Bert Inäbnit showing plants
Magic in the forest: mushroom-picking trips with Bert Inäbnit
Autumn is around the corner – and so is mushroom season. In Saanenland, nobody looks forward to this more than one local mushroom expert.
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Bert Inäbnit shows a basket of mushrooms
Autumn marks the start of mushroom season – and Saanenland is home to a veritable expert brimming with knowledge and a passion for all things mushroom: Bert Inäbnit. This kind-hearted native of Bern learned the art of mushroom picking from his father and has deepened his wide-ranging expertise on fungi by writing more than 35 books on the subject. Bert has been a passionate collector of natural history artefacts ever since his early childhood. His fascinating finds, including prehistoric rocks, butterflies, reptiles and other rare specimens, are on display in his museum – the smallest nature museum in Switzerland. If you’re interested in the natural world, make sure a trip here is on your agenda. Tours of his private collection are also available by prior arrangement. His love of mushrooms and many years of experience have made him a renowned authority in his field. He now shares his knowledge with other mushroom lovers on exclusive trips, where he passes on invaluable tips for a successful mushroom hunt.
Bert and his wife Nora moved to Saanenland around 18 years ago. It was here that the mushroom expert really threw himself into his passion for nature and woodland creatures. Alongside a degree in architecture, he also devoted himself to ornithology (the study of birds), making him a bona fide expert on all the flora and fauna of the forest.
Mushroom picking is not without its risks: many mushrooms are highly toxic. That’s why Bert warns against setting out on your own without knowing what you’re doing. If you have your suspicions about a particular mushroom, he suggests having it looked over by a mushroom inspector – or not picking it in the first place. In the canton of Bern, there is also a quantity limit of 2 kg per person, per day. Once you’ve picked your mushrooms, they should ideally be kept somewhere where the air can circulate around them, such as a basket or cloth bag. Bert supplies some 200 – 300 kg ready-to-cook mushrooms exclusively to the Maison Hornberg and the kitchen at the Hotel Kernen in Schönried every year.
Bert Inäbnit holding out a sliced mushroom
Besides foraging for mushrooms, Bert also picks berries and alpine herbs. With great care and attention to detail, he turns these herbs into a delicious tea, which he supplies to Lea like, his daughter Lea’s gift shop and florists in Schönried. You can buy this tea exclusively there. Working together on this project brings the father and daughter together in a very special way, giving them the chance to share their love of nature and its healing powers. Every morning, Bert drinks a mug of tea made from his blend of 25 different Saanenland herbs. Since he started this routine, he has hardly ever been ill.
Bert’s insider tip is to carefully twist the mushroom out of the soil, without damaging the base of the stalk. Then the hole left in the ground should be covered over again to protect the mushroom’s roots from damage. Mushroom lovers aren’t overly keen to reveal their routes and picking sites. Bert still has clear memories of 1974, his record-breaking year when he and his friends picked more than 74 kg of porcini mushrooms in France.
Bert Inäbnit has a keen eye for mushrooms – and he is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge and his passion for nature and these forest dwellers. If you want to learn about mushrooms and nature in Saanenland, he’s the man for the job!
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