Mushroom hunting
Mushroom hunting (Polish: grzybobranie) is a popular hobby or weekend activity in Poland. Depending on the weather, it's possible to go mushroom hunting from August to October. I could talk (write) for hours about mushroom hunting. I remember that I started mushroom hunting with my family (parents and grandparents) as a child. We would drive the car to the forest (good places may be far away) and then start the several-hours-long mushroom hunting.I like it and I always look out for possibility to go mushroom hunting. Either with friends or family. Why? For few reasons. First, it's a healthy outdoor activity. Second, it gives you a purpose (if you don't just like walking around for nothing). Three, you'll get a delicious (and natural!) food additives! And I swear you that in Poland we have lots of delicious dishes which use the mushrooms. Four, if you like rivalry, you can compare yourself with others. What is important is a good eye and luck.
Continue reading to get some photos from my mushroom hunting, learn some more about mushrooms and forests in Poland... or find online stores, if you can't go mushroom hunting. Long post before you!
My mushroom hunting
Me & my friends went mushroom hunting to the forests close to Legionowo town. That was more of a walking-in-the-forests than the real mushroom-hunting for few reasons. We didn't know the places too well, there weren't many mushrooms due to dry weather, we went in the late morning (closer to noon) and one of our friends quickly gave up cause she couldn't find any mushrooms. But we still had fun that day, so it was worth it. ;)Below are some photos from our mushroom hunting day.
Who shouldn't go mushroom hunting?
Mushroom hunting is not an activity for everybody, unfortunately. You won't probably like mushroom hunting if:- you don't like to wake up early - the best time for the activity is early in the morning, before others will collect all the mushrooms;
- you don't like to walk for a long time;
- you aren't patient;
- you easily give up;
- you are afraid of dirtying yourself up in the forest.
Which mushrooms to hunt?
So which mushrooms we can gather? Quite a lot, but remember that the mushrooms may grow in different types of places and forests. Here are some examples from Polish forests, and my favourites:- podgrzybek (bay bolete)
- borowik (penny bun)
- kurka (chanterelle)
- rydz (saffron milk cap)
When you can't go mushroom hunting...
If you live in Poland and can't go mushroom hunting, but still want to try mushrooms, don't worry. You can buy them in several places.
- by the road, near the forests (usually in the countryside);
- in the markets and bazaars;
- in shops.
By the roads and bazaars, you can buy fresh forest mushrooms during the season. In shops: might be fresh, might be dried or already processed, depending on the shop.
How do Polish eat mushrooms?
Most often after collecting them, they are either used to:
- eat them while fresh (after processing);
- dried for future use;
- pickled (marinated).
The processing may be: braising, adding to different dish (for example: cooked with a soup) or frying. there are different ways to fry the mushrooms, depending on the type. Most often in my family (at least) we: fried rydz on a butter, then added salt to flavour (and that's the whole dish!); put kania in egg and bread crumbs and fry it as a steak-alike. I also like braised mushrooms with sour cream. Yummy!
Trivia about Polish forests
- Around 30% of Poland is covered with forests. It's average percentage in the world. In Iran it's - 7%, Argentine - 11%, Ukraine (Poland's neighbour) - 17%, China - 22%, Germany (Poland's neighbour) - 32%, Indonesia - 52%, Japan - 69%, Gabon - 85%.
- Major protected areas in Poland - 28%. Average in the world - 12%.
- Forests are usually "made" of coniferous trees (70%). Most popular are: pine, spruce, fir.
- Most popular broadleaved trees in Poland are: oak, beech, hornbeam.
- Most of forests in Poland are state-owned. Those forests are managed by State Forests organization (Lasy Państwowe). You can only enter and go mushroom hunting in those forests.
- There are forests in Warsaw! Forests consist 15% of the city! Best known are probably Kabaty Forest (Las Kabacki) and Bielany Forest (Las Bielański). I often go to Lasek na Kole (Small Forest in Koło district) in Wola.
Online shopping for mushrooms
Beware, I have never shopped in these online shops, so I don't know their quality.
Smacznego! Enjoy the mushrooms!
Did you try any mushrooms in Poland? Did you tried any dishes with mushrooms? Share your thoughts in comments.
was it good when u eat raw ?
ReplyDeleteHey, sorry for the late reply. We don't eat raw mushrooms. They must be cooked or fried. But it doesn't mean they aren't fresh.
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