Mushrooms or porcini mushrooms are a real delicacy, which is appreciated by lovers of "quiet hunting" and gourmets. They also grow in the forests of Moscow Region, but not everyone knows when they appear and where to collect them. It is especially important to know mushroom pickers who go to the forest for the first time. Read about when to pick porcini mushrooms in the Moscow Region, where to go and when the mushroom season begins.

What species grow in the suburbs

White mushroom is perceived by many as one species. In fact, there are 18 species of boletus. All of them really have common characteristics. The hat is brown, tubular, convex in shape. The peel is dry, in wet weather - shiny. The leg is thick, barrel-shaped, light. The flesh of the mushrooms is dense, fleshy.

Did you know? Growing ceps at home is very difficult, so there are no large farms in the world for their cultivation. The only country where they learned to breed mushrooms is China; the price per kilogram of the product is $ 19.

In the Moscow region grows 4 varieties of cep. These include birch, oak, pine and spruce. You can distinguish all species from each other by external signs.

Also in the suburbs grows a poisonous double boletus - satanic mushroom. It differs from edible in a paler hat and red leg. However, they are similar in shape. When harvesting, carefully inspect the fruiting bodies for compliance with external characteristics.

Mushroom places

Mushrooms can be collected in almost any forest near Moscow. However, experienced mushroom pickers allocate the most productive places in the Moscow region in different directions. To determine the best sites for "quiet hunting", navigate by the railway stations, near which there are rich in mushrooms forests.

Keep in mind that crop yields vary from year to year. At the beginning of the season, see the reviews of pioneer mushroom pickers. In general, pay attention to the type of trees. Deciduous and coniferous forests are considered good places to search. Most often, mushrooms grow near firs, pines, birches and oaks. On a "silent hunt" also go to places with a lot of stumps, thickets of moss. The mushroom mycelium lives for a long time, therefore, porcini mushrooms grow on the same site every year.

Gathering season

The first mushrooms begin to grow in mid-July. At the beginning of the season, the crop is small. The ripening peak comes at the end of August - the beginning of September. Ceps continue to grow until the end of October, after which the season ends.

Do not collect edible species if mushrooms, toadstools and other inedible mushrooms grow nearby. Spore powder of poisonous varieties can infect “good” ones and make them unsuitable for consumption.

How to collect porcini mushrooms

Silent Hunt is a responsible event. Mushroom harvest needs to be collected correctly. The basic rules for collecting porcini mushrooms are as follows:

1. Go for the harvest to places as distant as possible from cities and roads. Mushrooms accumulate harmful substances that appear as a result of human activity. The cleaner the plot, the more useful the crop.
2. Fruit bodies are cut with a knife at the base of the leg. It is not necessary to pull them out, since the mycelium is so damaged. If there is no sharp object with you, “unscrew” the mushroom.
3. Choose medium size items.
4. Avoid old specimens, especially rotten and wormy ones.
5. Clean the cut mushroom immediately from debris.

When going to the forest, wear bright pants and jackets. It is more difficult for a search group that is sent for a lost mushroom picker to find one who is lost in camouflage or dull clothes. If you have the opportunity to go on a “quiet hunt” and collect a basket of mushrooms - do not miss this chance. Moreover, in the suburbs this delicacy grows in many forests.

The season begins in July and lasts until October, so there is enough time to harvest. It is important for novice mushroom pickers to study the characteristics of ceps, so as not to confuse them with dangerous doubles.