Mushroom picking and the risks

Due to climate change, the mushroom-picking season has started earlier this year. Beware of poisonous mushrooms! Every year, several cases of food poisoning are reported.

Almost 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤-𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬, even boletus and porcini. There are around 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 in Europe. In 2021, almost 1,270 cases of poisoning were reported to the poison control center. In addition, some edible mushrooms, such as morels, need to be properly cooked to avoid any risk of poisoning. 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 when picking mushrooms.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 if necessary by a specialist or pharmacist. Only pick specimens in good conditions, removing the entire mushroom: head and stem, and placing them in a basket to delay decay, while separating the species. It is also recommended to eat them within two days of picking. 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟗𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 are caused by the 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬, also known as the death cap.

Don't forget to take photos of your harvest, as they can be useful in the case of intoxication, when deciding on the appropriate treatment. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 such as abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, dizziness or trembling, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 immediately. Be vigilant when picking mushrooms!