Where and when
The growing season of cep usually begins at Kainuu in the beginning of August and continues until the end of September.
The first cep appear around paths and road beds. On hot and dry summers, dense spruce seedlings have been good growth places. There grows the spruce cep that begins rising first. Pine fabrics begin giving the round legged pine bolete a bit later.
Because mushrooms usually gather heavy metals, you aren’t allowed to pick them right by a busy road.
In different localities, bolete rise at different times. It is important for us to get information on the rising of bolete, so that we know when is the right time to begin buying.
How to act in the forest?
As a cep hunter you need proper tools, so that the haul will be received in good condition. Take with you a mushroom knife with brush and an airy basket or box, which can be covered with paper or linen. Use a plastic bag only for your packed lunch.
Only healthy and firm bolete are suitable for sale.
Take the mushroom by the leg and handle it with care. Touching the tubes changes their colour and reduces the price of the bolete. Pick up the bolete whole from the ground. Do not break the leg, since only a whole mushroom meets the classification criteria. Check that the mushroom is hard and firm and that there are no worms.
Clean the cep precisely of soil and trash with the brush. Carve the part of the leg that has soil on it, with the surface so that the leg becomes ball like. If there is a root worm in the leg, remove it with the knife. Sort the mushrooms while picking them; first and second class mushrooms in different baskets for example or at least in different corners of the basket.
Miten toimittaa myytäväksi?
Before venturing to the forest, find out where and when you can sell the mushrooms. Selling points are open in the evening, because the cep haul must always get to the buyer on the same day, preferably as soon as possible.
Bolete start to decompose right after being picked. That is why it is important that you transport and keep the bolete in a cool and airy place protected from sunlight. For example keep the cep in a cold room before taking them to be sold.
In Kainuu there are selling points in every municipality center. Also in Northern Ostrobothnia at Utajärvi and Muhos. In Northern Karelia our selling places are at Nurmes and Valtimo.
Exact selling places and times you will find by following the buyers ads in local magazines. We will also inform exact selling places and times on our website, when the buying begins.
At the selling point you get updated information, among other things, on the prices of mushrooms.
