Milk mushrooms are considered one of the most popular and favorite fruiting bodies among mushroom pickers and gourmets. These fruiting bodies belong to mycobionts highest category. Experienced mushroom lovers will always recognize the milky White mushroom with a yellowish mycelium and a cap on which there are concentric rings.

In Russian cuisine, milk mushrooms have special meaning – salted mushrooms are a favorite snack at any festive table. In addition, salting milk mushrooms is an excellent option for preparing fruiting bodies for the winter.

Since these mushrooms have a bitter taste due to the milk contained in the pulp, there are situations when the milk mushrooms turn black when soaked, boiled or salted.

What happens to the fruiting bodies, why does the milk mushroom turn black? Sometimes these mushrooms can darken almost immediately when cut. Mycologists classify almost all types of milk mushrooms as conditionally edible mushrooms, since they cannot be eaten raw. As mentioned above, the unpleasant hot peppery taste of the fruiting bodies disappears only after soaking and boiling. However, lovers of mushroom “hunting” respect these mushrooms, which bear unpredictably abundant fruit, have high nutritional value and excellent gastronomic qualities. The white milk mushroom, also called real milk mushroom, is especially prized. But be that as it may, many mushroom pickers, especially beginners, wonder why white milk mushrooms turn black.

It turns out that any milk mushroom turns black when cut because it secretes an acrid whitish juice, which, when in contact with air, first turns gray-yellow and then literally turns black. However, this should not frighten fans of “mushroom hunting”, who are distrustful of fruiting bodies that “suspiciously” change color when cut. In practice, it has been confirmed that after proper processing, mushrooms become edible and very tasty, with a crunchy texture.

Why do milk mushrooms turn black when cut when soaked in water?

Milk mushrooms with milky juice, which tastes bitter, must be soaked for 1.5-3 days, although individual species can be soaked for up to 5 days. There are cases that mushrooms also change color in this process. Why do milk mushrooms turn black when soaked, and what should housewives do in this case?

Darkening of mushrooms during soaking - common problem. It is worth saying that only those milk mushrooms turn black that for a long time were without water. That's why experienced chefs When pre-cleaning, it is advised to immediately place clean mushrooms in water and cover with a lid.

During the entire soaking process, the water in the mushrooms should be changed several times a day. But sometimes milk mushrooms turn black even when soaked, why does this happen? It turns out that mushrooms should not only be completely immersed in water, but also not be influenced sunlight. Light is another reason why milk mushrooms turn black in water. Therefore, after the mushrooms have been cleaned, they are dipped in cold water, press down with a weight and cover so that light does not enter. If a problem does arise and the mushrooms turn black, don’t worry, everything can be fixed.

• Wash the mushrooms again, add cold water and press down with a weight.
• Let the milk mushrooms stand for several hours, then boil them and then marinate or salt them.

Note that the main purpose of soaking milk mushrooms is not only to remove bitterness from them, but also to give elasticity to the pulp. With each subsequent water change, you need to evaluate the degree of elasticity of the mushrooms - perhaps it’s time to salt them.

Warm water when soaking milk mushrooms - quick way rid them of bitterness. But it also happens that milk mushrooms turn black. If you do not change the water in time, the mushrooms will not only change color, but may also turn sour, which will lead to a complete loss of the mushroom harvest. To avoid this, salt is added to the water. It takes a lot of this ingredient to soak, but it pays off. In this case: how much salt to take, how often to change the water and is it worth using at all? this method- the owner decides.

Why do salted milk mushrooms turn black in brine?

Why do milk mushrooms turn black when salted and how to fix it? After a long soaking, you can start pickling the mushrooms. For this, two well-known methods are used - hot and cold. The hot version is more popular, since the mushrooms are boiled in advance for greater reliability. With the cold method, after soaking, the milk mushrooms are immediately sprinkled with salt and spices and a weight is placed on top until the mushrooms release juice. After several days of salting, the fruiting bodies release enough juice so that the brine completely covers them.

Milk mushrooms also turn black in brine, why do they change color and what caused this? The first thing that can cause a color change is old, overripe specimens. The bitterness does not come out of them so quickly, which leads to the problem: the brine or mushrooms turn black.

There is another reason why salted milk mushrooms turn black. After salting, there may be little brine in the jars, and the mushrooms come into contact with air - this leads to darkening. Therefore, experienced chefs recommend pickling milk mushrooms immediately in an enamel pan, where the mushrooms are pressed down with a weight and remain completely immersed in the brine. After 10-14 days, the fruiting bodies are transferred to jars, pressed down and filled with brine right up to the lid.

If after the soaking and salting processes the darkening of the milk mushrooms does not occur, then everything was done correctly. However, if the mushrooms still turn black, do not be upset, as this problem can be corrected. In this case, the milk mushrooms are washed under the tap and each layer is again sprinkled with salt and spices. Pour in cold boiled water and take it out to a cool room.

What can I do to prevent milk mushrooms from turning black when cooked?

It happens that for some reason milk mushrooms turn black during cooking. This may be due to the fact that the mushrooms have been outside the boiling liquid for some time. The top layer of milk mushrooms in the pan was not completely immersed in water, which led to a change in color.

Experienced housewives advise boiling milk mushrooms 2-3 times for 15 minutes each, while the first time the procedure should take place in sour-salty water, and the mushrooms themselves should be pressed down with a small weight. It is better to use not vinegar for acidification, but citric acid, which will make the taste of mushrooms more delicate. In addition, citric acid can whiten darkened milk mushrooms.

• Water is poured into the mushrooms, salted and enough acid is added so that the water becomes slightly sour.
• After 15 minutes, the liquid is drained and the milk mushrooms are boiled in plain water, without adding salt or citric acid. Sometimes clove buds or black peppercorns are added to the water for zest and taste.

Having become familiar with detailed information and knowing what to do to prevent milk mushrooms from turning black, you can cook amazingly delicious snack for the winter from these fruiting bodies, thereby surprising household members and guests.

Mushrooms are gifts from our forest, but in order to use them in food, they must be carefully processed. In addition to heat treatment - boiling, mushrooms should definitely be cleaned of forest debris and dirt. If this condition is not met, the risk of acquiring a very serious disease - botulism - greatly increases. All this is understandable, but why does the skin of your hands turn black when peeling certain mushrooms?

What mushrooms cause your hands to turn black?

Most often, hands turn black when cleaning and become oily (). For each of them you have to remove the skin from the cap. This is necessary, since this film is the most carcinogenic and rough tissue of this fungus.

Other mushrooms that turn your hands black when cleaning them are. When cut, their stem immediately turns black. Our hands also turn black, but only when we clean mushrooms.

But in general, from the majority edible mushrooms hands practically do not turn black. Here, for example, is a porcini mushroom (). It does not turn black even when dried. But even in this case, after cleaning all the mushrooms, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soap. Dirty hands with forest dirt can cause food poisoning or something else. In any case, he can just “smuggle it” once in the toilet. Therefore, take as a basis the unshakable “mom’s” rule - wash your hands before eating.

Why does the skin turn black when peeling mushrooms?

Blackening of the skin occurs as a result of the oxidation of iron contained in mushrooms. Water enhances this process and therefore, after cleaning and washing the mushrooms in water, the skin on the hands (especially the fingers) noticeably turns black.

How to clean your hands from blackening caused by cleaning mushrooms?

In such cases, it seems that substances that contain weak acid. For example, you can clean your hands by wiping them with a slice of lemon. Instead of lemon, you can take table vinegar; Lemon can be replaced with cotton wool dipped in table vinegar.

Pogruzdok blackening, Russula blackening

Russula nigricans

Hat. Diameter up to 20 cm, at first convex, later prostrate, with a depression in the center, naked, cracking with age. The color is initially off-white, later almost black. The plates are whitish, gray-brown with age, and very thick. The pulp is dense. When cut, it first turns red, then turns black, and decomposes slowly, so the caps look charred. The taste is moderate, the smell is earthy.

Leg. Height up to 8 cm, diameter up to 4 cm, cylindrical, smooth, dense. The color is initially white, later grey-brown.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests different types.

Season. June – October.

Similarity. With black loader (R. adusta), black and white (R. albonigra) and thick-leaved loading (R. densifolia). The latter has a burning taste, very thick plates, and grows in coniferous forests on calcareous soil.

Use.

Podgrudok black, Russula black

Russula adusta

Loader black

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, convex at first, later prostrate, depressed in the center. Dirty gray, dark gray or brown-gray. The plates are descending and frequent. The pulp turns gray and brown when cut, but never becomes completely black. The taste is sweetish, the smell is mushroom.

Leg. Height up to 5 cm, diameter up to 2.5 cm, cylindrical, smooth, dense, the same color as the cap.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests of different types.

Season. June – October.

Similarity.Cm. The loader is turning black.

Use. You can salt, marinate, fry.

Milkweed, Euphorbia, Euphorbia

Lactarius volumemus

Milkman

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, in young mushrooms flat-convex, later slightly funnel-shaped, depressed. Color red-brown, orange-yellow. The skin is bare, dry, and often cracks at maturity. The plates are adherent or slightly descending, thin, initially yellowish, later brown, rusty-brown spots appear when touched. The flesh is white, turning brown when cut. The milky sap is white, tastes sweet, and turns brown and thickens in air. Old mushrooms have an unpleasant, herring-like smell.

Leg. Height up to 12 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, the same color as the cap, lighter in the upper part, cylindrical or slightly swollen.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous and coniferous forests on calcareous soils.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. Confused with some species of milkweeds of similar color. WITH poisonous mushrooms it is impossible to confuse due to the abundant milky juice and specific smell.

Use. In the West it is considered one of best mushrooms, although, according to the authors, it is quite mediocre. Consumed fresh, salted, pickled. Only young mushrooms need to be collected.

Medicinal properties. Antibiotic substances have been found in milkweed. IN folk medicine used to treat typhus.

Red boletus, Aspen, Redhead, Krasnik, Chelysh

Leccinum aurantiacum

Syn.: Boletus aurantiacus

Red boletus

Hat. Diameter up to 30 cm, in young mushrooms hemispherical, with a bent edge, tightly fits the stem, later cushion-shaped, thick-fleshy, the surface is smooth, slightly velvety. The color ranges from orange to red-brown, fading with age. The hymenophore is free, the tubes are long, whitish or yellowish-gray. The pulp is dense, white, and when cut, changes color to gray-violet, purple-gray, brown-pink or black. The taste and smell are inexpressive.

Leg. Height up to 20 cm, diameter up to 5 cm, cylindrical or club-shaped with thickening towards the base, solid, white, covered with whitish scales that darken to dark brown with age. The pulp of the stem of young mushrooms is dense, non-fibrous, but with age it becomes rough and fibrous. When cut, it changes color to lilac-pink or black.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. In deciduous and mixed forests with an admixture of aspen.

Season. June – October.

Similarity. Easily confused with other varieties of boletus: black-scaled boletus (L. atrostipitatum), forming mycorrhiza with birch; with spruce boletus (L. piceinum); with oak boletus (L. quercinum), forming mycorrhizae with oak; with pine boletus (L. vulpinum), with yellow-brown boletus (L. testaceoscabrum), growing under aspen trees; with white boletus (L. percandidum); with gray boletus (L. duriusculum) growing in poplars. All these species are edible.

