The mushroom season is open!
2.9.2016
Translation: machine translated
Are you ready for mushroom season? We'll show you what you need to pick mushrooms, what you need to look out for and which type of mushroom you can pick at what time.
Mushroom calendar
Mushroom calendar from September to November (2016):
First and foremost, the mushroom season depends on the weather. As a rule, however, you can use the mushroom calendar as a guide. This shows which type of mushroom can be harvested at which time.
The main mushroom season begins in September, but mushrooms such as the bovist and various types of mushroom, including the meadow mushroom, forest mushroom and ani mushroom, can be found as early as August. The poisonous counterpart to the button mushroom is the tuber leaf mushroom - not to be trifled with. The button mushroom is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in Switzerland. Other fine mushrooms such as the chestnut or autumn trumpet and of course the porcini mushroom should be cooked well before eating, as they are poisonous when raw.
Mushroom calendar from March to July (2017):
The March snail mushroom (risk of confusion with the poisonous brick-red crack mushroom) can be found in the forest from March onwards. However, things certainly get more interesting in May, when the summer porcini mushroom season begins and chanterelles and parasols can be found from June. With the latter, it is important to process them correctly, as some of them are poisonous when eaten raw. With a few exceptions, the edible mushrooms in this season do not yet offer the taste and nutritional value that we are used to from the autumn varieties.
Of course, there are many more edible mushrooms. The mushroom guide can help you look for them at the right time and protect you from possible confusion.
Danger of confusion
There is also a "poisonous/highly poisonous" counterpart to porcini mushrooms, bovis, chanterelles and almost all other edible mushrooms. Visually, the mushrooms look very similar. All harvested mushrooms should therefore be assessed by an expert before eating them.
My personal tip: If you're not sure, it's better to leave the mushroom alone.
Our tips for picking mushrooms
- Only pick known mushrooms
- Carefully turn out the mushrooms when picking
- Never cut off the stem, otherwise important identifying features will be lost
- Clean collected mushrooms in the forest
- Collect only as many mushrooms as you can use
- Leave unknown mushrooms standing and do not crush them
- Always bring your collected mushrooms to the mushroom inspection
- Utilise mushrooms as quickly as possible to prevent them from spoiling
- Thawed mushrooms must not be frozen again
Equipment
The following is a list of useful equipment so that you are prepared for the upcoming mushroom season:
Morakniv and Opinel mushroom knives for cleaning mushrooms make harvesting easier and are ergonomic to hold. It is best to use a basket to transport the collected mushrooms (plastic bags are unsuitable).
Here you will find important information on mushroom picking regulations
Pascal Biri
Retail Sales & Service Professional
pascal.biri@digitecgalaxus.chWhether on the bike, to explore new trails off the beaten track, or just to stretch my feet up in the air - I prefer to spend my free time outdoors in nature. This is a great balance for me. But it's also a lot of fun for me to do a DIY project. In such projects I can refresh or further deepen my knowledge of the building sector. Some funny projects have already been created!