Fly agaric, chanterelle and porcini are familiar to almost everyone. But where exactly are they hiding and how can you be sure not to accidentally catch a poisonous mushroom?
Only known mushrooms should be collected
Basic Rules for Gathering
Proper collection is very important, because mistakes can be very harmful to the forest and the mushroom population. For this reason, the following basic rules apply to the mushroom hike:
- Small, old and unknown mushrooms remain.
- Even unique toadstools should not be destroyed.
- They are an important part of the metabolism of the forest.
- In general, you should only collect for personal use.
- Whole specimens are necessary for an exact determination.
- Therefore, do not cut off the mushrooms at the base, but carefully twist them out.
- Close the resulting opening with your hands.
- This keeps the mycelium from drying out.
- Only take one or two of unknown or dubious specimens.
- Keep these separate from the other copies.
You should also remember that mushrooms don't keep for long and therefore need to be processed on the same day if possible.
equipment
It is best to use a basket that is not too high for collecting mushrooms. A woven wicker basket, for example, is ideal, but the shaving baskets that you often get for free when you buy strawberries are also very suitable. Plastic bags, bags or nets, on the other hand, are unsuitable because the mushrooms are pressed too tightly and become mushy. You should also take a knife (preferably a mushroom knife with a small brush at the end of the handle) with you. You need this for cutting and for pre-cleaning forest residue and maggots.
Identify mushrooms with certainty
Many species of mushrooms look very similar, and their characteristics as reported in mushroom books can be quite confusing to inexperienced collectors. The checklist will make it easier for you to identify them, and you should also remember the typical identifiers of the ten most common edible mushrooms and their doubles. If you are unsure about the identification of a mushroom, then don't eat it either. When in doubt, always show your find to a certified mushroom consultant.
checklist
- Where does the fungus grow, what trees are in its immediate vicinity?
- Does the fungus grow singly, in groups, or in clumps?
- Does the mushroom have a stem and cap or a completely different shape?
- Does the fungus have tubes, lamellae or ridges on the underside of the hat?
- What color are these?
- Does the stem have a ring?
- Does the stem have a mesh and if so what color is it?
- Does the meat change color when touched or cut?
- How does the mushroom smell?
Since many mushrooms are poisonous when raw, you should never taste them to determine. Exception: You want to distinguish the edible porcini mushroom from the inedible gall boletus.
Identify toadstools
There are many deadly poisonous mushrooms that appear quite inconspicuous. This includes, for example, the poisonous häubling, which looks confusingly similar to the mutabilis. Roughheads and death cap mushrooms are also tough: Symptoms often only appear days or even weeks later after a meal. Saving treatment is then no longer possible. Other species, such as Satan's boletus, usually immediately cause severe digestive problems with abdominal pain and diarrhea.
tips
These characteristics do not indicate that a type of mushroom is edible: even poisonous mushrooms change color / do not change color, are eaten by snails or taste mild when eaten raw.