John Myers
Every beginning is difficult: This also applies to collecting mushrooms. Since a mistake here can have serious consequences, you should have basic knowledge before you go for a stroll through the forest. We summarize what you should definitely pay attention to.
Where and when to pick mushrooms?
If you want to collect edible mushrooms, good preparation is essential. Because every year there are cases of poisoning, which, fortunately, are rarely fatal. So you should only collect mushrooms that you can identify with certainty. While some varieties can also be clearly recognized by beginners, there is an acute risk of confusion with others. The most prominent example is the very poisonous death cap mushroom, which some mistake for a button mushroom. Since not everyone can tell the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms, an expert should be present when collecting them, or you should consult a mushroom advice center with your yield. Be careful with photo determination apps: They often give three or four results, so they are very imprecise.
When can you pick mushrooms and what do you need for this?
When you can pick mushrooms does not depend on the season. September and October are not the only months when the crops thrive. You will also find something outside of the classic mushroom season in autumn. In spring and summer, for example, March snails, morels, parasols, porcini mushrooms, forest and meadow mushrooms, puffballs, and chanterelles can be found. And even in winter the forest still has something to offer: oyster mushrooms, ear lobe mushrooms, and velvet foot mushrooms are just three examples. To collect you need a sharp knife, with which you cut off the mushroom at the foot. You can’t tear it out because the fungal network (mycelium) in the soil is injured and no new hat wearers can grow back. Special mushroom knives are curved and therefore easier to handle. A basket is ideal for transport – the finds can be stored airy and are not easily damaged or muddy.
Where and how many mushrooms can you collect?
You can take the delicious forest plants with you to areas where there is no private or legal ban on entry. The latter is applied differently in Germany depending on the state law – finding out about the regulations at the collection point in advance protects you from unpleasant surprises. If the forest is freely accessible, you can collect mushrooms for your own use and use them for our mushroom recipes. A sale is not permitted unless you explicitly obtain permission from the forest owner. A general ban on collecting applies to some protected varieties, they must always be left standing. This includes, for example, the truffle.
