The basics of mushroom picking and some excellent spots in Hungary

What exactly will we be covering?

• The collection must be shown to an expert
• The best times and places for mushroom picking
• Storage and preparation
• Important rules
• A few extra tips for mushroom lovers

Collecting edible delicacies in the wild has a long tradition in Hungary. The adventurous often wander the woods in search of elderberries in early summer, mushrooms in autumn and reddish rosehips when the weather turns colder. Of all these, however, mushroom picking requires the most attention from the collectors, and it also does matter when you start wandering through the forests. Picking mushrooms is, of course, only possible when there are mushrooms; usually after heavy rains. But we also have some good advice for those who decide to visit the woods or meadows at a certain time of year to search for edible mushrooms.

To pick mushrooms, you should go with someone who is familiar with the various types of mushrooms. And if you don’t have an expert on hand, it’s a good idea to pick only one type of mushroom – ceps, for example, are very easy to spot – to avoid mixing different species. Unfortunately, if you put just one toxic in your basket, you can destroy all the others. 

So that the expert can tell with certainty which mushroom has been picked, never remove the distinguishing features of the mushroom, i.e. the stalk, the stump or the collar. Do not pick unknown mushrooms in the wild, especially not with the same tool you use to pick your “good” mushrooms, as this can easily transfer spores. It is also important not to tear the mushroom, but to gently twist it out of the ground. This way, the fruiting body is not damaged and the mushroom can regrow in the same place.

Contact details of professional mushroom experts can be found on the NÉBIH website!

Mushroom season is generally thought to be in autumn, but it is also easy to find mushrooms in winter, spring and of course summer if you know what to look for and where. It is worth reading up on the different species, as there are some, such as the enoki, which can be collected even in December. With the spring rains and the better weather, mushrooms proliferate, and this is the season for mushrooms, including the morel. And in the summer and autumn, nature has a huge store of goodies for us to digest.

It is the best to clear the leaves and soil from your mushrooms already in the forest. Picking in baskets is the most practical, but be careful not to stack too many mushrooms on top of each other, as they can crush under the weight. Don’t pick the old, wormy mushrooms, only take the largely intact pieces with you. Store the mushrooms in paper bags at home and use them as soon as possible. You can also make dried mushrooms, for example from ceps, which you can later use in soups and stews. A really tasty regional dish from the Zala region is potato soup with ceps, for which all you need is onions, potatoes and some ceps. The soup can then be topped up with a little sour cream, but it is also delicious without it.

One thing is for sure, it is rare to meet someone who is willing to share their mushroom finding spots, but there are areas where, with a bit of luck, you might find edible mushrooms for yourself.

In autumn, head for the Őrség region: The forests of Vas County are very rich in cep. If you like this pungent-tasting mushroom, it is worth heading up into the woods after heavy rains.

Head for the Börzsöny Mountains in winter: One of the best places to find the above-mentioned enoki is Börzsöny. The mushroom species, which grows on the trunks of trees, is easy to spot from a distance, and its distinctive colour and smell are also enticing.

1 tip: Körös-Maros National Park: This site is also a great destination for mushroom pickers because you can take guided mushroom picking tours.

Important rules!

1.  Hungary has 58 highly protected mushroom species, so don’t pick them!

2.  You need a permit to collect mushrooms in protected forests.

3.  According to the Forest Act, you can collect a maximum of 2 kilograms of mushrooms per person per day in state forests.

If you’d like to combine walking in the countryside with learning, there are mushroom identification courses and walks organised in several places. In the Bakony Mountains, mushroom identification courses supplemented with fieldwork take place in both spring and autumn, whilst the Miskolc Mushroom Society’s basic course covers not only species identification but also the rules of foraging and mushroom gastronomy. The Szeged Mushroom Pickers’ Association regularly organises mushroom identification walks and field training sessions. In Pécs, Mecsekgomba offers unique, freshly cultivated mushrooms and growing blocks suitable for home cultivation. Meanwhile, in the Bükk Mountains, the Ehető Erdő – Erdei Gasztroexpressz programmes offer a glimpse into the world of forest gastronomy and wild-foraged ingredients, with expert guidance and seasonal tastings.