Picking mushrooms and berries in Jyväskylä Region
Forests in Jyväskylä Region fill up with delicious treasures during the summer and on the eve of autumn when berries and mushrooms ripen. Are you wondering where to find the best terrain for berries or need tips on identifying edible mushrooms? Check out the tips below, grab a basket, and head out into nature!
Everyone’s rights and moving in the forest
Finland’s everyone’s rights provide a unique opportunity to enjoy nature and outdoor activities. They give everyone the right to move freely in forests, waters and terrain without the landowner’s permission. So you can hike and pick berries and mushrooms as long as you respect nature and other people who move about in the wild. It is important to keep nature tidy and to maintain a peaceful atmosphere so that both people and wildlife can enjoy nature.
Please note that in nature reserves, everyone’s rights may be restricted.
Read more about everyone’s rights on the Metsähallitus website.
Picking mushrooms
Easily identifiable edible mushrooms
Mushroom picking is a nice way to explore nature and enjoy the fresh air while foraging delicious mushrooms. Finland has a wide variety of mushrooms, some delicious and some poisonous. Before you go mushroom hunting, you should get to know the basic varieties such as funnel chanterelles and golden chanterelles, which are the most common and easy to recognise. Always use a basket to collect mushrooms and remember to make sure the mushrooms are edible before you taste them. Safety and respect for nature make mushroom picking a joyful and rewarding experience.
Edible mushrooms for beginners – Finnish Mycological Society (funga.fi)
Golden chanterelle
In what kind of terrain: Groves in forests dominated by deciduous trees, mostly birch. Dry heath forests with pines can also serve as growth areas.
Characteristics: Golden chanterelle is a bright yellow mushroom that often grows in masses. The mushroom takes a funnel-like shape as it grows. The edges of the cap are curvy and irregular. One of the strongest characteristics of the golden chanterelle is its thick folds under the cap and its distinctive fruity odour. The golden chanterelle may sometimes be confused with the false chanterelle, which is a darker mushroom and has gills instead of folds on the underside of the cap. False chanterelle is not poisonous, but it is not a delicious edible mushroom like the golden chanterelle.
When: Long season, usually from July to late autumn. Golden chanterelles grow in the same places every year, so if you find a good mushroom terrain, you should head to the same place the following year!
Use: Golden chanterelles are tastiest when cooked fresh, but you can also dry or freeze the mushrooms. Suitable, for example, for sauces, omelettes, risotto, pies or soups. The best preservation method is freezing, before which the chanterelles should be fried in a pan without fat, so that the excess liquid evaporates from the mushrooms. When used fresh, the golden chanterelle does not need any pre-treatment before cooking.
Penny bun, i.e. porcini
In what kind of terrain: It thrives in deciduous and coniferous forests near spruce trees and birches, in logging areas, along paths and forest roads.
Characteristics: You can recognise a king bolete from its sturdy stem and a large, convex, dark or light-coloured cap. On the underside of the cap, there are small densely growing pores, which are white in young mushrooms and later yellow or olive-green in colour. The cap is a bit sticky. If the mushroom has a faintly light brown cap that turns red with older paths, be careful as it might be the non-poisonous but very nasty-tasting bitter bolete.
When: In the autumn, but sometimes even towards the end of July.
Use: Although each king bolete is suitable for eating, mushroom pickers should find the young mushrooms that are white under the cap, as these have the best flavour. King boletes tend to get infested by larvae easily, so mushrooms should be prepared as soon as possible after you’ve picked them. King bolete is a versatile mushroom that is ideal for soups, sauces, salads, pizza and pies. It does not need any pre-treatment before cooking.
Funnel chanterelle
In what kind of terrain: Funnel chanterelle lives as a root fungus of spruces, so its typical habitats are near spruces and in mixed forests. This mushroom that grows in large clusters is a common sight emerging from the moss. If you find one, look around, you’ll probably find a lot more. Funnel chanterelles are collected the easiest by picking them up in bundles and cutting off the dirty part of the stem with a knife.
Characteristics: Young funnel chanterelles are yellowish-brown in colour, but as they age, the colour turns dark brown or greyish-brown. This aromatic-scented mushroom has folds reminiscent of gills on the underside of the cap, and in the hollow stem you can find yellowish-white flesh. Funnel chanterelle can be confused with the poisonous Leotia lubrica, or jelly baby. As the name suggests, it has a gelatinous consistency. The edges of the cap are turned inwards and the underside is smooth. The jelly baby is also different from the funnel chanterelle in its colouring, which is faintly brownish-grey throughout the mushroom.
When: Funnel chanterelles can be found and collected from early autumn until the first frosts and snows. So it’s a long harvest season for the funnel chanterelle!
