Mushroom picking: When the search is worthwhile

If you want to pick mushrooms, you should know when it’s worth looking for them in the forest and meadows

When you can pick which mushrooms

Most collectors go in search of mushrooms in late summer or autumn. However, you can find edible mushrooms in the forest at any time of year.

• January to March: In the winter months until spring, you can find the oyster mushroom in the forest. It does not grow on the ground, but on deciduous trees.
• April to June: In April, you can go in search of the tufted rasling. It grows not only in the forest, but also in parks and even in the garden.
• From May onwards it is porcini season. If you prefer parasols or chanterelles, the time to collect starts in June.
• August to October: This is the peak season for mushroom pickers. The start is made in August by the puffball mushroom. You can also find various types of mushrooms at this time of year. The classic autumn mushrooms include the autumn trumpet and the chestnut. It is also worth going to the forest if you want to pick chanterelles and porcini mushrooms.
• November and December: The velvet-footed ruffles, recognisable by their velvety stalk and yellowish-orange-brown cap, the oyster mushroom, the winter helminth with a grey-brown cap and a slender stalk, and the brown-fibred streak mushroom with a light purple cap are typical of the colder months. These fungi grow mainly on deciduous trees.

Don’t pick mushrooms on the off chance

Please do not pick mushrooms yourself unless you are familiar with the subject matter.

• For many edible mushrooms there is a poisonous counterpart that looks confusingly similar to the edible one. For example, the delicious meadow mushroom can quickly be confused with the highly poisonous tuberous-leaved mushroom.

• Better than collecting is to grow mushrooms yourself.

• If you are not really absolutely sure, it is better to leave the mushroom. It also doesn’t hurt to have the collected specimens checked by a mushroom expert. Almost every forest association has such an expert.

• You should keep your mushroom knowledge up to date. The recommendation about the edibility of a mushroom can change. The Grünling, for example, used to be a popular edible mushroom. Today we know that eating this mushroom can cause muscle damage.

• It is not only when picking mushrooms that dangers lurk. Wild mushrooms cannot be stored well, they are actually intended for direct consumption and spoil quickly.

• In addition, not every mushroom is edible in every state. For example, the hollyhock is only edible when cooked. Eaten raw, the mushroom is poisonous. You should therefore also know how to prepare the mushrooms you have collected.
• Important: If you suspect that you have been poisoned by a mushroom, contact a doctor, poison control centres, the emergency services or a hospital immediately. If possible, take leftover mushrooms with you, this may help with treatment.