It is a perennial bulbous flower, with flowering shoots triangular and 20-60 cm high. The central bulb is up to 4 cm long with many bulbs around it. Its leaves grow from the bulb, up to 30 cm in length, are dark green, oblong-oval, narrowing and ending in a pointed end. The dense inflorescence is composed of small translucent white flowers, in fake shades. It blooms from April to June. It is a Mediterranean plant, quite common in Greece, thriving in wet or cool and shady forests with deciduous trees, in abandoned fields, on stony slopes with phrygnas and shrubs, usually at low and medium altitudes, the whole plant smells like garlic.

It is harvested whole from winter to late spring. The leaves of Allium ursinum are edible can be used as a salad, boiled as a vegetable, in soups and as an ingredient for pesto instead of basil. Stems preserved in brine are eaten as a salad in Russia. Bulbs and flowers are also edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Fruition: March - June

It is a perennial bulbous flower, with flowering shoots triangular and 20-60 cm high. The central bulb is up to 4 cm long with many bulbs around it. Its leaves grow from the bulb, up to 30 cm in length, are dark green, oblong-oval, narrowing and ending in a pointed end. The dense inflorescence is composed of small translucent white flowers, in fake shades. It blooms from April to June. It is a Mediterranean plant, quite common in Greece, thriving in wet or cool and shady forests with deciduous trees, in abandoned fields, on stony slopes with phrygnas and shrubs, usually at low and medium altitudes, the whole plant smells like garlic.

It is harvested whole from winter to late spring. The leaves of Allium ursinum are edible can be used as a salad, boiled as a vegetable, in soups and as an ingredient for pesto instead of basil. Stems preserved in brine are eaten as a salad in Russia. Bulbs and flowers are also edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Fruition: March - June

It is a perennial, monocotyledon, climbing or low shrub with a height of up to 2.5 meters. It has long leaflets of dark green, blackish, tender shoots with thin leaves like needles coming directly from the soil. It has greenish-yellow, fragrant flowers and small black fruits like berries. In Greece it appears throughout the country as a wild, native plant in barren locations, in places with holly trees, in coniferous forests, in forest glades, in shrubs and in cultivated soils.

The shoots are collected from February to May, when they are tender and reach the desired size of 10-15 cm. For therapeutic purposes the root is also collected. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days wrapped in a wet towel. For several months in the freezer after first boiling. They are eaten raw in salad with oil and vinegar, boiled in brine and tied with twine, the best of them is omelette.

Fruition: February - May

Competitors leave MasterChef’s kitchen and are back to nature to take part in a double team test. The aspiring chefs will visit Lake Beletsi at the foot of Parnitha, where they will meet mushroom collector Nektarios Filipopoulos and with him will be invited to take part in a delicious truffle hunt. The “black diamond of the earth” will be a central theme of the test for the two teams, which, with the result of their dishes, should once again prove they deserve their place in the six best of the competition.

Οι διαγωνιζόμενοι αφήνουν την κουζίνα του MasterChef και βρίσκονται ξανά κοντά στη φύση προκειμένου να λάβουν μέρος σε μια διπλή ομαδική δοκιμασία.
Οι επίδοξοι σεφ θα επισκεφτούν την λίμνη Μπελέτσι στους πρόποδες της Πάρνηθας, όπου θα συναντήσουν τον συλλέκτη μανιταριών Νεκτάριο Φιλιππόπουλο και μαζί του θα κληθούν να πάρουν μέρος σε ένα απολαυστικό κυνήγι τρούφας.
Το «μαύρο διαμάντι της γης» θα είναι και κεντρικό θέμα της δοκιμασίας για τις δύο ομάδες, που με το αποτέλεσμα των πιάτων τους θα πρέπει, για ακόμα μια φορά, να αποδείξουν ότι αξίζουν την θέση τους στους έξι καλύτερους του διαγωνισμού.