Use. A tasty mushroom suitable for use in all types. Even the pickled legs of young aspen trees, called chelish, cut into rings, are tasty. It belongs to the so-called black mushrooms, because it darkens during processing.

Gray float, pusher

Amanita vaginata

Float gray

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, at first bell-shaped, later from flat-convex to flat. The color can be very different: gray, gray-brown, orange, white. Sometimes mushrooms with different colors caps are classified as separate species. Along the edges of the cap, scars are clearly visible. The pulp is very brittle, the smell is inexpressive, the taste is pleasant.

Leg. Height up to 15 cm, hollow, without ring. The color is off-white. Located in the wide free volva (vagina), which remains after the rupture of the common veil.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In various forests, sometimes found outside the forest, in meadows.

Season. June – October.

Similarity. Very similar to the pale grebe (Amanita phalloides). At the beginning of growth, the float is almost completely covered with a common veil, like the grebe, and at this stage it is very dangerous to confuse the species. The main difference is the absence of a ring on the float leg and a ribbed edge.

Remember : It is better not to eat several floats than to eat one toadstool.

Use. Suitable for frying.

Medicinal properties. Contains betaine, which plays an important role in metabolic processes.

Porphyrosporus porphyrosporus, Porphyrosporous hedgehog, Purpurosporous boletus, Chocolate grass

Porphyrellus porphyrosporus

Syn.: Porphyrellus pseudoscaber

Boletus porphyrosporus

Porphyrospora porphyrosporus

Hat. Diameter 4-16 cm, hemispherical, later convex or cushion-shaped, similar to the cap of a boletus. The color is light or dark brown with a reddish tint, sometimes lead-gray. The surface is smooth, velvety, dry, often cracking at the edges. The tubes are long, gray to dirty brown in color with a pinkish tint, and when pressed they become bluish-green or black-brown. The pulp is fibrous, yellow-gray, brownish, greenish-olive or purple, becoming blue-green when cut. The smell and taste are unpleasant.

Leg. Height up to 15 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, the same color as the cap, felt-like at the base, whitish, fibrous, dense, turns blue when cut.

Spore powder. Red-brown.

Habitat. In coniferous and less often deciduous forests, it grows on soil and dry wood, mainly in mountainous areas.

Season. August – October.

Similarity. Inexperienced mushroom pickers may confuse it with boletus.

Use. The taste is mediocre, the unpleasant smell persists even after boiling, it is bitter.

Ramaria yellow, Rogatik yellow

Ramaria flava

Ramaria yellow

Fruiting body. Height 10–20 cm, width 7–15 cm, coral-shaped, smooth branches with jagged ends extending from a common base. Color ranges from light yellow to sulfur yellow. The pulp is white or light yellow, the taste is inexpressive, the smell is slightly floury.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous and coniferous forests, it prefers damp, mossy places.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. With the beautiful Ramaria (R. formosa), in which the flesh becomes rusty when cut, has a bitter taste and can cause stomach pain.

Use. Young mushrooms are edible after boiling; they can be fried or pickled.

Ramaria is beautiful

Ramaria formosa

Fruiting body. Height 6-30 cm, width 7-15 cm, coral-shaped, smooth branches with jagged ends extending from a common base. The color ranges from yellow-red to yellow-ocher, the ends of the branches are yellow. The pulp is white, rusting when cut, the taste, especially at the ends of the branches, is bitter, the smell is inexpressive.

Spore powder. Ocher.

Habitat. On humus soils in deciduous, rarely in coniferous forests.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. With ramaria yellow (R. flava), which has white flesh and does not taste bitter.

Use. Inedible due to its bitter taste, which intensifies when cooked.

Club horn, Pistil horn, Club of Hercules

Clavariadelphus pistillaris

Horny club-shaped

Fruiting body. Height up to 25 cm, thickness up to 5 cm, initially cylindrical, later acquires a club-shaped shape, the surface is initially smooth, later covered with longitudinal folds. The color is light yellow, ocher, reddish-brown, sometimes has a violet tint, and brownish-reddish when pressed. The pulp is dense, white, and when cut, gradually acquires a brownish-reddish color. The smell is pleasant, the taste is bitter.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous and mixed forests, grows on the soil.

Season. July – September.

Similarity. Looks like a truncated slingshot (S. truncatus), having a brighter color, and the horntail is reed (C. ligulus), growing in coniferous forests and having a smaller size.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but there are very bitter specimens, it is better not to touch it.

Rogatik comb

Clavulina cristata

Rogatik comb

Fruiting body. Height 5–8 cm, coral-shaped, branches at the ends are flattened in the form of scallops. The color is white, grayish-white, sometimes pinkish. The pulp is white, the taste is inexpressive, in older specimens it is bitter, the smell is weak.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In coniferous and deciduous forests, sometimes found in meadows and pastures.

Season. From summer to late autumn.

Similarity. With edible gray cattail (S. cinerea), which has gray or gray-violet fruiting bodies. With some other inedible horntails, gray and brownish in color, whose branches do not branch at the ends and which have a bitter taste.

Use. The mushroom is not poisonous; it can be used at a young age, but its nutritional quality is low.

Horntail, Reddish coral, Cocks' coral, Ramaria, Cock's ramaria

Ramaria botrytis

Fruiting body. Height up to 20 cm, coral-shaped, resembling a head of cauliflower or a cockscomb, consists of many thick branches emerging from a common base with thinning sharp processes at the ends. The color of the shoots is reddish or wine-red, the bases of the branches are whitish. The pulp is watery, brittle, off-white. The taste is pleasant, the smell is fruity, pleasant.

Leg. Short, thick, tuberous, white or cream.

Spore powder. Light ocher.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often coniferous forests, in hilly and mountainous areas, on calcareous soils, it prefers the proximity of oaks and birches.

Season. End of summer - autumn.

Similarity. It is difficult not to recognize this mushroom by its reddish color and specific shape.

Use. The mushroom is tasty, but rare, so it is better to leave it in nature.

Rogatik gray, Clavulina gray, Coral gray

Clavulina cinerea

Fruiting body. Height 2.5-10 cm, coral-shaped, consists of single or tightly fused branches, weakly branched at the ends, ash-colored or gray. The pulp is white, fragile, without much taste or smell.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. On soil in deciduous forests, grows singly and in groups.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. It is similar to the amethyst hornet (Clavulina amethystina), which is distinguished by its lilac-violet color.

Use. Edible mushroom; according to some sources, it is not eaten.

Pine saffron milk cap, pine saffron milk cap

Lactarius deliciosus

Syn.: pinicola

Pine mushroom

Hat. Diameter 3-15 cm, at first round-convex, later funnel-shaped, curved edges, later straight. The skin is slippery in wet weather. The color is orange-red, sometimes cream, with concentric darker orange zones. The plates are adherent, orange-ocher, and turn green when damaged. The milky sap is orange-yellow and turns green in air. The pulp is dense, fleshy, orange, turns green in the air. The taste is fresh with a barely noticeable bitterness, the smell is very pleasant, resinous and fruity.

Leg. Height 2–6 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, inside with white spongy filling, the same color as the cap, turns green when damaged.

Spore powder. Light ocher.

Habitat. In young pine plantations, it can also grow under free-standing pines.

Season. From July (very rarely in June) until autumn frosts.

Similarity. There are many varieties of camelina: spruce camelina (L. deterrimus), having a bluish-greenish cap, an inexpressive odor and a bitter taste; red saffron milk cap (L. sanquifluus), having a red-orange cap; salmon or alpine saffron milk cap (L. semisanquifluus). All of them are edible and tasty. Inexperienced mushroom pickers may confuse saffron milk caps with pink mushrooms (L. torminosus), having a shaggy cap and white acrid milky juice, and with an oak milk mushroom (L. insulsus), having white milky juice with a pungent taste.

Use. Delicious mushroom of the first category, the “king” of the milkweeds. You can salt it (preferably raw), fry it, marinate it. It is useful to eat raw saffron milk caps, sprinkled with salt. Easily digestible, unlike most mushrooms.

Medicinal properties. Contains a lot of carotene. The antibiotic lactarioviolin is obtained from camelina, which significantly inhibits the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, in particular the tuberculosis bacillus. Antirheumatic substances have been found in the mushroom. All types have these properties.

White row

Tricholoma album

Hat. Diameter 5-10 cm, convex at first, later spread out, with edges turned inward, the skin is smooth and dry. The color is white, in mature specimens it is grayish-ochre. The plates are white, frequent, tortuous. The pulp is white, dense, with an unpleasant smell of musty flour and a bitter taste.

Leg. Height up to 9 cm, cylindrical, sometimes curved, smooth, fibrous, the same color as the cap.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, it usually grows singly or in small groups.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. Can be confused with violet row (Lepista irina), but it has a nice floral scent.

Use. According to some reports, the mushroom is poisonous. In any case, the bitter taste and unpleasant smell do not allow it to be used as food.

Two-color row, Two-color

Note: The mushroom was not found in any of the known to the authors reference books, therefore the name was chosen in accordance with the one used in the Stavropol region, although, strictly speaking, the bicolor row is one of the names of the lilac-legged row, a close relative of which is probably the bicolor.

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, initially hemispherical, later cushion-shaped or convex, sometimes flat towards maturity, with upward-curved edges. In dry weather it is often radially torn. The color is clay-yellow with lilac spots, sometimes almost completely lilac in young mushrooms. The plates are attached to the teeth, frequent, lilac, brownish-lilac in old age. The pulp is dense, the taste is sweetish, the smell is somewhat unpleasant, reminiscent of the smell of musty flour.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, dense, fibrous, covered with flake-like scales. The color is yellowish-brown.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, shrubs, shelterbelts.

Season. May June.

Similarity. Looks like the lilac-legged rower (L. saeva), Some mushroom pickers call the two-flowered summer blueroot. Has no resemblance to poisonous species.

Use. The mushroom is edible, although less tasty than the blue root. You can fry and marinate after preliminary boiling (pour out the broth).

Row yellow-red, Honey fungus red

Tricholomopsis rutilans

Hat. Diameter 5-15 cm, convex at first, later flat, with a tubercle. The skin is velvety. The color of the main background is yellow, the covering scales are purple; depending on their density, the color of the cap can be lighter or darker. Sometimes it is yellow, sometimes it is purple-red. The plates are adherent, thin, yellow-green. The pulp is yellowish, the taste is bitter, the smell is unpleasant, musty.

Leg. Height 6-10 cm, diameter up to 1.5 cm, cylindrical, fibrous, felt, covered with purple scales at the top.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. On stumps and dead coniferous wood. Grows in groups.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With a related and also edible row decorated (T. decora), which has a cap with yellow scales.

Use. There are different opinions about the edibility of this mushroom. It is not poisonous, but of low quality, it is better not to collect it.

Rowing earthy gray, Rowing earthen, Rowing ground

Tricholoma terreum

Row earthy gray

Hat. Diameter up to 8 cm, at first bell-shaped, later prostrate, wavy, with a tubercle, the edges often crack. The color is light or dark gray, darker in the center, the skin is covered with dark gray scales. The plates adhere to the stem, are initially whitish, then acquire a gray tint. The pulp is very fragile, with a faint taste and smell.

