First kilos of forest mushrooms already on sale

Foragers predict that 2024 will be a better year for mushrooms than 2023. The first kilos of chanterelles have always made their way to the markets in Estonia and Latvia.
Marje Mürk is a famous mushroom picker living along the border of Latvia, who is known for picking mushrooms all year round. When her compatriots begin to long for the taste of chanterelles, they turn to her to ask if they can already be found in the forest.
"Of course, people keep asking and asking if there are any mushrooms, because it's already the buying season and everyone is worried about where there are mushrooms and where there are lots of them. But there is a drought. We still have a big desert in our forests. We had a little rain yesterday, but how much will it help? The old chanterelles that were in the woods have already dried up in the sun and they are dying, they won't grow any more. Now the hope is on new mushrooms," she told Tuesday's "Aktuaalne kaamera".
Despite this, hard-working fungi foragers have already carried the first kilos of chanterelles out of the forest. Latvians have come across the border to Krabi bus stop to sell their products as the prices are much higher in Estonia.
"Yesterday it was €7, today it was €6.5 and tomorrow maybe €5. In Latvia it's now €3.5 just over the border," forager Avo Pang told AK.
Kevin Kasak, 17, was selling five kilograms of mushrooms in buckets on Tuesday after spending three hours in the forest. This will be extra income alongside his summer job. However, he was not overly pleased with the results.
"It's been dry with little rain and the mushrooms do not want to grow yet. The price per kilo could be higher," said the young man, who is saving money to buy a car and for school.
Pang said that the drought has done a lot of damage and the mushrooms have not been of good quality for the second year.
However, Marje hopes that this year will be a little better than the last, but cannot be completely sure.
However, she shared a tip about how to find the best chanterelles. If you see lots of tire marks in the forest, you can be sure the mushroom hunters have been close by.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Helen Wright
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"