Fresh, rare and hard-to-reach, wild, top mushrooms … If you want to be in this world then you have to let go of the magic hands of Nektarios Philippopoulos, the man behind Fungi Hellas, the man knows as much as the natural and delicious greatness of the Greek wild mushroom and the Greek wild truffle.

With 35 years of experience, knowledge and love for nature and mushrooms, and incredible hours of personal engagement with the collection of mushrooms, one would easily say that Nektarios Philipopoulos’ knowledge is inconceivable. But that is not all. It is not just the knowledge that can transport us, but also a series of exceptional products, unique specifications based on the wild mushroom.

The history

Fungi Hellas was founded in 2010 to become an organized and professional bridge of familiarity and approach to all those who are interested in learning and experiencing the wonderful flavors and shades of mushroom and its products.

The unique comparative advantage with signature made in Greece
With its passion, knowledge, experience and professionalism, Fungi Hellas has managed to gather and sell on Greek and international markets fresh Greek mushrooms and truffles almost 12 months a year!
Depending on the demand, mushrooms are harvested weekly by a specialized team under the guidance of Nectarios to ensure their freshness. Then the products are subject to strict quality control and careful packaging before their distribution begins and their dispatch to selected restaurants and hotels throughout Greece and the world.
The result is that fresh truffles and mushrooms arrive within 48 hours anywhere in the world!

Family affair

The passion for every facet of the mushroom passes from generation to generation in the Philipopoulos family. Thus, Nektarios was initiated by his father in love for the Greek nature and its unique treasures: truffle and wild mushrooms! Today Nektarios introduces his sons to this magical world and of course to all of us.
The first child mushroom-living was enough to enchant Nectarios and so this charm evolved into a journey of everlasting love, devotion and profound knowledge of these mysterious fruits of Greek nature.

Globbaly success, customers and the dream

The effort she has been making for years now, as well as true love for the mushroom world, have made Nektarius win some of the most important collaborations and some of the best and most distinguished clients in the world. And we’re talking about award-winning chefs and simple gourmet food lovers! Fungi Hellas caters to the high demands of its partners, with top quality products and fast delivery.
The dedication, from the first step to the last step, to high standards of product care and packaging, makes them consistent partners whether you are a retail store, a catering company, or just an independent lover of all kinds of mushrooming experience!

Source: Made in Greece

Fresh, rare and hard-to-reach, wild, top mushrooms … If you want to be in this world then you have to let go of the magic hands of Nektarios Philippopoulos, the man behind Fungi Hellas, the man knows as much as the natural and delicious greatness of the Greek wild mushroom and the Greek wild truffle.

With 35 years of experience, knowledge and love for nature and mushrooms, and incredible hours of personal engagement with the collection of mushrooms, one would easily say that Nektarios Philipopoulos’ knowledge is inconceivable. But that is not all. It is not just the knowledge that can transport us, but also a series of exceptional products, unique specifications based on the wild mushroom.

The history

Fungi Hellas was founded in 2010 to become an organized and professional bridge of familiarity and approach to all those who are interested in learning and experiencing the wonderful flavors and shades of mushroom and its products.

The unique comparative advantage with signature made in Greece
With its passion, knowledge, experience and professionalism, Fungi Hellas has managed to gather and sell on Greek and international markets fresh Greek mushrooms and truffles almost 12 months a year!
Depending on the demand, mushrooms are harvested weekly by a specialized team under the guidance of Nectarios to ensure their freshness. Then the products are subject to strict quality control and careful packaging before their distribution begins and their dispatch to selected restaurants and hotels throughout Greece and the world.
The result is that fresh truffles and mushrooms arrive within 48 hours anywhere in the world!

Family affair

The passion for every facet of the mushroom passes from generation to generation in the Philipopoulos family. Thus, Nektarios was initiated by his father in love for the Greek nature and its unique treasures: truffle and wild mushrooms! Today Nektarios introduces his sons to this magical world and of course to all of us.
The first child mushroom-living was enough to enchant Nectarios and so this charm evolved into a journey of everlasting love, devotion and profound knowledge of these mysterious fruits of Greek nature.

