Story
Gathering Mushrooms in Austria
During my October stay in Austria, I spent some time with my good friend Oskar Korben and his wife Ivmgard hunting for mushrooms in the wooded areas above the village of Seeham which is located twelve miles north of Saleburg. The village of Seeham is located in a beautiful setting of rolling pastoral hills with farms who’s pastures are among the greenest that I have ever seen.
The large lakes are located near the village and the towns of Matsee and Obertrum can be seen in the distance, along with the Salesburger alps which tower over the landscape and surrounding areas. I was with the backdrop of this breathtaking scenery that we hiked over the wooded areas where we began our search for mushrooms.
The forested areas in Austria are quite different from the one’s that I am familiar with here at home. The woodlands are of dense growth of pine and beech trees and the rays of sunlight struggle to make there way through the dense canopy. Lighting the tree trunks and the forest floor below in somewhat eerie tones from the filtered light. I almost expected some of the characters from the Grimm’s brothers fairly tales to come to life. Oskar told me that this has been a very good year for mushrooms, both in terms of quantity and quality, and on the day that I went for the adventure, the findings proved to be one of the best days of the season.
I have no experience in hunting for mushrooms, so I eagerly followed along behind, observing each discovery and recording them in my drawing book.
In a very short time, two large baskets were filled with mushrooms and we were ready for the long hike home, where work would begin with cleaning and cutting away bad spots.
We spent the afternoon on the porch, bathed in the warm October sun as we prepared much of the harvest for the winter storage. At least three varieties were sliced and placed in tin baking pans where they were dried in the oven over low heat. Just enough wood was added to the wood-burning cook stove to keep the oven warm and not overheat the mushrooms.
Once they were thoroughly dehydrated and cooked down, the mushrooms were stored in glass jars for winter months, where they will find there way into a variety of Austrian recipes which will bring good cheer to the cold, snowy winter months that lie ahead.
On the evening of our mushroom hunting adventure, I was very fortunate to dine with the Korber’s and experience two ways of preparing the steinpilz mushroom.
The first course was a soup. The mushrooms were chopped and browned in oil with about five cloves of minced garlic. Toward the end of the browning process, enough flour was added to make a fairly thick Roux which was stirred until the mixture began to brown. To this, a small amount of finely chopped flat leaf parsley was added, and then soup stock was added and stirred until the soup was thickened.
The final result was the heavenly taste of the steinpilz mushrooms and the forest that they came from. The steinpilz was also used for the second course. The large slices of mushrooms were salted, dipped in flour, then in egg batter, bread crumbs, and then fried on both sides until golden brown. This was my second award winning taste sensation of the meal.
A few of the mushroom varieties that we gathered that day were speise morchel, hohe morchel, birkenpilz, maronenrohrling, schopftintling, and the steinpilz.
In former times, the schopftintling mushroom was used to make ink in its later stages of development. Another mushroom called “flieqenpilz” was used to kill flies. The mushrooms were boiled in milk and then set out in small bowls, where flies were drawn to the fatal brew.
Oskar described the effects of this mushroom if it was consumed, “At first in thirty minutes it disturbs the liver, and then in one hour or more you are going at the graveyard.”
A word of warning; we are all familiar with the advice of “Don’t try this at home.” If you are tempted to hunt for mushrooms, be sure that you are in the company of an expert!
John Coykendall, Master Gardener During my October stay in Austria, I spent some time with my good friend Oskar Korben and his wife Ivmgard hunting for mushrooms in the wooded areas above the village of Seeham which is located twelve miles north of Saleburg. The village of Seeham is located in a beautiful setting of rolling pastoral hills with farms who’s pastures are among the greenest that I have ever seen.
The large lakes are located near the village and the towns of Matsee and Obertrum can be seen in the distance, along with the Salesburger alps which tower over the landscape and surrounding areas. I was with the backdrop of this breathtaking scenery that we hiked over the wooded areas where we began our search for mushrooms.
The forested areas in Austria are quite different from the one’s that I am familiar with here at home. The woodlands are of dense growth of pine and beech trees and the rays of sunlight struggle to make there way through the dense canopy. Lighting the tree trunks and the forest floor below in somewhat eerie tones from the filtered light. I almost expected some of the characters from the Grimm’s brothers fairly tales to come to life. Oskar told me that this has been a very good year for mushrooms, both in terms of quantity and quality, and on the day that I went for the adventure, the findings proved to be one of the best days of the season.
