How to find mushrooms correctly

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In the second half of August and September, mushroom pickers are added to summer residents on the roads. They carry buckets, rubber boots, boiled chicken and warming drinks. We do not swear at traffic jams, we join the fun and collect mushrooms according to the rules.

In a hike for mushrooms, the main thing, of course, is not the result, but the process: warm air, singing birds and unforgettable smells of summer and autumn forest. But if you never liked wandering with a basket in the forest and leaving with nothing, then you most likely made a mistake in preparation. In order not to miss out on all the delicious things this season, follow our tips.

Find out the route

You need to choose where you will go to pick mushrooms in advance. This is called a preliminary search, when you come to the forest specifically for exploration to see where the mushrooms may be. True, only very experienced mushroom pickers can understand whether it is worth returning to the meadow during the season.

Therefore, the best preliminary search is word of mouth. Even from the lessons of natural history at school, everyone remembers that we eat the fruiting bodies of mushrooms, and they grow on the mycelium (mycelium), and that underground the network covers several square meters. It is logical that from year to year you need to go to the collection to the same successful places. If you have no such locations in mind, ask for advice from those who like to go mushroom picking.

These are sellers in the markets, grandmothers, neighbors, users of local forums. Check out which of your friends had a mushroom on Instagram last year. Do not think that if everything has already been collected in one place, then you will not get anything. The mushroom holder will not run away anywhere, and in a week the mushroom has time to appear, grow and grow old. Enough for you.

Get up early

So, the rains have passed, there is still a good "plus" on the thermometer, it's time to go to the forest. You need to get up very early on a mushroom hike for several reasons.

Firstly, it is better to walk through the forest in the outfit of a mushroom picker before the onset of heat. Secondly, mushrooms shining with dew are better seen in the grass and leaves. Thirdly, it is better to go to popular places in the first rows, so that by your arrival there are no legs left from the mushrooms.

Preparing equipment

Shoes must be good. The sole should be tight so that you can not be afraid of sharp knots. Running shoes with membranes, meshes and ventilation will allow moisture to pass through very quickly if it has been raining recently or the morning dew has not yet dried.

It is imperative to take a hat with you, simply because this is an important rule of walking in the forest. The rest of the clothing is chosen according to the weather and the situation. The better you cover your body, the less you will encounter insects, sharp branches and other delights of nature.

Take a knife with you to cut mushrooms. By the way, it is not at all necessary to cut them off, so as not to damage the mycelium. It's just more convenient: you won't accidentally break the leg and ruin the mushroom.

You will also need a knife to get yourself a stick. Seriously, if you do not walk in the forest, namely look for mushrooms, you will need a stick to rake the leaves without bending over to the ground every time. If you don't want to practice with inclines, you have to walk like Gandalf with a magic staff.

You need to take more water and do not forget about it, constantly monitor the flow of fluid into the body, if you do not want to pay for a walk with a headache from dehydration.

And take the mushroom picking basket. Why a basket, basket or other hand-made? In order not to wrinkle or break mushrooms, which will certainly happen when using bags or backpacks. Buckets and plastic containers will close the air access, and this will also affect the quality of the collected mushrooms. And since you already have a stick, then there should be a basket: then you can take amazing photos of the assembled one.

Search engine

Unbelievable, but true: you can look for mushrooms using a scientifically based method. AI Semyonov collected the data and structured it into a system back in the days of the USSR. What to do if you have just come to the forest?

Depends on what kind of forest you came to. If you find yourself among the trees specially planted by a man, then the “comb” route is suitable, when you can navigate along even rows of trunks and not miss a single meter of the area.

A more complex option is called a "comb with a ledge", but on the ground you are unlikely to be accurate to the tree to verify your path, so just take the principle into service.

Another way to search is a wave, or a zigzag. We walk like this if the forest is transparent, that is, there are few trees.

When looking at the edge of a forest adjacent to a clearing, use the stretched spring principle to scan the area around each tree.

Start combing it in a zigzag fashion. We take our time, enjoy nature, do not run in search of the first hat. Slower, even slower, one step per second - this way you will see a large area and you can spot mushrooms.

Found the first one? Fine. Place any lighthouse (stick or basket) at the place where you found the mushroom, and start spiraling around it.

Choose whether your spiral will twist or unwind, and it is better to go the route in two directions in order to increase the chances of a successful search.

If you are not driving alone (and driving alone to pick mushrooms is boring), then combine the methods. While one person is examining the trees at the edge of the forest, the other person follows the same course, but along a zigzag path and a little further in the forest.

Treatment

Fresh mushrooms won't last long. Tubular (boletus, white and brown birch) in the refrigerator will last three days, lamellar (milk mushrooms, chanterelles, honey agarics) - for a day or two more. Then - for processing.

But even in these couple of days, you will lose some of the mushrooms if you store them together. If it is not possible to immediately clean and prepare everything that has been collected, try to fold the mushrooms in an even layer in a cool, dark place to protect them from mold and insects.