9 mushrooms for 3 mountain ranges: where to collect edible mushrooms in Cazorla, Segura and las Villas

Picking mushrooms is like playing golf: it requires physical fitness, concentration and luck. Good luck. In fact, finding a poplar mushroom is equivalent to signing seven under par at Saint Andrews. And filling a basket with black boletus is like winning the Augusta Masters without having to dress posh.

If you are a lover of mushrooms and a good risotto with mushrooms, it is better to put on work clothes to look for these species of mushrooms and start knowing where to collect mushrooms in the mountains of Cazorla, Segura and Villas.

The three twin mountain ranges of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas give their name to the largest Protected Natural Area in Spain, and the second in Europe, a perfect place for a ecotourism getaway.

In addition, they are home to 1,400 species of mushrooms, most of them suitable to be the main food on a table in which they compete against ham and cheese. Almost all of them are edible mushrooms, but eight of them would pass the Michelin guide's control of excellence with flying colors, being a real mushroom scramble, which is why they call us the southern mushroom paradise.

Nothing like a good mushroom guide like the Guide to Mushrooms and Fungi by Marcel Bons to soak up the world of mushrooms and bring you a backpack full of mushrooms, but today we tell you which are the best-known mushrooms, what they are like and where to find them. Here are the 9 most common edible mushrooms in Cazorla, Segura and las Villas:

1. Chanterelle or robellón

The chanterelle, known as robellón in the north, or the chanterelle mushroom, and in the Sierra de Segura as guíscano or guízcano, is the most wanted mushroom It is easy to identify by its orange cap with concentric rings of a darker tone. When cutting the foot, they secrete reddish latex that impregnates the razor. There are 4 different subspecies (Lactarius deliciosus, Lactarius sanguifluus, Lactarius semisanguifluus and Lactarius vinosus) with a common denominator: they are equally appreciated by tasters of this delicacy.

They're in pine forests where there is space for light and accumulation of organic matter in the soil. It is not always easy to find them because, sometimes, they are almost buried or hidden by leaf litter. Apart from grilling them, you can make soupy rice with mushrooms

*Alternative: If you don't find them among the pine trees, look for them in humid places near them, such as a stream bed through which water has recently flowed. You might find a giant chanterelle.

2. Poplar mushroom, Agrocybe cylindracea

The poplar mushroom it's the mushroom early riser, the first to appear, you can find it in humid areas. Although he likes the third trimester, he sometimes leaves before fall begins. Sometimes it can even be seen in spring.

Its hat has brown tones and is ovoid in the smallest specimens. Its blades are white, although they can darken as they mature. It has a white foot, somewhat fibrous and with a small brown ring. Also notice the holes in the membrane of the hat, which make it unmistakable.

To find it, always look next to the poplar trunks or old poplars: grows at its base.

3. Oyster mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii

The oyster mushroom is a mushroom halftime (autumn and spring) which is located in grasslands where runner thistle is abundant.

Her hat would not stand out at the Ascot racecourse: it is somewhat sunken in the center and flattened on the sides, like that of any English lady. The tone is dark brown. The foot, white and robust. The sheets can reach the center of it. You will recognize it by the pleasant smell it gives off.

Look for it where it is cuckoo thistle or runner. It forms such an association with this plant that if it is not next to it it is not a thistle. Look closely, because the plant may have dried out or be a few meters away from the mushroom. By the way, the typical recipe for mushrooms with garlic or rice with mushrooms works very well with this variety of mushroom.

4. Cane or cane mushroom, Clytocibe geotropa

This mushroom is lined up in rows of several specimens. It is also known as cord mushroom or lane. If you manage to find it, congratulations: it is one of the best you can collect.

You can recognize it by the unmistakable shape of the crown, with the cap depressed in the center, ocher in color, with a stem of the same color and thickened at its base. Making a mushroom risotto with the thermomix or mushroom croquettes is great.

5. Black bolete or tentullo, Boletus aereus

The black ticket has a shape chubby, brewery, is the big one of the mushrooms, but the content is better than the mainland. Not in vain, they are the favorites of many collectors and it is one of the most appreciated boletus in the south of Spain. Its hat is convex, dark brown to black, and its stem is ocher in color and widened in the center. The interior is always white.  

