Lost

Treasure

by Tammy Waid McClellan

I’m not referring to gold or silver or even a sunken treasure. I’m talking about dry land fish, mush-rooms, or morels, whatever you like to call them. As spring begins to bud and bloom; I begin slowing down to look for the little mush-rooms that begin popping up.

I was introduced to dry land fish as a child. My dad would take me to the woods to look for these mushrooms. It was like a treasure hunt! Some people say they love to eat them, but me personally I love to hunt them. After I figured out where they liked to grow, I would head out and walk along the tree line and in fence rows near our house and hunt them.

They can be different shapes and colors. I’ve picked the ones with long stems and black tops, and the short spongy ones. They say they pop out of the ground after a good rain, and the sun pops out. I’ve also gotten lots of advice about where the best places are to find them. The best place is under a cedar tree, near poplar trees, under apple trees, this is all a matter of opinion. In my experience, the best place to find them is along a wood line where the woods meet a clearing.

If I was ever out hunting and forgot my bag, I would find lots of them. Sometimes I would roll the end of my shirt up and put them in my makeshift basket. That would get them home safe and sound. I have come across several snakes hunting them, and even had a few slugs stuck to my hand. Slugs love mushrooms. The mushrooms are hollow inside, cool and damp so they make a great shelter. I think the slugs actually eat them too.

I have introduced this early spring time tradition to my own children. It’s a great opportunity to get outdoors and also see wildflowers starting to bloom. The children are like myself, they like the thrill of the hunt. I love to hear the words, “ I found one, then another, and another”. Usually when you find one and go down to pick it up you spot a few more. The disappointment is when we have a really warm day and the ones you find have already dried up. At least you’ve found a place holder for next year. You can never pull them up by the roots or they won’t grow back, that is part of dry land fish etiquette. Now, I don’t know about that but I try to follow the rules.

So now as the buttercups and redbuds start blooming, get out there and start fishing. Dry land fishing that is! I’ve never understood why they were called this, some people say it is because they are prepared like fried fish. Others may disagree, I will leave that to the imagination. Happy Hunting!

Tammy Waid McClellan