Cash and Treasures Ginseng Morel Mushrooms feeling nostalgic

[klava]

I just saw the one on Ginseng and man did it make me nostalgic. Growing up it was just an everyday thing. I grew up in the Appy mountains and still live in them. I have lived other places and love the mountains. It really is a treasure hunters Paradise. I have old sites, parks, lakes, civil war sites, Indian sites, etc to metal detect. To say the least it is a m-d's dream. Within a couple of hours there are gold and silver bearing sites and gem bearing sites mainly Emeralds. We have Ginseng and Morel mushrooms. Not to mention about 100 other herbs that can be gathered and sold. We have wonderful places to find bottles as well. It is Paradise no doubt about it.(Still for some reason I think about how cool it would to be at this place to hunt or that place) we have great game in both big game, small game, and fish. And the best treasure of all the beautiful mountains and all the wondrous nature they have created.

Growing up every spring we would dig morel musrooms(dry land fish as I knew them growing up). We would go out for an evening and have bags full of them. Then Mom would soak them over night and she would fry them up. This is one of my fondest memories of growing up. Hunting Morel mushrooms with Mom and my brothers. During the summers my little brother Tim and I would climb trees, swing from grape vines, climb cliffs, and explore caves. We had no idea how great we had it. During the fall we hit the herbs. We generally had alot of herbs already staked out lol from our summer adventures so the first few weeks of hunting was easy. We dug all kinds of roots to sell. I cant even think of all their names these days. Then fall/winter it was hunting season and sitting around reading beside the Buck stove. It just doesn't get any better.

I haven't done much hunting for roots or mushrooms in a few years but really want to get out and do it this year. Get Mom out of the house and Tim and get my Goddaughter who is 6 to help. She needs to experience the wonderful things of mountain living. With me growing up on top of a mountain and her living in a town I see all the things she misses out on and try to get her to the farm as much as possible.

Anyway sorry for this to turn into a rant I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic after that episode lol.

So anyone else hunt for herbs or ginseng?

HH
-K

 

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[cavers5]

Yep! We do! We don't get very much because we always seem to get involved in doing something else...like cave scoutin'!

It's absolute great fun and exercise...except for the snakes, of course. UGHHH!

Cavers5

 

[bakergeol]

Your thread brought back memories of SE Ohio when I was a kid. Used to do a lot of Ginseng hunting with my friends way back in the hollows. Used to see abandoned homes back there also.

Good piece
HH George

 

[trish76642]

Hi 'K'

Good to see that your getting your God Daughter involved and showing her how wonderful 'country life' can be...i think all kids should have that experience sometimes in their life...makes for good memories doesnt it? The best memories i have growing up are being out in the country roaming the woods, walking down old stream beds, to this day i could do it everyday if i had the chance, nothing like it! Last weekend i took my little neice to the country to hunt arrow heads, well her father (my brother) was doing all the hunting, i took her by the hand and led her down to the stream, sat down on the ground, took my tennys off, rolled up my pants legs, and said "come on Miranda, your Aunt Trish is gonna show you how to have some real fun!" lol....im telling you, that little girl coulda stayed out there all day! We had so much fun together! We definately made memories together.....hopefully we'll get to do it again real soon!

 

[Magic Fingers]

I am hoping when I get enough grandkids and they get to a certain age, to have granny camp for 2 weeks every year. I live in the mountains and this will be a good time for all the grandkids to spend time together and enjoy the outdoors...like my kids did. Now if my kids would just get busy...hehehe.

I hear the mushrooms grow well after a fire and we had the nations largest fire for a few weeks last summer.

I did see both of those shows also.

 

[AlaskaAng]

Hi K,
I grew up in NW Illinois and we hunted Morels every spring (mostly May depending on precip and sunshine). It was the most fun I ever had! We'd come home with breadbags full of Morels! I now own 7 wooded acres back home and my sister located a nice spot of morels under a dead elm tree (they thrive under dead elms) on my land. My Dad still morel hunts and I plan to join him after I retire to NW Illinois next year! I can hardly wait...I love them! For those who've never tried them...your missing out! They're not your typical "mushroom" and don't look much like a typical mushroom.

They also grow in an area hit by forest fires...we found them in AK after the 2004 fires!

I attached a picture.

Ang

 

[gnewt]

I always wanted to hunt mushrooms and never got the chance to go with someone that knew the no nos, so I never took a chance on my own.
Gnewt