As it usually comes out between gall oaks and holm oaks, is one of the mushrooms that you will see the most during a Typical mushroom picking day in Extremadura.

6. Parasol or umbrella, Macrolepiota procera

The parasol mushroom looks menacing, it's like a parasol parasol, like having a mess. It needs to be tattooed to be scary, but the truth is that it is not poisonous. On the contrary, it is one of the most exquisite you can find. And it is found in any habitat.

Its cream-colored, soft yellow cap can have scales on the top and reach up to 30 centimeters in diameter, the same as a foot in length. At that size he doesn't even try to hide.

To be sure that you are looking at a parasol mushroom, look at its brindle foot and the double mobile ring, measure its cap, check that it is longer than 10 or 15 centimeters. And use your sense of smell: it smells like cereal. This way you won't be confused with your cousin Macrolepiota rhacodes. You can try this umbrella or parasol in a mushroom and shrimp risotto or rice with mushrooms and vegetables. Don't miss it, if you make breaded mushrooms with the parasol you will think you are eating melted cheese. By the way, you won't find a good parasol in Alcampo.

7. The bold, Tricholoma terreum

Bold is not related to furniture or bold tires. The typical black mushroom is one of the best known and collected mushrooms, although if you confuse it with another similar species, it will not seem so exquisite. They are not black mushrooms, nor rare mushrooms. Check that his hat is dark gray and feels velvety. Regarding its size, does not exceed 8 centimeters diameter. It is located in pine forests and is very fragile. When you find it, you will think that it is a mushroom farm, and you may think about going to Amazon to grow mushrooms at home and learn how to preserve mushrooms.

8. Cagarria or morel, Morchella esculenta

The morel mushroom is the post-fire mushroom, as it usually appears en masse after forest fires.

It is VERY coveted in the Segura area and everyone is dying to find it (search morel price on Google and you will see). Of course, be careful with its preparation because you have to take a series of precautions before consuming it. They should not be consumed if they are not cooked or already dried and then hydrated and cooked. Otherwise it may not sit very well with your stomach.

Its hat is hollow with an almost spherical or conical shape, with a diameter between 6 and 10 cm, angular alveoli, without order and separated by edges shaped like a honeycomb or a sea sponge. It has shades that range from yellowish to brown, depending on the humidity it contains.

Its foot is completely hollow and becomes thicker as it approaches the base.

It is normally grilled with garlic. But no one stops you from making rice with mushrooms and chicken.

9. Mushroom of the Caesars, Amanita caesarea

Some search engines treat it as you. For them, the caesarean amanita is the queen of the forest and also not very common around here. The truth is that it has an excellent flavor. So much so that she was the emperor's favorite. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. In some places in Andalusia it is also known as “tana”. They will teach you in this mycological route through the Aracena Natural Park, where it is very abundant.

You can find it at two growth phases different:

1. During the early phase it looks like the yolk of an egg coming out of the shell. It is the only mushroom that presents this appearance in the infant phase.

2. In the adult phase its orange cap can reach 20 centimeters in diameter. The blades are yellowish and the ring is striated.

Like all amanitas, its base is covered with a volva or sac, so it is advisable to cut off the entire foot. And do it carefully so as not to damage the mycelium.

Mushrooms play hide-and-seek with seteros throughout Spain. I give you clues so you can find them in the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and las Villas:

Mini-guide to mushroom picking in the Sierra de Segura

The Sierra de Segura de la Sierra, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. Of the three mountain ranges, it is the mountain range with the greatest presence of fungi, located in its highest areas. Specifically, from 1,000 meters above sea level, the ideal humidity and temperature conditions occur which, together with the large amount of organic matter accumulated on the surface, make this area the most frequented by mushroom collectors.

Look at these routes for seteros where you can go to pick these edible mushrooms:

Corners near villages

La Capellanía (Hornos), Río Madera (Segura de la Sierra), Los Anchos, La Venta Rampias and Prado Maguillo (Santiago-Pontones) or in Tranco itself (Hornos) are enclaves where you will come across them.

You will also do it in high areas of the municipality of Siles crossed by the Acebeas highway. It is also possible to find mushrooms on the ascent to El Puntal along the dirt track that starts from the town of Siles itself.

In these pine forest areas, the chanterelle and the bold. It is not unusual to find a black ticket or a parasol.

