Picking mushrooms & berries

The berry and mushroom picking season is here! At last!, say all the hardy berry and mushroom pickers. Those who are not as experienced in berry and mushroom picking instead ask themselves the question where, when and how should I be able to partake of the forest's delicacies?

We say, just take it easy! Here is everything you need to know before picking berries and mushrooms, whether it is your debut or a long established family tradition. The charm of picking berries and mushrooms is that it is available to everyone, it is free and it usually results in a cosy day out in the woods and nature.

Pick mushrooms - where can I find them?

Autumn is here, and that means most mushrooms are ready to be picked, cleaned and eaten! After rain comes sunshine, or fungi? Actually, it is an excellent opportunity to go out mushroom picking a few weeks after a heavy rain, when the mushrooms have started to plop up in the forest. However, you should not go out in the rain, but the most optimal mushroom picking weather is a cloudy day without rain, as moisture can impair the quality of the mushrooms. Fungi grow in most forests, but you will find most in a forest where it is moist. The fungi thrive in moss, under blankets of leaves or near lakes.

Good to have with you when picking mushrooms

Dress appropriately for the weather. Dress using the layer-on-layer principle.
A mushroom knife. So you can cut and clean the mushroom.
A basket or paper bag. Mushrooms should be stored airy and don’t not feel good lying in a plastic bag.
Food and drink always taste best in nature, right?
A charged mobile phone, or a map or GPS. So that you do not get lost on the excursion.

What mushrooms can I pick?

It is always a good idea to bring a mushroom book along with you when you go hunting, so that you know which mushrooms are edible. A rule of thumb is to only pick mushrooms that you are sure you can eat. In the Nordic countries, we have over 10,000 mushroom species, of which just over 100 are good edible mushrooms. In other words, there are a lot of mushrooms that you should not put in your mouth.
A tip is to pick the whole mushroom out of the ground, so you can see the base of the mushroom. Then it will be easier for you to decide which mushroom it is.

Rough cleaning in the forest

A tip is to roughly clean the mushroom already in the forest, so that you do not have to take unnecessary leftovers home with you. When cleaning, leave healthy discs, tubes and tags ready. Check for insect eggs and remove the parts of the fungus that have been attacked by insects. Do you get the urge to put the mushroom in the pot right away? Bring a storm kitchen and cook lunch on site!

Buy your storm stove here

Basket - Put your mushrooms in a practical basket

Cooking - Bring utensils to cook the mushrooms directly in the forest

Picking berries

Picking berries is a real win-win. You get out into nature and get lots of fresh air, while you (hopefully) find lots of sweet and yummy berries! At the start of autumn, you can find blueberries, lingonberries, blackberries and cloudberries in our berry-rich forests.
But what should you think about when you go out on a berry hunt?

Berry pickers & berry cleaners

You will quickly love the berry picker, berry much! The berry picker makes it easier when you have to pick wild berries as you can collect many berries at the same time. You simply shave the berry picker through the berry rice and then the berries are ripped off and collected in the picker. It may require some thinning of the leaves that come with it, but you can do it easily with a berry cleaner.

Bring one (or two) baskets + picture

Do not forget to bring something to put the berries in, such as a basket. A tip is also to bring different paper bags, so you can sort the different berries directly.
You do not just need to bring an empty basket to collect berries in, do not forget to fill a basket with a good picnic and something warming to drink

Here you find everything within outdoors

What should I do with all the berries?

There are lots of good things you can do with your berries. Of course, they are good to eat just as they are, there is nothing like self-picked berries!
You can also easily boil jam using the berries, or make jelly.

Jam - Make your own jam with the berries you picked

Here's how to make jam from your berries

Mix your berries with jam & sugar in a saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring, so that the berries release their liquid.
Once the berries have released their liquid, let it boil gently for another 5 minutes.
Pour the jam into glass jars and seal them.
Store the jam cold.
Bon appetite!

Bon appetit!