Mushroom picking for beginners

What could be better than wandering through a forest in the golden autumn light and collecting a variety of mushrooms, which you can then use to conjure up a delicious dinner? That's right, nothing. Mushroom picking can be a relaxing activity on many levels. But where do you start if you don't know anything about mushrooms?

We at Original Unverpackt are known to be happy about every creative way to eat food without packaging. But it is even better when you can rely entirely on the power of nature. The mushroom season is already in full swing. This year, however, the forests are sprouting with a particularly wide variety of mushrooms due to the wet summer. But where exactly can you find the best edible mushrooms?

Looking for mushrooms - but how?

Our forests actually offer a wide variety of mushrooms. But for every edible mushroom, there are a number of often very poisonous variants.
If you don't have an expert with you, you should definitely take a book or an app with you to help you identify mushrooms. A practical side effect: by constantly comparing and re-identifying, you learn a lot about mushrooms very quickly. The cap structure, the style, the location of occurrence or the gill structure usually make it possible to identify which mushroom it is.

It is very important to keep these characteristics in mind, because you should not rely on your sense of smell when picking mushrooms. Some highly poisonous mushrooms smell damn delicious. For example, the smell of the poisonous death cap is reminiscent of honey.

Find treasure troves

Mushrooms grow on tree trunks and stumps, in meadows and forest floors. They are often named after their favorite place. The oak cap therefore likes to grow under... oak trees.

Once you have discovered a mushroom, you should definitely keep at it. Because where one grows, there are usually many more hiding. The fungal mycelium usually forms several bodies at once and scatters them in a small radius. Therefore, it is worth continuing to search directly where you found it. Mossy slopes and damp hollows are also good places to look. Because mushrooms feel at home where it is warm and damp.

Then the tastiest part begins: preparing the mushrooms you found.
On our Instagram account you will find a variety of delicious dishes - all guaranteed zero waste!