13 Comments
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LoveTravellingCookingPlanning's avatar

What a lovely post … the pictures are absolutely beautiful! I’ve personally avoided mushrooms ever since I was a kid after hearing a story about a family getting poisoned by wild ones. Out of curiosity, how do you safely tell the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms?

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

Thank you for commenting! ✨

I can identify all the most common mushrooms, and I learn a few new ones every year. Some mushrooms are very safe because they can’t easily be confused with other species, like chanterelles and boletes. Boletes have pores underneath their caps, and here in Finland, the boletes we commonly pick are considered quite safe, as they’re not easily confused with poisonous species. Whenever I’m unsure, I check a mushroom book or mushroom websites and compare them with similar-looking species.

I recommend starting by learning to identify just one or two edible mushrooms a year. 😊🍄‍🟫(And just to be clear, my knowledge only applies to Finland. Always check which mushroom species and lookalikes are found in your own area.)

LoveTravellingCookingPlanning's avatar

Thank you Anna

NoCrazedWeasels's avatar

What an enjoyable trip. Thank you for sharing. And enjoy those fresh chanterelles and porcinis.

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

Thank you! 😊🍄‍🟫

Claire Fratson's avatar

Lovely photo's Anna, I would so love to be able to forage for mushrooms but haven't the first clue, so safest not to! I am however becoming more and more fascinated by them, their medicinal properties and how they interact with the whole forest through mycelium. I think I'm becoming a little obsessed!

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

Thank you for commenting Claire! 🫶🏼 Hey, you should definitely head out to the mushroom woods, even if you’re not yet confident about identifying anything. You can just spot any kind of mushrooms and try to identify them. That’s how you build confidence. That’s how it starts! 🤩🍄‍🟫🍄

Claire Fratson's avatar

It's my favourite place to be...taking lots of photos and making lots of notes in my journal on my wanderings with Mr. Black 🐾 x

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

Sounds so nice🤗🐾

Jerry's avatar

Great journey

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

We had a really good time. Thank you Jerry😊

a selvagem poesia do bosque's avatar

What a lovely time you had there, and what a bountiful harvest you had!

Here, in the north of Portugal, it’s only after the autumn rains (early November) that the first mushrooms start to appear.

My favourites are the ones we call ‘sanchas’ (lactarius deliciosus)

Anna, Grow Wild in Forest Soil's avatar

Lactarius deliciosus grows here too, even in my own backyard! It’s a tasty mushroom. Unfortunately, the worms often find them before I do. Thank you!😊🍄‍🟫