It turns out that notes about mushroom picking can be found in old books. People have been doing this for a long time. Of course, since then, the style of mushroom farming has changed in many ways, but there is still a great opportunity to spend time together with your loved ones and relatives. In addition, forest mushrooms are more useful than purchased ones. They contain most of the vitamins we need, as well as mineral salts, copper, selenium, iron, and phosphorus.
Autumn is a time of long evenings, thick sweaters and family mushroom picking. If the summer is cool and rainy, the period from the second decade of July can be no worse. And the autumn mass outbreak of fungi begins in mid or late September and continues until the first frosts. I look forward to this time with impatience. On Sunday, my father and I dress warmly, taking small penknives and wicker baskets.
Not far from the house begins a forest plantation, where we use a wand to find mushrooms and opiates hidden in the leaves. Mushrooms are easy to recognize, but opiates can be false, they are poisonous and unfit for food, my father taught me to distinguish them. I like to walk along the path with my rubber-booted feet raking up the wet, slightly rustling leaves. Beginners usually don't see mushrooms at first. However, after a while, when a person is correctly oriented, "feels", then he begins to notice them.
If my father and mother's weekend coincides, we take the bus to the village to visit my grandmother. There, in mixed forests, there is a much larger selection of mushrooms – white, chanterelle, redheads, butterflyfish. We go on a family hunt at dawn to outrun other mushroom pickers. And also because the morning dew on the hats sharpens their color, and they are more noticeable. We organize races and competitions – who will find more beautiful mushrooms and fill their basket faster. My grandmother also collects inedible fly agaric plants for medicinal purposes, and she makes them into a paste for rheumatism.
Tired, we go home. My grandfather has lit the stove, and the house is warm and cozy. We all sit down together to wash and clean the mushrooms. It is very fun and interesting for me to listen to my grandmother's stories about mushrooms and mushroom traditions on the table.
The villagers collect mushrooms not only for fun, but also for money. Many families with financial problems are trying to improve their situation in this way. Currently, even this type of earnings has become dangerous because of ticks. In addition, a good harvest depends on the weather. The drought means that the forests will be poor in mushrooms. This happened, for example, in 2018, when it was very difficult to find places full of delicious delicacies.
However, it is worth remembering that regardless of the weather and specific reasons, it is great to spend time where we can connect with nature.
