Close-up photo of brown-ish mushroom in the ground (Mike Trusz)
September 22nd marks the first day of fall in North America and Europe. While back home stateside this transition is usually heralded by the omnipresent scent of pumpkin spice, in Europe a different species holds the spot as favorite fall-time produce—that being the forest mushroom.
Just as the pumpkin and turkey dominate American fall decorations and events, in Europe, entire families make weekend trips to their local woods in search of their favorite forest mushrooms. Mushroom hunting is very popular from France through Germany and Italy; however, Central and Eastern Europe takes this pastime to another level. Once word gets around that wild mushrooms have started appearing in the forests, one could think that entire Polish, Czech or Slovak cities and villages have left to go into the woods.
Each forest entrance and woodside parking lot is filled to the brim with cars, and forests become crowded with foragers. Each forager has their own “secret” spots and guards their secret knowledge religiously. Every so often, you hear the joyous cries of the younger foragers signaling their rare find, not yet privy to the knowledge that such finds are kept on the “down low.” The experience of mushroom hunting in Europe in the fall is certainly one that has to be experienced during our time here!
Red and white mushrooms in ground (Mike Trusz)
Here are a few practical tips to begin your mushroom hunt.
To start, bright and colorful mushrooms that look straight out of a fairytale storybook are best left in the forest. Unlike the “Power-Up Mushroom” in the Super Mario games, these specimens are not edible and will not give you superpowers. In fact, most of these are poisonous!
What you should look for are those specimens with light- to dark-earthy-colored caps and white or yellow pores instead of gills under the cap. The most prized and best-tasting find is the Boletus edulis, better known by its Italian-derived plural name of porcini, characterized by its pleasant aroma, thick stem, and large light-brown cap.
You can find porcini growing in coniferous and deciduous forests, usually in sandy soils under middle-aged trees. Another prized find is the similar-looking bay bolete (Imleria badia), which has a darker brown cap and thinner stem than its porcini relatives and is usually found growing in moss under older coniferous trees.
Other specimens to look out for are the small yellow chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) with their characteristic folds under the cap, and the aptly named orange birch bolete (Leccinum), characterized by its light orange cap and white stem with tiny black spots, and most often found growing under birch trees.
After each mushroom hunting trip, have your haul checked by professionals, to make sure your finds are not “edible only once” (i.e. not suitable for consumption or poisonous). In Poland, you can have your wild mushrooms checked at your local public health inspectorate (in Polish SANEPID) free of charge.
After you have confirmed your finds are safe to eat, you can use them in a variety of ways. You can dry them to later add to dishes for added aroma and flavor. You can also make dishes with your fresh mushrooms—my favorite is bowtie or penne pasta with wild mushroom and cream sauce. Even if you don’t like mushrooms, going to the woods to hunt for mushrooms can be a rewarding experience in and of itself!
Trail in the woods (Mike Trusz)
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense. Also, this editor would like it noted that she does, in fact, love pumpkin spice and would never forget it.
