# Can you eat these ones?



## 2manyfish (Feb 17, 2003)

Are these ok to eat? Looks like either half frees for verpas from googling???

Thanks!


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## Rencoho (Oct 18, 2000)

I believe those are false morels, I won’t eat them.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

2manyfish said:


> Are these ok to eat? Looks like either half frees for verpas from googling???
> 
> Thanks!


Cut one in half length wise. Is the cap attached only at the very top? Does the inside of the stalk have wispy, cottony material in it? If so, it is a Verpa bohemica, aka false morel.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/verpa_bohemica.html


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## welder72 (Nov 5, 2015)

Judging from the picture, I would.


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## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

They look like half frees but it’s hard to say without a cross sectional photo


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## 2manyfish (Feb 17, 2003)

Here you go.


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## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

Edible


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## ongo (Oct 1, 2017)

2manyfish said:


> Here you go.


Do Not Eat Those!
Those are NOT Morel mushrooms!
I could possible be wrong, but I've always been told that the Morel's cap is attached at the bottom. And the so-called false morel is not.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

ongo said:


> View attachment 312554
> 
> Do Not Eat Those!
> Those are NOT Morel mushrooms!
> I could possible be wrong, but I've always been told that the Morel's cap is attached at the bottom. And the so-called false morel is not.


He has the half-free morels, not the false morels, verpa bohemica. The ones in his picture are not attached at the very top and the hollow stem is free of any material. They are the safe ones.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Morchella semi lebra. Half free. Pecker head . Edible. If you dont know am answer dont answer. 100% safe


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## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

Besides the hollow verification, You can tell by the segmented pores on a real morel versus the generally continuous squiggly lines/gills that Verpa B have. Sometimes I have to look twice but have learned to identify the outside.


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## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

ongo said:


> I could possible be wrong.


Yes. They are half-free morels. Look into them. They are good to eat although not quite as tasty as the others. The picture you have there is good but doesn’t show the half free. It’s sort of like a cross between normal morels and a verpa.


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## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

http://foragerchef.com/half-free-morels/


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

MrJosePetes said:


> Yes. They are half-free morels. Look into them. They are good to eat although not quite as tasty as the others. The picture you have there is good but doesn’t show the half free. It’s sort of like a cross between normal morels and a verpa.


Oops you shouldn't have said that the mushroom police will respond soon .


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

He was giving a correct answer...mushrooms arent something you should give advice about if you dont know. So why wouldnt people that do know chime in...i know its bad to give correct info


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## 2manyfish (Feb 17, 2003)

Thanks for the responses guys. Good luck with your hunts!


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

I've been picking mushrooms for a long time. Never, ever found a verpa bohemica until Saturday. Then I found 3 more within about 15 minutes.

I was a bit giddy as I found the first one almost under foot and knew it wasn't a half free right away. Then looking at it, I knew it wasn't a true morels either because the veins weren't segmented. Cut it open with my knife and it had cottony stuff inside. Back to the drawing board...


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## Woodbutcher-1 (Nov 21, 2004)

Sparky23 said:


> He was giving a correct answer...mushrooms arent something you should give advice about if you dont know. So why wouldnt people that do know chime in...i know its bad to give correct info


I totally agree with you Sarky. It seems to me that some people with very little knowledge about mushrooms make comments and give advise like they were the Experts on mushrooms. I am talking about Rencoho and ongo's comments.
PLEASE people there is no guessing when it comes to mushrooms. If you are NOT 100% certain
about what are going to say don't say anything at all. It is not that important to get your post
count up by a point. Sparky. your last line in your comment should have read Incorrect vs. correct.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

The cottony pithy fibers inside the stipe are the real indicator for verpas IMO. If you find some, throw it out. Some half frees are are more _semi libre_ than others in a cross section if you know what I mean. I think it's actually more fun sometimes to find and correctly learn to identify the poisonous look-a-likes first before attempting to find the edibles. It gives you a nice foundation to work with going forward IMO.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

Woodbutcher-1 said:


> I totally agree with you Sarky. It seems to me that some people with very little knowledge about mushrooms make comments and give advise like they were the Experts on mushrooms. I am talking about Rencoho and ongo's comments.
> PLEASE people there is no guessing when it comes to mushrooms. If you are NOT 100% certain
> about what are going to say don't say anything at all. It is not that important to get your post
> count up by a point. Sparky. your last line in your comment should have read Incorrect vs. correct.


Yeah - get a good mushroom book, and read it a few times. I would never hinge my well being, or a loved one's, upon forum wisdom.

When in doubt, throw it out.

The verpas I found the other day really have me reconsidering keeping half frees in the future. The first verpa was a no brainier to identify (even though I've never seen one other than in pictures), but a couple of the later ones I found (with short skirts) looked VERY similar to a half free.


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