In Siles, every year an event takes place that has been held for almost 20 years and is the meeting point for all mushroom and mushroom fans in the month of November, they are the Villa de Siles Mycological Days and in which the Lactarius Mycological Association, the leading mycological association of the province of Jaén, participates. To the parrot, you have the opportunity to enjoy a trip to the countryside with harvesting, a tasting cooked by the best cooks who are experts in safe recipes, and an exhibition of all the mushrooms collected for identification by the experts of the lactarius association in the Assembly Hall.

https://twitter.com/DelMarbueno/status/1056236615297888257

And you also have the opportunity to participate in the Mushroom photography contest they organize. Without a doubt, an excellent initiative for mushroom fans.

What do you want to know about a rural house in the Sierra de Segura, look at this excellent one rural house Cortijo La Ajedrea in Siles to stay during this mycological weekend, a large rural house in the Sierra de Segura. Ask Paco, the manager, to tell you what to see in Segura de la Sierra and which is the best restaurant in the Sierra de Segura.

Another family event that is celebrated every year in Tranco is the Mycological Conferences of the Sierra de Segura, organized by the El Tranco leisure center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVDnDCfWx3A

Aimed at all types of audiences, especially those who are just starting out in the world of mushrooms and fungi and also for any sweet tooth who wants to know the most typical recipes for cooking them.

The conferences also take place in the month of November in the area where it is located the Tranco swamp (it is never a fixed date, as it changes depending on the weather conditions of the current year), just after the rutting event, with an informative talk in an assembly hall (theoretical phase) and then everything learned will be put into practice. There is an essential figure, the local and mushroom expert Paco Martínez, a mushroom collector for more than 40 years, who gives us his experience and knowledge so that we can all be mushroom experts for a day. The Helm is his passion.

After finishing the collection, the species collected are identified in the assembly hall, and the next day, in the In the last part of the activity, chef Sonia Muñoz del Tranco will teach a culinary workshop at the Tranco restaurant, one of the most recognized in the area. So don't wonder where to eat in El Traco, you already know, don't look for more restaurants in Cazorla. And ends with a ride on the solar boat el tranco An event not to be missed!

In these days of mushroom days in El Tranco, without a doubt, and until they launch the rural house el tranco, we recommend two rural houses with a lot of charm for someone looking for a rural house in Tranco, nothing to envy of spending a night at the Cazorla parador:

Rural house Cortijo Maravillas: a charming farmhouse, beautiful and relaxing views, and all the comforts.

Ivo from Holland said:

«The tranquility, the beautiful views of the mountains, the surrounding nature, the garden with fresh green grass and comfortable chairs. The owner and his wife are super friendly and made us feel very welcome. »

Ask Paco what to see in the Cazorla or Segura mountains and the best routes in Cazorla and Segura.

Priest's farmhouse: just 1 km from Cortijos Nuevos, the town where all the workers of the El Tranco Active Leisure and Tourism Center live, and where all the social life moves in this area that borders El Tranco.

Fields of Hernán Pelea or Hernán Perea

Many know this place as they pass through the GR247 long-distance trail, a unique place. Here abounds Thistle arrow and in some points those of canada grow. You can access this place with a lunar landscape by a dirt track from the Don Domingo village, in Santiago-Pontones. If you arrive in a 4×4 quad or a 4×4, better for stiffness, but if you don't mind traveling around the area on foot, park your vehicle in this village and walk with basket in hand.

The Segura River Valley from La Campana, Santiago-Pontones (Jaén). May 2020#santiagopontones #jaen #riosegura pic.twitter.com/d4XO2eQUF7

— Jesús Cózar (@jcozar1) May 13, 2020

If you start from the Sierra de Cazorla, access the road that leads from Vadillo Castril to Dry Rambla through the Nava de San Pedro, where the Hernán Pelea fields track begins, on another side. Some people who talk to us about the weather in Cazorla have made a nice video about this place:

Research underway! Today (06/27/2020), team members @_FrostSE collecting data at strategic measurement points to monitor temperatures in cold poles of the southeast of the peninsula, with special attention to the Hernán Perea Fields (#Jaén). Video: @jcozar1. pic.twitter.com/ZcMJxVspGI

— MeteOrihuela (@MeteOrihuela) June 27, 2020

In addition to mycologists, the Hernán Perea fields are also known by Jaén astronomers, since it has one of the best starry skies of Spain. Good excuse to let it get late.

