The people of Šilutė are happy with the mushroom harvest: they wear them in their hats, they carry them in their trunks

The residents of Šilutė are satisfied with both the size of the boletus and the amount of mushrooms found. By the way, autumn berries, blueberries, which replaced the blueberries that reigned in the summer, also faded in the forests.

Those who avoid setting foot in the forest can “pick up” at the Šilutė market or on social media. You will buy a kilogram of boletus for 8-10 euros, much cheaper squirrels, for 2 euros. Forest food traders say they can earn 70 euros a day.

Detected a corner of boletus

Reda, who was growing like mushrooms in the village of Šyliai, was quick to capture the mushrooms in the photo, as she saw such a large boletus for the first time in her life. The woman loves nature without ceasing and loves mushrooms, and the whole family eats mushrooms. “My husband likes to fry boletus heads with sour cream and onions,” Reda shares one of the family’s favorite recipes.

The desire to cultivate it is not deterred even by ticks, whose wife is a little scared, but douse with protective gear and travel to the peace of the forest.

Laura shared an impressive amount of mushrooms collected by her dad. The girl said that her father really likes mushrooms, that he can stay in the forest from morning to night. Collect mushrooms slowly, enjoy it. The most abundant mushroom catch was on Sunday.

“Before leaving the house, my mother asked me if I needed another bucket. It seems necessary, since a bucket was emptied in the trunk and then refilled with new mushrooms. In the end, when the bucket was filled again, Dad he had to put the mushrooms in his hat, ”said the girl.

Liana’s heads are lost due to the proliferation of fungi, Liana and her husband, who are currently spending time in Rusne. They found an impressive amount of boletus in the Bear woods on Monday.

“We don’t know much about the local mushroom picking places, so yesterday we went blind. We only knew about the presence of boletus in the Meškinė forests. The man led me along barely passable trails, I cursed him and such a forest. However, everything was bought back by a corner of boletus discovered ”, Liana shared her impressions of fungi.

In that corner, the family cut 140 boletus in half an hour, found only a few boletus and a couple of red tapas in other places. “When we are in Vilnius, we grow mushrooms in the forests of Labanoras, Valkininkai, Varėna. Most mushrooms are dried, pickled, and cooked cold. And, of course, I reward neighbors, family and friends, ”said the woman.

You also earn 70 Eur per day

While some turn their heads to process and store harvested mushrooms for the winter, others sell them. In good times, you can make some money, even save money, by selling forest products.
Viktoras, who lives in the elderly insurance, did not count how many mushrooms he collected during the season, but earns about 70 euros a day. “I live on mushrooms and berries, I take them to the market, I sell them. This year is a good harvest in the forest ”, the man rejoices.

Residents of Šilutė are happy to buy not only mushrooms, but also berries. Blueberries are already red in the woods. For example, Viktor sells a kilogram of squirrels for 2.50 euros, blueberries – 4 euros.

On Wednesday, perhaps five people traded forest products at the Šilutė market. They collected mushrooms in the forests of Grabupiai, Juknaičiai and Ramučiai. They are all beautiful, clean and uncluttered.

The price of boletus varies from 8 to 10 Eur, depending on the size of the mushrooms. Red lids are a bit cheaper: 5 to 6 euros per kilogram. With the arrival of boletus in the forests, the price of squirrels dropped significantly, now a kilogram of these yellow mushrooms can be bought for 2 Eur.

In the market, a kilogram of blueberries costs from 3.50 to 4 euros, blueberries – 3 euros.

There will be no mushroom championship

In mid-September, mushroom fans gathered in Gedminaičiai, near Švėkšna. The mushroom championship was held here. Well-meaning teams descended into the forest, from where they returned a couple of hours later. Some had more mushrooms in their baskets, others less mushrooms, but all had a smile and good humor on their faces. Returning from the forest, the participants received mushrooms, other meals, and sang.

This year, COVID-19 has also made adjustments on this holiday, it just won’t be.

“There were also thoughts to do this year, but due to the virus, we decided to abstain, for the holy peace. We fear that we will not become a hotbed for the virus. Many people miss that celebration and would like to participate, ”said Ingrita Riterienė, one of the organizers of the celebration.

Admittedly, this is not the first time the mushroom championship has taken a break from the year. The people of Švėkšniškės hope that next year the mushroom harvest will be happy again, and the celebration will take place.