Autumn is a real expanse for inveterate mushroom pickers. The measured rustling of leaves underfoot, the cool breeze and the unforgettable aroma of the rain forest are the main companions for hunting mushrooms: russula, chanterelles, mushrooms …
To such a pastime brought only joyful memories and pleasant moments, you should be well-versed in mushrooms. For example, edible and inedible russula. How to distinguish them so that in the process of consumption there are no unpleasant surprises? This topic will be devoted to our article.
You will find answers to such interesting questions: where do these mushrooms grow? What are their varieties? You can also see photos and descriptions of edible and inedible russules, and detailed instructions for identifying them.
So, meet - a delicious beauty, a forest princess, an appetizing component of any dish … And just - the russula is edible!
Attractive family
The family Russula is a very common type of mushroom that grows in the vastness of our homeland. They are named so because they can be eaten not only after heat treatment, but also in raw form. And although this family is not considered delicious or rare, its taste and nutritional qualities are very attractive and attractive even for spoiled gourmets.
A mushroom family grows in mixed and coniferous forests, next to the roots of tall trees, entering into a kind of friendly symbiosis with them (the biological name of the association is mycorrhiza).
The usual edible russula consists of a hat, plate, leg, pulp and spore powder. Different types of russula differ from each other in color, shape and other external signs and properties.
To find out what edible Russula look like, you should get acquainted with the main types of this delicious mushroom.
Russula is greenish
Most often found in forests planted with deciduous or coniferous-deciduous trees. He loves the neighborhood of such crops as oak, beech and birch. It begins to grow in the second decade of July and delights mushroom pickers with its presence until the beginning of October.
What do these edible russula look like? Photos and descriptions of this species are below.
The mushroom cap usually reaches five to fifteen centimeters in diameter, at the early stage it has a hemispherical shape, and then becomes convex, slightly depressed in the middle. The usual color of the hat, as the name suggests, varies between gray-green and dark green. The peel of the hat is not smooth, as it tends to crack and peel off.
The mushroom plates have a cream color. Near the base, they are intertwined and separated from the leg, which has a cylindrical shape and white (less often - red-brown) color. Closer to the root, the leg is covered with small scales.
Russula greenish pulp strong and white. It has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and a faint smell.
Hunting for this fungus should be very careful so as not to confuse it with a pale grebe. Although there is a similarity in these two plants, there is still a major difference - the poisonous fruit has a ring on the stem and a Volvo.
How to cook a greenish Russula? First of all, it should be boiled (no more than fifteen minutes), and then you can already eat it. Pickled and salted mushrooms are also good.
Russula buffy
It grows in the southern latitudes, mainly from the second decade of August to the first decade of September. He prefers to settle near firs, birches and oaks, to bury in moss and damp foliage.
The hat of these edible russula is yellow and convex, in wet weather its skin is a little sticky to the touch, and in hot weather it is rather dry.
The dense leg of a mushroom four to eight centimeters high is white or slightly yellowish.
Plants of the plant are thin and frequent, cream or yellow in color. The pulp is white and dense, slightly pungent and spicy to taste. The ocher russula in salt or pickled form is very tasty.
Russula food
This species is found in almost all forests and forest plantations; it does not grow only in the mountains. Prefers to settle near birches and oaks. Below you can see photos of edible food russula.
The hat of this species, with a diameter of five to eleven centimeters, has a flat, slightly convex shape and a variety of colors: from pure white or light gray to lilac-brown or saturated red.
The mushroom plates, attached to the stem, are located quite often. At the first stage, they have a white color, then a light cream color.
Russula leg is strong and cylindrical, most often white, with a slight shade of the color of the hat.
The flesh of the plant also has a corresponding hue. It has a pleasant, delicate taste of hazelnut and a slightly open aroma. Before use, it is recommended to cook the mushroom for fifteen minutes.
Russula blue-yellow
Another kind of edible mushroom. It grows in mixed forests, forming a symbiotic association with the roots of deciduous plants such as birch, oak, aspen. It begins to grow from the beginning of June until the first days of September.
The russula hat is quite large, can reach fifteen centimeters in diameter, two-tone (the color of the hat is usually green or brown, and the edges with a purple tint). The surface is wrinkled and fibrous.
The plates are wide and silky, light cream or white.
The stalk of the mushroom is also large, about seven to twelve centimeters in length and two to three centimeters in thickness. The color is white, with a purple tint.
The pulp is light, strong, very tasty after cooking in the form of a pickled or salted product.
Russula gray
Another kind of edible russula. Its other name is fading. This species is found in coniferous forests with high humidity, likes to settle near pines, in thickets of moss and blueberries.
