Gruzd is one of the most massive Russian mushrooms. It grows throughout the European part of the country, in Transbaikalia, in Siberia, in the Urals. Various varieties of mushrooms are most often found in spruce, birch, and pine forests. An interesting feature is that these mushrooms hide under last year's fallen leaves, so finding them is not so easy. Almost all varieties of mushrooms grow in groups. You can “hunt” them from mid-summer to September.
These mushrooms are great for s alting, preservation for the winter. All varieties of mushrooms are considered conditionally edible. Some processing is required to make them suitable for human consumption. As a rule, to remove bitterness, mushrooms are soaked. There are ten types of mushrooms. Below is a description of the five most common.
Breastreal
This variety is considered one of the best in terms of taste, although pre-treatment before eating is also required. Whatever milk mushrooms you collect, they still need to be soaked. The hat of this mushroom is convex or flat, and closer to the center it is funnel-shaped. Its edges are lowered and slightly brought inward. Diameter - 5-20 cm, leg height - 5-7 cm. On the cap, the skin has a milky white color, it is slippery to the touch. When damaged, the pulp releases a rather caustic juice, which gradually becomes grayish. Under the hat are frequent yellowish plates.
Aspen subspecies
This variety of mushroom mushrooms is characterized by an interesting shape of the cap. At the edge, it is lowered down and slightly convex, but closer to the center, the bulge increases. The cap diameter is 8-12 cm, and the thickness is noticeably less than that of a real mushroom. Skin is sticky. It is white, slightly grayish, and even with pink spots. The height of the stem does not exceed 5 cm. In the aspen subspecies, the plates are frequent and thin. The pulp secretes juice. In the air, it does not change its color.
Pepper mushroom
In this subspecies, the cap has a diameter of 6-18 cm. Its skin is smooth, dull white. The edges of the cap are convex (wavy in old mushrooms), forming a funnel closer to the center. The leg of this mushroom is somewhat thinner than that of the two previous species. Height - up to 8 cm. When cut, the fungus secretes milky juice, which becomes greenish in air.
Bluish breast
The mushroom has a flat hat with the edges curved down. With age, it becomes funnel-shaped and can reach a diameter of 30 cm. The height of the leg is 1-4 cm. The skin is dry and smooth. Over time, cream or yellowish spots appear on it. The flesh of this mushroom is very brittle. When damaged, a milky juice is released, which quickly collapses in the air, acquiring a greenish or bluish tint.
Black breast
Different varieties of mushrooms are similar in many ways, but this subspecies is somewhat more different from its relatives. Firstly, it has an olive-black skin on a hat (diameter up to 15 cm). Secondly, you can see concentric circles on it, which is not typical of most subspecies. The edges of the cap are bent inward, then it becomes slightly convex, and closer to the center it forms a funnel. On the inside there are frequent plates, white at the stem and yellowish closer to the edges. The pulp is quite dense, the damaged areas darken. A lot of milky juice is released from breaks and cuts. The leg is high - up to 8 cm.
