If you follow a few basic rules when harvesting mushrooms, you can promote the growth and existence of mushrooms in the forest. The right equipment also makes later processing in the kitchen easier.

Go mushroom hunting with the right equipment

When you go to the forest to pick mushrooms, you should take the following mushroom picking things with you:

  • a book for determining the species of fungi
  • a clean, dry cotton cloth
  • a sharp kitchen knife
  • a basket for gentle transport

Even if you have a mushroom identification book with you, there is no substitute for experience and expertise in mushroom picking. Therefore, only harvest those mushrooms in the forest and on the meadow that you can determine with absolute certainty that they are non-toxic.

Gently remove any found mushrooms from the soil

There are different views on how to harvest mushrooms correctly. While some mushroom pickers use a sharp knife to cut off the mushroom stalk near the ground, other pickers object to this practice. After all, germs are supposed to penetrate the mushroom mycelium in this way and the stem base is necessary for some varieties to identify and distinguish between poisonous varieties. Carefully turn any found edible mushrooms out of the ground by hand and seal the spot with some soil. Sometimes a new fruiting body of the fungus can grow out of the ground in the same place in a short time.

Preserve the typical mushroom taste

Harvest only fresh and clean mushrooms and leave rotten and worm-eaten mushrooms in the forest undamaged. These can serve as fodder for animals and, with their spores, ensure that the fungi multiply. Mushrooms that are found are cleaned of dirt with a dry cloth or a sharp knife. They must not be washed off with water before preparation, as they often lose their typical taste in the process.

tips and tricks

Excess mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of a few days. For longer storage, you can dry porcini and other edible mushrooms cut into slices and store them in airtight screw-top jars. Porcini flour from dried and ground porcini mushrooms is also suitable for refining soups and sauces.

Category:

Vegetable garden