Gathering in Austria's forests

Forest gold – mushrooms, berries & wild herbs

What the forest gives when you know where to look – with identifying features, season, look-alike warnings and kitchen tips.

Austria's forests and Alm meadows are nature's pantry. If you identify the species reliably, know their season and follow a few rules, you will bring home something precious every time – from golden Eierschwammerl (chanterelles) and wild bilberries to aromatic Bärlauch (wild garlic). Here you will find the most important edible species, organised into mushrooms, berries and wild herbs.

Group 1 · Mycology

Mushrooms – the gold of the forest floor

Edible mushrooms grow in symbiosis with their trees – read the tree and you will find the mushroom. Seven reliable species, each with its most certain feature and the look-alike you need to know.

June – October

Chanterelle

Cantharellus cibarius · „Eierschwammerl"

Feature:

egg-yolk yellow, forked ridges instead of true gills, fruity apricot scent.

Habitat:

mossy coniferous & mixed forests, often in rows.

⚠ Look-alike:

False chanterelle – true, soft gills.

Kitchen:

cream sauce, scrambled eggs; not raw.

July – October

Parasol mushroom

Macrolepiota procera · Riesenschirmling

Feature:

cap up to 30 cm, scaly; movable double ring, snakeskin-patterned stem.

Habitat:

meadows, clearings, forest edges.

⚠ Look-alike:

young death caps – check ring & size.

Kitchen:

breaded and fried like a Schnitzel.

June – October

Porcini

Boletus edulis · Herrenpilz

Feature:

brown cap, white netting on the stem, firm tubes (white → yellowish).

Habitat:

near spruces & beeches, symbiotic partners.

⚠ Look-alike:

Bitter bolete – bitter, pink tubes.

Kitchen:

pan-fried; especially intense when dried.

April – May

Morel

Morchella esculenta · Speisemorchel

Feature:

honeycomb-pitted cap, completely hollow inside.

Habitat:

riparian forests & ash trees on limestone – the spring mushroom.

⚠ Look-alike:

false morel (poisonous!) – brain-like convolutions.

Kitchen:

only thoroughly cooked, never raw.

May – November

Shaggy ink cap

Coprinus comatus · Spargelpilz

Feature:

white, shaggy-scaly cap; dissolves inky-black with age.

Habitat:

meadows, path & field edges.

Kitchen:

only young & process immediately; no alcohol with it.

July – November

Bay bolete

Imleria badia

Feature:

chestnut-brown cap, slimy when wet; tubes bruise blue under pressure.

Habitat:

coniferous forests – very common, ideal for beginners.

⚠ Look-alike:

Bitter bolete – bitter, pink tubes.

Kitchen:

versatile; pan-fry or dry.

August – October

Puffball

Calvatia gigantea · Riesenbovist

Feature:

large white ball (up to football size), pure white & firm inside when young.

Habitat:

meadows, pastures, forest edges.

⚠ Look-alike:

only young with pure white flesh; cut open to be sure (homogeneous inside).

Kitchen:

sliced, breaded and fried.

Group 2 · Alm meadows & forest edges

Berries & fruit – sweet treasures of the heights

Wild berries are smaller than their cultivated relatives but far more aromatic – and the higher the Alm, the more intense.

July – September

Bilberries

Vaccinium myrtillus · „Moosbeeren"

Feature:

low dwarf shrubs, blue-black; stains fingers & tongue.

Habitat:

altitudes above 1,500 m, acidic soils.

Kitchen:

Moosbeernocken, jam, Kaiserschmarrn.

July – August

Alm raspberries

Rubus idaeus · Wildhimbeere

Feature:

small, soft, highly aromatic – detaches from the core.

Habitat:

sunny mountain forest edges, cleared areas.

Kitchen:

raw, as Röster (compote) or syrup.

August – September

Lingonberries

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Feature:

small, bright red, tart; leathery evergreen leaf.

Habitat:

open mountain forests, often next to bilberries.

Kitchen:

classic with game, Kaiserschmarrn & cheese.

