Picking mushrooms in Da Lat during the rainy season.

After more than an hour of picking mushrooms at the edge of the forest near Tuyen Lam Lake in Da Lat, Ha harvested nearly 6 kg of cone mushrooms and beef liver mushrooms.

The rainy season in Da Lat begins from the end of May to October. During this time, mushrooms start to grow abundantly under pine trees in the forest near the city. Ha "Dim," who lives in Hanoi , had her first experience picking mushrooms in the forest on a sunny morning at the end of May.

Around 9 a.m., Ha traveled by motorbike from the city center to the edge of the forest near Tuyen Lam Lake, where many edible and nutritious mushrooms grow.

"Wild mushrooms usually grow naturally under pine trees, where there's little sunlight. Once you've identified a tree stump with mushrooms, a walk around the area will yield many. The mushrooms usually grow in clusters," Ha said.

When the female tourist arrived in Da Lat, it was the beginning of the mushroom season, so there weren't many mushrooms yet. It took Ha nearly half an hour to find a tree with mushrooms growing on it. In the forest area around Tuyen Lam Lake, there are many types of edible mushrooms, easily distinguished by their appearance, such as beef liver mushroom, chicken egg mushroom, khaki mushroom, and coral mushroom.

In an hour, Ha harvested nearly 6 kg of mushrooms, mostly yellow cone mushrooms with stems almost as thick as a wrist and longer than a handspan, and red liver mushrooms that were about half the size of the cone mushrooms.

While picking mushrooms, Ha wore gloves and gently picked them from the base to prevent the caps from falling off. "It's a good idea to bring a small knife to cut off any damaged stems and clean the mushrooms before putting them in the basket. Doing so will prevent pests from spreading to other mushrooms, and it's also quicker to prepare them at home before cooking," the female tourist shared.

After picking the mushrooms, Ha sorted them again, washed them thoroughly with salt, then blanched them briefly in water and prepared them into various dishes.

She mentioned that in Da Lat this season, there are many mushroom-picking services offered with local people. Tourists are guided to the mushroom-growing forest, instructed on how to pick mushrooms, and how to distinguish poisonous ones. The female tourist suggested that those without experience in forest trekking and mushroom classification should book a service for a safer experience. If they want to explore on their own, they should thoroughly research information about the mushroom-picking area, terrain, and types of mushrooms.

Quoc Dung, a resident of Da Lat who often leads tourists on forest trekking and mushroom-picking trips, said that 20 years ago, when tourism was not yet developed, only ethnic minorities living in the highlands near Da Lat went into the forest to pick mushrooms. In recent years, tourists have begun to show interest in this local activity.

The activity usually takes place during the day, from 6 am to 10 am. Local guides pick up guests from their accommodation by motorbike, then go trekking in the pine forest and mushroom picking, at a cost of 500,000 VND per person, children under 10 years old are free.

"Each session, I only guide a maximum of 3 guests to avoid them accidentally picking poisonous mushrooms. Most of the guests are families with young children, parents who want their kids to have close-to-nature experiences," Mr. Dung said. With the summer holidays approaching, many families are bringing their young children to Da Lat. Mr. Dung's schedule is often fully booked for the entire week.

He always requires guests to wear gloves to avoid touching the toxins on some of the mushrooms. When cutting mushrooms, they should cut across the stem, leaving the roots intact so the mushrooms can grow again the following season.

Local guides lead tourists in picking mushrooms in the pine forest. Photo: Quoc Dung.

From the end of June to the end of August, the amount of mushrooms will gradually decrease. The quantity of mushrooms that grow depends on the weather conditions. Mr. Dung said that mushrooms will grow after 2-3 days of continuous rain followed by a sunny day. The Tuyen Lam Lake area and Dar Sar commune are the two locations with the most mushrooms. Common types of mushrooms include kelp, beef liver mushroom, chicken egg mushroom, and oyster mushroom. The rarest type is the rock flower mushroom, also known as the coral mushroom.

"After harvesting, the mushrooms need to be sorted again to avoid mixing in poisonous ones. Edible wild mushrooms have high nutritional value, and their market price ranges from 500,000 VND per kilogram depending on the type," Mr. Dung shared.

Bich Phuong

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