To begin with, it may be important to clear up the definition of "mushrooming". At least as used in this blog post, mushrooming means "to gather mushrooms" (google definition), although I'm sure that many alternate definitions might have stolen the show back in the 70's. Another important distinction is the absence of a helper verb: to mushroom, and NOT to do mushrooms. Being the English teacher I am, and coming from a land so rich in lawsuits, I consider it my responsibility to fully and faithfully inform the populace as to correct usage; consider yourself learned.
A couple weekends ago I accompanied my friend Vendula and her mother to Liberec for the weekend, where they own a cottage. Liberec is in the north of the Czech Republic and is very close to Poland. In fact, from Ještěd, the famous telecommunications tower and restaurant/hotel on a hill just outside the city, you are able to see across the border into Poland. We did not spend too much time in the city, but we did make a little excursion to Ještěd, as well as a quick jaunt into the city center. Here are a couple photos.
 |
| A brave couple risking it all for the perfect selfie...you can see the beautiful landscape they are searching for in the background. This is on the road up to Ještěd. |
 |
| A photo from the café/restaurant on top of the hill |
 |
| You can get a good feel for the unique architecture of the structure in this photo, as well as a feel for why we were rushing to get back to the car |
 |
| The Town Hall in Liberec is modeled after the one in Vienna |
There is simply no way to say it other than that on Saturday, June 18th 2016 my life was changed forever. I went mushrooming for the first time. It was a whole new world that I never had even imagined before. Mushrooming is basically exactly what you'd expect it to be, walking through the forest picking mushrooms. However, it's much more than that. It's this amazing exploration of ancient woods (the kind you can feel the fairy tales waiting within) in a both relaxing and frantic hunt. You casually appreciate the environment as you walk through and stumble upon all sorts of different types of mushrooms...if you're lucky. Sometimes you must instead scour the forest floor, peeking through leaves and underbrush, especially if a previous picker has already been through the area. The whole goal is to bring home a basket full of heavenly houby to cook up in different ways.
There are countless different types of mushrooms. You really should be accompanied by someone who knows the ins and outs of the trade for your first pickings, as many are poisonous and some are even deadly. I've been told that every year there are at least a couple deaths from ingestion of inedible varieties.
Mushrooming. Do it. It's a big deal in the Czech Republic. It is a favorite pastime of the people and any of them would consider it to be a part of the culture. They cite the free-growing fungi of Germany or England which are served up in meals as proof that the Czech Republic is something special. You would be hard-pressed to find a Czech who hasn't mushroomed, even in Prague. Many of them have cottages where the surrounding forest is conducive to mushrooming. Others recall family vacations to the mountains, returning with baskets of the fungus. There are mushrooming contests, where prizes are awarded to the rarest mushroom, most mushrooms, and biggest mushrooms. There are individuals that mushroom whenever possible but never eat them because they don't like them so they give them to neighbors. There are mushroom encyclopedias/field guides on the bedside tables of every Czech child. It's the kind of national hobby that is mentioned with a smile, but don't think that makes it any less real!
For more information and to see just HOW real this is, check out the website of the Czech Mycological Society.
Some possible answers to possible questions:
1) Yes, the wild mushrooms taste much better than the store-bought ones.
2) Yes, the red mushroom with the white polka-dots does exist and yes, it is very poisonous.
3) No, it is not easy at all to recognize the different types of mushrooms from each other.
4) Yes, I would go on a vacation just to go mushrooming and I would love every minute of it.
5) So far, my favorite mushroom dish is a toss-up between mushroom soup and the smaženice.
 |
| You can see that these mushrooms have already been quite eaten away. Animals are of course another source of competition for mushroomers. |
 |
| A delicious-looking mushroom Vendula deemed 'unsure', so we let it live on |
 |
| Some more potentially poisonous ones |
 |
| A taste of the scenery while on the hunt. Of course, once the sun goes down, it's game over when it comes to the search |
 |
| The booty collected from 3 hours on the prowl |
 |
| Cleaning the dirt and rotten parts off. Also making sure no worms are calling the mushroom their home |
 |
| The end product is the 'to eat' on the left on the 'to compost' on the right |
 |
| Vladmira cleaning some mushrooms during round two, there were some žampion found by the garden, these are what we in the U.S. simply call mushrooms and would find in the store |
