MUSHROOM HUNTING
On the very first day the AMANITA Guesthouse opened in October 2006, we managed to successfully organise a mushroom hunt followed by a tasting session. Since then, every June and in the autumn, we delve deep into the forest and combine the thrill and satisfaction of the hunt with the sheer joy of spending time with our guests, many of whom visit us just to enjoy this mushroom hunting experience.
Our teachers in this quest have been some of the better known mushroom hunters of eastern Pelion. They taught us to gather Caesar’s mushrooms (Amanita caesarea), penny buns (Boletus edulis), black porcini (Boletus aereus) and parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera). Later on, guests from France pointed out the wood hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum) and black trumpets (Craterellus cornucopioides). We learned about greencracked brittlegills (Russula virescens), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) and the golden coral mushrooms (Ramaria aurea) from some of the great books on mushroom collecting available on the market.
Since then every year we train over 150 people to find and identify wild mushroom. AMANITA Guesthouse’s mushroom forays attract visitors from all over Greece and abroad. We get a great satisfaction when we train city children and we feel their great joy as they discover the magical mushroom world.