Wellies – check

Brown cord jacket – check

Big ass knife – check

Good friends and rainy weather – double check

 

This stroll through the Belgian forest of *insert name of forest* we undertook late Autumn of 2012. What was supposed to be a very relaxed weekend in the countryside with friends turned out to be… well, it actually turned out to be exactly that. We cherished the finding of what we hoped were non-poisonous mushrooms and spent time together chatting and taking borderline dorky pictures.

 

For the more informed reader the following information is redundant, but if you are like me and know little to nothing about mushroom hunting the following rules would be preferable for you to observe:

1. Learn about which mushrooms your hunting for. Everybody knows about the Amanita muscaria, the fly mushroom with the red top and white dots, but what about the other 10,000 species? Remember, only roughly 50% are edible and the rest will mess you up.

2. The outfit makes the master. You want to peruse through a forest? Blend in with the classic hunter outfit.

3. Do not rush. Enjoy the tranquillity and the fresh air of the forest. God knows if you are like me and usually live in a big city, this is the only real air you’ll be breathing in a long time.

Jamie A Cowan © shutterLIVING