Mushrooms in the Nordic season come in waves of succession according to their groups and sub-groups, the mushroom season stretches out over a three month period.

Mushrooms should be identified by at least five different characteristics:

• their morphological characteristics of the cap
• (cap top,
• cap color,
• cap patterns,
• cap shape,
• mushroom size,
• mushroom gills,)
• and the stem of the mushroom and it’s structure,
• scent can also be an important feature for mushroom identification.

It is vitally important to identify mushrooms correctly, there are very subtle differences within a sub-group, and the difference can be huge in whether they are edible, what kind of preparation is required, how good they are rated (stars), and whether they are toxic.

Some mushrooms are extremely hazardous and others extremely deadly, others cause permanent organ damage.

Mushrooms can be identified but it takes some time to get familiar with the forest environment for the eyes to adjust and to see the many hundreds of mushrooms that grow.  Learning new things at first seem confusing, there are shapes, many sizes, colors, patterns and sign are that are new without previous memory recognition, the new information needs to installed into the mind’s memory which is the correct data for recognition of mushrooms.

Lactarius deliciosus mushrooms (three-star rating) have a distinguishable bright carrot orange color, it is not the only orange color mushroom in the Nordic region, or within the Lactarius sub-group,  Lactarius deterrimus is another and it has a two-star rating.

Preparation and cooking of the lactarius deliciosus mushrooms is simpler than some other lactarius mushrooms (boiling the wedges for 10 minutes), therefore a very convenient mushroom for the mushroom hunter.

Stock photos of Lactarius deliciosus mushrooms.