They collect the trees one by one by searching the bottom: The most valuable species growing in the region

While there are various types of mushrooms that grow naturally in the forested areas of the district, the morel mushroom stands out as the most valuable mushroom species growing in the region.

Morel mushroom picking in Akseki begins in mid-April and continues until the end of May. With the start of the morel mushroom season, citizens flock to potential areas where mushrooms can be picked.

"WE ARE SEARCHING THE BOTTOM OF THE TREES ONE BY ONE"

Mehmet Kara, who has been going to the Toros Mountains in Akseki to search for morel mushrooms in April and May since his childhood, said, "We go up to the Toros Mountains early in the morning to search for morel mushrooms. We search the bases of cedar, juniper and spruce trees one by one. If it's rainy, there will be a lot of morels. We go to the base of every tree. If it's rainy, it will be even more beautiful from now on. May Allah grant us blessings. It contributes to our livelihood more or less. If the weather is rainy, we continue to collect morels until the end of May. If it doesn't rain, it won't happen. If it rains, they will continue to appear at the base of the trees. This is the people's livelihood in Akseki. " "WE GO WITH A WISH" Hasan Sağlam from Akseki said that they collect morel mushrooms under difficult conditions. Stating that the mushrooms are collected in April and May, Sağlam said, "We go out to the Taurus Mountains with our friends early in the morning to collect morel mushrooms. Collecting morels is quite a laborious task. We search for morels by wandering around the base of the trees from morning until evening. Sometimes we can find one kilo, sometimes 2-3 kilos. We eagerly go to the tops of the Taurus Mountains to collect morels."

"MORELS ARE VERY VALUABLE"

Stating that he has been collecting morel mushrooms in the region for years, Hüseyin Çatlı said, "Morel mushrooms are very valuable but also very difficult to collect. They grow in forested areas in April and May and their season starts with the spring rains and ends with the rise in air temperature." "THE PLEASURE OF PICKING IS DIFFERENT" Çatlı, who explained that the pleasure of picking morel mushrooms is different, said, "When you find a morel, you become extremely happy. You don't think about anything else while hiking in the mountains. You just adapt to morels. Morel mushrooms are a very valuable mushroom because they are extremely delicious." Stating that they collected morel mushrooms under difficult conditions, Çatlı said, "Morel mushrooms started to appear with the start of the April rains in the Taurus Mountains. Morel mushrooms do not appear everywhere. They appear in sunny, humid areas with cedar and spruce trees. Collecting morels is quite a laborious job. We go up to the high parts of the Taurus Mountains in the early morning and wander around the base of the trees until evening. We collect an average of one or two kilograms of mushrooms per day. There was not much snowfall in the winter this year and the soil did not swell. Also, there was very little spring rain. "It looks like the morel mushroom season will be less this year compared to previous years," he said. Çatlı, who also stated that he collected morel mushrooms not to sell but to eat them, said, "When morels first came out, they were sold for 1,500 lira. Now, they sell for 1,250 to 1,250 lira per kilogram. We don't collect morels to sell. We collect them to eat ourselves. If the weather is rainy, we will continue to collect morels until the end of May. If it doesn't rain, it won't happen. If it rains, they will continue to grow under the trees and grass. This is the people's livelihood in Akseki."

"NATURAL AND ORGANIC"

Bayram Erdoğan, a tradesman in Akseki, said that the morel mushroom growing in the Taurus Mountains in Akseki is delicious and has a high calorie content. Noting that morels grow abundantly at the base of cedar and spruce trees in Akseki, Erdoğan said, "The morel here is a delicious and high calorie mushroom. White and black are the same. People prefer the hearts of cedar and spruce trees. The people here usually consume the morels themselves. Not everyone sells the morels they collect. Since they are natural and organic, they dry them and consume them themselves in the winter. There used to be many sellers, but now there are not as many sellers as before. Those who do not go to the mountains come and buy from me."