5 curiosities about mushrooms you need to know!

Mushrooms are part of autumn. But mistakes always happen with mushrooms purchased and collected personally. Here are 5 things you need to know about mushrooms. For example, mushrooms should be treated like meat. According to our post on 5 edible mushrooms in autumnhere you will get an overview of 5 things you need to know about mushrooms.

Mushrooms should be treated like meat

After you have successfully identified and harvested mushrooms, you should clean them and keep them cool. This is an important point. Mushrooms should be treated like raw meat and even in supermarkets they should be stored in the refrigerator section, but unfortunately this is not yet known. If mushrooms are stored in a warm environment, the mushroom proteins may deteriorate, similar to meat, and the mushroom will decay.

Mushrooms don’t like plastic

Mushrooms are made mostly of water. If they are stored tightly in plastic, more moisture will accumulate and the mushroom will become soft. In addition, putrefactive processes are accelerated and the fungus deteriorates more quickly.

• Nasturtium
  Use in the medicine cabinet
• Quince for skin care
  Make your own oil and ointment
• Apple cider vinegar
  Helper for sore throat
• Edible wild herbs in autumn
  What does the “second spring” offer?
• La Braunelle
  Plant of the year 2023
• Brennnesselbrot
  Classic or gluten-free

This way you can understand if the mushroom is already too old

When picking mushrooms, make sure you only pick fresh mushrooms. To test it, you can press the hat lightly with your finger. If it sags and is soft, the mushroom is already older. You should also make sure that the mushroom has not already developed mold and that it has not been eaten by worms or other animals. Depending on the extent of the damage, the areas can also be cut generously. In the past it was assumed that worms only eat non-poisonous mushrooms and that it was possible to distinguish whether a mushroom was poisonous or edible. However, this is a myth and should in no way be used to determine toxicity.

Mushrooms are made of chitin

Plants are made of cellulose, fungi are made of chitin, a polysaccharide. This forms the structure of the fungus and is the main component of the cell wall. Mushrooms are said to be difficult to digest, this may be due to the chitin. Since chitin is not digested, it is a fiber. While fiber is important, it can sometimes be harder to digest. For better tolerability and digestibility, mushrooms should always be warmed well or cooked for at least twenty minutes.

The mushroom is much more than just the fruiting body

When we talk about mushrooms we usually only refer to the actual fruiting bodies that we collect and eat. But a mushroom is much more than its visible fruit growing out of the ground. Underground, fungi form a large connected network. This is also called mycelium. This network can continue to grow, even if we cut the fruiting bodies during mushroom harvesting. In order not to injure the mycelium, you should carefully twist the mushroom out of the ground with light pressure or cut it. If we carelessly tear the mushroom from the ground, the thin underground network can be damaged. Mushrooms live in symbiosis with other plants, which means that each mushroom has a host. Trees and fungi benefit from this symbiosis because they provide each other with important nutrients and water.

Free videos on YouTube

Follow us on our YouTube channel “Kräuterkeller” (Sign up here for free). There you can find many free educational videos on the topic of wild herbs, medicinal plants and more. With a subscription you support us and never miss videos again, like this one on the dog rose.

Collect wild herbs now!

If you are looking for mushrooms, also collect some wild herbs. Which ones you can find right now in autumn and which ones you have to wait for another time of the year: we’ll tell you about it in our book»With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round“(available here). On over 160 pages we have represented many local wild herbs and share with you our experiences and our fields of application in the medicine cabinet and witch’s kitchen. You can purchase the book and other herbal items designed by us in our little herb witches online shop at www.die-moderne-Kräuterhexe.de order. Check it out. We look forward to your digital visit to our little online shop!

Our wild herb harvest calendar

In combination with our book “With wild herbs and medicinal plants all year round“, we have ours Seasonal calendar of wild herbs developed (available here). Each month shows you clearly and colorfully which local plants are currently ready for harvest and usable. We created the calendar that we designed ourselves so that you can use it every year – it’s a permanent calendar. Together with the book you will also receive the calendar directly as a set: or choose that one