complete these, you will be awarded a beautiful pin for that particular class. Once you earn all 4 pins you will receive the Harry Thiers Certificate for Mushroom Proficiency.
Don't hesitate to repeat and repeat and repeat a class. You'll learn more and it's always lots of fun. Classes are free to all MOMS members!
Poisonous Mushrooms of Missouri: Tuesday, April 5
Common Mushrooms of Missouri, Part 1: Tuesday, June 7
Common Mushrooms of Missouri, Part 2: Tuesday, August 2
Edible Mushrooms of Missouri: Tuesday, October 4
These classes are free to all members and will again be offered on ZOOM. With ZOOM we won’t get the personal interaction, which is so nice. But we can include people from all over the state or even the country! Please sign up! Its lots of fun and you'll learn a lot.
All classes begin at 6:30 PM. Contact person: Maxine Stone, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Calendar:
To see the full calendar of events please click here: https://momyco.org/events/calendar
Cook’s Corner
Recipe by Betty Liu
Photos and adaptation by Israel Tockman
I have long wanted to make the recipe section of the Earthstar a more interactive and personal feature. I invite readers to submit fungi-centric recipes and stories of cooking adventures for future issues of the Earthstar. Send submissions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If I received a mandate that for the rest of my days, I’d have to consume the cuisines of a single country of choice, I’d go with the varied food traditions of mainland China. Hands down. Partly that’s because I’ve never felt so healthy as an adult than I have while traveling and eating there. But mostly it’s because the food in China is mind-blowingly delicious.
My partner’s birthday is just a few days after Christmas and, this year, one of her gifts was the beautiful cookbook “My Shanghai,” by Betty Liu. The New York Times listed Liu’s book as one of the ten best cookbooks of 2021. Last night we followed our first recipe from the book and the results were delicious.
Braised Shiitake and Tofu
Adapted slightly from Betty Liu
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
10 high-quality dried shiitake mushrooms (author calls for whole dried mushrooms. I used dried sliced shiitakes from FungusAmongUs)
1 teaspoon dried shrimp (small guys available at international grocers like Jay International, Seafood City, Olive Supermarket, etc.)
1 (1 pound) brick soft tofu or silken tofu if you can’t find soft
¼ cup plus one tablespoon neutral cooking oil
4 cloves of smashed garlic 3, 1-inch pieces peeled fresh ginger (using a metal spoon makes peeling ginger a cinch!)
1 red Thai chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
2 teaspoons sugar, Kosher salt, ground white pepper
1 young garlic shoot or scallion, chopped. (Recipe calls for green parts only, I used entire scallion)
Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Put the mushrooms and shrimp in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour and drain, keeping the liquid. If mushrooms are whole, remove the stems and halve the caps. Retain the mushrooms and shrimp. The dried shrimp lend a slightly funky flavor to the finished product that I enjoy. If you are wary of funk, leave the shrimp out.
- Soft tofu is fragile, so, using care, cut the tofu block in half and then cut each half into 6 pieces. Set the pieces on a plate and let them drain.
- Heat ¼ cup of cooking oil in a wok or pot over medium heat and use an instant-read or a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Oil should be between 375- and 400-degrees Fahrenheit for frying. Use a spatula to place 3 pieces of tofu carefully in the oil at a time and fry until edges and corners are browning, then carefully flip. Fry all tofu in batches, cooking each piece 3 to 4 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tofu to paper towels to drain.
Add garlic, ginger and chili pepper to wok or pot with the oil and fry briefly until the aroma rises. Add retained mushrooms and shrimp and fry 1 to 2 minutes and then remove from heat.- According to Liu, you can finish the dish in a stovetop-safe clay pot provided you heat the pot gradually. I don’t have any clay pots so I just used a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat a tablespoon of oil in pot and add the tofu and mushrooms and shrimp. Then add enough of the mushroom-shrimp soak water to cover ingredients. I used all of it. Add soy sauce, wine and sugar and stir. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and cook until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. You can mix a tablespoon of corn starch with a tablespoon of water and add the mix to the pot if the sauce is too thin. I didn’t need it.
- Finish dish with salt and white pepper, to taste, and scatter the scallions and a few drops of sesame oil on top.
Betty Liu’s website: https://bettysliu.com/my-shanghai-cookbook/
