As soon as the snow melts, a lot of mushrooms appear in all the forests, meadows and along the roads. They grow from May to October, delighting lovers of "silent hunting" with their diversity. Many mushrooms are useful and very nutritious. But everyone knows how dangerous it is to be poisoned by them. Therefore, only knowing which mushrooms are edible, you can go to collect them. And it is desirable that a knowledgeable person teaches you, because depending on the soil, weather conditions and surrounding vegetation, the same mushroom may look different. Besides, not all of them are good for food.
What are mushrooms
About three thousand saprophytes grow in our country.
And only 200 of them can be eaten. Anyone who wants to enjoy this tasty and nutritious product should know which mushrooms are edible. To do this, you must first get acquainted with what they are in general:
1. Edible are those that are eaten without prolonged food processing. They have a pleasant smell and great nutritional value.
2. Conditionally edible mushrooms can be eaten, but they are pre-soaked or boiled for a long time. They may have an unpleasant odor or a bitter taste that disappears after soaking. Despite this, many of them are very popular, such as milk mushrooms.
3. Inedible mushrooms are those with which you will not be poisoned, but they cannot be eaten because of the pungent smell, pungent taste, too small size or inappropriate consistency. These include, for example, mycenae, pepper fungus, tinder fungus or dog fungus.
4. Poisonous mushrooms should not be eaten under any circumstances. They can cause poisoning or even death. Death is mainly due to toxic damage to the liver or kidneys. Some species show their poisonous qualities only after many years, such as pigs.
5. Hallucinogens are also classified as poisonous mushrooms. They cause visual or auditory hallucinations, delirium. But such mushrooms may not be dangerous.
Characteristics of edible mushrooms
- Have a pleasant smell.
- They are delicious and many of them are considered a delicacy.
- Do not contain poisonous and toxic substances, suitable for eating without prior long-term soaking or boiling.
- Highly nutritious: rich in protein and beneficial micronutrients.
- Many species are grown in vegetable gardens or on special plantations.
What are edible mushrooms
Sometimes you can find the division of all saprophytes eaten into fourgroups:
1. The most valuable mushrooms with a pleasant taste and high nutritional properties. These include porcini mushroom and real breast.
2. Less valuable in terms of nutrition and taste: boletus, boletus, boletus and champignons.
3. Even less valuable, requiring longer heat treatment, sometimes with caustic milky juice: milk mushrooms, mushrooms, russula, morels, honey mushrooms, chanterelles and others.
4. Little known and rarely collected species: umbrellas, violin, oyster mushrooms, raincoats and others.
What edible mushrooms are harvested in autumn
When the summer heat subsides and the ground becomes damp, mushrooms are at their best. Starting from September and until the first frosts, mushroom pickers go to the forest not to look for them, but to collect them. In the first month of autumn, you can find almost all types of edible mushrooms; at this time they are stronger and not affected by pests.
And in October and November they become less. And at this time, those who know what edible mushrooms are harvested in the fall go on a "quiet hunt". They can be divided into two groups:
1. Those that grow until the first frost. These are porcini mushrooms, boletus, boletus, saffron mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and russula.
2. Those that grow even when frosts appear, sometimes until December itself. These are mushrooms such as rows, honey mushrooms, greenfinch, garlic and chanterelles.
How to pick mushrooms
On a "quiet hunt" you should go only when you know which mushrooms are edible. Photos of them do not always help to imagine how they actually look. There are many doubles, inedible or even poisonous. In addition, the same mushroom on different soils and at different times of the year may look different. Therefore, it is advisable to first go with a knowledgeable person who is well versed in which mushrooms are edible. But in general, on a "quiet hunt" you need to follow a few simple rules:
- do not pick mushrooms near roads, factories or within the city;
- never take a mushroom unless you are sure it is edible;
- do not take old, wormy mushrooms;
- it is advisable not to collect them in rainy weather;
- it is best to cut the mushrooms with a knife and put them in a basket of twigs;
- do not pluck or knock down fly agarics and toadstools.
Even if you know which mushrooms are edible for humans, you cannot be sure which ones are poisonous to you, they are inedible for the inhabitants of the forest.
Is it possible to get poisoned by edible mushrooms
Saprophytes are very variable. One mushroom can have several options for shape, size, color. You need to take only those in which you are completely sure.
But sometimes even people who know what mushrooms are edible put unfamiliar or little-known species in the basket, hoping that later they will sort them out and carefully consider them. This cannot be done, because even a small piece of toadstool,caught in the pan along with russula, can cause severe poisoning. When else can you get poisoned by edible mushrooms:
- in case of violation of the rules of their transportation, preparation and storage;
- when eating overripe, wormy or diseased mushrooms;
- some have an allergic reaction to any saprophytes; such people, even if they know which mushrooms are edible, cannot be collected and eaten;
- when picking mushrooms in industrial areas, near roads, burial grounds or in fields treated with pesticides - due to the ability of mushrooms to absorb all substances from the air and the ground in such places, even an edible mushroom can become poisonous.
Now you can find a lot of information about what are edible mushrooms. But you need to choose books carefully with color photographs and a detailed description of each mushroom and its counterparts. And even better at first, take a knowledgeable mushroom picker with you on a "quiet hunt", who would tell you which mushrooms you can take so as not to get poisoned.
