Chantarelles (Chantarellus cibarius) were the only species yielding a more-than-average crop. If the autumn is mild and the night frosts moderate, chantarelles and funnel chantarelles (Chantarellus tubaeformis) can be found for picking until snow covers the ground.
”Last winter, the latest I heard of someone picking mushrooms was in the beginning of January,” says Mr. Kauko Salo, senior scientist at the Finnish Forest Research Institute and a known mushroom expert. “And a family friend picked fresh chantarelles for their Christmas table.”
If sheltered by moss, chantarelles and especially funnel chantarelles can take a bit of frost. Otherwise freezing is fatal to the fruiting bodies of mushrooms, for depending on the species, 90–95 percent of their mass consists of water.
Salo says that this year’s yield of boletus and milk cap (Lactarius sp.) mushrooms was below average in Finland, although the conditions should have been ideal for boletus in particular: a rainy July was followed by a warm spell.
“We don’t know much about the regulation systems in mushrooms that affect the growth of the fruiting bodies in addition to weather.”
Keenest gatherers in Eastern Finland
The mushroom crop translates directly to mushrooming zeal. According to a major study completed at the turn of the century, 44 percent of Finns gather mushrooms during a good crop year, but only 33 percent in a bad year.
”On average, Finns go mushrooming five times a year, but the keenest among us go more than 15 times per year,” says Ms. Tuija Sievänen, senior scientist at the Finnish Forest Research Institute.
According to Sievänen, mushrooms are picked in all parts of the country, though there are differences in the number of enthusiasts. About half of those living in the eastern parts of the country go mushrooming, but fewer than 30 percent of the inhabitants of western and northern parts do. “This is a reflection of cultural differences. The habit of picking mushrooms has spread to Finland from Russia, and it is still most intensive in Eastern Finland,” Sievänen says.
Previously, there were also differences in what was picked – milk-caps in the east, chantarelles in the west – but these differences have vanished by now.
The Finns’ attachment to summer cottages helps to keep the tradition alive. Those who have a regular access to a summer cottage, are more likely to pick mushrooms than others.
Sievänen says that a new study on the Finns’ nature-related recreational activities is to start in 2008, if enough funding is granted by the government. The variation in berry and mushroom picking in different crop years is a good example of why data have to be gathered during more than one year, to gain a reliable picture of possible changes.
Study on Finns’ recreational habits to begin in 2008
Finns make frequent visits to commercial forests for recreation, but the latest major research on this is nearly a decade old. Funding is sought for a new study.
The mushroom crop was poorer than expected this year in Finland. Chantarelles (Chantarellus cibarius) were the only species yielding a more-than-average crop. If the autumn is mild and the night frosts moderate, chantarelles and funnel chantarelles (Chantarellus tubaeformis) can be found for picking until snow covers the ground.
”Last winter, the latest I heard of someone picking mushrooms was in the beginning of January,” says Mr. Kauko Salo, senior scientist at the Finnish Forest Research Institute and a known mushroom expert. “And a family friend picked fresh chantarelles for their Christmas table.”
If sheltered by moss, chantarelles and especially funnel chantarelles can take a bit of frost. Otherwise freezing is fatal to the fruiting bodies of mushrooms, for depending on the species, 90–95 percent of their mass consists of water.
Salo says that this year’s yield of boletus and milk cap (Lactarius sp.) mushrooms was below average in Finland, although the conditions should have been ideal for boletus in particular: a rainy July was followed by a warm spell.
“We don’t know much about the regulation systems in mushrooms that affect the growth of the fruiting bodies in addition to weather.”
Keenest gatherers in Eastern Finland
The mushroom crop translates directly to mushrooming zeal. According to a major study completed at the turn of the century, 44 percent of Finns gather mushrooms during a good crop year, but only 33 percent in a bad year.
”On average, Finns go mushrooming five times a year, but the keenest among us go more than 15 times per year,” says Ms. Tuija Sievänen, senior scientist at the Finnish Forest Research Institute.
According to Sievänen, mushrooms are picked in all parts of the country, though there are differences in the number of enthusiasts. About half of those living in the eastern parts of the country go mushrooming, but fewer than 30 percent of the inhabitants of western and northern parts do. “This is a reflection of cultural differences. The habit of picking mushrooms has spread to Finland from Russia, and it is still most intensive in Eastern Finland,” Sievänen says.
Previously, there were also differences in what was picked – milk-caps in the east, chantarelles in the west – but these differences have vanished by now.
The Finns’ attachment to summer cottages helps to keep the tradition alive. Those who have a regular access to a summer cottage, are more likely to pick mushrooms than others.
Sievänen says that a new study on the Finns’ nature-related recreational activities is to start in 2008, if enough funding is granted by the government. The variation in berry and mushroom picking in different crop years is a good example of why data have to be gathered during more than one year, to gain a reliable picture of possible changes.