Leg. Height up to 8 cm, diameter up to 1 cm, hollow, fibrous, with a powdery coating at the top, very fragile.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In coniferous, less often in deciduous forests.

Season. May – December.

Similarity. Very similar to the gray row (T. portentosum), a good mushroom that grows in the same places, but is distinguished by its larger size and even dark gray color; for poisonous tiger row (T. pardinum) and a pointed row (T. groanense), but the first has a larger fruiting body, the plates are yellowish or greenish, and the second has a very high, sharp tubercle in the center of the cap. Looks like an edible scaly rower (T. scalpturatum), the surface of which is covered with silver-gray scales, and in old age the skin and plates become covered with yellow spots.

Use. The mushroom can be fried, pickled, dried.

Red-brown row

Tricholoma ustale

Red-brown row

Hat. Diameter 4–8 cm, convex at first, later straightens out, mucous in wet weather. The color is chestnut brown, slightly lighter towards the edges. The plates are white, then rusty, darkening with age. The pulp is white, reddish-brownish when cut. The smell is inexpressive, the taste is moderately bitter.

Leg. Height up to 8 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, slightly swollen, fibrous, reddish-brown, fawn under the cap.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, especially under beech trees.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. Very similar to the orange row (Tricholoma aurantum), which is inedible and almost always grows near spruce trees, and the edible white-brown row (T. albobrunneum), growing under the pine trees.

Use. It is poisonous, and according to some sources, inedible.

Lilac-legged row, Camouflaged row, Two-color row, Blue root, Blue leg

Lepista saeva

Syn.: Tricholoma personata

Rhodopaxillus saevus

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, sometimes more; in young mushrooms it is hemispherical, later convex, in maturity flat, smooth, bare. The color can be grayish, cream, white, light ocher, sometimes with purple tint. The plates are whitish, then cream or ocher, frequent, adherent to the teeth. The pulp is dense, the taste and smell are pleasant.

Leg. Height 3-10 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, longitudinally fibrous. The color is partially or completely violet, more intense or paler.

Spore powder. Pale pink.

Habitat. On pastures, compost heaps, on the edges and outskirts of deciduous forests, in forest belts.

Season. It bears fruit in March - May, and then in the same places in October - November, and in the absence of severe frosts in December.

Similarity. Looks like purple row (Lepista nuda), which some mushroom pickers also call blue root. Another type of bicolor row is found in the Stavropol region in May - June, called by local mushroom pickers bicolor ( cm. Row two-color, two-color).

Use. A delicious mushroom that can be used for all types of processing. Good as a side dish for meat dishes.

Soap row

Tricholoma saponaceum

Soap row

Hat. Diameter 5-10 cm, convex at first, later flat, with a wavy, uneven edge, often with cracks along the edges. The color is different: greenish, yellowish, brown of different tones, white with a red tint. The skin is smooth, shiny, lighter at the edges. The plates are quite rare, notched, white, greenish, pinkish, often with rusty spots. The pulp is white, dense, slightly red when damaged, the taste is sweetish and sometimes bitter. Characteristic sign– strong soapy smell.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter 1.5–3 cm, different shapes: cylindrical, swollen, long or short, slender or curved, often fusiform, rooted. The color is the same as the cap, but paler, white at the top. The surface is scaly-fibrous, but sometimes completely smooth.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests of various types, most often in coniferous ones. Prefers acidic soils.

Season. August – October.

Similarity. By appearance the mushroom can be confused with many rows. But the indisputable distinguishing features are a strong soapy smell and flesh that turns red when damaged.

Use. Inedible due to its unpleasant taste and smell, although it is not poisonous.

Separate row

Tricholoma sejunctum

Separate row

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, at first bell-shaped, later it becomes more and more flat, with a tubercle, sometimes the edges bend upward. The edges of mature mushrooms are wavy and often crack radially. The color is greenish-yellow, brown, darker in the center. The skin is dry, slightly slimy in wet weather, covered with radial fibers of brownish or olive-brown color. The plates are sparse, white, sometimes with a yellowish tint. The pulp is dense, the smell is floury, the taste is bitter.

Leg. Height up to 8 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, often curved, hard, white with yellow spots, covered with scales.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often in coniferous forests. Prefers calcareous soils.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. The color of the mushroom is very similar to the deadly poisonous toadstool (Amanita phalloides), which is distinguished by the presence of a ring and a volvo.

Use. Due to its bitter taste it is inedible; according to some sources, it is suitable after boiling. It is not of interest to experienced mushroom pickers, since you can always find better quality mushrooms. But the inexperienced should beware: it is better to mistake the isolated row for a pale toadstool and not take it, than vice versa.

Gray row

Tricholoma portentosum

Hat. Diameter 7-14 cm, at first bell-shaped or convex, later gradually straightens, in the center there is a wide tubercle. The edges are bent, and over time they straighten out and crack. The skin is dry, sticky in wet weather, gray, with blackish fibers, sometimes with an olive or lilac tint. The plates are attached to the teeth, not very frequent, at first white, later grayish or yellowish. The pulp is white, yellowish, loose, the taste is inexpressive, the smell is floury or absent.

Leg. Height 6-12 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, with a powdery coating under the cap, white, can be yellowish or olive.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In coniferous forests, prefers pine trees.

Season. Autumn, grows until stable frosts.

Similarity. With a row of earthy gray (Tricholoma terreum), growing in the same places, but having a dry cap, non-yellowing plates and stem and smaller sizes.

Use. An edible mushroom that can be fried and pickled.

Row sulfur-yellow, Row sulphurous

Tricholoma sulphureum

hat. Diameter 3–8 cm, at first conical, later flat-convex, with a tubercle, smooth, silky. The color is sulfur yellow, the center is brownish. The plates are sparse, tall, sulfur-yellow. The pulp is fibrous, yellow. The taste is inexpressive, the smell is unpleasant, reminiscent of the smell of acetylene.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 1 cm, widening towards the base, slightly curved, grooved, initially filled, later hollow. The color is gray or brownish-yellow.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests of various types, most often in hilly and mountainous areas.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Looks a lot like an edible greenfly (Tricholoma flavovirens), growing in the same places and having more frequent plates and a pleasant floury smell.

Use. The mushroom is inedible due to unpleasant odor, and perhaps weakly poisonous.

Ryadovka bluish, Ryadovka pigeon

Tricholoma columbetta

Hat. Diameter up to 10 cm, at first bell-shaped, later convex or flat, with a tubercle, silky, with a wavy surface and edges curved inward. The color is white, occasionally with bluish or pinkish spots. The plates are snow-white, frequent. The pulp is thick, fibrous, white. The taste is sweetish, the smell is weak, floury.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, smooth or tapering downwards, fibrous, white, bluish-greenish below.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous or mixed forests, on pastures, it grows singly or in small groups.

Season. July – September.

Similarity. Can be confused with other rows white. It is dangerous to frighten with a poisonous whitish talker (Clitocybe dealbata), in which the plates are downward, creamy and smaller in size.

Use. A good mushroom, you can marinate, salt, fry.

Weed row, Titmouse

Lepista sordida

Syn.: Tricholoma sordidum

Hat. Diameter up to 10 cm, initially convex, later prostrate, with a tubercle in the center, sometimes unevenly wavy, purple with a brownish tinge or purple, fading. The plates are adherent to the teeth, frequent, brownish-violet. The pulp is watery, with a pleasant smell and taste.

Leg. Height 3–6 cm, diameter up to 1 cm, cylindrical, slightly expanding towards the base, initially dense, later hollow, fibrous. The color is the same as the hat.

Spore powder. Grayish purple.

Habitat. In meadows, pastures, forests, shelterbelts, gardens, orchards.

Season. May – October.

Similarity. Very similar to the purple row (L. nuda), although less fleshy, more fragile. Confusion with other mushrooms is excluded, since the purple color is a good distinguishing feature.

Use. You can fry and marinate after boiling it first.

The row is fused

Lyophyllum connatum

Hat. Diameter up to 6 cm, initially convex, later flat, depressed in the middle, with a drooping wavy edge. The color is beige, with a darker shade around the edges. The plates are adherent to the teeth, frequent, narrow, white or yellowish. The pulp is white, elastic, yellowish-brown in age. Smell of flour.

Leg. Height 4–8 cm, diameter 0.3–0.8 cm, white, cylindrical, dense, later hollow.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests, parks, grassy meadows.

Season. From September until frost.

Similarity. Looks like crowded lyophyllum (L. aggregatum), also edible, but its cap color varies from gray to brown. Similar to some poisonous white talkers, such as the waxy talker (Clitocybe cerussata) and a whitish talker (S. dealbata). The waxy talker has a cap covered with watery concentric circles, while the whitish talker has a cap with a tubercle. These species are found in mixed and coniferous forests, but sometimes also in pastures. They do not grow together at the base of their legs. If you are not a very experienced mushroom picker, it is better to avoid collecting small white talkers.

Use. You can fry, marinate, salt after the obligatory boiling.

Poplar row, Sandstone

Tricholoma populinum

Hat. Diameter 5-15 cm, at first convex, later convexly spread, in old age sometimes depressed, fissured, with wavy edges. Color greyish-brown, reddish-brown, hazelnut. The plates are frequent, at first whitish, towards maturity they acquire a reddish-brown tint and become covered with rusty spots. The pulp is thick, dense, the smell can be described as flour, cucumber or watermelon. The taste is bitter.

Leg. Height 5-10 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, fibrous, dry, brownish, whitish under the cap.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In poplar and aspen forests and plantings.

Season. October November.

Similarity. The mushroom is easily recognized by its strong smell and attachment to poplar trees.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but its bitter taste and fibrous pulp make its nutritional quality low. You can fry and marinate, after boiling it several times to remove bitterness.

The row is truncated

Tricholoma truncatum

Clitopilus truncatus

Rhodopaxillus truncatus

Tricholoma geminum

Hat. Diameter 8-12 cm, at first convex, later semi-prostrate, often with wavy, uneven edges, dense, fleshy, smooth. The color is pinkish brown. The plates are wide, pinkish-brown. The pulp is dense. The taste is sweetish, the smell is very pleasant, which can be defined as violet or fruity.

Leg. Height up to 3.5 cm, diameter up to 2.8 cm, dense, fibrous, pinkish-brown.

Spore powder. Pinkish brown.

Habitat. In deciduous forests.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. The mushroom is similar to the violet row (L. irina), which has the same smell and nutritional qualities.

Use. This is an edible mushroom suitable for consumption fresh and pickled.

Violet row

Lepista irina

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, at first spherical, later bell-shaped, prostrate at maturity, with wavy edges. The skin is smooth and dry. The color is white with a pinkish tint, reddish-brown at maturity. The plates are frequent, at first whitish, later pinkish, becoming cinnamon-colored at maturity. The pulp is dense, sweetish, the smell is very strong, floral.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, dense, fibrous, thickened towards the base.

Spore powder. Pink.

Habitat. In coniferous and deciduous forests, on grassy edges.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. Very similar to a truncated row (Tricholoma truncatum), which has the same smell, pink-brown color, but a shorter stem.

