Mushroom picker seeks world record
SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE – Avid mushroom picker Jim Garlick of Normalville is hoping his fun with fungi will put him in the Guinness Book of World Records. Garlick 33, was picking mushrooms in Normalville last week with his girlfriend, Rebecca Brown, her twin daughters, Kierstin and Kaitlynn, 9, and his children, Cortney, 7, Caylee, 6, and Michael, 5, when they found an 111/2-inch Morel mushroom.
Garlick, who explained the outing as “good family fun,” said this is the largest Morel mushroom he has seen in these parts.
“I’ve been doing this all my life,” he said. “My father, Ray Garlick (of South Connellsville), taught me what to look for, and we have been doing this for a lot of years; however, this is really a find.”
Morel mushrooms, according to Ray Garlick, are delicious and have a very mild flavor.
“All you want to do is dip them in flour, add a little salt and pepper and fry them in some butter,” said Garlick. “You don’t want to put them on or in anything because you’ll ruin the flavor of the mushroom.”
Garlick said he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to put mushrooms on pizza because they taste good all by themselves.
Morel mushrooms, according to Garlick, grow all over North America and in Europe.
“I understand that some countries even train pigs to detect them. After all, they sell for about $70 a pound here in the United States,” he said.
Morel mushrooms are found in the woods near apple trees and grow on dying root systems or decaying vegetation. The mushroom has a spongy cone-type top and a large root bottom.
Garlick, 70, said he’s been picking mushrooms for about 60 years.
“It’s something that I did with my dad, and now Jim’s kids are doing it with him. It’s healthy recreation and the results are delicious,” he said.
Jim Garlick said mushroom picking is like going fishing with his dad.
“I can remember my first fishing trip at the age of five, and that was a big deal that I was old enough to participate. It sure was a special event, and that’s what it’s like to go mushroom picking as a family. It’s just you and the woods or field and your family, and everyone’s looking for that special find,” said Garlick.
Garlick said Morel mushrooms can be found only in the spring, for about three to four weeks, and he will not disclose his hunting grounds.
“It’s like hunting,” he said. “When you find a good spot, you don’t want to share it with anyone.”