Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Lieto

The velvet bolete is one of the most common mushrooms in pine forests in the northern hemisphere. There have been reports of mild poisoning cases from eating this mushroom, so it is best avoided. The velvet bolete is said to be of poor taste and unpleasant smell, anyway.

Chicken of the woods is very noticeable in hardwood forests, appearing in clusters on standing tree trunks in bright orange and yellow hues that sometimes last through the entire winter. It is a parasite that causes an unfortunate brown heart rot, and is considered a particularly troublesome pest of Yew trees. If the fruitbodies can be seen, the tree is likely already beyond saving.

The brown birch-bolete is common around the northern hemisphere. It grows beneath birch trees and is usually easy to identify by its brown cap and scaly stem, the latter of which is referenced in its scientific name Leccinum scabrum. Occasionally, however, it can be found sporting a white cap.

The cap is convex to depressed and is coloured a distinctive bloody red, pink, crimson or purple. Sometimes it may show a yellowish or orange tinge in the centre. It may measure between 6 and 20 cm in diameter. The flesh is white with a mild taste and without scent; it quickly becomes soft and spongy and also greyish. The crowded gills are cream coloured when young, and become yellow with age. They are adnexed and are generally thin. Their edges may sometimes occur reddish. The amyloid, elli spores measure 8–10 by 7–10 μm are warty and are covered by an incomplete mesh. The stem is white, sometimes with a pink hue, slightly clubbed. It may measure 5 to 15 cm in height and up to 3 cm in diameter.

This mushroom is distinctive for the spines, or teeth, that hang down from the underside of its cap. It can be found on forest floors singly or in groups. In spite of the name, sweet tooth, it has a slightly spicy bite and bitter aftertaste. This wild mushroom needs to be cooked before it is truly edible, and only young, parasite-free mushrooms should be harvested.

The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”

You may not be particularly surprised to learn that the orange birch bolete (Leccinum versipelle) is an orange-capped bolete that commonly associates with birch trees. The species has a classic bolete form, boasting a large, bulbous cap, a thick, shaggy stalk, and a sponge-like pore surface. When cut and exposed to air, the flesh of this mushroom will turn blue.

As the name suggests, Yellow swamp brittlegill has a characteristic yellow cap. The name brittlegill refers to the fragility of this mushroom's cap, which breaks easily. Its flesh greys slowly when damaged or cut. It grows close to birch trees. Yellow swamp russula doesn't have any significant odor.

As its common name implies, the conifer tuft grows on dead conifers, either singly or in groups. It can be found around the northern hemisphere in the autumn season. Take care to distinguish this species from the highly toxic Sulphur Tuft. Inspect the gills closely; those of the conifer tuft are pale grey, and never green.

Birch webcap is a striking yellow mushroom that is uncommon but stands out because of its bright, 'triumphant' color. It can be found in deciduous woodlands. Yellow girdled webcap derives its name from its yellow color and the yellow ring on its stem which serves as a distinct feature that helps to identify this mushroom.