This year’s season began with a surprise, however. A real abundance was recorded of chicken of the woods – a striking tree-dwelling mushroom that is noticeably more plentiful this spring than in previous years. It can be found mainly on the trunks of living and dead or weakened deciduous trees, particularly willows, oaks, poplars and fruit trees.
Chicken of the woods is distinguished by its intense yellow-orange color and characteristic semicircular fruiting bodies that form large clusters. Young specimens are edible and valued by many gourmets. Because of its texture and delicate flavor, it is often called “forest chicken.” Before being properly prepared, this mushroom requires 20 minutes of parboiling. The cooking water should be discarded.
Chicken of the woods can be fried in breadcrumbs, made into cutlets, or added to sauces, stews and one-pot dishes. However, only young and fresh fruiting bodies should be collected, and people trying it for the first time should exercise caution, as it may cause stomach problems in some individuals.
The first brick-red boletes have also appeared in the forests. This is one of the most distinctive bolete mushrooms, valued by mushroom hunters for its flavor. It is important to remember, however, that like chicken of the woods, this mushroom requires parboiling before preparation. The presence of brick-red boletes is a good sign and heralds further development of the season.
If favorable weather continues and the current rainfall adequately moistens the forest floor, more species can be expected to appear in the coming weeks. Mushroom hunters are looking primarily forward to the first network boletes, birch boletes and chanterelles, which are among the most commonly collected mushrooms in the region.
Everything indicates that this year’s mushroom season may begin earlier and be exceptionally successful. It is therefore worth preparing your baskets now and monitoring conditions in the forests, as the first signs are very promising.