Porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region: the best places, picking season

The end of summer, the beginning of autumn is the time for harvesting the forest harvest. Ceps in the Leningrad region begin to appear in July. You can find them in forest thickets and pine forests. Before going on a quiet hunt, it is important to study the places where the boletus is especially common.

Are there porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region

In 2019, the first mushrooms appeared in the vicinity of St. Petersburg in June, which could not but please fans of quiet hunting. The forests located around the northern capital have long been famous for the abundance of edible mushrooms.

Usually the peak of fruiting of whites falls on August-September. In the deciduous forests of the Leningrad region, their numerous appearances are observed in the current season.

Types of white mushrooms in the Leningrad region

In the deciduous and mixed forests of the vicinity of the northern capital, there is an original boletus, white mushroom, and several of its varieties. In appearance, they are easy to distinguish from each other.

Boletus is a boletus mushroom

This is a large, massive basidiomycete, the diameter of the cap of which can reach up to 30 cm. On average, its size does not exceed 10 cm. It is painted in dark brown or burgundy. The shape is convex.

The leg is thick, barrel-shaped, fleshy, its length can reach up to 20 cm. The flesh is dense, juicy, fleshy, with a characteristic mushroom smell.

white oak mushroom

A large spherical hat in diameter grows up to 25 cm. Its color can acquire any shade of brown – from light to dark. In dry weather, a characteristic mesh appears on the surface of the hat.

The leg is club-shaped or cylindrical, covered with a network of shallow cracks. Its color is light hazel.

white fungus pine

It differs from the older brother in a bright brown-red or dark, wine-colored hat. Its surface is loose and uneven.

The leg is thick, fleshy, much lighter than the cap. The skin is covered with a pattern in the form of a red mesh.

Spruce porcini mushroom

Differs in large sizes and a dark brown convex hat. Its diameter can exceed 25 cm. The weight of some specimens reaches 4 kg.

The leg is large and strong, barrel-shaped. Its circumference is at least 10 cm. The color is creamy brown, there is a light, reddish tint. The surface is covered with a mesh pattern.

white mushroom birch

The species is common in the forests of the Leningrad region, its popular name is spikelet. It is a kind of white. The hat does not exceed 15 cm in diameter, its shape is flat and prostrate. The color is white with a slight beige or yellow tint.

The leg grows in the shape of a barrel, the length does not exceed 10 cm. Its color is white with a slight brown tint, a fine mesh can be observed in the upper part.

When to pick porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region

Small caps of young mushrooms of all kinds can be seen already at the end of May after the first heavy, thunderous rains. But these are few, single instances. Mushroom pickers observe their abundant fruiting already at the end of July. But for a real crop of porcini mushrooms they go to the forest in August, at the beginning of September. This period is the peak of their fruiting.

Where do porcini mushrooms grow in the Leningrad region

Deciduous and mixed forests of the northern capital are rich in mushrooms of all stripes. They prefer clay and sandy loose soils with good drainage. You can find them under deciduous trees: oaks, birches, aspens, less often under pines. On the map, the presence of porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region is noted in its various districts.

Boletus growing areas:

• Volkhovsky;
• Luga;
• Lyudeynopolsky district, Alehovshchina settlement;
• Kirovsky;
• Lomonosovsky;
• Tosnensky;
• New Devyatkino;
• Bluish;
• Vyborgsky district;
• Gatchina.

Borovik is considered the most valuable find of the mushroom picker. It will not be difficult to find it, focusing on the alleged habitats of the species.

Rules for collecting porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region

Next to the boletus, bile and satanic mushrooms can grow – twins that should be avoided. The latter is similar in shape to white, is its variety. You can recognize the poisonous species by the red color of the tubular layer and legs. In the cut, the pulp of the satanic mushroom turns blue.

The satanic mushroom is one of the dangerous counterparts of the white

The gall fungus (gorchak) is light brown in color, its tubular layer is white at first, later becoming gray. When damaged, the flesh turns pink.

Gorchak differs in color and white tubular layer

It is better for novice mushroom pickers to take a more experienced friend with them, who will teach you how to distinguish a toadstool from a valuable specimen.

After a rain with a thunderstorm on a foggy morning, they go to harvest the forest harvest. During the period of high humidity, mushrooms are found not under trees, but in clearings and in well-lit glades.

During the drought period, the porcini mushroom hides under the spreading crown of the oak in thick grass.

The first frosts are not terrible for boletus, it retains its aroma and pleasant taste.

Other recommendations for collecting mushrooms in the Leningrad region:

1. White mushrooms begin to hatch during the ripening period of rye.
2. A mushroom in the Leningrad Region often grows next to morels; when harvesting, they are guided by this feature.
3. They come to the forest before sunrise – the caps of porcini mushrooms are clearly visible at the first rays of the sun.
4. It’s good to take a long, strong stick with you to rake the foliage with it, without bending over, once again.
5. They move slowly through the forest, carefully examining the soil under their feet.
6. They peer especially well into the sandy soil and loam – this is the habitat of the boletus.
7. The porcini mushroom is cut off at the very mycelium or twisted, while the cut is cleaned of leaves and earth.
8. The fruiting body is placed in the basket with the hat down.
9. Instances with a long leg are turned over on their side.
10. Collect only mature specimens without worms and foulbrood.

How long is the season of porcini mushrooms in the Leningrad region

Mushroom time may not always come at the time clearly allotted to it. It all depends on the weather conditions in the Leningrad region. If the spring is warm and rainy, the collection begins in early June. The season ends at the end of September or at the beginning of October. On average, the mushroom season in the Leningrad region lasts 3-4 months.

The fruiting body of the white fungus grows from 6 to 9 days in summer, and from 9 to 15 days in autumn. In the autumn, there are more chances to collect fresh, not overripe specimens.

Tips from experienced mushroom pickers

The first and main recommendation is to take only the mushroom in which there is 100% confidence. Unknown species that are encountered for the first time are left where they grow.

Other helpful tips:

1. Ideal for collecting and eating is a specimen whose cap diameter does not exceed 4 cm.
   
   

   young mushrooms

2. The upper part of the fruiting body is especially carefully examined, it is in it that worms appear.
3. If a large, beautiful, but wormy white mushroom is caught, it is left in the forest. Eating such specimens is strictly prohibited. This rule also applies to overripe, spoiled fruiting bodies.
4. It is forbidden to taste raw mushroom pulp.
5. The fruit body, the stem of which is thickened at the base, but hollow inside, is not eaten. To do this, it is cut as close to the ground as possible to check for voids.
6. The collected fruiting bodies are cleaned and processed on the same day (within 10 hours), since they are not stored at room temperature for a long time, and in the refrigerator they lose most of their useful properties.

It is important for novice lovers of quiet hunting in the Leningrad region to heed the advice of experienced mushroom pickers. So the harvesting of the forest harvest will not cause trouble, and only valuable and tasty specimens will fall into the mushroom basket.

Conclusion

White mushrooms in the Leningrad region are common in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests. Some areas of the region are especially rich in these valuable representatives of the forest kingdom. 2019 was distinguished by a rich early harvest of mushrooms, which can be harvested before the first frost.