Use: The funnel chanterelle suits all types of cooking, as it is an excellent culinary mushroom. The aromatic flavour is at its best in sauces, soups and savoury pies. The funnel chanterelle does not need any pre-treatment before cooking. The best way to preserve funnel chanterelles is drying.
Black chanterelle
In what kind of terrain: The best terrain for collecting black chanterelles is mesic heath forest, grove-like spruce forests, and bright open spots. Black chanterelles grow in large clusters alongside spruce and birch. The mushroom hides easily in vegetation due to its dark colour, so finding black chanterelles can be challenging at first.
Characteristics: As the names ‘black trumpet’ and ‘horn of the plenty’ suggest, black chanterelle is a horn-shaped mushroom whose cap is turned inwards when young but later flattens and folds. The cap is deeply pitted in the middle, and the stem is hollow. The upper surface of the cap is blackish-grey or black, lighter when dry. There is no clear boundary between the cap and the stem.
When: Black chanterelles are in season from August to October.
Use: Black chanterelle is ideally suited for different sauces, stews, soups, and casseroles. Black chanterelle is best suited for drying, as their flavour intensifies as they dry. Dried black chanterelles can be used as a delicious condiment and side dish. The black chanterelle does not need any pre-treatment before cooking.g.
Picking berries
The tastiest berries in the forest
Berry picking in Finland is a refreshing and tasty way to experience nature. Many delicious berries grow in Finland, such as blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, which are not only healthy but also tasty. The best time for berry picking is usually from summer to autumn, and many Finns enjoy the tradition of foraging berries and storing them in their freezer for the winter. Before your berry excursion, it’s a good idea to get to know the different types of berries and their habitats. Remember also that nature must be respected – don’t pick more berries than you need so that others can also enjoy nature’s bounty. Berry picking offers a unique way to get outdoors and enjoy Finnish nature.
Blueberry
In what kind of terrain: Blueberry pickers should head for the grove-like heath forests with coniferous trees, where the plant thrives best on fresh and dry substrates. Blueberry crops don’t like it very dry and hot, so in hot summers, head for more watery areas such as woodlands on the edges of bogs, islands and lakeshores.
When: The main harvesting period for blueberries is from about halfway through July until early September.
Use: You can eat them as they are, use the raw in porridges or smoothies, for example, make blueberry juice, or use them in baking, such as for blueberry pie. Preservation by jamming, freezing, drying.
Lingonberry
In what kind of terrain: Lingonberry thrives in pine-rich heath forests that are dry and sunny, in heath forests with pines that are a few years old, and also on ridges. So it’s a good idea to head for this kind of terrain when you want to pick lingonberries.
When: Depending on the year, the lingonberry season starts at the end of August/beginning of September and continues until the frosts.
Use: Pastries, jams, porridge, mash, plain as a garnish. Lingonberries can be preserved by jamming and freezing. Lingonberries are also delicious dried!
Raspberry
In what kind of terrain: Raspberries are best found on the edges of logging holes, in mixed forests and in dry and sunny heath forests.
When: Raspberry season begins in July and continues to August. The first raspberries may ripen already in late June, depending on the year.
Use: As they are, as a garnish to porridge and yoghurt, jammed and in baking. You should preserve raspberries frozen or jammed.
Cloudberry
In what kind of terrain: Cloudberry, Nordic berry or knotberry: this treasure of the forest has many names! Cloudberry, which thrives in wet habitats, can be found in swamps, wetlands, marshy ponds and peat bogs. Cloudberries grow in a various types of bogs, from string bogs to coniferous swamps and peatlands.
When: If pollination has been successful, the “golden harvest season” of cloudberry in Jyväskylä Region is in mid-July. The best harvest season lasts about 2–3 weeks, and new crop keeps ripening. As the season is short, it’s a good idea to start keeping an eye on the situation already in early July. Towards the end of the best harvest season, some berries may already be overripe. The cloudberry is ripe and best collected when golden yellow, the ones with dark yellow are already overripe and the ones with shades of red are raw. When raw, the cloudberry is hard and the berry does not come off the stem easily. The ripe berry seems to fall into the palm of your hand as you pick it.
Use: Cloudberry is a tasty berry used in many desserts, such as pastries. The berry tastes best eaten fresh and plain, as a garnish in porridges and yoghurts. Preservation by jamming and freezing.
You may be also interested in…
Explore the nature trails
The nature trails of the Jyväskylä Region lead hikers into the depths of the forest, up high ridges, to stunning viewpoints, and along the shores of lakes and rivers.
Public transport to nature sites
Many of the nature destinations in Jyväskylä Region are easily accessible by public transportation.
Remember the Hiker’s Responsibility
A responsible hiker is eco-friendly, respectful of nature, and conscientious: responsible hiking leaves no trace in the environment.
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