Winter is not the best time for mushrooms but we had a fairly warm December so we decided to try our luck this Sunday. We have our regular “hunting grounds” in Bukovica so those were first on our list. The day was gorgeous but quite cold…

We searched our regular spots for any signs of mushrooms but we got there too late: most of the mushrooms were old and rotten. Only a week ago, we would have at least 2 kilos of great stuff!
The kids were running and having fun so we took our time exploring the area. It was so different than in the summer months when everything is so green and when the scents of the fields fill the air…

So, after an hour of walking, we decided to look into some other places along the road. Our “mushroom connoisseur”, Lukša, spotted an interesting pine forest and we headed there to try our luck.

Bingo!

The pine forest was filled with 2 species that are known to grow in the winter!
One is rujnica (Lactarius deliciosus (L.; Fr.) S.F.Gray – Saffron Milk Cap) and another was mišek (Tricholoma terreum (Schaeff.) Quél. – Dirty Tricholoma )

The day’s catch was not as spectacular as on our previous “hunts” for mushroom in Dalmatia but it was plenty for a great meal!

The rujnicas we simply fried on butter (the red sauce from them was fabulous!) and the mišeks fried with scrambled eggs was one of the best meals ever! So tasty!
Actually, it was so good that I am planning a second trip to the woods quite soon!

Please note that you should NEVER go and pick mushrooms on your own without being accompanied by a someone who actually knows the species picked! There is a mushroom that looks similar to mišek ant it is quite poisonous so be very careful!

www.culinary-croatia.com
www.secretdalmatia.com

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