After rain comes sun – and, with a bit of luck, mushrooms. One or two weeks after heavy rain showers, the mushrooms thrive. It needs to be wet a bit down in the ground, about five centimeters, according to Michael Krikorev, mycologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
Rainy years you can pick mushrooms all summer.
The chanterelle, one of the most popular edible mushrooms in Sweden, grows well during rainy summers. King Bolete mushrooms, on the other hand, prefer warm and dry weather.
Early season
The high season for mushroom picking is usually in August and September, with some variations depending on where in the country you are.
The season has been going on a bit earlier than usual since it has rained so much. The chanterelles have started and been picked in several places in the country, says Michael Krikorev.
Those who are going to go out and look for mushrooms have use of a airy basket to put the mushrooms in. Preferably no plastic bag – it becomes enclosed and humid. GPS on the mobile phone, or map and compass, is also useful.
Opinions on how to pick mushrooms differ.
Some think it's immoral to pick too small chanterelles. It becomes a discussion every year, some think the small ones should be allowed to stand and grow. But in general, you don't harm the mushrooms, they are in the ground all year round, says Michael Krikorev.
Don't take chances
The most important advice of all? To only pick mushrooms if you are 100 percent sure that they can be eaten and cooked properly.
Red-staining panus and wine cup mushrooms are among Michael Krikorev's favorite mushrooms. He also wants to advocate for the bloody milk cap – a firm and fine mushroom that is rarely infested with larvae and makes a good soup.
The bloody milk cap looks quite scary with its blood-red stem. If you cut it, it becomes blue-green or blue-black quite quickly. It has been frightening, but now it has been noticed more and more.
How the rest of the mushroom season will be is too early to say. The fields can quickly dry up if it doesn't rain enough. Usually, you can predict a couple of weeks ahead.
It's like predicting the weather, says Michael Krikorev.
Linn Lindblom Pääjärvi/TT
Facts: Advice for mushroom pickers
TT
Mushrooms should be treated as a delicate fresh product, comparable to shellfish. It is much more common to get sick from bad specimens of edible species than to actually get mushroom poisoning.
Only pick mushrooms that you are sure to recognize as edible.
Only take mushrooms that feel firm and fresh.
Do not put mushrooms in a plastic bag because bacteria can easily develop in such a tight environment.
Cut off all parts that are insect-infested ("worm-eaten") and the earthy part of the mushroom, preferably already in the forest.
Remove all debris and cook the mushrooms preferably the same day. Different mushrooms are different sensitive – chanterelles are a bit more robust than, for example, milk caps.
Source: The Natural History Museum and Michael Krikorev.
