Warm, rainy days are the days mushroom picking enthusiasts love most. Such weather  guarantees Polish forests teaming with mushrooms which are one of the best ingredients in Polish cuisine.

Mushrooms in vinegar, dried Porcini soup, mushroom dumplings ? these are the dishes Polish cuisine could not do without. Late summer and early autumn is the best time to go mushroom picking, which is accompanied by the whole ritual.

Waking up at dawn, morning fog, the sun barely glowing through a dense forest, thick forest litter ? we look around the forest with sleepy eyes and see a stone here and a leaf over there and suddenly?a fully-grown boletus with a saucer-size brown hut and a beautiful white stalk appears in front of our eyes. We cut it gently with a small knife just at the base, in order to not damage the spawn, and then our joy increases even more when we see that the mushroom is healthy and the nasty worms did not get it. We put our mushroom in a wicker basket and, in silence, continue to comb the forest in a lonely search of other specimens.

If, somehow, you have never experienced mushroom picking, you have got to try it. Now it is the best time for that. Mushroom like dampness and warmth and they need to be picked in the morning, as they are said to hide themselves under the ground in the afternoon.

A mushroom picker cannot have a random outfit. You should wear waterproof boots, long trousers, a blouse with long sleeves and something to cover your head with. You need all that to protect yourself against ticks, mosquitoes and spiders that are omnipresent in Polish forests.

It is best to collect mushrooms in an airy wicker basket as lying in the plastic bucket or bags they could get spoiled. We should cut mushrooms with a small knife just at the base to avoid damaging the spawn out of which other hats will start growing the next day.

The most important rule is that you collect only the mushrooms you know! There are plenty of poisonous mushrooms growing in forests which, when eaten, can even cause death. Every year there are several deaths caused by mushroom poisoning in Poland.

There is no need to worry though. It is best to avoid those species which have characteristic gills under the hats and collect only mushrooms having a sort of sponge instead.

The most popular edible mushroom in Poland is the Bay Boletus. It can be spotted in almost every deciduous and coniferous forests. The Bay Boletus is appropriate for sauces, vinegar and can also be dried. Under the birches one may find Leccinums, that tastes best when dried.

In young coniferous forests, where you have to walk almost on all fours, you may also encounter Slippery Jacks. These are very delicate mushrooms with sticky huts covered with mucus, which is why they should not be dried. Slippery Jacks are perfect for sauces and scrambled eggs. However, what makes every mushroom picker most satisfied is finding Porcini ? the most beautiful and precious mushroom to grow in Polish forests. Porcini has the greatest smell and taste and is always present in Christmas meals in Poland.