Millions of Russians prefer outdoor activities - “silent hunting”. And if supporters of this type of entertainment live in the Leningrad Region, their skill will grow. After all, the land of this region is rich in mushroom places.
Mushroom paradise
Leningrad region is located in the northwestern European part of Russia. By area, it occupies 39th place among other regions of the Russian Federation. Its size is 500 by 320 km. It has mild winters and mild, cool summers. 600-700 mm of precipitation falls during the year, with the largest amount observed in summer and autumn. Given favorable weather conditions, there are no questions where to pick mushrooms in the Leningrad Region. They are everywhere!
A significant part of these places is occupied by taiga. There are also mixed forests. In general, forests make up more than 55% of the area’s surface. Lucky to settle in the taiga zone and the Gatchina district. All the benefits contribute to the growth of mushrooms, which is so pleasing to both the residents of the city and the guests.
In general, the region is rich in all types of edible mushrooms. The peak of the collection is from August to October.
Trumps of the Gatchina region
Every year since the beginning of the season, a lot of people visit mushroom places in the Gatchina district. Often their successes can be read on social networks. “Hunters” upload photos and share the secrets of a successful “fishing”. From such reports one can learn more about the current situation not only in the vast expanses of the forest, but also in the mushroom market.
The advantage of this region over others is that, once you are in good clearings, you can replenish the supply of vitamin “bombs” for a whole year in a few hours. Another big plus of the district is that it borders on St. Petersburg.
On its territory dry coniferous forests grow and mixed ones with swamp soil. The land is full of various edible mushrooms. Of course, the season will be rich or poor - it depends on the mercy of the weather, but usually the mushroom places of the Gatchina region always pleasantly surprise visitors.
Getting to the forests is easy. High-quality highways have been laid and a long-distance
transport hub has been developed
. There is a railway on which electric trains run.
Graceful boletus
Boletus - mushroom is very interesting. It belongs to the family of “black” mushrooms and does not grow very often under birch trees. Young grandmother (grandmother - the middle name of the mushroom) is like a boletus. Distinguishes their leg. In boletus, it is longer and with scales. When dried, the mushroom blackens.
These mushrooms love swampy, moist lands. Therefore, before heading out to the forest for baskets with baskets, look at where the lowlands are. Mushroom places in the Gatchina district will be able to tell the locals who are well aware of these open spaces.
Grandmothers mature within 6 days, then they age and become unusable. They appear in early summer and grow until autumn. You need to look for them not by the birch, but a few meters from the trunk, where the young roots are.
Elite Boletus
In taste, this mushroom is equal to white. In Russia, it will germinate in June-July and until October. Experts emphasize that these mushrooms in the Gatchina district appear in large numbers in early September. Their color is reddish brown. Often sprout in aspen forests, but are also found under coniferous trees. In pine forests, the cap of the mushroom will be red, in mixed forests it will be brown.
Boletus grows as a family, it is rarely found in nature alone. Therefore, when you see one hat, look around, maybe his relatives are nearby. Skillful seekers also say that the real boom of these mushrooms occurs once every five years. That is, if last season you designated mushroom spots in the Gatchina region, then you should not expect the same harvest next year. Although often they are driven to the villages of Druzhnaya Gorka and Vyritsa. There every year forests abound with such a harvest.
King of mushrooms
The greatest trophy for every visitor to the forest is the porcini mushroom. It is also popularly known as boletus, belovik, cowshed, as well as bear cub. The popularity of the mushroom is due to its unique taste and attractive appearance. It is hard to confuse his brown hat and wide leg with something else.
It grows in mixed, pine and Christmas groves. Mushroom places of the Leningrad region are full of boletus. Their greatest number is in the last days of August. Although you can open the hunting season for them from the beginning of June to the end of October. Mushroom picking is easy after rainy days. It is better to go through the whites a few days after long rains. Then you will be waiting for large and beautiful mushrooms in the forest.
They grow in warm, humid places, several at a time. If the summer is cool, look for boletus mushrooms in glades flooded with sun. Inspect the clearing where you found the white one, because there can be a dozen of such handsome men nearby. In mixed groves, the king of the forest is hiding under the fallen leaves. Mushroom spots will be in forests where oaks, hornbeams and birches grow. Most often, boletus grows in fly agarics, white-grass and anthills. These "stop signs" suggest: near the boletus.
Universal tips for mushroom pickers
For millennia, people have been enjoying this delicious and nutritious product. And the masters of mushroom hunting brought out a special science on how to properly collect forest gifts. So, one of the rules: they need to be put with their hats down. Those mushrooms whose legs are long and fragile are laid sideways.
Look for mushroom spots in an excessively wet season in sunny valleys and hills. When the summer is dry - mushrooms hide in the depths, under the branches.
Collect them even before sunrise. There are two reasons for this. The first - fewer competitors, therefore - more choice. The second - in gray light it is easier to notice the caps. The oblique rays of the star blind eyes.
The mushroom should be cut as close to the ground as possible - so the leg will not decay and will not damage the overall system. "Kids" is worth leaving. In a few days they will grow up, and if not for you, they will bring joy to the other person.
Fans of the “quiet hunt” will definitely like the local mushroom places - Gatchina can be proud of them.
Rich Leningrad Region
A lot of harvest in the forests of Sosnovo. The name is symbolic. Indeed, the territory of the settlement is green from the forests. Mushrooms await you even in copses underfoot. The land under the trees is dry. Pine and Christmas tree forests predominate, but there are also mixed groves. Foresters and residents of the village noted a high harvest of chanterelles, russula, brown boletus and porcini mushrooms.
Mushroom places in the Leningrad region replenished in the Priozersky district. This area is rich not only in all types of mushrooms, but also in the variety of berries.
The forest closest to St. Petersburg is in the village of Novoe Devyatkino, Vsevolozhsk district. Moisture promotes the growth of mushrooms. You can fill the basket to the top quickly in September. But thousands of mushroom pickers have already fallen in love with this place, therefore, in order not to return home without prey, you need to get up very early. Now the land is being actively built up, so if you have not visited the forests of the Vsevolozhsk district, hurry.
The mushroom places of the Leningrad Region are simply buried in chanterelles, mushrooms, mushrooms, russula, which are waiting for your basket.
Forest dangers
Entering the forest, you should not forget about the danger that may lie in wait for you. First of all, you need to charge the phone’s battery well and take a first-aid kit with you first. There’s a compass in your pocket. It is worth taking a mosquito repellent. Walk with a stick in your hands. Check with its help dense bushes, snakes can hide there.
If the forest is not familiar, do not go far from a friend, so as not to get lost. Wear high-heeled shoes made of thick material. Clothing should fit snugly over its entire length. This will save you from ticks.
Mushroom spots in the Gatchina region sometimes have many snakes. But remember, poisonous ones do not attack first. Newspaper headlines also scare mushroom pickers with bears. But such a meeting is rare. If you still met a dangerous beast, be calm - any wild animal is afraid of you just like you. In order not to irritate the beast, just do not move. No less important is the time of year. In late summer or early fall, bears have already restored the fat layer that they need for hibernation. Therefore, they will not attack first.