Night of #Astrotourism in Don Domingo @DiscoverSanPont #Jaen #starparty @jaenturismo @dipujaen @viveandalucia pic.twitter.com/6fzYik6oMi

— AstroAndalus (@AstroAndalus) August 10, 2016

Mini-guide to mushroom picking in the Sierra de las Villas

The highest areas are homes for mushrooms that benefit from the continental microclimate of these places. Specifically, the itinerary that connects Mogón with the Pringue puddle, an enclave that borders the Tranco reservoir, is full of corners where this gift from the earth proliferates.

https://twitter.com/el_tranco/status/1213526382807928833

I list a few: Cerezos fountain, Peinero cave, Aguascebas reservoir, Gil Cobo recreational area and The Osera. They all have the ideal humidity and soil conditions so that any type of fungus can develop.

https://twitter.com/HoraJaen/status/975442987596558338

Traditionally, it has been a mountain range where only the chanterelle or guiscano; but, due to its diversity of habitats, it houses in unequal proportions a large part of the species present throughout the Natural Park.

This mountain range is the great unknown in the Park and the least crowded. Two good reasons for you to discover it while you enjoy your mycological hobby. There are mushrooms for everyone in Las Villas.

Mini-guide to mushroom picking in the Sierra de Cazorla

In areas close to the town of Cazorla, among the places of Riogazas and of Montesion Monastery, which is accessed through the path of Saint Isicio, you can find four of these species: black mushrooms, chanterelles, poplar mushrooms and canada mushrooms.

Very close to the municipality is the Cerezuelo, a sketch of a river with a course of just 10 kilometers. Walk its shore in search of mushrooms, although the best areas are further away, near the source of the Guadalquivir River.

There is 3 routes setera recommended: 

Start from the Herrerías bridge towards Vadillo-Castril, go to the Habares stream or ascend the dirt track that crosses the source of the Guadalquivir and flows into the Three Crosses pine. From this place you have to descend to the area of stream of the Gualay Screws, a little frequented place where abounds boletus.

If you are at this point you are in the “deep saw”. You can enter a route in 4×4 off-road Even more so if you head towards Nava de San Pedro, where the Valdecuevas and Valdetrillo streams run, it will not be in a Mercedes 4×4, but it will surely be worth it. From here you can reach control of Rambla Seca to enter the fields of Hernán Pelea or Perea.

To enjoy the mushroom route, keep these in mind BASIC TIPS to be a good mycologist:

ATTENTION: Both the setera pocket knife to cut mushrooms like basket They are the key elements to be well prepared. It is not a butterfly knife, but I leave you the best options so that you do not go to the field without the best of the best.

The long-standing model and the one that setter fans usually purchase is this brand. There is no one who can resist the wicker basket of a lifetime. But there are those who dare to change gears and opt for modernities such as this other backpack for mushrooms, although it is rare and very practical.

lPractice is very important in identification of the different species. Keep in mind that the majority of mountain people collect mushrooms with complete safety based on characteristics that can be verified with the naked eye, and always follow the mushroom regulations of the Junta de Andalucía, in this case, or the regional government in question, in another. autonomous community, indicate and have published and updated. In Jaén, mushroom picking is an activity that has aroused a lot of interest, requiring regulation to avoid situations of abusive picking that could be harmful to the environment and the local mushroom populations. In this province, as the Andalusian mushroom decree says, you do not need a mushroom picking authorization for small quantities of mushrooms, those collected for self-consumption that do not exceed the 3 kilograms of weight per person and day.

And remember that in the world, the local is the teacher. The mushroom hunter is not a hiker. He does not become enthralled with the landscape or photograph dreamlike places or look at the horizon with rapture. The mushroom hunter has eyes exclusively for the earth. He is a tracking professional who isolates himself from the environment, no matter how beautiful it may be, to concentrate on what he does. However, admire the surroundings. Even if there were millions of them, I wouldn't look for chanterelles or boletus in a landfill.

If you want me to show you something more about the Cazorla, Segura y las Villas Park and its edible mushrooms, write me a comment, I will be happy to respond. To talk about poisonous mushrooms from Andalusia and especially from the mountains we will make a post later.

Now tell me, what has been the greatest mycological treasure you have found? #basketsandmushrooms.