Use. This mushroom can be fried and pickled.

Violet row, Lepista naked, Titmouse, Sinyavka

Lepista nuda

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, in young specimens cushion-shaped, later flat, glabrous (hence the name - lepista glabrous), initially bright purple, later brown-ocher, fading. The plates are initially bright purple, over time they become brownish-ocher, reddish-brown, attached or free. The taste is pleasant, the smell is strong and specific.

Leg. Diameter up to 2 cm, height up to 10 cm, widening towards the base, fibrous, under the cap with a flocculent coating. The color is purple, later fading.

Spore powder. Whitish pink.

Habitat. In forests of various types on humus-rich soil, sometimes in landfills and silage pits.

Season. Appears in September – October, bears fruit until lasting frosts. One of the most cold-resistant late autumn species. Occasionally found in spring.

Similarity. Often confused with cobwebs purple, from which it differs in the absence of a cobwebby cover and a strong aroma. Some mushroom pickers consider it a type of lilac-footed row (L. saeva) and is also called blue root. Very similar to weed row (L. sardida), which has gray-purple fruits of smaller size and thinner pulp, is found in the forest, on compost heaps, and pastures. It's edible, although less delicious mushroom.

Use. A very tasty mushroom, used for pickling, frying, and for side dishes. In its raw form it is poisonous, it contains hemolysin, which destroys red blood cells, so before cooking, the mushrooms must be boiled for 10–15 minutes and the broth should be discarded.

Sarcodon imbricate

Hat. Diameter 8-25 cm, at first convex, later flat, with a deep depression in the center, with folded wavy edges. The surface is covered with large tile-like scales arranged in the form of concentric circles. The color is dark brown with a whitish coating. On bottom surface there are fragile, frequent spines that are easily separated from the cap and descend along the stem. The pulp is dense, hard, bitter, the smell in young specimens is weak, in mature specimens it becomes strong and pungent.

Leg. Height up to 8 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, central or eccentric, dense, smooth, gray-brown.

Spore powder. Red-brown.

Habitat. In coniferous forests.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Similar to bitter Sarcodon rough (S. scabrosum), which has smaller scales, appressed, and a blackish leg. According to some sources, it is edible, according to others, it is not.

Use. Only young specimens are suitable for food; after boiling, the bitterness disappears. Can be used as side dishes. The mushroom is suitable for drying.

Sarcoscifa vermilion, Petsitsa vermilion, Granny's ears

Sarcoscipha coccinea

Sarcoscipha bright red

Fruiting body. It has the shape of a cup with wavy concave edges, often torn, up to 6 cm in diameter. The inner surface is cinnabar-red, smooth, shiny, the outer surface is velvety, covered with small dense hairs.

Leg. Very short, rigid, immersed in the substrate.

Spore powder. Whitish.

Habitat. On dead wood, woody debris immersed in the soil.

Season. February – April.

Similarity. Looks like orange petsica, or aleuria (Peziza aurantia), which is found in grassy areas in summer and autumn and is quite edible.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but has no nutritional value due to its hard consistency.

Medicinal properties. Dried and powdered mushroom can be used as a hemostatic agent.

Satanic mushroom

boletus satanas

Satanic mushroom

Hat. Diameter up to 25 cm, initially hemispherical, later cushion-shaped, in maturity to flat with an unevenly wavy edge. The skin is smooth or slightly velvety, dry. The color is dirty gray, olive gray. The tubes are initially yellowish-greenish, then carmine-red, turning blue when pressed. The pulp is dense, whitish, slightly red when cut, then slowly turns blue. The taste is nutty, the smell is sour, and in mature mushrooms it is unpleasant.

Leg. Height 4-10 cm, diameter 5–9 cm, tuberous, turnip-shaped. The upper part is yellow, the lower part is the same color as the tubes and is covered with a mesh pattern.

Spore powder. Olive.

Habitat. In deciduous forests on calcareous soils, it forms mycorrhiza with oak, beech, hornbeam, linden, hazel and chestnut.

Season. July – September.

Similarity. Can be confused with edible olive oaks (B. luridus) and speckled (B. erythropus), but their caps are darker and the flesh turns intensely blue when cut. Deep-rooted boletus grows in the same places (V. radicans), but it has a yellow stem and tubes, and the taste is bitter, which is why the mushroom is inedible. Can be confused with the very similar Boletus purpurea (B. purpureus), whose cap is reddish or pinkish-brown, and the flesh instantly turns dark blue. The satanic mushroom is also similar to the rose-golden or pink-skinned bolete (B. rhodoxanthus), which has a yellow-brown cap with a red or pink tint, a yellow leg with a red mesh, and the flesh turns blue. In their raw form, the last two species are very poisonous.

Use. Previously it was considered deadly poisonous, hence its name. Further research revealed that it is poisonous only in raw or insufficiently cooked form. In addition, you need to remember that edible oak mushrooms are also poisonous in their raw form, so if you still collect these mushrooms, you need to boil them for 15 minutes and pour out the broth.

Fat pig

Paxillus atrotomentosus

Hat. Diameter 8-20 cm, large, fleshy, often eccentric, with a downturned edge. The skin is velvety, rusty brown or olive brown. The plates are descending, yellow-rusty. The pulp is dense, yellow-brown, darkens when cut, the taste is bitter.

Leg. Height 1–6 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, tapering towards the base, solid, with thick felt-velvety pubescence.

Spore powder. Yellow-brown.

Habitat. On the stumps and roots of coniferous trees.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. It differs well from all mushrooms by the black-brown pubescence on the stalk.

Use. In extreme cases, it is edible after prolonged boiling, but the mushroom is of very low quality.

Thin pig, Dunki

Paxillus involutus

Thin pig

Hat. Diameter 4-12 cm, at first convex, later flat with a depression in the center, velvety, especially along the edges, which are folded in young mushrooms. Color rusty-brown, yellowish-olive-brown, reddish-brown. The plates are short, descending, yellowish or buffy, and reddish-brown when pressed. The pulp is yellowish, turning brown when damaged. The taste is sour, the smell is slightly sour or fruity.

Leg. Height 2–6 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, conical or cylindrical, tapered downwards, the same color as the cap.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. In forests various types, in bushes, on rotting wood, on the edges, in gardens, in dachas.

Season. From June until frost.

Similarity. It is a little similar to some milkweeds that have a similar shape and color, but differs from them in the absence of milky juice.

Use. In old reference books it is characterized as an edible mushroom; Only after several cases of fatal poisoning in Europe did scientists discover agglutinins in pigs, which have the ability to accumulate in the body. When consumed repeatedly, they begin to destroy red blood cells ( see chap.. Mushroom poisoning). Knowing that mushroom pickers are actively collecting pig mushrooms, we draw attention to the mortal danger that can await them or their loved ones completely unexpectedly.

Serushka, Gray duplyanka, Podoreshnik, Plantain

Lactarius flexuosus

Serushka

Hat. Diameter 5-10 cm, at first convex, later funnel-shaped, often with a wavy lobed edge, smooth, leaden, grayish-brown, gray-violet with concentric darker zones. The plates are descending, sparse, thick, yellowish-cream. The pulp is dense, white. The milky juice is watery-white, very caustic, and does not change in air. The smell is fruity, spicy.

Leg. Height up to 6 cm, thickness up to 2 cm, cylindrical, sometimes eccentric, narrowed towards the base, swollen, at first dense, later hollow. The color is light grey.

Spore powder. Light yellow.

Habitat. In deciduous and mixed forests, often with birch or aspen, singly and in small groups.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. Similar to zoneless milkweed (L. azonites), which has a gray cap without zones and, when damaged, the flesh acquires a coral color.

Use. You can add salt after boiling or soaking.

Skripitsa, Skripun

Lactarius vellereus

Syn.: Agaricus vellereus

Violin

Hat. Diameter 8-25 cm, sometimes reaching 30 cm, first convex, later funnel-shaped. The edges of young mushrooms are bent, then spread, wavy. The skin is covered with small villi, felt, white or creamy white, without zones. The blades are relatively sparse, interspersed with blades, descending, at first white, later pale yellow with ocher spots. The pulp is dense, whitish, with bitter white milky juice. When the juice dries, it becomes reddish in color; when damaged, the pulp turns yellowish. The smell is pleasant.

Leg. Height 5–8 cm, diameter 2–5 cm, cylindrical, felt surface, the same color as the cap, releases milky juice when cut.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often in coniferous forests.

Season. From July to autumn.

Similarity. With pepper mushroom (L. piperatus) and load it with parchment (L. perganenus), from which it differs in its felt cap.

Use. The mushroom is of rather low quality, suitable for hot pickling.

Slime mushroom, Witch's oil, Fuligo putrid

Fuligo septica

Slime mushroom

Fruiting body. It is a clump of cells, similar to a sponge, porous, yellow. This community is mobile and can change its shape. Due to dehydration, it becomes covered with a hard crust when exposed to air, and spores ripen inside.

Spore powder. Brownish.

Habitat. In forests, on mossy trunks, dead trees, on soil, litter.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Doesn't have it.

Use. Inedible.

Morel cap

Verpa bohemica

Hat. Diameter up to 3 cm, brownish, yellow-brown, brownish, wrinkled surface. Placed on the leg in the form of a thimble or cap, the edges are not connected to the leg. The pulp is waxy, tender, without much taste. The smell is weak, somewhat unpleasant.

Leg. Height up to 15 cm, cylindrical, white or yellowish, cotton wool-like inside, covered with pityriasis scales on the outside.

Spore powder. Yellowish.

Habitat. On calcareous soils in deciduous forests, in clearings, forest edges, and in bushes.

Season. One of the first spring mushrooms.

Similarity. The mushroom is very similar to a conical cap (V. conica), which occurs in the same places and at the same times, but it is more rare mushroom, although edible after boiling, is less tasty. Can be confused with another variety - hybrid cap (Mitrophora semilibera), which appears a little later, but is also edible.

Use. A delicious mushroom that can be fried, pickled, or stewed. Its value is that it appears in early spring and contains a lot of biologically active substances. It is better to boil before use.

Edible morel, real morel

Morchella esculenta

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, ovoid or truncated-conical, the surface is sinuous-cellular, similar in shape to a crushed honeycomb, hollow inside. The edges are fused with the stem. Color yellow-brown, light brown, gray-ocher. The taste is pleasant, the smell is inexpressive.

Leg. Height 5-20 cm, diameter 1–6 cm, cylindrical, widened towards the base, longitudinally wrinkled, slightly velvety to the touch, flaky.

Spore powder. Light ocher, cream.

Habitat. Most often in light deciduous forests, in mixed and less often in coniferous forests, in grassy meadows, in bushes, and gardens.

Season. Mid-April – end of May.

Similarity. Very similar to the common morel (M. vulgaris), which has a darker cap, gray-brown tones; round morel (M. rotunda), characterized by a round cap yellow color; conical morel (M. conica), the hollow cap of which has an elongated conical shape.

Common morel

Use. All morels are edible and very tasty. It’s not for nothing that there is Morel Day in the United States. Used for drying, frying. Stuffed morels are a delicacy. Before eating, mushrooms need to be boiled, as some mushroom pickers confuse them with lines containing gyromitrin. In Western literature there is information about the presence of toxic substances in raw morels.

