Welcome to Mushroom Gear

   I am absolutly in love with the weather patern so far for this mushroom hunting season.   I think it could be the best season I have ever experienced!!!   So far all the southern states have been producing in big numbers.   A few fresh black & grey morels were resently found in Indiana & Ohio.  All the mushroom boards are full of hype & exsitement ( as they are every season ) ..  but if you separate it all & read between the lines.. you could see the big picture!    There will be lots of mushrooms this year for all, but one must remember one of the most important things in mushroom hunting is timing.. First Come-First Serve.. knowing when & where & having the will to stay optimistic durring the hunts!!! 

 Quick Story...   last year was  the worst seasons midwest had ever seen!  Even my friends that have hunted over 50 years had told me that!  After hunting all my absolute best spots in 7 diffirent states I was coming up with hardly nothing!  Then I got a wif of a place in Iowa that got a ton of rain, i just happen to have some decent secter mushroom hunting spots there...  I went & scored 129 pounds!   I remember the 1 hike in particular, after half of a days walk I had 2 shrooms in my bag, I kept driving those legs just a bit longer, just a bit... & behold!   I found just over 20 pounds of beautiful giant yellow morels under 1 single tree!  And what a sight it was, something I will never forget!

   It's Febuary, the month when mushroom hunters start to get the itch to prepare for the season. Most already ate their last morel mushroom out of the freezer.  Come March when things start to warm up- this feeling gets much stronger, let's face it...  Mushroom Hunting should come with a warning label-  it is more adictive then sigarets!  I know people that quit smoking, i don't know not 1 soul that became a mushroom hunter & just quit.  It gets in your blood.  And there is nothing wrong with that, there are millions of people that do it every year.  It is peacuful, relaxing, has a calming & reaving power.. oh, and it tastes good, haha.   I have been doing this all my life & fortunatly I have the pleasure of talking to thousands posably hundreds of thousands of mushroom hunters every year due to all our festivals to do around mid west.  Great people.. all of them, everyone has a unique story.   So many diffirent people share this feeling..  young & old, rich & poor, men & women.  Some hit the woods after a long day at a factory, some shed off their business suits and slip in camo, some after school & some can barely walk yet- they haven't missed a mushroom season in over 60 or 70 years.  So many great charectors ..  the funiest part to me is every one is so open till the season hits .. things get secretive & they just disapear lol.  Till the seasons end, when everyone magicly apear again & reaveal their harvest pictures with stories.  You wait for the mushroom hunting season all year & when it's here it may only last 2 weeks in some parts of the country, that's why people try to get out every day or even take most of their vacation days to be able to hunt morels.

     If it wasn't for mushroom hunting and fishing life would be a mistake.  Find your passion and let it guide you.        

 I have talked to many many friends all around midwest & what i can tell ya is that this is the worst morel season in Ohio, Indiana & IL that they have ever seen!  Unfortunate for us because the season only comes once a year, but those spores are still there & they are waiting for the right conditions, so there is a posability if we get the rain next year we could have a well above avarage season next year!  :)    I had to travel all over to pick good amounts of morels, so far most of mine came from Northern Iowa & some from WI... i picked over 100 pounds with my wife & daughter.  Heres the good news....  Michigan ash trees always produce morels after the elm, so they are just now starting to have grays & some small yellows around them.  And they have had a huge rain!  That said, we are packing up & going to Michigan today  :)   Where we hunt & stay we have no internet conection, so we will be gone for a week picking & setting up at the morel festivals selling our products.  When we get back i'll let ya know how we did.  I am very exsited, Michigan has a part of my heart when it comes to morel hunting & so far i haven't been there this season.   If any of you deside to go...  good luck!  May your skillet stay full!!   

  Alex & the mushroom family  :)

  After fishing yesterday (03/25/2012), my wife & I dove in the woods to see what up & we found 7 fresh 2 inch black morels & 3 tiny grays...  the season has officially started for us!  :)   We picked them from a spot that is located on Indiana/ Michigan boarder.   So far I love the way this season is unfolding ... if we get the rains time to time we could have a BANNER season!!!!!      Good luck everyone!!   :)

We have word of morels being found in Georgia, Tennessee and Southern Kentucky! We've also been told of a false morel being found in Southern Indiana! Those 'half free morels' will typically come up before any true morels decide to grace us with their presence, sometimes even up to a few weeks before! It's just exciting to hear they are getting close!! Please respond to this blog site with any questions or responses! We'd love to host a Fungi Family Forum!!

It was great meeting so many folks this past weekend who share our same passion for morels! We enjoy talking to you all and hearing those cool stories! It never ceases to amaze me what so many different people have witnessed over the years when it comes to those delicious little morsels of sponge!

There were so many people coming through the Home & Garden Show that I hope everyone had a chance to really look at our new designs and new products we offer these days! We are expanding our t-shirt designs into our off-season hobbies, fishing and camping. 

We will be at the Lake & Cabin Show in two weeks at the Fort Wayne Coliseum.