In an appearance on Vikerraadio's "Uudis+" on Tuesday, Tedersoo explained that on top of location, the amount of wild mushrooms to grow depends primarily on rainfall amounts.

"Based on my experience over the last few days, I can say that around Tartu, there are rather fewer chanterelles than average for the beginning of August," he said.

Rainfall amounts can slightly shift mushrooms' life cycles in relation to the seasons. In some places, mushrooms will crop up early due to rain, the mycologist explained; in drier areas, they'll appear later.

"The abundance of mushrooms' fruiting bodies definitely also depends on the health and growth of [surrounding] trees as well as what species of trees are even present," he added.

For those looking to forage chanterelles specifically, Tedersoo says there are several tips for finding the best spots to do so.

Chanterelles can chiefly be found in damp birch- or aspen-dominated forests, which tend to be drier. He explained that birch and other deciduous trees accumulate sufficient photosynthesis products earlier, which allows them to support mushroom growth sooner.

In coniferous forests, meanwhile, chanterelles usually emerge a bit later.

"Around a week from now it may be worth checking out otherwise drier forests, as damper forests may be flooded," he said. "Flooded forests likely won't have mushrooms for the rest of the year."

Compared with other types of mushrooms, chanterelles grow relatively slowly.

"During the summer period, a tiny mushroom bud can turn into an overgrown fruiting body in around two to three weeks; in the fall – October, November, December – the fruiting body can survive for as long as months," the mycologist highlighted. "If they aren't damaged by strong overnight frosts, you can even still pick chanterelles in the forest in January."

When foraging for these golden-orange mushrooms, it's important to check for any rot, he warned, adding that any chanterelles that have already formed dark brown rotten strips should either be cut immediately or left behind altogether.

"There are already decomposition processes taking place there, and other toxin-producing molds can start to grow," he explained, adding that various toxic degradation products can form as the mushroom itself decomposes.

No mushroom knife needed

When it comes to picking these distinctive mushrooms, Leho Tedersoo recommends carefully twisting chanterelles out of the soil together with their stems, or then gently pulling them.

"If you leave long stem stumps cut by a knife behind, they'll definitely end up rotting and growing mold," he explained, adding that this can then spread to the entire mycelium. "Removing the entire fruiting body eliminates that risk."

The lower part of chanterelle stems are also just as nutritious as the caps.

"I went into the woods myself yesterday and didn't use a knife at all – I ended up with half a small bucket of mushrooms," the mycologist said. "All chanterelles, russulas and boletes can just be twisted out by hand and broken off at the stem."

Estonians love chanterelles, and Tedersoo believes that it's somewhat by chance that chanterelles have become such a strong favorite. "It could just as well be some boletes or slippery jacks, but those are preferred by ethnic Russian folks," he noted.

He believes that chanterelles being so easy to identify out in the forest has also bolstered its popularity as a foraged wild mushroom. "Of course, their taste definitely has to do with it too," he added.

Boletus gravy isn't bad either, he continued, but when it comes to boletes, it's crucial to be able to accurately identify specific species, as some boletes are poisonous and others simply not very edible. Porcini mushrooms, he highlighted, are very good.

According to the expert, though, something unusual is up with boletes this year. Despite a rather rainy summer, you would expect them to be abundant, but in reality they've been proving quite scarce. "We can assume that tons of boletes would appear in moderately damp and drier spots the weekend after heavy rains," he said.

How abundant wild mushrooms will be this fall is still hard to say right now. Tedersoo explained that for fall mushrooms, it's weather conditions a week or two ahead of their fruiting time that play a crucial role.

One potential risk, he added, is that many mushrooms may already be receiving the environmental signals to fruit now already, leaving a period this fall where there are just about no mushrooms left.

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