Useful information for novice mushroom pickers about the rules for picking mushrooms
The rules for picking mushrooms are tips and advice from experienced mushroom pickers, which will allow you not only to harvest a rich harvest, but also to maintain health. For beginners, it is better to go with them accompanied by a companion. He will help you distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones, show mushroom places and tell you how to behave in the forest. For a city dweller, such a walk will be especially useful, but no less dangerous, if you do not familiarize yourself with the collection techniques and safety measures in advance.
Where you can pick different mushrooms, and where is it better not to go after them
The first advice of an experienced mushroom picker is to pick mushrooms in the forest. They can grow in other areas, but it is forest representatives that are safe for health. There are several places where you can find mushrooms, but it is not recommended to collect them:
- on the roadsides;
- near fields where hazardous pesticides can be applied;
- in artificial plantings located between fields;
- next to landfills, cemeteries, burial grounds, landfills.
Another rule of mushroom picking is not to move away from the paths or leave landmarks in your path. Of course, in crowded places, the harvest will be less impressive than in remote areas, but it will be much safer to harvest it. Experienced mushroom pickers know all the paths and features of the forest in which they spend their time, but they do not risk going too far.
Mushrooms can hide under grass and leaves, and it is better to look for them not with your hands, but with a special branch.
Mushrooms prefer to grow near trees and in open meadows. They are found in smaller numbers along roads, especially in areas where people often go. Sometimes it is worth moving a few tens of meters from the path, and there will be a large number of mushrooms. Often they can be covered with fallen leaves or blend in color with the ground. Already in the forest, you can find a long thin branch with which to lift leaves and check the area for mushrooms.
Be sure to take into account the length of daylight hours. In the forest, the sunset comes quickly, and you need to calculate the time so that you can get out of the forest before dark.
How to properly collect and store mushrooms?
You need to collect mushrooms in a container with dense walls. For these purposes, a bucket or basket is suitable. In bags, they do not tolerate transportation well and can be damaged on the way home. In addition to the container, you must have the main inventory with you:
- a knife for cutting mushrooms;
- communication facilities - however, it should be borne in mind that mobile communication may not work deep in the forest;
- compass;
- clothes in which it will be convenient to walk a long distance;
- supply of water and food;
- a first-aid kit with means for treating and dressing wounds, as well as other medicines according to indications.
The rules for collecting mushrooms are not specified, you need to pluck or cut them. Experienced mushroom pickers prefer to carefully separate them with a knife, and cover the cut with leaves. They argue that these manipulations protect the mycelium from damage and provoke the growth of new shoots. However, biologists have a different opinion on this matter. They argue that the fungus is the aerial part of this organism, designed to form and store breeding material. If you rip it off, the mycelium will not suffer.
Safety engineering
Mushroom picking is not just a walk along the equipped paths.It's easy to get lost in the forest and forget about time, especially if there is a mushroom clearing. Before leaving, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the safety rules:
- collect only familiar mushrooms, at least those that are in doubt. put aside in a separate container;
- do not taste raw mushrooms, even if they are edible;
- do not go far from landmarks and do not leave children unattended;
- do not take spoiled mushrooms or those that have thickenings on the stem;
- in the forest it is better to stay in a group and have a means of communication with you;
- before leaving, equip the first-aid kit with means for treating wounds, against poisoning and insect bites;
- the leaves are lifted with a long branch, and not with hands - under them there may be not a mushroom, but a poisonous animal or insect.
It is important to take only those mushrooms, the origin of which is beyond doubt. It is worth picking porcini mushrooms only after instruction - there are false species that are difficult to distinguish externally, but they cause intoxication and severe liver damage.
Picking mushrooms is safer and more enjoyable in company. While walking, it's easy to get carried away and turn off the familiar path. This is especially true for beginners who, in search of a mushroom place, are ready to go to an unfamiliar area. It should also be borne in mind that time flies unnoticed, and you must get out of the forest before dark. If you follow all the rules and do not neglect safety precautions, this activity will bring a large number of not only mushrooms, but also impressions.