I have no experience in hunting for mushrooms, so I eagerly followed along behind, observing each discovery and recording them in my drawing book.
In a very short time, two large baskets were filled with mushrooms and we were ready for the long hike home, where work would begin with cleaning and cutting away bad spots.
We spent the afternoon on the porch, bathed in the warm October sun as we prepared much of the harvest for the winter storage. At least three varieties were sliced and placed in tin baking pans where they were dried in the oven over low heat. Just enough wood was added to the wood-burning cook stove to keep the oven warm and not overheat the mushrooms.
Once they were thoroughly dehydrated and cooked down, the mushrooms were stored in glass jars for winter months, where they will find there way into a variety of Austrian recipes which will bring good cheer to the cold, snowy winter months that lie ahead.
On the evening of our mushroom hunting adventure, I was very fortunate to dine with the Korber’s and experience two ways of preparing the steinpilz mushroom.
The first course was a soup. The mushrooms were chopped and browned in oil with about five cloves of minced garlic. Toward the end of the browning process, enough flour was added to make a fairly thick Roux which was stirred until the mixture began to brown. To this, a small amount of finely chopped flat leaf parsley was added, and then soup stock was added and stirred until the soup was thickened.
The final result was the heavenly taste of the steinpilz mushrooms and the forest that they came from. The steinpilz was also used for the second course. The large slices of mushrooms were salted, dipped in flour, then in egg batter, bread crumbs, and then fried on both sides until golden brown. This was my second award winning taste sensation of the meal.
A few of the mushroom varieties that we gathered that day were speise morchel, hohe morchel, birkenpilz, maronenrohrling, schopftintling, and the steinpilz.
In former times, the schopftintling mushroom was used to make ink in its later stages of development. Another mushroom called “flieqenpilz” was used to kill flies. The mushrooms were boiled in milk and then set out in small bowls, where flies were drawn to the fatal brew.
Oskar described the effects of this mushroom if it was consumed, “At first in thirty minutes it disturbs the liver, and then in one hour or more you are going at the graveyard.”
A word of warning; we are all familiar with the advice of “Don’t try this at home.” If you are tempted to hunt for mushrooms, be sure that you are in the company of an expert!
John Coykendall, Master Gardener
The large lakes are located near the village and the towns of Matsee and Obertrum can be seen in the distance, along with the Salesburger alps which tower over the landscape and surrounding areas. I was with the backdrop of this breathtaking scenery that we hiked over the wooded areas where we began our search for mushrooms.
The forested areas in Austria are quite different from the one’s that I am familiar with here at home. The woodlands are of dense growth of pine and beech trees and the rays of sunlight struggle to make there way through the dense canopy. Lighting the tree trunks and the forest floor below in somewhat eerie tones from the filtered light. I almost expected some of the characters from the Grimm’s brothers fairly tales to come to life. Oskar told me that this has been a very good year for mushrooms, both in terms of quantity and quality, and on the day that I went for the adventure, the findings proved to be one of the best days of the season.
I have no experience in hunting for mushrooms, so I eagerly followed along behind, observing each discovery and recording them in my drawing book.
In a very short time, two large baskets were filled with mushrooms and we were ready for the long hike home, where work would begin with cleaning and cutting away bad spots.
We spent the afternoon on the porch, bathed in the warm October sun as we prepared much of the harvest for the winter storage. At least three varieties were sliced and placed in tin baking pans where they were dried in the oven over low heat. Just enough wood was added to the wood-burning cook stove to keep the oven warm and not overheat the mushrooms.
Once they were thoroughly dehydrated and cooked down, the mushrooms were stored in glass jars for winter months, where they will find there way into a variety of Austrian recipes which will bring good cheer to the cold, snowy winter months that lie ahead.
On the evening of our mushroom hunting adventure, I was very fortunate to dine with the Korber’s and experience two ways of preparing the steinpilz mushroom.
The first course was a soup. The mushrooms were chopped and browned in oil with about five cloves of minced garlic. Toward the end of the browning process, enough flour was added to make a fairly thick Roux which was stirred until the mixture began to brown. To this, a small amount of finely chopped flat leaf parsley was added, and then soup stock was added and stirred until the soup was thickened.
