Picking mushrooms in the forest could be really dangerous since some of them are poisonous. It's not a good activity for people who don't know what they are doing.
After just two minutes of walking on the path, Matouš found a huge mushroom. And then another. And then another. I was not so lucky. For hours I searched for mushrooms. I looked under logs. I looked under leaves. I dug in the ground. Nothing. My eyes just couldn't see these brown mushrooms and their camouflage as they hid themselves from my sight. I did find a lot of fairy mushrooms, the red and white ones with spots, but those mushrooms couldn't be my dinner.
At about noon we walked back to the car to return home. My basket was empty, but Matouš had a basket overflowing with dark, earthy mushrooms. "Here, you can have some of mine," he offered kindly. "Maybe next time you will do better!"
Mushroom hunting is a tradition that about two-thirds of the people in the Czech Republic take part in every year.
This tradition goes back a long time, to when people would gather food in the forests for their meals. Wild mushrooms are a delicious treat, and many people like to spend time in nature.
