Picking mushrooms sounds like a strange activity to most Americans, but in Poland, it is one of their favorite fall pastimes. Families frequently travel into the woods to hunt for these strange fungi. It is a tradition deeply tied to the foraging roots of Poland as well as the mushroom-rich environment that stretches across the entire country. The traditional dishes are filled with different varieties of mushrooms that make hunting for them all the more important.
I learned about the tradition of mushroom picking in Poland. It is very common for families to travel to the woods together and look for mushrooms to add to different traditional dishes. Every family has a book that informs them of which are poisonous and which are good to eat, and they often have a basket to put them in. It reminds me of apple or blueberry picking in the United States. The tradition of mushroom picking takes place mainly in the fall from September to early November. While I have not had the chance to go yet, I hope to in the next week with some of the teachers in Chełm.
