Mushrooming during the study break

Mmmmm smells like mushroom

While some people are dutifully studying hard for the upcoming exam, I took the time to recharge my batteries and go mushroom picking in Lithuania.

I got the cheap flight pretty much at the last minute, packed my bags and went to the airport (via a short stop over at David's house where I ate real Mexican Mole).

Getting out into the forest with a great group of people including my lady Viktorija was fabulous. There was so much clean air out there that it made you dizzy. We picked up some beers and smoked chicken legs on the way into the forest to tide us over — walking around for hours searching for tasty boletus and chaterelles is hard work.

It had been raining recently and the weather was unusually warm for this time of year, so the mushrooms were sprouting everywhere. We had to drive a while before we could find a good spot because every man and his dog was out in the forest looking for those tasty fungi.

We found loads of mushrooms including two of the most poisonous in Europe. What I love about going mushrooming is that I learn something new every time. We always go with Vik's cousin Marius who is somewhat of a forest expert. He can always show me something interesting that I would have otherwise walked straight past.

Our mushroom company. Left to right: Paulius, Viktorija, Adam,
Margarita, Marius. Centre: Meta.

We had the boletus for lunch with some chicken stew, mashed potatoes and Vik's mum's preserved cucumbers and onions... yummy....