Mushrooms are the largest and incredibly diverse group of living organisms. Usual for us are mushrooms, chanterelles, mushrooms, honey, mushrooms. But there are also amazing representatives of this kingdom - the lion's mane, raincoat, blue lactarius, trellis and garlic, the mushroom, the description of which is given in the article.
Appearance
This mushroom looks pretty interesting:
- The hat, when fully developed, reaches a diameter of 2-3 centimeters, at a young age it has a convex hemispherical shape, in the older it becomes open or slightly depressed, sometimes a tubercle remains on top. The edge is irregular, wavy. The surface of the cap is most often completely smooth, glabrous, without villi or scales, but sometimes a garlic mushroom with a slightly furrowed cap is found. The color may be brown, ocher red or cream.
- The pulp is a whitish hue, very thin, has a pronounced smell of garlic. This mushroom differs from all the rest of its relatives.
- The leg is very elegant, its thickness is only 2-3 millimeters, and the length is from 3 to 5 centimeters, cylindrical in shape, stiff and elastic, on top of orange, and below - dark red-brown in color, completely black at the very bottom, along the entire length the leg is naked and shiny, only at the base with a slight edge.
How not to confuse a garlic with a toadstool
It has been described above how a garlic mushroom looks. Although he himself is edible and highly appreciated by cooks for a wonderful mushroom aroma with a garlic tinge, inexperienced lovers of quiet hunting often take him for a poisonous grebe, as he looks very much like a large group of unassembled poisonous small mushrooms.
In order to make sure that you have really a garlic in your hands, and not a poisonous fellow similar to it, you should rub its pulp in your hands, it will start to produce a specific flavor - garlic (which is where the name of the mushroom comes from). You can safely put it in a basket and use it as a seasoning in the preparation of various dishes.
Where to grow and when to collect
The garlic mushroom is called all-weather, because it is harvested from May until the beginning of October, it sometimes comes across in winter thawed forests, provided there is a long thaw. It grows in colonies, in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, prefers forest edges and open glades.
It is best to collect garlic farmers after rain, as they absorb moisture and become noticeable, while exuding a characteristic aroma. Look for mushrooms on needles, branches, tree bark, stumps, heather stems, they are rare in the grass.
Household cultivation
You can grow garlic on your own in the country: find a mycelium in the forest, carefully dig it out and transfer it to a new place. A shady area under trees or shrubs, raspberry, dense grass is suitable. Sprinkle with 5-10 centimeters of soil above the soil, water as needed. Begin to bear fruit next year, the crop will need to be harvested every 3 weeks.
Medicinal properties
Do you know what a valuable raw material is mushroom garlic? The prescription of many antiviral and bactericidal drugs, the compositions of prophylactic agents contain its components. It belongs to the family of neglectors, because it does not rot itself and at the same time contributes to the preservation of food products. For this purpose, in Europe it is used as a natural preservative.
Cooking Application
This mushroom is considered a valuable delicacy for its unique garlic-mushroom mixed flavor. As seasoning is widely used in Europe. How to cook mushroom garlic so that it causes delight among gourmets? You only need to fry it or prepare the sauce without preliminary boiling, since cooking completely destroys the amazing smell of these babies.
Also, these mushrooms can be dried. In this form, they are stored for many years. Before use, dried garlic bears are thrown into the water and after 5-7 minutes they become as fresh as they were collected years ago.
