Estonia's mushroom season peaks: RMK offers guided hikes to help pick safely
Estonia's state forest agency RMK is running an exhibition and guided mushroom-picking hikes near Aegviidu until the end of September to teach people to tell edible fungi from poisonous ones. Experts warn about a dangerous species still commonly sold at markets.
Estonia is currently in the peak of mushroom season, with forests offering foragers a rich and varied harvest. Experts, however, remind pickers that not every mushroom found belongs in the basket.
One of Estonia's popular foraging spots is Aegviidu, reachable by train for those without a car. The state forest management centre RMK has opened an exhibition at the local nature house, running until the end of September. RMK is also organising guided hikes with nature specialists to help people learn more about edible and inedible mushrooms, according to the programme "Aktuaalne Kaamera".
RMK nature guide Aari Hein notes that the Aegviidu area has an unusually high diversity of species, since several different forest types occur there, resulting in both many mushroom species and abundant mushrooms overall.
A deceptive danger
One mushroom singled out for caution is the poison pax (svinushka), a deceptive species that people still pick and sell at markets despite it containing a substance that destroys red blood cells with prolonged consumption, leading to serious illness that can appear only after a long delay. Guides recommend inexperienced pickers carry a reference book rather than rely on identification apps, which can misidentify things badly.
RMK guide Madli Luuk also warns against picking any umbrella-shaped mushroom found in gardens or parks, since many such species are poisonous — most parasol-type mushrooms found in Estonia are in fact toxic, even though the shaggy parasol is an excellent edible species she says has repeatedly been mistaken for poisonous look-alikes sold as edible at markets. Mushrooms should not be picked in cities at all, since even non-toxic species absorb heavy metals and other pollutants, making them potentially harmful despite being edible by nature.
More information about RMK events in Aegviidu and other mushroom locations is available on the State Forest Management Centre's website.
