If there is a definition of pixapí is, without a doubt, when the locals leave the city in autumn to look for bolets. We put on our xiruques, our pants with zipper (to have shorts and long pants at the same time), and of course, our iaia ‘s wicker basket to look more authentic.
Currently, Catalonia is living one of the best mushroom seasons since 2018, so if you still haven’t gone this year of boletaire, wait no more because here we bring you the best guide to look for bolets in Barcelona and surroundings.
And no, we will not reveal the most hidden and secret corners,but we will give indications on how to find places and in which areas of Catalonia is more common to find them, since one of the most important things when we go to look for mushrooms is to respect nature and take them in moderation .
Table Of Contents
Boletus season
Let’s start with the basics, if your question is when to look for mushrooms in Catalonia, you have to know that these come out mainly in the month of October and November, depending on the weather .
To know when is the ideal time, first of all we need humidity and rain, so if it has been a dry October (not like this one), forget about finding any mushrooms in the forest. So, normally, going in November is always a safer option. Although it always depends on the year and the weather at the time.
The fredolic, a mushroom that heralds the arrival of the cold weather
If the rains mark the beginning of the mushroom hunting season, there is also a mushroom that, when it appears, indicates that the cold arrives and, as a consequence, the season is over. It is the fredolíc, which in Catalan means cold.
When it appears, it is not that the mushroom season is over all at once, but rather it indicates that it will be a progressive thing, but that the cold and frost are already here.
How to identify edible mushrooms
Once the boletus season has arrived in Catalonia, the second most important thing is to know how to identify the different types of mushrooms, as some can be poisonous and even deadly. So, when in doubt, it is best not to pick them and always make sure you are picking a good one.
To avoid people getting confused, there are several applications that allow you to identify mushrooms once you are in the forest. So we recommend you to download them before your trip so that you can study a little bit what you can find.
These are some of the apps to identify mushrooms:
- Mushtool
- Fungipedia
- Mushroom preserves
- Boletus
- Mycocyl
- Mushrooms – Mushroom Guide
- Mushroom Genera
In addition, the Generalitat de Catalunya has made a guide, which you can consult here, about the dangerous mushrooms that are usually found in our forests.
The most common bolets: What will you find in the Catalan forests?
In Catalonia, you will find a great variety of edible mushrooms. The most common are the rovelló, the trumpet, the black llenega, the camagroc, the pinatell, the fredolic and the carlet.
In addition, if we look at the name of most of them, they can help us to identify them. The camagroc, for example, has a yellow trunk and its name comes from cama (leg) and groc (yellow) and the pinatell, on the other hand, grows in pine forests.
How to hunt bolets
Although it may seem like an easy thing to do, going bolet hunting requires a specific technique. So first, before going, you’ll have to find a good knife to cut them with. Once you are there, the ideal thing to do is to pry it up and take the whole mushroom. In this way, as reported by the Generalitat de Catalunya, we will not damage the mycelium, which would be a kind of root of the mushroom. If we do it the other way and pull them out, we will not be able to grow more mushrooms in that area.
In addition, the Generalitat also gives other advice, such as using wicker baskets instead of plastic bags. In this way, the forest can recover the spores and thus favor the appearance of new mushrooms of this type.
Finally, if they are very small, it is better to leave them, as they have not yet had time to grow and release their spores to reproduce.
When foraging for mushrooms, it is very important to do it in harmony with nature and to have the utmost respect for it. We have to do it in a moderate and responsible way, facilitating their reproduction.
Where to find bolets in Catalonia
Now comes the final part. Once we know when, which ones and how, it’s time to know where. If you live in Barcelona and you want to make a day trip to collect bolets, we recommend you to go to the mountains of Montseny. There you will find mushrooms of all kinds very close to Barcelona and the best thing is that you can get there by public transport.
Another key area for mushroom picking in Catalonia is the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees. Its wooded and humid areas offer hundreds of places where these mushrooms proliferate.
La Garrotxa can also be a good option. It is not as far away as the Pyrenees, but not as close as the Montseny. It is an intermediate point that, apart from having spectacular views, its humidity and forests create the perfect climate for the appearance of bolets.
When in doubt, we always recommend asking your boletaire friend about which sites are his favorites and which ones he recommends.