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The most general image of the mushroom picking season is associated with autumn, a (in theory) rainier season, although spring also has its attractions for boletus hunters.
The situation of drought that, for so many months, has suffered (and is still suffered in Catalonia), has also affected mushroom pickers.
There are three factors that are considered important for favorable circumstances for the growth of mushrooms to occur: the humidity provided by the rains, the drop in temperatures and the absence of strong winds.
As indicated by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), “most mushrooms grow in autumn, and the rest in spring”. And it is that “they come out when the sun warms the ground again after a period of rain”, which is what has happened in recent days in Catalonia after a long time without rainfall.
By creating favorable circumstances, the mushrooms have grown again. As we see in The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia, you can even see the ous de reig, less common and highly appreciated in Catalonia. The ancient Romans already priced them higher.
This mushroom, portrayed in this case in the surroundings of the Sau reservoir, in Osona, appears in lowlands in broadleaf forests, basically associated with cork, holm oak, oak and chestnut trees, in clean and illuminated places facing east.
If the right conditions are given, as has happened now, it bears fruit from spring to early autumn, since the ou de reig is not a lover of cold.
The ou de reig can be eaten both fried and raw, cut into thin slices and marinated in olive oil. Its sweet flavor makes it a mushroom with excellent taste.