July – August

Alpine currants

Ribes · „Ribisel"

Feature:

clusters of red to black berries, delicately tart.

Habitat:

shrubbery, forest edges, near streams.

Kitchen:

jelly, juice, cake topping.

August – September

Blackberries

Rubus fruticosus

Feature:

thorny canes, glossy black aggregate fruits.

Habitat:

sunny forest edges, embankments.

Kitchen:

raw, jam, in a crumble.

June – July

Gooseberries

Ribes uva-crispa

Feature:

green-yellow, hairy, pleasantly tart; thorned branches.

Habitat:

hedges, forest edges, overgrown gardens.

Kitchen:

raw when ripe, compote, cake.

Flowers May–June · berries Aug–Sept

Black elder

Sambucus nigra · „Holler"

Feature:

large white flower umbels, later black berry umbels.

Habitat:

forest edges, waysides, hedges.

⚠ Look-alike:

dwarf elder (poisonous) – herbaceous, upright berries.

Kitchen:

flowers for syrup & Hollerküchle; berries only cooked.

September – November

Rose hips

Rosa canina · Wildrose

Feature:

bright red aggregate fruits; soft after the first frost.

Habitat:

sunny hedges & forest edges.

Kitchen:

purée, tea, jam – remove seeds & fine hairs.

October – November

Sloes

Prunus spinosa · Schwarzdorn

Feature:

small blue-black, tart fruits on a thorny shrub.

Habitat:

hedges, field & forest edges.

Kitchen:

mild only after frost – liqueur, jam.

Group 3 · Wild herb lore

Wild herbs – seasoning from forest & meadow

Gather herbs in the late morning, once the dew has dried. Reliable identification is decisive: read scent, leaf shape and flowering time together – and when in doubt, leave it standing.

March – May

Bärlauch (wild garlic)

Allium ursinum

Feature:

intense garlic scent when rubbed – the most reliable identifier.

Habitat:

shady riparian forests, often in large carpets.

⚠ Look-alike:

lily of the valley & autumn crocus (poisonous!) – scent test.

Kitchen:

pesto, spread, soup.

May – August

Alpine dock

Rumex alpinus

Feature:

large, broad leaves; pleasantly tart taste.

Habitat:

fertilised Alm soils, resting-area meadows (Lägerfluren), stream banks.

Kitchen:

Alpine dock soup, as a wild vegetable.

April – September

Stinging nettle

Urtica dioica

Feature:

stinging hairs, toothed opposite leaves.

Habitat:

nutrient-rich soils – almost everywhere.

Kitchen:

soup, spinach-style, tea; blanch briefly.

July – September

Masterwort

Peucedanum ostruthium

Feature:

umbellifer, aromatic-pungent root.

Habitat:

moist Alm meadows, tall herb communities.

Kitchen:

dried root as tea, spice or herbal schnapps.

June – September

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Feature:

finely feathered leaves, white umbel flowers, spicy scent.

Habitat:

meadows, waysides, dry embankments.

Kitchen:

salads, herb butter, tea.

June – August

Wild thyme

Thymus · Wilder Thymian

Feature:

low-growing, small pink flowers, strong thyme-like scent.

Habitat:

dry, sunny slopes and nutrient-poor grassland.

Kitchen:

tea, for seasoning meat & vegetables.

March – October

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Feature:

jagged rosette leaves, hollow stem with milky sap, yellow flower.

Habitat:

meadows and waysides – practically everywhere.

Kitchen:

young leaves as salad, flowers for syrup.

April – June

Ground elder

Aegopodium podagraria

Feature:

triangular stem, leaves „three by three", parsley-like scent.

Habitat:

shady, moist spots; widespread.

⚠ Look-alike:

other umbellifers – check the triangular stem.

Kitchen:

like spinach or parsley.

March – October

Daisy

Bellis perennis

Feature:

small white ray florets with a yellow centre, leaf rosette.

Habitat:

meadows and lawns.

Kitchen:

mild decoration for salads; buds like capers.