Can you still go mushroom picking in November

Did you know that there are mushrooms you can hunt even in November when it is rather cold? Mycologists claim that mushrooms grow even in November. But do not expect to find treasures that grow in the early fall or summer. In this article, we shall introduce mushrooms that you can still collect and use them to prepare lots of delicious dishes. We know that many of you are familiar with some of these mushrooms, and if not, you may learn something new.

Lepista nuda

This mushroom is commonly known as the wood blewit. It is a remarkable pink mushroom and it is always a pleasant sight. Its typical purple colour usually gives this mushroom away. Look in deciduous and coniferous forests. Sometimes it grows until late November. You may be surprised but it is slightly poisonous when raw, but it becomes harmless after boiling.

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Clitocybe

Lepista flaccida and Clitocybe clavipes are another two species that you can find in autumn. These mushrooms grow under deciduous and coniferous trees. Another species called club-footed clitocybeis an inedible and when combined with an alcohol it can cause poisoning. Also, Lepista flaccida, which was once considered edible, is now considered slightly poisonous.

Parasol mushroom

Many types of edible mushrooms are known as the parasol mushroom. These include the Chlorophyllum rachodes, Macrolepiota konradii, Chlorophyllum olivieri, Macrolepiota prominens, Leucoagaricus leucothites and finally, Macrolepiota procera. When searching for parasol mushroom watch out for Lepiota magnispora because this one is inedible. You can recognize it by a yellowish spot on top of its pileus.

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Mycena

Be careful with this mushroom. There are many species but some are inedible, such as Mycena stipata, Mycena galopus , Mycena polygramma or Mycena crocata, and others are downright poisonous Mycena rosea or Mycena pura (the last one is poisonous but very rare and protected by law). Well, there is also an edible one called Mycena galericulata. This one is actually very tasty.

Photo: Pixabay

Russula

Thanks to the typical smooth pileus, russula mushrooms are easily recognizable. There is a large number of these species, and the vast majority is edible and even beneficial to our health. Russulas may have a pinkish pileus for example, but the grass-green russula has a green pileus and russula cyanoxantha is bluish.

Preview photo: Pixabay