How to pick mushrooms

When to pick mushrooms

In the middle lane, the season lasts from May to November. Although it also happens that mushrooms are found even in the December snows. There are no clear dates for the appearance of mushrooms, because their growth depends on many factors - for example, rainfall, air temperature, lack of frost, and so on.

In spring, most often they collect real morel and oyster mushroom.

Mushrooms, boletus and boletus, if you're lucky, you can meet in June.

They can grow until the end of October if the autumn is warm. Russula, chanterelles and mushrooms are harvested throughout the mushroom season.

In August, butterflies appear in the forests, and closer to October - cold-resistant mushrooms like thick-legged mushrooms, greens and greens.

Where to collect mushrooms

You can go to the nearest forest, try your luck in an unfamiliar place, or go along the proven mushroom route on the advice of friends, acquaintances or thematic communities on social networks. Whichever option you choose, it is important that the forest finds are safe. Mushrooms, including edible ones, can accumulate heavy metals, radiation and other harmful substances.

To minimize the risk of running into toxic finds, be careful when choosing a place. Pick mushrooms away from large settlements, landfills, landfills, industrial plants and highways. You can also find a map of pollution in your area to know for sure where you should not go.

If it's hot, make sure mushroom picking is legal. Sometimes, due to the high fire hazard, visiting the forest is limited or prohibited. You can find out about this in the forestry or on the website of the local administration.

How to dress for a hike in the woods

Take care of comfortable clothes and shoes. The search for mushrooms usually lasts more than one hour and you have to walk a lot. Choose comfortable and loose clothes that do not restrict movement.

In warm weather, you can limit yourself to pants and a turtleneck; in cold or damp weather, add a jacket made of dense and waterproof fabric to the image. If it's wet outside, stock up on a quality raincoat.

If it’s cold outside, don’t warm up too much, it’s better to dress in layers so that you can take off the excess if necessary. For the bottom layer, choose a fitted turtleneck with long sleeves and a collar. This will further protect you from insects.

By the way, it is better to tuck the top into trousers, and trousers into high socks, so that it is more difficult for ticks to get to the skin.

And do not forget about the headgear: scarf, panama hat, baseball cap or hat - choose to your taste.

As for shoes, high-top rubber boots are best. They will allow you to keep your feet dry, and they will also protect you during a chance meeting with snakes. There are models with elastic bands on the tops that prevent insects and debris from entering the shoe.

What to buy

• Waterproof jacket with a hood from AliExpress, 1 635 rubles →
• Rain jacket with pockets, 999 rubles →
• Lightweight raincoat poncho from AliExpress, 636 rubles →
• Transparent raincoat with button closure, 664 rubles →
• High rubber boots from AliExpress, 1 404 rubles →
• Boots with puffs on the shaft from Nordman, 1,730 rubles →
• Insulated boots with puffs on the shaft from Nordman, 4,196 rubles →
• Waterproof panama with a protective mesh, 300 rubles →

What to bring

Good preparation will help make even a long forest walk comfortable.

• First of all, do not forget to charge your phone so that you have a means of communication in case of unforeseen situations. Download a map of the area where you plan to go so that you can navigate offline. You can also put a mark on it indicating the point where you started your forest route: if you get lost, you can determine where to return. And special applications help you navigate the forest, for example, the Mushroom Picker Pedestrian Navigator.

• Grab clean drinking water to quench your thirst in time. If you are going to the forest by car, leave in it thermos with hot tea or coffee - this will help to warm up and cheer up after the hike. You can take some food to snack and replenish energy. By the way, for some reason it is in the forest that even simple sandwiches seem to be the most delicious in the world!
• Take a can of repellent and periodically spray it while looking for mushrooms. The tool will protect you from ticks, annoying mosquitoes, midges, moose flies and other insects.
• If you are going to the forest alone or with a company, take the usual sports whistles. Their sound is clearly audible from afar, and this helps to determine the approximate location of each other.
• Take a spicy knife. In stores, you can find special models with a built-in brush, which is convenient to clean dirt and debris from mushrooms.

• What to put the finds in is up to you. The best option is wicker basket, which provides the mushrooms with good ventilation and better preservation. If there is none, it does not matter - take a bucket.

How to pick mushrooms

act on special methodologies or just wander through the forest, trusting intuition - do as you like. The main thing is to follow the basic rule: "If you're not sure, don't take it." There are also some helpful tips.

Find out which mushrooms are safe

If you are going mushroom picking for the first time, enlist the help of an experienced mushroom picker. He will show which mushrooms can be put in the basket, and which ones are better to stay away from. Or read our article, which will help you independently learn to identify edible and inedible mushrooms.

Carefully remove mushrooms from the ground

Cutting or twisting is the eternal subject of dispute between mushroom pickers. Although, in fact, for the mushrooms themselves and the mycelium, the method of collection does not matter. The underground part of the fruit is reliably protected, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to damage it during collection. Tubular - boletus, boletus, boletus - it is more convenient to unscrew, since their leg can be deep in the ground.

The main thing when collecting mushrooms is not to dig deep into the ground, not to rake the forest floor too much and not to pull out layers of moss. In general, treat the forest and its inhabitants with care and respect.

Carefully place the mushrooms in a basket

Before you send the mushroom to the basket, clean it of leaves, earth and debris - then it will be easier and faster to sort them out. Trim the leg a little to make sure it's free of worms.

Place tubular mushrooms on their side so that the caps do not break off from the stem. Russula and other lamellar spread on top of the rest, or even take a separate container for them. These mushrooms are very fragile and quickly turn into crumbs if not properly transported.

Don't be greedy

Do not take very small mushrooms that have barely hatched. Such specimens will not add volume to your catch, so remember the place and come back here in a couple of days when they grow up. Too mature mushrooms are also better not to touch. Most likely, they are already wormy, rotten and simply will not reach your house safe and sound. Leave the "oldies" in the forest, let them multiply by spores.

Do not trample unfamiliar mushrooms

Firstly, they can be quite edible, you just don’t know about it yet, and another mushroom picker will be delighted with the find. Secondly, any mushrooms in the forest fulfill their function: even specimens that are poisonous to humans can be a medicine for animals and insects.

How to pick mushrooms the right way

Cut mushrooms are highly perishable, so don't delay preparing them. Go through the finds, after putting on gloves, otherwise it will be difficult to wash your hands later. With a knife, clean the legs from the top layer, as well as from dirt, debris and insects. Wipe the hats with a damp soft cloth, and remove the thin top film from butter and russula.

In the process of processing, carefully inspect the mushrooms again. You can ask an experienced mushroom picker to help you and confirm the edibility of the finds. The main thing is not to wash the mushrooms before this, otherwise they can change their appearance and it will become difficult to determine their appearance. If you are sorting through mushrooms alone and there is no one to ask for advice, throw away those that are in doubt without regret.