Edible mushrooms of the Carpathians

The Carpathian mushroom season lasts from June to October and peaks in August and September. Here are the mushrooms most often gathered in the Carpathians, with their poisonous look-alikes. Never identify a mushroom from a photo alone: if in doubt, leave it.

Edible only after cookingIn season nowHoney fungusArmillaria melleaHoney fungus mushrooms grow in large clusters on stumps and trees. Conditionally edible: only after thorough cooking. Season – August to October.

EdiblePorciniBoletus edulisThe most sought-after mushroom of the Carpathian forests: a brown cap, light tubes, and a thick stem with a light mesh. Season - from June to October.

EdibleGolden chanterelleCantharellus cibariusEgg-yellow mushroom with thick folds instead of gills. Grows from June to October in beech and spruce forests.

EdibleBay boleteImleria badiaA chestnut mushroom of coniferous forests, whose tubes turn blue upon contact. A good edible mushroom; season – from July to November.

EdibleRed-capped scaber stalkLeccinum aurantiacumA mushroom with an orange-red cap and scaly stem that darkens when cut. It grows under aspen trees and is edible after thorough cooking.

EdibleSummer cepBoletus reticulatusThe earliest 'white mushroom': light velvety cap and a net on the entire stem. It grows from May under beeches and oaks, edible.

Edible only after cookingBlusherAmanita rubescensBlusher, which reddens when broken. Conditionally edible only after boiling, raw is poisonous; it can be easily confused with the poisonous Panther Cap.

EdibleParasol mushroomMacrolepiota proceraA large mushroom of clearings and glades: a scaly cap up to 30 cm, a tall stem with a snake-like pattern, and a movable ring. Only the caps are eaten.

Edible only after cookingChicken of the woodsLaetiporus sulphureusBright yellow-orange "shelves" on tree trunks. Young edges are conditionally edible after boiling; the mushroom is not eaten raw.

EdibleCommon puffballLycoperdon perlatumA white 'ball' with small spines on forest paths. Edible only when young, while the flesh inside is pure white and homogeneous.

EdibleShaggy ink capCoprinus comatusA tall white mushroom with a scaly cap that blackens and dissolves with age. Edible only when young, while the gills are white.

EdibleBirch boleteLeccinum scabrumA tubular mushroom that grows only near birch: gray-brown cap and light stem with dark scales. Season - from June to October.

EdibleLarch boleteSuillus grevilleiA bright yellow slimy bolete that grows only under larches. Edible; the slimy skin of the cap is removed before cooking.

Edible only after cookingScarletina boleteNeoboletus erythropusDark brown bolete with red pores and a speckled stem that instantly turns blue when cut. Conditionally edible: only after thorough cooking.