Rural Hungary

Haha, we are training up Plum to do the same. Ceps are one of the best mushrooms for amateurs to start collecting as they can not be easily confused with other poisonous varieties. I'll add some links to this post but basically, they do not have gills, instead they have small tubes which form a sponge like under canopy, you can not in a million years mistake one for the other. There is a toxic Boletus which is rare and has red/pink tubes and stalk - so easy to spot.

If you stick with the best ones for eating, you can't go far wrong and if you find any but still aren't sure, as a villager for advice.

Hungarian site
Info in English
Google "hunting for ceps" for lots more info. They are known as Porcini in Italy.

FenTiger

I note the temperature in Hungary seems to have dropped quite a bit. It was -2C in Miskolc at around 8:30am. My Hungarian wife says the forecast for winter this year will be worse than last year.

Rural Hungary

Same here, -4 last night Yesterday, I had to get the last of the tomatoes and paprikas in before the frost got to them! Still have a ton of apples to harvest and hoping the frost hasn't done them any harm
Thankfully the next 5 weeks are forecast to be above freezing (all bar two days) as I'm still not prepared for the winter yet Come mid November, they take a real dip - much earlier than the previous couple of years......

Pollypaprika

I know I may well regret saying this...but where is the winter? I feel we are being lulled into a false sense of security at the moment and in March we will get a tonne of snow or sub zero temperatures. In some places things are beginning to show signs of blossom which is not a good sign.

fidobsa

This is about Bulgaria but no doubt we will get something similar:

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=157294

Pollypaprika

That's exactly what I am worried about :-)

PaulinEger

They've been predicting snow since mid December here and apart from 2 very light dustings we haven't seen any. The long range forecast always seem to have snow in there but each time we approach the dreaded day "they" change their minds.
This is what's currently forecast:
http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Eg.../Heves/HU.aspx
Patchy, light snow on the 28th then heavy snow on the 31st....we'll see. I have my wellies and a few kilos of grit salt ready but I hope it doesn't come to be honest as I have a 60km round trip to work and back each day through the forest and over the hills...with no mobile reception in case of emergency.

Sachina

I'm getting quite neurotic about the lack of snow. Its got so bad I check the 10 day online weather forecast at least twice a day and I've also noticed it alters from day to day. I wish it would snow and get it over with and then I'd know how to organise my week.

I want to enrol my Peigirl for obedience classes but there's no point in making arrangements if I can't make the 60km journey to Miskolc. And anyway even if I managed to get there I don't fancy standing in the middle of a field in a blizzard shouting "Come" to a dog that won't listen!

Rural Hungary

Looks like a bit due end of the month but nothing like previous years. Temps seem to drop below zero in Feb but nothing drastic. Concern then is the trees bud early and get caught by a few nights of below zero - a years crop gone

Pollypaprika

Yes, this is my concern. Is this normal in your experience Rural?

Rural Hungary

Happened 3 or 4 years ago. Though there was some snow over the winter months, temps were quite mild and trees started to bud then there were hard frosts in the April/May which wiped out a lot of crops.
The current forecast is showing little snow and few nights of low temps right through to March - though at that range it's difficult to be accurate. If it stays as forecast and then frosts hit, it will damage a lot of fruit and nut trees.

FenTiger

We're expecting visitors from Miskolc in March .... they're flying mid-evening .... looks like they might struggle to get to the airport if it snows.

PaulinEger

This is crazy! the 2 week forecast is now showing a max temp of 9*c and a minimum temp of only -1*c. Quite a bit of rain but now snow. The forecast ers change their minds more than once each day :/

fidobsa

Yes, the forecasts have been rubbish lately. You can pretty much guarantee it will be cooler than the maximum temperature they start off with. One day they were quoting a maximum of 10 degrees, the next day they were quoting a maximum of 4 degrees and saying it would be warmer than yesterday!

Rural Hungary

We have roses blooming in Kent but no sign of the spring bulbs in Hungary as yet!