The mushroom cap can reach eleven centimeters in diameter. Brown-orange peel is difficult to remove.
Plates of fading russula firmly stuck to the leg, are often and ornate. The leg itself, slightly tapering upward, with the age of the plant takes on a dark gray shade and wrinkles greatly.
The mushroom pulp is strong and white, however, it quickly takes on a dark color in the air. Slightly sweet in smell and taste, often used to prepare second courses, very tasty in the form of pickles.
So, we have examined in detail several types of edible russula. What are their inedible relatives? Let's find out.
Unsuitable or poisonous mushrooms?
Before considering the differences between edible and inedible russules, it should be noted that there are practically no truly poisonous mushrooms of this family. If the plant is considered unsuitable for consumption, it is only because it strongly irritates the mucous membranes of the stomach (thereby provoking pain and vomiting). Such an incident cannot be called a classic case of mushroom poisoning.
What types of inedible russula exist?
Gall
Most often, this fungus grows in acidic soils, especially next to beech, oak and spruce. It appears at the very end of June and grows until September.
The plant has a small hat (four to nine centimeters in diameter) with a straw-yellow color and frequent light orange plates.
The hollow club-shaped leg of the fungus, three to seven centimeters long, also has a light yellow hue.
Russula pulp is white, unpleasantly bitter in taste and smell. Despite this, many use it in salt form after prolonged cooking and soaking in several waters.
Caustic Russula
This type of mushroom is also considered conditionally unfit for food. According to some foreign sources, it even has a certain dose of toxicity, which is due to the minimum proportion of muscarine alkaloid found in the plant. However, mushroom pickers of our region sometimes use this russula in pickles (after thorough soaking and heat treatment).
Stinging or vomiting - two more names of the fungus, indicating its bitter and pungent taste, causing disturbances in the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
This russula has a small reddish hat (up to eight to nine centimeters in diameter) and a pinkish cylindrical pedicle (up to seven centimeters high).
Birch russula
This species is considered inedible or conditionally inedible due to its sharp, slightly bitter taste. After the use of this fungus, cases of low-risk poisoning were recorded.
This Russula loves to settle in birch and spruce forests, in swamps and other wet surfaces. It grows from mid-June to November.
The mushroom cap is small (three to five centimeters in diameter), slightly depressed in the center, fleshy and easily brittle. The color of the surface is very diverse: from burning red to bluish pink.
Russula records are also very fragile (due to their subtlety and rarity).
The fragile light leg of the mushroom, soaking in rainy weather, often thins up. It is wrinkled on the outside and hollow inside.
Sardonyx Russula
It is considered inedible due to the bitter taste, in its raw form it can provoke various poisonings and disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
This mushroom has a brown or red color with a mandatory purple hue. The diameter of the cap varies from four to ten centimeters.
Frequent plant leaflets attached to the stem have a lemon, slightly greenish color, and the fusiform pedicle can change color depending on the age of an individual specimen. At the very beginning, it can be white, and then darkens and turns purple or violet.
The pulp, strong and yellow in appearance, has a rich pungent taste and delicate fruity odor.
Sardonyx (or sharp-edged) Russula likes to settle near the pines, creating a symbiotic association with the roots of this tree.
So, we met with many varieties of edible and inedible russula. We learned their detailed description and place of growth, taste and nutritional properties, cooking methods.
And now let's discuss some general rules on how to distinguish edible russula from unsuitable and poisonous.
Universal signs
Before you pick this or that delicious mushroom beauty, you should stop and carefully examine its appearance.
Inedible varieties are characterized by such distinctive features:
- The end of the leg is pink.
- Hat plates are coarse and hard.
- There is a film or “skirt” on the leg.
- The plant is not damaged by worms.
- The color of the hat often has a bright and rich red color.
If you nevertheless pluck an unfamiliar mushroom and doubt its nutritional qualities, carefully look at it during the cooking process. During heat treatment, the flesh of the inedible plants changes color, which can also occur when the cap or leg of the mushroom is broken.
And yet, the above symptoms may apply to edible russula.
What to do if food poisoning occurs
First of all, it should be remembered that eating any kind of russula is not fraught with serious danger to the human body.
However, if poisoning has occurred, some urgent and important action should be taken. For example, it is recommended to immediately flush the stomach with artificially induced vomiting and diarrhea. Then it is necessary to rinse the mouth area thoroughly and drink activated charcoal. The dosage of the drug is most likely familiar to you: one or two tablets per ten kilograms of weight.
If unpleasant symptoms and pain continue, you must urgently consult a doctor.