Globbaly success, customers and the dream

The effort she has been making for years now, as well as true love for the mushroom world, have made Nektarius win some of the most important collaborations and some of the best and most distinguished clients in the world. And we’re talking about award-winning chefs and simple gourmet food lovers! Fungi Hellas caters to the high demands of its partners, with top quality products and fast delivery.
The dedication, from the first step to the last step, to high standards of product care and packaging, makes them consistent partners whether you are a retail store, a catering company, or just an independent lover of all kinds of mushrooming experience!

Source: Made in Greece

“If you want something, you will find the way to do it. Risks are also needed. If the first difficulty stops, it means you did not want it enough. ” These are some of the phrases that Nektarios Philippopoulos tells you when you meet him. And it looks as if he was doing so in his subversive way. From a village in Achaia he arrived in Athens, he studied accounting and eventually managed to find the “secret of success” in something he likes very much: in mushrooms.

He is the founder of the company Fungi Hellas. A company that sells Greek mushrooms and truffles, while also organizing excursions for those who want to experience all the experience of collecting these foods. It’s Possible met Nektarios Philipopoulos (at a break from his morning job).

First of all, how did you start your mushrooming?
I grew up with my family in the village of Kalamia in Achaia. There we gathered mushrooms. A professional activity that has passed from generation to generation. I remember when I was young, we took the donkeys and we were going for 2 and 3 hours to go up the mountain to mushroom mushrooms. All this created me in my memories.

The years passed, they came to Athens, I studied Accounting and I started working. But memories remained. At some stage, we started out with some friends to organize excursions to mushroom mushrooms. The company grew bigger, but this activity was always a hobby.
However, because the economic crisis came, and from one point onwards we could not make the excursions, we decided to find a way to self-finance. So we wanted to find money to make our excursions!

So what did we do? We said that from the mushrooms we will collect, we will sell a part of them to have some revenue. And so to make our walks outdoors. We had a joint fund, and we managed to make partnerships with some restaurants. This whole process has done me and my friends, to learn all the information that has to do with the mushrooms. He chronologically talks about 4 years ago – then all of this happened. The “key” here is that we managed to offer something that they could not find in the grocery store. Send the mushrooms in the evening from the various parts of Greece, come to me early in the morning and make the distribution on the same day. Eventually, the idea grew, and somehow it came to the establishment of Fungi Hellas.

What exactly does the brand you have created?
We sell truffles 12 months a year. I can even tell you that until the creation of Fungi Hellas there was no company in Greece that could provide Greek truffle all year round. I have managed to build a network of people in different parts of the country, and we have achieved the result I am describing.

We also have mushrooms. These are very sensitive. If you pick up at night and do not take advantage of it at a fast pace, it can all be broken within 2 days. The difficulty is therefore not only to find them on Earth and collect them. You also have to make them available immediately. Think I get mushrooms from Alexandroupolis and I have to send them to Crete within a few hours. In this job you always move to a “fine line”.

You obviously have some specialized knowledge, and you built this whole thing. But I want to ask this: Can someone who does not have that knowledge and background to start such a project?
If you do something with love, you can do everything. Think I’m running this particular company as a parallel activity, since I work as an accountant in the mornings. So if anyone believes in something … It’s Possible. It is a fact. I, with Fungi Hellas, had another goal in addition to product sales: To gather people from abroad and to make excursions to Greece where we will gather mushrooms. So that one can live all the experience. It is something that we also do with great success, however at first it seemed difficult. In a few days I expect a group from Israel, one from the Netherlands and one from Switzerland. Somehow, it will have a job, for example. and the guesthouse that will stay or the restaurants where these travelers will eat.

How do you manage to combine your project with your morning work? Because everything you describe to me looks very big and probably takes several hours of work.
I get up 5:00 in the morning. I go to the Kifissos Bus Station where the mushrooms arrive from different parts of Greece, then I go to my home, prepare all the packages and invoices to get my assistant ready and make the distribution. And then at 9:00 I have to be in my office at the accounting office. As I said before, this activity takes place 12 months a year.