Sparassis curly, Mushroom cabbage, Ram mushroom, Mushroom happiness

Sparassis crispa

Sparassis curly

Fruiting body. Diameter up to 35 cm, consists of many wavy branched plates, cream or ocher-brown. The pulp is white, fibrous, the smell is resinous, the taste is nutty.

Leg. Short, thick, brown, sitting deep in the ground.

Spore powder. Yellowish.

Habitat. In coniferous forests, mainly near pine trees.

Season. Aug. Sept.

Similarity. Almost impossible to confuse.

Use. Only young specimens are suitable for food, because in old age the mushroom becomes very tough. Due to its rarity, it is better not to pick this mushroom.

Medicinal properties. Two rare substances were found in the mushroom: sparassol and betaglucan. Betaglucan has an antitumor effect. Sparassol prevents the development of mold fungi. You can add it to the container where you salt the mushrooms, after washing them first, it will less problems with mold. Experiments are underway to introduce the fungus into culture, and the study of its properties continues.

Stropharia blue-green

Stropharia aeruginosa

Stropharia blue-green

Hat. Diameter 4–8 cm, at first ovoid, later broadly bell-shaped, over time prostrate, smooth, sticky, with remnants of the blanket along the edges in the form of white flakes. The color is bluish-greenish, with yellowish spots in the center. The plates are frequent, adherent, at first gray-violet, later violet-brown. The pulp is bluish-whitish, later yellow, the taste and smell are unpleasant.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, sometimes curved, glabrous, slimy, the same color as the cap. The stem has a filmy ring, below which the stem is strewn with white flakes.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. In the forest, meadows, pastures, grassy clearings, on stumps, on organic debris.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. The coloring is very characteristic and almost impossible to confuse.

Use. In different sources, the mushroom is defined as edible, inedible, mildly poisonous, and even hallucinogenic. The authors used the mushroom as food without harmful effects. You need to remember that before eating the mushroom you need to boil it and pour out the broth.

The line is gigantic

Gyromitra gigas

The line is gigantic

Hat. Diameter 30 cm, irregular shape, with wavy folds, resembles peeled Walnut or the brain. The color is light or ocher-brown, brownish. The pulp is grayish, without much taste, with a damp smell.

Leg. Height 2–6 cm, wide, hollow, wrinkled, dirty white below.

Spore powder. White or light ocher.

Habitat. In mixed and deciduous forests on humus soil.

Season. April May.

Similarity. Very similar to an ordinary stitch (G. esculenta), which often grows in coniferous forests on sandy soil, along forest roads and edges, in places of former fires and has more dark color caps and smaller sizes.

Use. Information about the edibility of the lines is very contradictory. IN Russian literature, especially in older editions, they are designated as conditionally edible. In contrast, Western literature presents them (especially the ordinary line) as deadly poisonous. The lines contain poisons such as gyromitrin and methylhydrazine. There are especially many of them in overripe mushrooms. They are destroyed by prolonged boiling or drying. According to the latest data, susceptibility to these poisons, as well as to pig toxins, varies from person to person. In addition, they have a cumulative effect, that is, they accumulate in the body. Therefore, stitches should be used after appropriate heat treatment, in small quantities; they should not be given to children and weakened people. It may be better to avoid eating them altogether. To be fair, it must be said that stitch poisoning occurs mainly in Western countries. Maybe this has something to do with the soil and climatic conditions of growth. Russia has always loved lines and morels. We advise gourmets to use morels, which are harmless and have the highest taste qualities.

Russula brownish

Russula xerampelina

Hat. Diameter 5-12 cm, at first convex, later flat, at first sticky, later dry, matte. The color is very variable: purple-red, olive-brown, partially red with brownish-greenish, yellow-brown with greenish, from brownish to black-brown. The peel is removed to a quarter of its diameter. The plates are adherent, yellowish, and brown with age. The pulp is white, yellow-brown in places where it breaks, non-caustic, the taste is nutty, the smell is herring (especially in old mushrooms).

Leg. Height 3-10 cm, diameter 1.5–3 cm, cylindrical, smooth, cotton-like, white or pinkish; when pressed, brown spots form on the surface.

Spore powder. Light ocher.

Habitat. In deciduous and mixed forests, especially near oaks and beeches.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. A good distinguishing feature is the herring smell.

Use. Delicious russula, which can be fried, pickled, salted.

Russula yellow-red, Russula golden-red, Russula golden

Russula aurata

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, at first convex, later prostrate, orange-red, orange-yellow, red with yellow spots, sometimes red-violet with a yellow tint. The peel is removed to the middle of the cap. The plates are adherent, ocher or cream, with golden edges. The pulp is white, yellowish under the skin, the smell is weak, the taste is sweetish.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, yellow, cotton wool-shaped.

Spore powder. Yellow.

Habitat.

Season. June – October.

Similarity. It can be confused with other red russulas, but the yellow plates are a distinctive feature. Looks like a very rare edible Caesar's fly agaric (Amanita caesarea), which has a red cap and yellow plates, but the fly agaric has a ring and a volva on the leg.

Use. You can fry, marinate, salt.

Russula gall

Russula fellea

Hat. Diameter 5–9 cm, at first hemispherical, later flat with a depression in the center. The surface is smooth, shiny, straw-yellow, ocher, honey-brown, the color is paler at the edges. The peel is removed only from the edge. The plates are thin, adherent, white, then whitish-brown. The pulp is fragile, first white, then yellowish, the smell is mustard, the taste is pungent.

Leg. Height 4–6 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, first full, later with spongy filling.

Spore powder. Light cream.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, it prefers oaks and beeches.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With other yellow russulas, none of which are poisonous.

Use. Like all russula with a pungent taste, it can only be salted. To determine the taste, just run your tongue under the cap.

Russula greenish

Russula virescens

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, at first spherical, later convex and finally flat-depressed. The surface is whitish, densely dotted with warts of light green, grass, vitriol or olive green, separated by deep cracks, the edges are lighter. Sometimes the cap is white, but always covered with cracks. The peel is removed to the middle. The plates are frequent, creamy-white, sometimes covered with brown spots. The pulp is very dense, white, sweetish, and has a pleasant smell.

Leg. Height 2–9 cm, diameter up to 4 cm, cylindrical, dense, cotton wool-like filling at maturity, white.

Spore powder. Creamy white.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often coniferous forests, it prefers mycorrhiza with beeches, oaks and birches.

Season. From July to autumn.

Similarity. With related green russula (R. aeruginea), growing in the same places, having a smooth cap and a slightly pungent taste. the main problem lies in the fact that inexperienced or inattentive mushroom pickers mistake the deadly poisonous toadstool for green species of russula (Amanita phalloides), although there are many differences between them: russulas do not have a ring on the stalk and a vagina, the stalk is not thickened in the form of a tuber. Therefore, when collecting, you should not rush, but you should carefully examine the found mushroom, without cutting it off until you are completely sure of the correct identification.

Use. This is one of the best russula that can be prepared in any way.

Russula is beautiful

Russula lepida

Hat. Diameter 4-12 cm, at first hemispherical, later straightened out, with folded edges; in mature mushrooms they are straightened, often cracking. The skin is dry, velvety, and almost impossible to remove. The color is bright red, dark pink, often there are depigmented white or yellowish areas on the skin. The plates are frequent, weakly adherent to the stem, light cream. The pulp is dense, hard, but brittle. The taste is bitter, the smell is fruity.

Leg. Height 3–7 cm, diameter up to 3.5 cm, often slightly swollen, white or pink, very hard.

Spore powder. Light cream.

Habitat. In deciduous, rarely coniferous forests, especially under beech trees.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. It can easily be confused with red russula, which is not dangerous, although in Western literature some burning russula are indicated as poisonous, but after boiling they are suitable for pickling.

Use. The mushroom is of low quality, but suitable for use after boiling.

Russula Meira

Russula mairei

Russula Meira

Hat. Diameter 3–9 cm, convex at first, later depressed, red or pink, sometimes almost completely white. The peel is removed by one third. The plates are quite rare, adherent, fragile, white with a bluish tint, later creamy. The pulp is dense, the taste is bitter, the smell is reminiscent of coconut.

Leg. Height up to 5 cm, cylindrical or club-shaped, white, solid.

Spore powder. Whitish.

Habitat. In deciduous forests under beech trees.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With other red russulas.

Use. Due to its bitter taste, it is only suitable for pickling after boiling. Sometimes in Western literature it is interpreted as slightly poisonous.

Russula food

Russula vesca

Hat. Diameter 5-12 cm, at first hemispherical, later convex, prostrate at maturity, depressed in the center. The skin is bare, sticky in wet weather, often peeling off at the edges, and is easily removed. The predominant color is red, with lilac, brownish, greenish tints. The plates are frequent, white, sometimes yellowish, protruding from under the cap. The pulp is dense, the taste is nutty, the smell is weak.

Leg. Height 4–8 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, with a wrinkled surface, often narrowing towards the base.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In forests of different types.

Season. July – October.

Similarity. With other russulas, which is not dangerous. It is distinguished by plates protruding from under the cap.

Use. Delicious russula, which can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted.

Russula pink

Russula rosea

Hat. Diameter 4–9 cm, initially convex, later flat or slightly concave-prostrate, with a smooth edge. Skin red or Pink colour, fading to pink-white, usually yellowish-cream in the center, slightly ribbed along the edge, removed almost to the middle. The plates are frequent, pale-cream. The pulp is white, the taste is bitter.

Leg. Height 4–7 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, solid or hollow, white, sometimes with a pink tint.

Spore powder. Cream.

Habitat. In deciduous and pine forests.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With other russulas of similar color.

Use. Consumed salted.

Russula blue-yellow, Russula blue-green

Russula cyanoxantha

Russula blue-yellow

Hat. Diameter 4-15 cm, initially spherical, later flat with a depressed center. The skin is smooth, shiny, and can be removed to the middle. The color is very variable. It can be violet, wine, green, wine-purple, yellowish, olive, the color is unevenly spotted, but the predominant tones are green and lilac. The plates are adherent to the stem, frequent, white. An important sign: only this russula has plates that are not brittle, but sticky, crumpling when pressed.

Leg. Height 3–8 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, dense, initially solid, later cotton-like and finally hollow. The color is white, sometimes with a purple tint, and may be covered with rusty spots.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often coniferous forests.

Season. WITH early summer(less often from May) until late autumn.

Similarity. With other russulas, but differs from all others by sticky plates.

Use. One of the most delicious russula, which can be fried, boiled, pickled, salted, dried. Before marinating, it is better to blanch so that the cap does not crumble.

Russula sororia

Russula sororia

Syn.: Russula amoenolens

Russula sororia

Hat. Diameter 3–6 cm, initially convex, later prostrate, with a depression in the center, ribbed along the edge, mucous in wet weather. The color is brown or gray-brown. The peel is removed to the middle. The plates are white. The pulp is thin and fragile. The taste is first oily, then very pungent, the smell is unpleasant, reminiscent of spoiled cheese.

Leg. Height up to 6 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, with spongy filling, fragile. The color is whitish.

