Equipment and precautions for mushroom picking
Equipment
Picked mushrooms should be put in a basket where they can "breeze" and are not pressed against each other. The traditional basket therefore is a long and shallow wicker basket. Alternatively, mesh baskets can be used.
A mushroom knife has a curved blade and a brush to clean mushrooms on the picking spot in order to avoid getting dirt in the basket.
Precaution
Because of the risk for tick bites in Sweden, you need to wear long trousers and socks, to prevent skin to be too exposed. Sneaker shoes or hiking shoes are fine most of the time while boots may be indicated after significant rains.
Tick bites can transmit two diseases: tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease.
Prevention against tick bites include:
- Application of tick repellent
- Wearing long sleeves and long trousers, tucked into socks
- Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis.
After a picking session, wash all clothes without wearing them again as there can be ticks on them. In addition, do a thorough checking for the presence of ticks on the body, head to feet, and use a tick repomver if spoting ticks.
Preparation
When we get so many mushroom, then the freshest one are eaten immediatly or frozen, and the older ones are dried on a piece of absorbing paper for a couple of days, and the preserved in jars, for the winter soups or stews.
