Mushrooming

The Augustów Forest is a dream place for mushroom pickers. In pine and spruce forests many edible species of mushrooms can be found:

• The porcini – a royal mushroom, perfectly suited for stewing, frying, marinating and drying.

• The bay boletus – can be used in various ways in cooking, also well suited for marinating.

• The brown birch boletus – suitable for immediate consumption, processing or drying.

• The brown-yellow boletus – one of the tastiest species found in Poland. It is suitable for stewing, roasting and marinating; before eating, remove the skin from the cap.

• The blewit – suitable for soup or as a side dish. It can be found even in frosty weather.

• The chanterelle – great for marinating, as well as frying.

• The kite parasol – belongs to the agaricus family. The most popular kite dish is a fried, breaded kite cutlet.

• The Lactarius Deliciosus – most often used for pickling in vinegar, because it then acquires a perfect, spicy flavour

• The Cortinarius caperatus – great for pickling in vinegar.

If weather permits, you can expect to have the first porcini mushrooms in May. June and early July is a good season for chanterelles. However, the best chance to find mushrooms is in the autumn. September and early October are the traditional mushroom picking months.

Where to look for mushrooms?

• In coniferous forests, dominated by pine, spruce and fir, we should come across the Lactarius Deliciosus

• The bey boletus is mostly found in berry fields

• Yellow and gray blewit mushrooms will be buried in the ground in pine forests

• The bey boletus likes grassy areas with a moist sheathing

• Porcinis are to be looked for under pine and spruce

• The brown birch boletus is found under poplar, birch, aspen, hornbeam and on slopes and in ravines

• The brown-yellow boletus most commonly grows in grass and in coniferous forests, especially under larch trees