Mushrooms have been harvested here for a long time. Even in the times of Ancient Russia, in the summer-autumn season, whole families went to the forest to prepare these gifts for the whole winter. Milk mushrooms, mushrooms, chanterelles and, of course, porcini mushrooms, which are very often mentioned in Russian proverbs, sayings, fairy tales.
Cep mushroom, the varieties of which depend on where it grows, is eaten in any form: fried, stewed, boiled. It can be dried, pickled, canned. At the same time, most of the useful properties are preserved. For example, mushroom broth is much he althier than meat broth, and dried porcini mushrooms are twice as high in calories as chicken eggs. The substances found in the porcini fungus have tonic and antitumor properties. Its extract was once used to treat frostbite.
Cep mushrooms grow on almost every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They grow throughout the summer until late autumn, but not constantly, but in waves that depend on local and weather conditions. The first wave usually occurs at the end of June and beginning of July. The most fruitful falls in the second half of Augustand early September. The third wave depends on unpredictable autumn weather and may not even come. White fungus, whose varieties are diverse, does not grow very quickly. The time that passes from the development of the embryo to a mature fungus is on average about a week. And they usually grow up in families. Therefore, having found this handsome man in the forest, you should carefully look around: for sure, somewhere nearby, more than one will be found.
They prefer to settle in birch or mixed forests. In white fungus, the color of the cap can be very different: brownish, light brown, sandy. With excess moisture, it can be a little slimy. The stalk is thick, ovoid, somewhat elongated with age, remaining thickened at the bottom. The flesh is white, but may turn slightly blue when cut. After drying, the bluish tint disappears and the mushroom turns white again.
The well-known Soviet scientist B. P. Vasilkov, who studied mushrooms and is the author of many scientific papers, described 18 species of whites, depending on the season, climate and other external conditions. It is generally accepted that the white fungus, the varieties of which can have various forms, belongs to one species - Boletus edulis. However, some scientists who have conducted similar studies believe that 4 of them are independent species.
Varieties of white mushrooms
In our forests, the following subspecies are most often found:
- Dark bronze. It has a wrinkled dark hat of various shades (brown,tobacco, dark brown, with a greenish tint). Prefers to settle in a warm climate: in beech, hornbeam or oak forests of the southern or western regions.
- Mesh. The cap is usually light shades (straw-ocher, cream) with small cracks and scales in the center. The tubular layer is yellow. The leg is short, cylindrical in shape, a light mesh is clearly visible on it. Most often found in mountain oak or hornbeam forests.
- Oak (Oak forest). This mushroom with a light brownish cap is sometimes considered a separate species.
- Birch. The hat is brown on top, but it can also be light (almost white). The leg is dense, club-shaped, with a mesh pattern. The tubular surface is yellowish.
- Spruce. The hat is brown, with a slightly sharp shape. Tubular surface of yellow shades. The white dense pulp of this mushroom, which has a pleasant smell, does not change color when cut.
- Pine. It has a large brown cap (purple tint is possible) and brownish-red flesh.
Caution! Poison
Cep fungus, whose varieties are well known to experienced mushroom pickers, still has a dangerous counterpart. This is a gall fungus (bitter or bitter).
In appearance, these are ordinary white mushrooms. Photos of poisonous bile and edible white are practically the same. But there is still a difference:
- tubular layer of gall fungus has a slightly pinkish tint;
- gall fungus usually grows at the base of trees or on stumps;
- bitter legcovered with a darker mesh pattern;
- he has pores;
- It has a sharp, bitter taste that is easy to feel when lightly touching it with your tongue.
Despite the fact that this mushroom is poisonous, it contains medicinal substances. In folk medicine, bitter has been used since ancient times as a choleretic agent, which is why it got its name.
