In 1998, I started a new hobby...wild mushroom hunting! I've always liked 'finding' things, and this became one more I could add to my list of findables.... I don't pick too many different ones, but enough to make a few batches of wild mushroom soup and put away some dried 'shrooms for the year ahead.

Here in Kristiansand, Norway, there are quite a few edible mushrooms, but as always, you need to do your homework as there are even a few leathal ones out there ready to fool the unweary! There are a few basic tips to remember when picking mushrooms:

Do your homework! Don't go out knowing nothing and pick everything you see! Read up and be familiar with common good and dangerous mushrooms.

Don't pick unknow mushrooms and put them in the same basket with good ones! Good mushrooms can absorb poisons from poisonous ones they come in contact with. If you pick unknown/uncertain mushrooms, put them in their own paper bags separate from the rest of your harvest.

Don't use plastic bags to collect mushrooms in. Plastic bags don't let air in and can lead to bacterial growth which can make you as sick as if the shooms were poisonous! Use paper bags or better yet a wicker basket.

In in doubt, seek an expert! Get someone in a local mushroom club or other expert to confirm your finds. Making an error could be at a higher cost than it's worth!

Check your mushrooms, especially boletes for bugs when you pick them. Keeps them from spreading to your good mushrooms.

Put as little 'dirt' as possible in your basket. Use a knife and a brush to trip and clean as you go...saves time later!

Cut mushrooms from their stems. Don't disturb their mycenia/root systems. If they are edible, they may come again in the same area in the future as long as their underground root system is intact.

Don't pick overgrown, soggy mushrooms...try to keep to young, fresh ones....that big chanterelle may look like a prize, but it could be half rotten and therefore spoiled!

Go with friends...share expertise as well as safety! Not all areas are safe to be out in the woods alone in for one reason or another, be it dangerous terain, snakes or dangerous animals...including the 2 legged kind! Besides, it's fun to have the company!

Have fun!

 

The following links are to some examples of some of the types of mushrooms we find here in Norway....or at least what I've found up to and including my 3rd season of shroom hunting! The pages are somewhat heavy graphically...please be patient!

Part I-Boletes and Chantarelles

Part II-Other 'shrooms