wild forest mushrooms

[brucewenham]

how many wild forest mushrooms have you managed to pick this autumn?
yesterday it rained quite a lot - and today we filled a whole bucket! Not
many "prawdziki" around though.

[beciab]

I haven't picked a single one! Shame on me!

When I was younger I used to go to the forest quite often as I loved (and
actually still do) this search for mushrooms! And finding wild berries,
beautiful cones or poisonous mushrooms instead. That was fun!
This year I simply haven't had the time :( Yesterday I was going back from Lodz
to Krakow and saw lots of people at the roads selling mushrooms. I baught some
and they were just yummy! Still, when picked up by yourself - they taste much
better!

By the way, I've heard that English people, Westerners in general, don't
actually know what picking mushrooms means, as they never do it. Is it true?

[Gość: nat]

Oh, all those crack of dawn, stamina building and back breaking forest trips of
childhood. Can't say I miss them but can see why others find them enjoyable.
Indeed, mushroom picking is somewhat unknown pastime on the British Isles but
there are hordes of local Poles who wouldn't miss it for anything. They are
often admired by their English friends for the knowledge of that fruit of the
undergrowth and for ... staying alive.
However, mushrooms as we know them are freely available at supermarkets,
continental delicatessen and, naturally, Polish grocery shops. They usually are
imported from Italy and do not come cheap. Mushroom soup on Christmas Eve is
usually curtesy of relatives in the old country.

[Gość: Prezes]

beciab napisała:

> I haven't picked a single one! Shame on me!
>
> When I was younger I used to go to the forest quite
often as I loved (and
> actually still do) this search for mushrooms! And
finding wild berries,
> beautiful cones or poisonous mushrooms instead. That
was fun!
> This year I simply haven't had the time :( Yesterday I
was going back from Lodz
>
> to Krakow and saw lots of people at the roads selling
mushrooms. I baught some
> and they were just yummy! Still, when picked up by
yourself - they taste much
> better!
>
> By the way, I've heard that English people, Westerners
in general, don't
> actually know what picking mushrooms means, as they
never do it. Is it true?

You are right. I think it is generally considered
too risky, since there are many toxic species
and few people can tell them apart.

Some mushroom species in North America are of course
different from European scpecies, so you need
to be extra careful.
I did pick mushrooms in Smoky Mountains once
and ate them and, as you can see, survived.
I am not sure if I would try this again, though.