Occasionally, an outdoor lover will stumble on a motherlode of mushrooms. Years ago, my wife and I did this very thing and brought a huge sack full back to the house. Dumping them out, we had a sink full and more mushrooms than we knew what to do with, but we soon remedied the situation.

First, we sliced the extra mushrooms in half and soaked them in a saltwater brine to get rid of any small bugs hitchhiking home with us. Following an overnight bath in the salty water, we rinsed the pieces well and patted them dry. Then we placed the mushroom halves on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and into the freezer they went. Once well frozen, we layered them with wax paper in covered plastic tubs, and put them in the freezer.

Months or even a year or two later, we would heat up the oil, and have a wet dredge and a dry dredge ready. Working quickly, we would take a frozen mushroom from the plastic container, dip it in the wet dredge and then coat it in the dry dredge before dropping it into the 350-degree hot oil. With only a couple minutes in the hot oil, they were ready to drop on a paper towel to drain before being eaten. They were so close to fresh you could hardly tell any difference.

There is a much faster way to get rid of excess mushrooms… just email me and we’ll make arrangements for me to pick them up.

Changes made to stream trout stockings

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife has made changes to previously announced rainbow trout stocking plans because of a shortage of rainbow trout at the hatchery.

Nineteen streams across 13 counties were stocked with trout before April 26, the opening day of trout season, but some locations didn’t receive the planned amount of rainbow trout. Some were supplemented with brown trout. The streams affected will receive no more rainbow trout this spring; however, nine of them will be stocked with brown trout this month. The brown trout to be stocked range from 8 to 12 inches long.  More details are posted at on.IN.gov/fish-stocking.

The bag limit for trout in inland waters other than Lake Michigan and its tributaries is five per day with a minimum size of 7 inches. No more than one of an angler’s catch may be a brown trout. There is no size limit for trout on inland lakes except for any harvested brown trout caught below the Brookville Lake tailwater or from Oliver, Olin or Martin lakes. The brown trout must be 18 inches or larger to be kept.

To fish for trout, anglers age 18 and older need an Indiana fishing license and an annual trout/salmon stamp. To purchase yours, visit GoOutdoorsIN.com.

Longest new section of Monon South Trail opens

On May 2, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Radius Indiana celebrated the opening of the Monon South Trail’s longest new section to date. The 5.5 miles of trail in the town of Borden has both paved and crushed stone surfaces. The newly opened trail section goes from the west end of Borden to Deam Lake Road near Deam Lake State Recreation Area.

“With the opening of this newest section of the Monon South Trail, we’re looking forward to welcoming more visitors to Deam Lake State Recreation Area,” said Maddy Conner, DNR chief of staff. “Next Level Trails is all about connecting people to the outdoors and important destinations, and we’re excited to see this new link added through the Monon South.”

Including previous openings in Mitchell and Orleans, the Monon South now has more than 9 miles of trail open to the public.

“When our team was planning Phase 1 construction of the Monon South Trail, we pushed the boundaries of our budget to make sure that we built this connection to Deam Lake,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “Providing the ability for Deam Lake visitors to visit Borden by walking or biking gives an immediate example of the power this trail will have to connect our communities, provide outdoor recreation, and revitalize communities with trail-related business opportunities.”

Next Level Trails (NLT) funded the purchase of the 62.3-mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for the combined sum of $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius with an additional $22.3 million to support Phase 1 development, which is expected to be completed by August, offering Hoosiers and visitors alike over 20 miles of hard-surface trail along the historic former Monon Railroad rail line.

NLT is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. The $180 million program is administered by the DNR and facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. Forty three of the 89 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 116 miles of trail built since the program’s inception. Several projects are under construction, with many more slated to break ground this year.

Spongy moth aerial Btk treatments to begin

Aerial treatments conducted by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) divisions of Forestry and Entomology & Plant Pathology to slow the spread of Lymantria dispar, now called spongy moth, in a selected area of Marshall County, could begin May 9, if the weather allows.

Spongy moth is one of North America’s most devastating invasive forest pests and has caused thousands of acres of defoliation across the eastern United States.

Treatment begins shortly after sunrise but could be delayed until later in the morning or to the next day due to unfavorable weather conditions such as morning fog or rain.

During treatment, a yellow airplane flying 75-125 feet above the treetops will conduct the treatment, starting at sunrise and continuing throughout the day, as the weather and flight schedules permit. With favorable weather, treatments may be completed by late morning or early afternoon.

The airplane distributes a spray containing the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, referred to as Btk, which is sprayed into the treetops of infested areas where spongy moth caterpillars feed on tree leaves. Btk kills spongy moth caterpillars by disrupting their digestive systems after they ingest it. Btk has been used for decades by gardeners and does not adversely affect people or animals.

People who live or work near the treatment areas might want to stay inside when the planes are flying and for about 30 minutes after treatments are complete. This gives the material time to settle out of the air and stick to treetops. For more information on Btk, call toll-free at 1-866-NO-EXOTIC (663-9684) or call your county extension office.

If the weather cools and slows the emergence of the caterpillars, the treatment application could be delayed until the following week. Updates will be posted on X (formerly Twitter) @INdnrinvasive. DNR will also issue news releases to update the status.

Once treatment begins, rain or high wind may interrupt it. If it happens, treatment will resume the next suitable day and continue until all sites have been treated.

To determine if your property is in the treatment areas or to view maps of all treatment locations, or for more information about spongy moth, see on.IN.gov/spongymoth.

‘till next time,  

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com 

Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.