It was still dark outside when I heard the car roll into the driveway. I grabbed my wooden basket and backpack full of snacks and headed out the front door. Today, my friend Martina was taking me mushroom hunting in the hills and forests of the Czech Republic. In the car was her husband, Peter, and her 7 year-old son Matouš, ready for a day of hiking and hunting. Matouš was very excited! Mushroom hunting is one of his favorite things to do in the fall.
We drove for about 45 minutes and then pulled into a parking lot at the edge of the woods. Sunlight was just beginning to peek over the mountains. The forest was covered in a thick, smoky fog. The air was chilly, and I could see my breath when I stepped out of the car. I breathed in deeply. The smell of wet earth filled my nostrils. The leaves on the ground were beginning to disappear into the soil and break apart. This would be the perfect place to find mushrooms.
"Okay," Peter began, "What we are looking for are the mushrooms that blend in with the dirt. They will be light brown or dark brown. They will be very hard to see. When you pick up a mushroom, look underneath it. It should look like a sponge with tiny holes. We do not want the ones with lines or gills. And we definitely do not want the red ones! Those are poisonous."
"Poisonsous! Oh, no!" I thought to myself. I am glad someone with me knew what to look for.
