I'm full Slav, almost entirely Polish. I recall foraging for "putpinki" mushrooms locally with my parents when I was a child. The love of the mushroom hunt did not really awaken in me until much later in adulthood, when I started cooking in earnest. Now in my 70's, I find them all over my yard, chicken of the woods, reishi, earth star, amanita muscaria, and last year there was one lonely morel which I did eat! Locally we have many turkey tails and chaga grows in the Adirondacks. I very much enjoy other types for cooking but rarely find them in the woods. Your post makes me yearn for the season!
WOW what a variety of mushrooms you have in your yard! I'm very jealous! I only recently learned how important mushroom hunting is/was to our ancestors and am quite excited myself to do some more foraging this spring!
This is so fascinating! Yet another thing that feels like part of my blood, but I didn't know until recently. I absolutely love foraging and just got into it in the past few years. I only just learned a few months ago that mushroom hunting is a Slavic tradition, so it was amazing to realize that maybe I like it so much because it's in my blood and history!
My dad said my grandma, from Ukraine, made the best mushroom pierogis, and my grandpa, from Poland, could identify any plant in the wild and its medicinal properties. It's so amazing when we make these connections to our culture and ancestors.
Yes I didn't realize mushroom hunting was so popular! I love that it is one of those traditions that has remained for thousands of years despite all of the changes culturally and globally. I'm experimenting with some mushroom pierogis myself, mixed with sauerkraut they are a staple in Polish cuisine too.
I'm full Slav, almost entirely Polish. I recall foraging for "putpinki" mushrooms locally with my parents when I was a child. The love of the mushroom hunt did not really awaken in me until much later in adulthood, when I started cooking in earnest. Now in my 70's, I find them all over my yard, chicken of the woods, reishi, earth star, amanita muscaria, and last year there was one lonely morel which I did eat! Locally we have many turkey tails and chaga grows in the Adirondacks. I very much enjoy other types for cooking but rarely find them in the woods. Your post makes me yearn for the season!
WOW what a variety of mushrooms you have in your yard! I'm very jealous! I only recently learned how important mushroom hunting is/was to our ancestors and am quite excited myself to do some more foraging this spring!
This is so fascinating! Yet another thing that feels like part of my blood, but I didn't know until recently. I absolutely love foraging and just got into it in the past few years. I only just learned a few months ago that mushroom hunting is a Slavic tradition, so it was amazing to realize that maybe I like it so much because it's in my blood and history!
My dad said my grandma, from Ukraine, made the best mushroom pierogis, and my grandpa, from Poland, could identify any plant in the wild and its medicinal properties. It's so amazing when we make these connections to our culture and ancestors.
I can't wait to try that mushroom soup! Yum! 😋
Yes I didn't realize mushroom hunting was so popular! I love that it is one of those traditions that has remained for thousands of years despite all of the changes culturally and globally. I'm experimenting with some mushroom pierogis myself, mixed with sauerkraut they are a staple in Polish cuisine too.