Hello everyone. Today I will write to you about the mushrooms that you all know well and buy in grocery stores. This year, due to frequent rains and sunny days, the mushrooms have produced a lot and there are still many of them in the forests and meadows even though it is half of November.I started early in the forest with the intention of checking the places where I often collect oyster mushrooms. The day was calm, and the trail was familiar, so I took my time going deeper into the trees. I knew a few exact locations where I had seen them before in previous seasons, so I went around those parts first. I walked up the hillside and looked at stumps, fallen trunks and old trees that are slowly decaying. Oyster mushrooms usually grow in those places, so I expected to find them this time as well
The first stump I came across had nothing on it. I walked a few more meters and saw another one, partially overgrown with moss. I approached him and carefully looked from all sides. I noticed a group of young fruiting bodies, still small and closed. I recognized them immediately by the shape of their hats. I took out the knife and only cut off a few pieces, leaving some to grow. I continued further down the forest, satisfied that I had already found something at the beginning.After that, I moved to a place where there are old beech trees that often yielded an abundance of mushrooms.When I reached a fallen tree, I noticed larger groups of oystercatchers. One part of the tree was wet, and entire rosettes developed there. I sat down on a round stone and slowly picked them one by one, being careful not to damage the mycelia. I watched as the layers of hats overlapped and the attached parts stood firmly on the tree. I filled almost half the basket at that point.
When I finished, I decided to visit another part of the forest that I hadn't explored in detail before. It was an area where birches, maples and a few old walnuts that remained from former estates alternated. I rarely go there, but I decided to check out that area today. As I walked, I looked more at the branches and living trees than at the stumps, because I knew that oyster mushrooms sometimes grow on healthier trees, if there is damage to the bark or some injury.On a birch tree by the path I noticed something that immediately interested me. At about two meters high I saw several lighter shapes where the bark had cracked. I came closer, raised my head and recognized the oystercatchers. There were several of them in a tight group. I don't usually see birch trees often as hosts for this fungus, but they do appear sometimes. I hooked the bag to a branch and carefully leaned against the tree to reach them. I managed to reach them and take them off, being careful not to break the backing. I dropped the mushrooms into the basket and ran my hand over the wound on the tree, watching as the mushroom used the crack to grow.
I continued on towards the old walnut tree. The nut was tall and very wide, and there was a cavity in its interior even last year. The place caught my attention even then, so I planned to check it out today. When I reached it, I went around it from the opposite side and saw that the cavity had widened. On its edge I noticed several caps that stood out clearly from the dark interior of the trunk. I was surprised because I have never found an oystercatcher on a walnut. I came closer and watched them for a few moments. They grew directly from the decayed part, clinging to the edge of the opening.
I took them carefully and put them in the basket. Then I inspected the nut one more time to make sure I hadn't missed any minor burrs. There were no more of them, so I moved on, thinking about how mushrooms choose their places and how they sometimes appear where I least expect them. Although walnut is a hard wood, there was probably enough moisture and decayed material inside the cavity for mycelia to develop.
When I reached the exit of the forest, I checked the contents of the basket once more. I was pleased with what I found and the way I collected - slowly, without haste, with attention to every place I stopped.I continued on, carrying the basket and thinking about how I would prepare them and how good they would be fresh in the kitchen. And finally, not to forget. Oyster mushrooms do not have the same taste and color if they grow on another tree. The most beautiful are the ones that sprout from Beech
Thank you for reading my post. All the best
Dragan
