Botanist: Always study both stem and underside of the cap with unknown mushrooms
Botanist Marja-Liisa Kämärä told "Terevisioon" that identifying mushrooms requires examining the whole fungus, including the cap, stem and the underside.
"The overall picture is that we are having a very good mushroom year. In some places that have had less rain, there may also be fewer mushrooms," said Estonian Museum of Natural History botanist Marja-Liisa Kämärä.
She explained that although the mushroom exhibition opens on Thursday, botanists head into the forest on Wednesday to collect specimens. "We place the mushrooms on the exhibition tables on Wednesday evening so they are fresh enough. Since mushrooms quickly become soggy and begin to mold, we go out to collect them every other day during the exhibition," Kämärä said. "That's why the selection constantly changes. We have our regular mushroom spots in Harju County, though of course they also vary."
Kämärä highlighted the gypsy mushroom as an excellent edible species, but one that often makes people uneasy because of the ring on its stem. "A good identifying feature is the pearly sheen on the cap, as if there's a glossy film on it. The mushroom itself is beige in color," she described.
By contrast, the green and white death caps are fatally poisonous. "Even eating half of one can be deadly if medical help doesn't arrive in time," she warned.
If a mushroom is unfamiliar or uncertain, Kämärä said it's crucial to examine the whole specimen. "If you want to bring us a mushroom to the museum for identification, it's important to take out the entire stem from the moss," she noted.
To identify a mushroom, one must look at the top of the cap, the stem, what lies beneath the cap — whether tubes or gills — and their color. "It's also worth paying attention to the location where the mushroom was found. Is it in a park, what trees are nearby? Sometimes even the mushroom's smell is important," said Kämärä.
According to the botanist, brittlegills can also be tested with a small taste. "If you are certain it's a brittlegill, you can take a tiny piece, chew it and spit it out. If it's mild, you can put it straight in the pan. If it's bitter, it should be parboiled first."
The mushroom exhibition opens at the Estonian Museum of Natural History on September 11.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Annika Remmel