Spore powder. Light beige.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, mainly under oak.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Reminds me a bit of Valuy (R. foetens), the mushroom is more fleshy and has a light brown or ocher cap.

Use. After boiling, it can be used in a mixture with other mushrooms for pickling or pickling, although the smell and taste make this mushroom low-grade.

Trameta butterfly, Coriolus multiflora

Trametes versicolor

Syn.: Coriolus versicolor

Trameta butterfly

Fruiting body. Thin, elastic, leathery, consisting, as a rule, of fan-shaped plates, often reminiscent of butterflies in shape. The surface is covered with many concentric stripes of various colors: black, yellow, brown, bluish and greenish-brown, ocher. Smooth and shiny areas alternate with velvety matte areas. The caps are very variegated and variable in color. There is no smell or taste. The tubes are short, the pores are round, small, white, and later yellowish in color.

Spore powder. Cream to pale ocher.

Habitat. On dead wood of deciduous species, rarely on conifers, on dead wood, in cutting areas. Intensively destroys wood.

Season. All year round.

Similarity. Similar to zoned trameta (T. zonata), which is initially whitish-yellowish, hairy, over time becomes zoned and smooth.

Use. The mushroom is inedible.

Medicinal properties. Preparations containing antitumor substances that enhance immunity are obtained from the fungus.

Trigaster black-headed

Trichaster melanocephalus

Trigaster black-headed

Fruiting body. Diameter 5–7 cm, young specimens are spherical or bulbous, with a sharp nose up to 2 cm long (pictured). The color is whitish, brown in different shades. The exoperidium (outer shell) fuses with the endoperidium (inner shell), and when ripe, breaks into 4–6 (less often 7–8) star-shaped lobes. The blades are spread out on the surface of the soil; when bent, they lift up a round gleba that spills out spores.

Spore powder. Dark brown.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, gardens, parks.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With mushrooms from the genus Starwort, the ripe fruits of which have the shape of stars with different amounts blades.

Use. The mushroom is inedible, like chickweed.

Birch polypore, Birch sponge

Piptoporus betulinus

Fruiting body. Width 5-30 cm, hoof-shaped, semicircular or kidney-shaped, edge ridge-shaped, bent. The skin is smooth, initially whitish, later grey-brown, brown, pale brown. The pores are whitish and become ocher in old age. The flesh is white, fleshy, spongy, then corky. The taste and smell are sour, and in old age they become bitter.

Spore powder. Whitish.

Habitat. On dead and living birch wood.

Season. The mushroom is annual, but sometimes the fruiting bodies persist until spring.

Similarity. Similar to Piptoporus pseudobirch (R. pseudobetulinus), which grows on aspen and has a sharp edge.

Use. When young, it is edible, can be boiled, and used to make pates.

Medicinal properties. It has antitumor and anti-inflammatory activity due to the content of polyporenic acid. The extract is obtained by distillation. Taiga residents brew tea from birch sponge.

The tinder fungus is variable

Polyporus varius

Hat. Diameter 3–8 cm, regularly rounded or tongue-shaped, depressed at the site of attachment of the stalk, often with an edge divided into lobes. The skin is smooth, golden yellow or light brown, with fine radial fibers at maturity. The tubular layer is decurrent, white or light cream in color. The pulp is hard, white or brown, the taste is mild, the smell is mushroom.

Leg. Diameter 0.5–1 cm, short, eccentric, lateral or central, light brown, almost black over time.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. On dead hardwood.

Season. Spring – autumn.

Similarity. Can be confused with scaly tinder fungus (R. squamosus) at a young age, but its cap is covered with large scales.

Use. The mushroom is not poisonous, but due to its hard flesh it is not eaten.

Varnished tinder fungus

Ganoderma lucidum

Varnished tinder fungus

Hat. Diameter up to 10 cm, initially kidney-shaped, later flat, fan-shaped, hard, covered with a varnished film. The color is reddish-brown with yellow zones, sometimes completely red-brown, brownish-violet. The cap has clearly visible growth rings of various shades, giving it an uneven appearance. The pores are small and round. The pulp is initially spongy, later woody, hard, light, odorless and with a bitter taste.

Leg. This is perhaps the only tinder fungus that has a pronounced leg 5-25 cm high. The leg has a lateral position in relation to the cap. The stem is woody, the same color as the cap.

Spore powder. Brownish.

Habitat. Mainly in deciduous forests on stumps or roots.

Season. All year round.

Similarity. Due to the presence of legs, it cannot be confused with other tinder fungi.

Use. Inedible.

Medicinal properties. The mushroom has a number of medicinal properties. They have been known in China, Japan, and India for almost two thousand years. It is considered, along with ginseng, not only as a tonic, but also as a medicine that increases the body’s immunity to many diseases, including cancer. It is believed that it increases sexual activity, potency, and prolongs life. Various drugs and extracts from tinder fungus are used in the treatment of nephritis, hepatitis, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, herpes, allergies, liver, kidney, respiratory and nervous systems. In Rus', this mushroom was used in the treatment of gums.

At home, the mushroom can be used as follows:

The collected fruiting bodies are cleaned of dirt and leaves using a brush. Then dried in the oven or in the sun at a temperature of 45–50 degrees. You can use fresh mushrooms and store dried ones for future use. 5–6 g of dried or 25–30 g of fresh mushrooms are finely chopped with scissors or a knife, as the pulp is very strong. Chopped mushrooms are poured into three glasses of water, brought to a boil and left for 1.5–2 hours. Then drink half a glass of tea per meal. True, the brew turns out to be bitter, especially from young mushrooms. Drinking this tea for 2–3 weeks helps normalize blood pressure. Our own observations, which do not claim to be scientifically pure, have shown that drinking tea leaves accelerates the healing of wounds and helps with bronchitis. The mushroom is introduced into culture in many countries. It can safely be called “mushroom ginseng”.

Sheep's polypore, Albatrellus ovine, Rudd's cape

Albatrellus ovinus

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, convex or flat, smooth or fissured. The color is whitish or yellowish. Small tubes are white or yellowish and turn yellow when pressed. The pulp of young mushrooms is juicy, white, with a pleasant smell and taste, while that of old ones is dry and bitter.

Leg. Height 2–7 cm, diameter up to 4 cm, central or eccentric, solid, white.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In coniferous forests, it forms mycorrhiza with spruce.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. With albatrellus confluent (A. confluens), which has fawn or ocher caps and forms close groups, and also grows under various coniferous trees.

Use. All albatrellus species are edible, but have tough flesh.

Edged polypore, Wood sponge

Fomitopsis pinicola

Fruiting body. Varies greatly in shape, size and color. It can be hoof-shaped, cantilever-shaped, horseshoe-shaped. The outer surface is hard, covered with a thick crust, shiny with resinous substances, on which concentric zones are located. Young mushrooms are orange-yellow or red-brown, later the color becomes dark gray, blackish. It is characterized by the presence of a border along the edge, which differs in color. The edge is blunt. The pores are pale yellow. The pulp is white or yellowish-ochre, the smell is sour.

Spore powder. Light cream.

Habitat. On dead trunks of coniferous, less often deciduous trees; almost never found on living trunks.

Season. During the whole year.

Similarity. Young fruiting bodies can be confused with lacquered tinder fungus (Ganoderma lucidum), which is distinguished by the presence of a stalk and growth on deciduous trees.

Use. Inedible.

Sulfur-yellow tinder fungus

Laetiporus sulphureus

Syn.: Polyporus sulphureus

Sulfur-yellow tinder fungus

Hat. Width up to 20 cm, fan-shaped, with wavy edges; as a rule, several caps are located together, fused at the base of the stem. The weight of such colonies reaches several kilograms. The color is sulfur-yellow or yellow-orange, with a pinkish tint, fading with age. The surface is covered with yellow fluff. The pores are small, yellow, and when young they secrete watery yellow droplets. The pulp of young mushrooms is soft, juicy, and sour, but with age it becomes rough and bitter in taste.

Spore powder. Pale cream.

Season. Late spring – autumn.

Similarity. Almost impossible to confuse with other mushrooms.

Use. The mushroom is edible when young. Good for making pates. The hard pulp at the base of the cap is not used.

Medicinal properties. Contains antibiotics, has antitumor properties, improves immunity.

Scaly tinder fungus, Variegated tinder fungus, Scaly polypore, Elm fungus, Variegated mushroom, Hare mushroom

Polyporus squamosus

Scaly polypore

Hat. Diameter 10–25 cm, sometimes reaching much large sizes. When young, it is round, funnel-shaped, then becomes fan-shaped with a deep depression at the junction with the stem. The color is cream, yellow, light walnut, the surface is densely covered with concentrically located brown scales. The hymenophore is tubular, white, creamy yellow with age. Tubules descending along the stalk. The smell and taste are pleasant.

Leg. Short, whitish-cream, black towards the base, very stiff, lateral or eccentric.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. On the trunks of living and dead deciduous trees, often growing in groups.

Season. May – November. It often helps out in the off-season, when the morel mushrooms have already disappeared and there are still few other mushrooms.

Similarity. The mushroom is very characteristic for its variegated color. The bristly tinder fungus looks like it (R. coronatus) with smaller fruiting bodies, which grows on dead wood, often oak, and in some sources is defined as a form of scaly tinder fungus. This is an edible mushroom.

Use. Edible when young. In old age it becomes very hard and rubbery. The stem and the adjacent part of the cap should be removed. Used fresh (tasty in soups) and dried.

Medicinal properties. Contains substances that inhibit the growth and development of pathogenic fungi.

Bristle tinder

Polyporus coronatus

Syn.: Polyporus floccipes

Polyporus squamosus f. coronatus

R. lentus

Hat. Diameter 2-10 cm, in the form of a semicircle or circle, pressed in the center. The skin is creamy yellow, densely covered with scales of darker tones. The tubes are short, descending, fawn or ocher-cream. The pulp is white, hard, the taste is sweetish, the smell is pleasant.

Leg. Height 5–6 cm, diameter up to 1.5 cm, eccentric, fawn, covered with white bristles.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. On dead branches of deciduous trees.

Season. Spring.

Use. Edible when young.

White truffle, Shoiromyces veined, Trinity truffle

Choiromyces meandriformis

White truffle

Fruiting body. Diameter 4-12 cm, tuberous, potato-shaped, with tubercles, folds, brownish, grayish-white, brownish. The pulp is dry, mealy, dense, whitish or grayish. With veins that give it marbling. The smell is strong, spicy.

Spore powder. Cream.

Habitat. In deciduous and mixed forests on calcareous soils. It lives underground; the mature mushroom sometimes partially protrudes to the surface.

Season. The second half of summer is autumn.

Similarity. Can be confused with winter truffle (Tuber brumale) and summer truffle (T. aestivum), which are found in the mountain forests of the Caucasus near the Black Sea coast. But these mushrooms have a surface covered with large warts.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but not very High Quality. Can be used as a seasoning.

Stinking Garlic, Stinking Garlic

Marasmius foetidus

Hat. Diameter 1–3 cm, at first bell-shaped, later flat with a depression in the center. The color ranges from yellowish to red-brown, darker in the center. The plates are sparse, interspersed with bridges, and reddish. The pulp is thin with an unpleasant smell of rotten garlic.

