Back in the forests of the Carpathian Mountains of East Slovakia, this time looking for birch bolete and cep (porcini) mushrooms. After seeing the prices of cep (and we’re not going to even mention black or white truffles) in the Italian speaking Istria region of Croatia, and how much visitors are charged to spend aContinue reading “Mushroom Picking – Experience Nature and Understand Who You Are”
Tag Archives: bush tucker
Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
While I do love hunting for edible mushrooms, nothing is nicer than finding a fairy ring of Fly Agaric deep in the forest. For many years I harvested them but for the last few (including this year) I’ve preferred just taking photos. With the right preparation they’re edible and medicinal. However, I recommend that noContinue reading “Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)”
Angry Adder
Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the wood pile… Yesterday, shortly after my brother had picked up some wood from the pile he keeps outside my house and then left, I noticed a cat playing with a snake on the road. It was pawing it and as the snake lungedContinue reading “Angry Adder”
Champignon mushrooms!
Finally, we’re starting to see some edible fungi, although still not in any quantities worth mentioning. Winter is fast approaching, which means mushroom season – if there even is one this year – will be short. We found a couple of rings of champignons (Agaricus bisporus), or the common button mushroom favoured as part ofContinue reading “Champignon mushrooms!”
Wild strawberries
There is currently an abundance of wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) in my area. It makes going for a walk a very pleasant experience. They’ll finish very soon and be replaced by other berries. Wild cherries are also ripe at the moment.
Surprise boar
At noon today, we went for a walk along the abandoned country road near the house. On the return journey I stopped for a pee. I’d just undone my flies when I realized that, not 50 feet away, was the largest boar I’d ever seen in my life. At first I thought it was aContinue reading “Surprise boar”
The woods are alive with the smell of garlic…
Ah, Spring! Thus far, the only thing growing is copious amounts of extremely aromatic wild garlic. That’s the green stuff on the ground. Lots of uses for it, though – so long as you like garlic. Not much worry about vampires at this time of year, luckily enough. Sometimes, the Carpathians are overrun by theContinue reading “The woods are alive with the smell of garlic…”
Deer tracks in garden
This is how you tell you’ve got deer in the garden. Each year they force down the 2-metre-tall deer fence at the back of the house so they can get to the shrubs, young fruit trees and tuja. They then use the garden as a latrine.
Honey mushrooms
‘Tis the season for honey, mushroom and parasol mushrooms. Bizarrely, honey mushrooms grow on tree stumps and on the ground. They’re very popular in the local version of scrambled egg omelette, prazenica.
Twin mushrooms
The mushroom season continues and the forest is now thick with them thanks to the alternating heatwave and rainstorms. These are two Birch Boletes, one of the two fungi we forage for. There’s an old saying locally that when you find one look for its brother….
Carpathian Adventure 