Source: itspossible.gr

“If you want something, you will find the way to do it. Risks are also needed. If the first difficulty stops, it means you did not want it enough. ” These are some of the phrases that Nektarios Philippopoulos tells you when you meet him. And it looks as if he was doing so in his subversive way. From a village in Achaia he arrived in Athens, he studied accounting and eventually managed to find the “secret of success” in something he likes very much: in mushrooms.

He is the founder of the company Fungi Hellas. A company that sells Greek mushrooms and truffles, while also organizing excursions for those who want to experience all the experience of collecting these foods. It’s Possible met Nektarios Philipopoulos (at a break from his morning job).

First of all, how did you start your mushrooming?
I grew up with my family in the village of Kalamia in Achaia. There we gathered mushrooms. A professional activity that has passed from generation to generation. I remember when I was young, we took the donkeys and we were going for 2 and 3 hours to go up the mountain to mushroom mushrooms. All this created me in my memories.

The years passed, they came to Athens, I studied Accounting and I started working. But memories remained. At some stage, we started out with some friends to organize excursions to mushroom mushrooms. The company grew bigger, but this activity was always a hobby.
However, because the economic crisis came, and from one point onwards we could not make the excursions, we decided to find a way to self-finance. So we wanted to find money to make our excursions!

So what did we do? We said that from the mushrooms we will collect, we will sell a part of them to have some revenue. And so to make our walks outdoors. We had a joint fund, and we managed to make partnerships with some restaurants. This whole process has done me and my friends, to learn all the information that has to do with the mushrooms. He chronologically talks about 4 years ago – then all of this happened. The “key” here is that we managed to offer something that they could not find in the grocery store. Send the mushrooms in the evening from the various parts of Greece, come to me early in the morning and make the distribution on the same day. Eventually, the idea grew, and somehow it came to the establishment of Fungi Hellas.

What exactly does the brand you have created?
We sell truffles 12 months a year. I can even tell you that until the creation of Fungi Hellas there was no company in Greece that could provide Greek truffle all year round. I have managed to build a network of people in different parts of the country, and we have achieved the result I am describing.

We also have mushrooms. These are very sensitive. If you pick up at night and do not take advantage of it at a fast pace, it can all be broken within 2 days. The difficulty is therefore not only to find them on Earth and collect them. You also have to make them available immediately. Think I get mushrooms from Alexandroupolis and I have to send them to Crete within a few hours. In this job you always move to a “fine line”.

You obviously have some specialized knowledge, and you built this whole thing. But I want to ask this: Can someone who does not have that knowledge and background to start such a project?
If you do something with love, you can do everything. Think I’m running this particular company as a parallel activity, since I work as an accountant in the mornings. So if anyone believes in something … It’s Possible. It is a fact. I, with Fungi Hellas, had another goal in addition to product sales: To gather people from abroad and to make excursions to Greece where we will gather mushrooms. So that one can live all the experience. It is something that we also do with great success, however at first it seemed difficult. In a few days I expect a group from Israel, one from the Netherlands and one from Switzerland. Somehow, it will have a job, for example. and the guesthouse that will stay or the restaurants where these travelers will eat.

How do you manage to combine your project with your morning work? Because everything you describe to me looks very big and probably takes several hours of work.
I get up 5:00 in the morning. I go to the Kifissos Bus Station where the mushrooms arrive from different parts of Greece, then I go to my home, prepare all the packages and invoices to get my assistant ready and make the distribution. And then at 9:00 I have to be in my office at the accounting office. As I said before, this activity takes place 12 months a year.

Source: itspossible.gr

This mushroom and truffle hunt was a blast! Organized for the third time in a row by some real mushroom enthusiasts, we experienced nature at its finest in the Athanasios Diakos (Mousounitsa) area. We picked various mushrooms and found precious truffles together! The highlight of the excursion was having Thodoris Papanikolaou with us, as a guest chef cum mushroom lover! His expertise and culinary talent took our rare findings to a whole other level!