Leg. Height up to 2.5 cm, diameter up to 0.2 cm, cylindrical, nut-colored above, black below.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, it grows in heaps on rotting wood, mainly beech, as well as hazel.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Similar to other small non-rotting insects, especially garlic brassicolensis (M. brassicolensis), growing in coniferous forests and smelling strongly of rotten cabbage.

Use. Inedible due to its unpleasant odor, but there are no dangerous species among the non-rotting species.

Spadefoot spadefoot, Sparrowfoot spade

Marasmius rotula

Spade spadefoot spadefoot

Hat. Diameter up to 1.5 cm, convex, with a depression in the center, covered with radial grooves. The color is off-white, sometimes brownish. The plates are sparse, attached to a tooth, which is why, when connected to the stem, they form something like a wheel hub. The pulp is very thin, tasteless, the smell is weak, garlicky.

Leg. Height up to 7 cm, thickness as needle, strong, brownish-black.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. In deciduous forests on rotting wood and brushwood.

Season. May – October.

Similarity. It is similar to other types of non-rotting insects, but differs in the characteristic attachment of the plates to the stem.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but has no practical use due to its tiny size.

Hairy scale, Common scale

Pholiota squarrosa

Hat. Diameter 5-15 cm, initially hemispherical, later prostrate, with folded edges, with a tubercle in the center. Color ranges from yellow to rusty brown with an olive tint. The skin is covered with pointed scales of a rusty color. The plates are adherent, weakly descending along the stem, first yellow, later olive or rusty brown. The pulp is white, later yellowish, very dense, the taste and smell are rare.

Leg. Height up to 14 cm, diameter 1.5–2.5 cm, cylindrical, sometimes tapering towards the base, dense, the same color as the cap, densely covered with scales. The stalk has a developed membranous ring.

Spore powder. Ocher.

Habitat. In deciduous, less often coniferous forests, on stumps, weakened and living trunks.

Season. August – November.

Similarity. Young mushrooms can be confused with autumn mushrooms (Armillaria mellea), but a rare smell will indicate an error.

Use. The mushroom is edible, but of low quality; it can be pickled and salted mixed with other mushrooms.

Scale yellow-greenish

Pholiota gummosa

Hat. Diameter 3–6 cm, convex at first, later prostrate, with a tubercle in the center. The skin is sticky, very slimy, finely scaly, light yellow, darker in the center, sometimes with a faint greenish tint. The plates are adherent, frequent, first creamy, then light brown. The pulp is whitish or light yellow, the taste and smell are inexpressive.

Leg. Height 4–8 cm, diameter up to 1 cm, cylindrical, often curved, dense, the same color as the cap, rust-colored at the base.

Spore powder. Light brown.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, on or near tree stumps, in grassy areas.

Season. Autumn.

Similarity. It is a little similar to some hygrophores with light caps, but differs from them in having frequent plates.

Use. A little-known edible mushroom. Use after boiling for pickling (preferably mixed with other mushrooms), or fry. The advantage is that it grows until late autumn, when there are few other mushrooms.

Hard scale, Hard vole

Agrocybe dura

The scale is hard

Hat. Diameter 3–7 cm, initially convex, later prostrate, sometimes with remnants of a blanket along the edges, velvety. The color is whitish or yellowish. The plates are adherent to the teeth, cream-colored, then dark or purple-brown. The pulp is dense, odorless, and the taste is slightly bitter.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 1.5 cm, cylindrical, sometimes thickened towards the base, dense, white or fawn, the remains of the ring are not always noticeable.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. Among the grass and dead wood in forests, gardens, parks.

Season. Spring – early autumn.

Similarity. With flake, or vole, early (A. praecox).

Use. Edible, but nutritionally of little value mushroom.

Syn.: Pholiota praecox

Agaricus praecox

Hat. Diameter 3–6 cm, at first convex, later flat, with a tubercle, sometimes with remnants of a blanket along the edge. The skin is smooth, silky, sometimes fissured. The color is whitish, light yellow or brownish, fading. The plates are frequent, thin, light gray, later brown. The pulp is fibrous, the taste is inexpressive, the smell is floury.

Leg. Height 3–6 cm, cylindrical, slightly thickened towards the base, often with longitudinal fibers, hollow at maturity. The upper part is white, and below it gradually becomes brown. The ring is whitish, later turning brown from spilled spores.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. Among the grass in forests, parks, gardens, meadows, pastures, near rotting wood.

Season. From early spring to late autumn.

Similarity. With flake, or vole, tough (A. dura).

Use. Edible mushroom of mediocre quality, can be fried or pickled. It is valuable for its appearance in the spring, when there are few other mushrooms.

Two-ringed champignon, Sidewalk champignon

Agaricus bitorquis

Double-ringed champignon

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, semicircular, later convex-prostrate, sometimes depressed in the center, edges turned inward. The color is white or brownish. The plates are loose, frequent, pink in young mushrooms, then dark brown. The pulp is thick, white, turning pink when cut, the smell and taste are pleasant.

Leg. Height 3–7 cm, diameter up to 4 cm, cylindrical, sometimes tapering towards the base, dense, white or brownish, has two rings.

Spore powder. Dark brown.

Habitat. In the forest, on heaps of manure and garbage, in parks, gardens, on lawns, along roads.

Season. Spring – autumn.

Similarity. Very similar to other types of champignons, but differs in the presence of two rings.

Use. A delicious mushroom that can be boiled, fried, or dried. It is not recommended to collect it within the city, along roads and in landfills in order to avoid poisoning from absorbed toxic substances.

Champignon bisporus

Agaricus bisporus

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, at first spherical, later straightened out. The skin is covered with brownish scales, the color ranges from dirty white, characteristic especially of the cultivated form, to brownish brown. The plates are loose, frequent, at first pink-gray, later chocolate brown. The pulp is dense, white, turns pink when damaged, the smell is strong, the taste is pleasant.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, hollow or filled, white or reddish, with a ring.

Spore powder. Dark brown.

Habitat. In manured places: compost heaps, silage pits, pastures, gardens, orchards.

Season. From spring to late autumn.

Similarity. It differs from poisonous fly agarics in the color of its plates, the absence of a fly agaric, and its strong odor.

Use. A very tasty mushroom, the ancestor of the widely cultivated champignon, which is its white variety, although the brown form is also cultivated. Can be fried, pickled, dried, used as seasonings and fillings.

Medicinal properties. Contains a large amount of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), comparable to the amount in beef and milk and significantly higher than in vegetables and grains. There is a lot of thiamine in champignons. The antibiotics agaridoxine and campestrin, which are active against typhoid, paratyphoid, and Staphylococcus aureus, have been isolated from bisporus champignon. The drugs are active in the treatment of purulent wounds and tuberculosis. Contains substances that destroy cholesterol plaques. Other types of champignons have similar properties.

Yellow-skinned champignon, Red-skinned champignon

Agaricus xanthoderma

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, at first ovoid, later broadly bell-shaped. The skin is smooth, silky, finely scaly, white, and turns yellow when touched. The blades are frequent, free, at first off-white, then pink, and purple-brown when ripe. The pulp is not very fleshy, white, turns yellow when cut, and has an unpleasant taste. Smell of carbolic acid, pharmaceutical.

Leg. Height up to 12 cm, diameter up to 2 cm, cylindrical, swollen towards the base, hollow, white, high ring, grooved. When cut, the lower part turns chrome-yellow.

Spore powder. Brown.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, gardens, parks, among grass, in pastures, in forest belts.

Season. Summer autumn.

Similarity. Can be confused with all edible champignons, but a good distinguishing feature is the unpleasant odor, which intensifies when boiled. Very similar to flat-headed or carbolic champignon (A. placomyces), which has a cap up to 12 cm in diameter, with gray-brown or brown-black scales, darker in the center; The flesh in the wounded areas also turns yellow, the smell is carbolic. It can also grow outside the forest.

Use. Both species are weakly poisonous. The literature contains conflicting information about the degree of toxicity; it is often exaggerated. I would like to note that carbolic champignon is quite widely collected by our mushroom pickers and used after boiling. It is likely that the intestinal disturbances that occur in some people depend on individual susceptibility. However, it is better to refrain from picking mushrooms that smell like carbolic acid or ink.

Meadow champignon, Common champignon, Pecheritsa

Agaricus campestris

Syn.: Psalliota campestris

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, in young mushrooms spherical, later convex, then flat, silky, white. Sometimes the center is covered with sparse brownish scales. In young mushrooms, the edge of the cap is connected to the stem by a dense veil covering the plates. In young mushrooms, the plates are pink or flesh-red, then black-brown, dense, and free. The pulp is dense, white, and turns pink when cut. The taste and smell are pleasant.

Leg. Height 4-10 cm, diameter 2–4 cm, smooth, white, brown at the base. It has a white membranous ring at the top.

Spore powder. Purple or black-brown.

Habitat. In meadows, pastures, mown fields, in gardens on well-fertilized soil.

Season. From May until frost.

Similarity. Similar to other types of champignons with white caps: the poisonous yellow-skinned champignon (A. xanthoderma), in which the flesh turns intensely yellow at the base of the stem and has an unpleasant odor of carbolic acid, which intensifies during cooking; for mildly poisonous black-scaled champignon (A. meleagris) and flat-hat (A. placomyces), the whitish cap of which is covered with gray and black-brown scales. They appear abundantly in the forest and outside the forest in the fall, and also smell faintly of carbolic acid. They are often collected by mushroom pickers and, as it seems to us, do not cause poisoning. Perhaps some people have an individual intolerance to them.

Use. A delicious edible mushroom that can be boiled, fried, dried, or used as a side dish.

Field champignon, Sheep champignon

Agaricus arvensis

Syn.: Psalliota arvensis

Field champignon

Hat. Diameter up to 20 cm, at first spherical, later umbrella-shaped, finally flat-convex. The skin is silky or scaly, dry, white, yellowish in old mushrooms, and turns yellow when touched. The plates of young mushrooms are almost white, with a creamy tint, then gray-pink, and when ripe, chocolate brown. The flesh is tender, white, yellow or reddish in mature specimens. The taste is mild, the smell is anise.

Leg. Height 6-15 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, slightly thickened towards the base, white or yellowish, with a two-layer ring.

Spore powder. Dark brown.

Habitat. Loves sunny places: meadows, pastures, clearings, forest edges, shelterbelts, gardens, parks.

Season. From May until frost.

Similarity. Dangerous to confuse with white fly agaric (Amanita virosa) and with the spring fly agaric (A. verna), which are deadly poisonous.

Warning : champignons never grow from volva and they always have colored plates, while poisonous fly agarics have white plates.

Use. A very tasty mushroom, eaten fresh or dried.

Conical cap

Verpa conica

Verpa digitaliformis

Conical cap

Hat. Diameter 2–4 m, bell-shaped and conical. Color yellowish-brown, reddish-brown. The surface is covered with shallow, chaotically located wrinkles; as a rule, there is a dent at the top. The pulp is very fragile and brittle. The smell and taste are inexpressive.

Leg. Height up to 10 cm, cylindrical or laterally flattened, hollow, covered with small scales. The color is whitish or yellow.

