If you have never experienced mushroom picking, you should definitely try it, and now is the best time.

Mushrooms thrive when it is warm and wet, and need to be picked in the morning, as it is said that in the afternoon they hide themselves under the ground.

The mushroom picker’s outfit cannot be random. You should wear waterproof boots, long trousers, a long-sleeved blouse and something to cover your head with. All this should protect you from the ticks, mosquitoes and spiders the Polish forests are full of.

It is best to collect the mushrooms in an airy wicker basket, as in plastic buckets or bags the mushrooms can get sweaty and mouldy. Cut them quite far down the stem, near where they appear from the ground, so as not to damage the spawn from which other hats will start to grow the next day.

The most important rule, however, is that we only pick those mushrooms that we know! Forests abound with many poisonous species which, when eaten, can even result in death. Every year, there are several deaths by mushroom poisoning reported in Poland.

But this is not something to that should detract from your enjoyment. Just remember to absolutely avoid those mushrooms that have characteristic gills under their hats, and pick only those with a more spongy looking filling there.

The most popular edible mushrooms in Polish forests are the Bay boletus. You may encounter these in almost every coniferous and deciduous forest, and they are perfect for sauces, dried mushrooms and mushrooms in vinegar. Under the birches you may find leccinums, which taste best when dried. Slippery jacks grow in young coniferous forests where you have to walk almost on all fours. These mushrooms are very delicate and their hats are very sticky and slimy, which is why they cannot be dried but they can be used to make a delightful sauce. But the greatest joy of a mushroom picker comes from finding a porcini, the most beautiful and precious mushroom growing in Polish forests. It has the greatest taste and smell, and is never absent from Christmas meals in Poland.

In order to eliminate the risk of mushroom poisoning in the picking season as far as humanly possible, the Poznan Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (Sanepid) has introduced special office hours where you can check the contents of your mushroom baskets. Such examinations are obligatory for all mushrooms being sold on to shops or market traders.

So let’s go mushroom picking! Even if we do not find any specimens, it is certainly worth going to the forest for a few hours even if only to walk in the fresh air in peace and quiet and listen to the birds singing.