The final result was the heavenly taste of the steinpilz mushrooms and the forest that they came from. The steinpilz was also used for the second course. The large slices of mushrooms were salted, dipped in flour, then in egg batter, bread crumbs, and then fried on both sides until golden brown. This was my second award winning taste sensation of the meal.
A few of the mushroom varieties that we gathered that day were speise morchel, hohe morchel, birkenpilz, maronenrohrling, schopftintling, and the steinpilz.
In former times, the schopftintling mushroom was used to make ink in its later stages of development. Another mushroom called “flieqenpilz” was used to kill flies. The mushrooms were boiled in milk and then set out in small bowls, where flies were drawn to the fatal brew.
Oskar described the effects of this mushroom if it was consumed, “At first in thirty minutes it disturbs the liver, and then in one hour or more you are going at the graveyard.”
A word of warning; we are all familiar with the advice of “Don’t try this at home.” If you are tempted to hunt for mushrooms, be sure that you are in the company of an expert!
John Coykendall, Master Gardener During my October stay in Austria, I spent some time with my good friend Oskar Korben and his wife Ivmgard hunting for mushrooms in the wooded areas above the village of Seeham which is located twelve miles north of Saleburg. The village of Seeham is located in a beautiful setting of rolling pastoral hills with farms who’s pastures are among the greenest that I have ever seen.
The large lakes are located near the village and the towns of Matsee and Obertrum can be seen in the distance, along with the Salesburger alps which tower over the landscape and surrounding areas. I was with the backdrop of this breathtaking scenery that we hiked over the wooded areas where we began our search for mushrooms.
The forested areas in Austria are quite different from the one’s that I am familiar with here at home. The woodlands are of dense growth of pine and beech trees and the rays of sunlight struggle to make there way through the dense canopy. Lighting the tree trunks and the forest floor below in somewhat eerie tones from the filtered light. I almost expected some of the characters from the Grimm’s brothers fairly tales to come to life. Oskar told me that this has been a very good year for mushrooms, both in terms of quantity and quality, and on the day that I went for the adventure, the findings proved to be one of the best days of the season.
I have no experience in hunting for mushrooms, so I eagerly followed along behind, observing each discovery and recording them in my drawing book.
In a very short time, two large baskets were filled with mushrooms and we were ready for the long hike home, where work would begin with cleaning and cutting away bad spots.
We spent the afternoon on the porch, bathed in the warm October sun as we prepared much of the harvest for the winter storage. At least three varieties were sliced and placed in tin baking pans where they were dried in the oven over low heat. Just enough wood was added to the wood-burning cook stove to keep the oven warm and not overheat the mushrooms.
Once they were thoroughly dehydrated and cooked down, the mushrooms were stored in glass jars for winter months, where they will find there way into a variety of Austrian recipes which will bring good cheer to the cold, snowy winter months that lie ahead.
On the evening of our mushroom hunting adventure, I was very fortunate to dine with the Korber’s and experience two ways of preparing the steinpilz mushroom.
The first course was a soup. The mushrooms were chopped and browned in oil with about five cloves of minced garlic. Toward the end of the browning process, enough flour was added to make a fairly thick Roux which was stirred until the mixture began to brown. To this, a small amount of finely chopped flat leaf parsley was added, and then soup stock was added and stirred until the soup was thickened.
The final result was the heavenly taste of the steinpilz mushrooms and the forest that they came from. The steinpilz was also used for the second course. The large slices of mushrooms were salted, dipped in flour, then in egg batter, bread crumbs, and then fried on both sides until golden brown. This was my second award winning taste sensation of the meal.
A few of the mushroom varieties that we gathered that day were speise morchel, hohe morchel, birkenpilz, maronenrohrling, schopftintling, and the steinpilz.
In former times, the schopftintling mushroom was used to make ink in its later stages of development. Another mushroom called “flieqenpilz” was used to kill flies. The mushrooms were boiled in milk and then set out in small bowls, where flies were drawn to the fatal brew.
Oskar described the effects of this mushroom if it was consumed, “At first in thirty minutes it disturbs the liver, and then in one hour or more you are going at the graveyard.”
A word of warning; we are all familiar with the advice of “Don’t try this at home.” If you are tempted to hunt for mushrooms, be sure that you are in the company of an expert!
John Coykendall, Master Gardener