Spore powder. White.

Habitat. Found in almost the same places as the morel cap (Verpa bohemica), although it is a rarer species.

Season. April May.

Similarity. With a morel cap (Verpa bohemica), with semi-loose mitre (Mitrophora semilibera).

Use. Can be fried after pre-boiling.

Strobilomyces flocculus, Strobilomyces spotted-footed, Hedgehog spotted-footed

Strobilomyces floccopus

Syn.: S. strobilaceus

Pine cone mushroom

Hat. Diameter up to 15 cm, at first spherical, later plano-convex. The surface is gray or black-brown, covered with coarse large imbricated scales. The tubes are adherent, with large pores, and turn black when pressed. Young mushrooms are covered with a gray-white blanket. The pulp is whitish, when cut it acquires a reddish tint, turning into black-violet. The taste and smell are mushroom.

Leg. Height up to 15 cm, diameter up to 3 cm, cylindrical, slightly curved, very hard, scaly, with a quickly disappearing ring. The color is first gray, then black.

Spore powder. Black-brown.

Habitat. In forests of various types, prefers acidic soils.

Season. August – October.

Similarity. Inexperienced mushroom pickers may confuse this with a hornbeam. (Leccinum griseum), from which it differs in its scaly surface and the presence of a veil in young mushrooms.

Use. The mushroom is edible; due to the hard stem, only the caps can be eaten, but due to its rarity, it is better to leave the mushroom in nature.

Garden entoloma, Thyroid entoloma, Thyroid roseate, Podslivnik, Podabrykosovik

Entoloma clypeatum

Syn.: Rhodophyllus clypeatum

Entoloma garden

Hat. Diameter up to 12 cm, in young mushrooms convex or bell-shaped, later unevenly spread, with randomly curved wavy edges, with a thick tubercle in the center, radial fibrous. Color is whitish-gray, gray-brown, brownish-gray. The plates are sparse, wide, attached to a tooth, white in young mushrooms, turning pink as the spores mature.

Leg. Height up to 12 cm, diameter up to 0.5–4 cm, fibrous, often twisted, smooth or curved.

Spore powder. Pink.

Habitat. In deciduous forests, gardens, parks, sometimes in meadows - on soils rich in nutrients.

Season. April – May, sometimes until June.

Similarity. Very similar to entoloma tin, or poisonous (E. sinuatum), which grows in deciduous forests in summer and autumn and in mountain forests, but the cap of the plum plant is hygrophanic (darkens when absorbing moisture), and that of the tin entoloma is non-hygrophanic. Also, the plum plant is similar to the poisonous rosemary (E. rhodopolium), found in mountain forests in summer and autumn, the cap is thin, not fleshy, with a small tubercle, light gray or yellow-cream; for alkaline entoloma (E. nidorodum), characterized by an unpleasant odor. In addition, the mushroom is similar to the edible silky rosewort (E. sericeum), the cap of which is dark gray-brown, smooth, silky, shiny and which grows from August to September, and on the May mushroom (Calocibe gambosa), growing at the same times and in the same places. Mushroom pickers must clearly distinguish garden entoloma from its poisonous counterparts and beware of roseate mushrooms growing in summer and autumn, if there is no clear confidence in their edibility, since identification from photographs and drawings is difficult even for specialists.

Use. The mushroom is used pickled, salted, fried. In the West it is characterized as excellent in taste, but the authors would define them as good.

Literature

Phillips Roger. Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain & Europe. – London, 1981.

Prihoda A. Kapesni atlas hub. – Praha: Statni pedagogicke nakladatelstvi, 1986.

Romaghesi N. Petit atlas des champignons. – Bordas, 1983.

Andreeva M F. Mushroom hunting. – St. Petersburg: Agropromizdat; LLC "Diamant", 1999.

Andrest B.V. Mushroom basket. – M.: Timber Industry, 1972.

Vasilyeva L. N. Edible mushrooms Far East. – Vladivostok: Far Eastern Book Publishing House, 1978.

Biological encyclopedic dictionary. – M.: Institute of Technological Research, 1993.

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Due to its high taste qualities, as well as beneficial properties saffron milk caps are used for any culinary purposes. They are especially loved salted and pickled. It must be said that saffron milk caps are considered the only mushrooms that can be tasted after pickling within one and a half to two weeks.

Most housewives are very fond of canning saffron milk caps, as well as preparing first and second courses from them. Any dish made from these mushrooms will certainly conquer even the most capricious gourmet. However, during the processing process one unpleasant feature may be revealed: saffron milk caps turn black. Most often this happens when salting, boiling or soaking. This unpleasant picture immediately sows panic among housewives, as it suggests that the product has become unusable. But is the situation as hopeless as it seems at first glance? If the saffron milk caps have turned black, can they be eaten?

Interestingly, saffron milk caps are the only fruiting bodies that have thick and sweet milky juice. This suggests that such mushrooms do not need to be soaked, like other laticifers. In addition, eating saffron milk caps does not cause a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. These gifts of nature can rightfully be considered one of the best candidates for salting, pickling, frying, etc.

So, is it dangerous to eat saffron milk caps that have darkened? No, it’s not dangerous, because such a feature can appear for various reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with possible poisoning. To understand why saffron milk caps turn black after salting, cooking and other processes, you must first take into account various factors, which will be discussed in this article. Knowing about them, every housewife will be able to correctly determine the degree of darkening of the fruiting bodies, as well as provide “first aid” if necessary. In addition, this article provides practical tips showing what you can do to prevent saffron milk caps from turning black.

Why did saffron milk caps turn black when salted and photos of blackened mushrooms

As already noted, pickling saffron milk caps is the most popular processing method. By nature, these fruiting bodies have a pleasant orange color. However, after salting they may turn black, which can completely ruin them. appetizing look. Sometimes such a problem can arise within a couple of days after the start of salting, or it may take a month or two before this happens. But if blackened saffron milk caps do not have an unpleasant odor or any mold, then, as a rule, there is nothing wrong with that. Just darkened salty fruit bodies are not a pleasant sight. So, why then do saffron milk caps turn black when pickled, if not obvious signs depravity? There are several reasons for this:

• The saffron milk caps were not completely immersed in the brine. When exposed to air, the flesh of the mushroom turns black, but this is an absolutely safe phenomenon that is not a sign of inedibility and does not affect the taste. If you don’t want to eat such mushrooms as an independent snack, then you can fry them or add them to soup.
• Were collected different types camelina, for example, spruce. It is known that this type of fruiting body can turn black when various types processing.
• A lot of spices were added during pickling. So, saffron milk caps don't need large quantities spices, often just one salt is enough. For example, dill seeds can cause blackness to appear in mushrooms.

Some of the mentioned reasons why saffron milk caps turn black when pickled are shown in the photo:

Reasons why saffron milk caps turn black when cold-salted

Interesting, but most often saffron milk caps turn black when cold pickling, why is this happening? As with hot pickling, the following reasons can be added to all of the above:

• The saffron milk caps stayed on for a long time fresh air before salting. This often happens with purchased fruiting bodies. The longer fresh mushrooms wait to be processed, the more likely it is that they will turn black after pickling.
• Mushrooms were collected in polluted places, near industrial enterprises and highways.
• During the collection process, the saffron milk caps could become very wrinkled. If you press on the flesh fresh mushroom, then this area darkens, and when salted, it turns black.
• When storing saffron milk caps, the following were observed: incorrect conditions, for example, in heat or sunlight.
• Ready saffron milk caps were stored for a long time in open jar. Even the first discovery of conservation disrupts its environment, so the oxidation process begins to go faster.

What to do if the salted saffron milk caps turn black and how to properly salt the mushrooms?

What to do if the salted saffron milk caps have turned black? Can they be eaten and subjected to further culinary manipulations? Yes, it is possible if the conditions for pre-processing and storage of the finished product are correctly observed. In this case, the color change is absolutely normal for this type of fruiting body. If blackened saffron milk caps do not excite your appetite, use them in first and second courses, as well as for preparing salads and sauces.

What’s the best way to salt saffron milk caps so they don’t turn black? Here are some tips:

• Carry out careful transportation so that the saffron milk caps do not wrinkle.
• Mushrooms must be processed immediately after collection.
• Be limited minimum quantity spices and herbs.
• Make sure that the mushrooms are completely immersed in the brine.
• Seal salted saffron milk caps in jars no larger than 1 liter.
• Store the preserves in a dark and cool room, the temperature of which does not exceed +10°.
• Collect mushrooms only in proven environmentally friendly places.

Why did the brine turn black when pickling saffron milk caps and what to do if the surface turns black?

Many housewives are interested in why the brine turns black when pickling saffron milk caps. This doesn't happen often, and as a result, it can be very scary. Sometimes such an unpleasant feature can really become a cause for concern. But if there is no unpleasant odor or black mold in the brine, then nothing bad has happened. You can safely eat them after rinsing them in water. Otherwise, if black mold is visible on the darkened brine, then the mushrooms should be thrown away, sparing no time and effort.

So, why does the brine salted saffron milk caps maybe turn black? It should be noted that the brine of salted saffron milk caps should have a rich dark brown color, this indicates its quality. So, if the mushrooms were crushed during the picking process, were poorly processed, were stored incorrectly, and often came into contact with air, then this may also affect the color of the brine. The same can be said about when the brine of salted saffron milk caps turns black only on the surface.

What to do if the brine in the saffron milk caps has turned black, what recommendations exist for this? You need to remove the top layer of mushrooms and drain the liquid. Then rinse the saffron milk caps, sprinkle them again with salt and fill them with new brine. In addition, if you want to play it safe, then boil the saffron milk caps for 10 minutes and pickle them hot.

Reasons why saffron milk caps turn black when soaked

As already mentioned, saffron milk caps do not need to be soaked, as they belong to category 1 of edibility. However, some housewives still consider it necessary to soak these fruiting bodies for several hours. Often this process helps with severe contamination of mushrooms. But sometimes, when soaking, it turns out that the saffron milk caps turn black, why does this happen?

• The main reason why saffron milk caps turn black when soaked is their contact with air. It is possible that not all the mushrooms were in the water at that time. This is a natural reaction and there is nothing wrong with it. It is necessary to ensure that the product is completely immersed in water. In addition, it is better to add a little salt to the water.
• In addition, if the mushrooms were soaked in a metal container, this can also lead to oxidation and the product will turn black. Therefore, it is necessary to use any non-metallic container.

What needs to be done to prevent boiled saffron milk caps from turning black?

Sometimes saffron milk caps turn black when cooked, why does this happen? And although black saffron milk caps do not take on the most appetizing appearance, it is still absolutely safe. There are also several reasons for this:

• Almost all mushrooms react with air and turn black, and saffron milk caps are no exception. During heat treatment, this reaction is significantly accelerated.
• As in the case of soaking, saffron milk caps oxidize during cooking if metal utensils are chosen.

But what can be done to prevent boiled saffron milk caps from turning black?

• When cooking, add salt and citric acid to the water, which will help preserve the mushrooms’ attractive appearance.
• Conduct heat treatment exclusively in enamel dishes, without chips or damage.
• Wash the saffron milk caps thoroughly before cooking. ice water with the addition of vinegar.