Mushrooms in Poland

Mushrooms are a Polish Pastime

Mushroom-picking is a national pastime in Poland. In a good season, when the weather is right, a family can gather enough for the entire year. What isn't used at once is canned, brine-cured, pickled, or dried for the months ahead. The natural wild mushrooms which are viewed as delicasies around the world are picked an eaten in abundance.

The whole area around the house is reknowned for its high quality and volumes of wild Mushrooms. Only 50 metres from my back door I regularly collect many varieties including the highly sought-after Boletue Edulus.

Many Varieties to suit all tastes

As you will no doubt be aware the selection of the sequence of the best wild muchrooms is very much a matter of taste. For the benefit of this page I have selected a few examples of teh very best mushroomsto be found in this arae but there are many many more. Even white Agarics growing on pastures taste superb and bring a whole new life to my classic English "Fry Up".

The Finest Selection

Prawdziwek, borowik (Boletus edulis) Porcini. King Bolete. For sure the most sougth after. Its main virtue is superior aroma (especially when dried). Its only disadvantage is that it rarely grows in large quantity and you need local knowledge to guide you to the best spots. Most often is dried and used as spicy to add to dishes its beautiful aroma.

Pieprznik jadalny. Kurka (Cantharellus cibarius) Yellow Chanterelle. Much more common then King Bolete and much easier to find. Its virtue is pleasant aroma and taste.It is not recommended for preserving because of losing its classic aroma.

Czubajka kania. Kania. Sowa (Macrolepiota procera) One of my favourite mushrooms amongst the grilled fungi which I love to include in my breakfasts. Its virtue is pleasant aroma and taste, common appearance and characteristic look. It is strange how rarely it is collected in Poland despite the fact that in Poland there are no close looking poisonous species.

Podgrzybek brunatny (Xerocomus badius).Thanks to its abundance it is probably the most collected mushroom in Poland. It has not got such a strong aroma of King Bolete but is very tasty.

Sampling the delights

Since the weather conditions play a huge part in the availablility of the wild mushrooms we maintain a stock of the very best varieties for tasting and taking home. This ensures that you get to sample the delights of home cooked dishes and classic English breakfasts containing the local wild mushtrooms.

 

News and Pictures

Safety and local knowledge

We recognise the necessity for safety of identification when out collecting wild mushrooms. We therefore provide local guides to accompany the trips out to help ensure good quality but also good quantities of mushrooms come back in the baskets.

Passage from Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz

Mushrooms abounded-round the fair damsels* the young men did throng;
Or vixens, as they're hailed in Lithuanian song.
They symbolize maidenhood, their flesh no maggot bites
And no insect thereon ever even alights.
The slender bolete maidens pursued instead,
That colonel of mushrooms as it's commonly said,
But all hunt for milky caps which, though not very tall
And largely unsung, are the tastiest of all..."

 

The Mushroom season

Given the breadth of mushrooms and edible fungi in Poland the season runs right through from July to September.