Where do porcini mushrooms grow? Edible mushrooms - photos and names for the mushroom picker What mushrooms are under the blue spruce

Pure pine forests grow on very poor sandy soils. The composition of the species of mushrooms found in them depends not so much on the geographical location of the forest, but on its age.

In young pine plantings, starting from the second year, late oiler appears, growing in the grass between the rows or under separate trees. The yield of oiler increases every year and becomes greatest when the age of planting reaches 10-15 years, and then begins to fade. When the plantings grow so large that the grass disappears and the soil becomes covered with a layer of fallen pine needles, boletus can be found by the tubercles of raised pine needles. Late oiler bears fruit abundantly almost all summer in the same places, giving 3-4, and in favorable years 5-6 harvests per season.

When pine plantings grow, another abundantly fruiting mushroom appears to replace the late butterfly - the greenfinch. Greenfinches grow in large groups and are found in young, middle-aged and mature pine forests, in lowlands in the middle of dense shady pine forests, where they can be detected by slightly raised tubercles of fallen pine needles, and in sunlit forest clearings. In flat places in pine plantings, the gray row is often found, and a pine variety of porcini mushroom with a yellow-brown cap and a relatively thin, almost cylindrical stalk also grows. The white mushroom usually grows along the edges of plantings, in small depressions and ditches, but is also found among pine trees.

In pine plantings, especially young ones, the autumn or true honey fungus bears fruit abundantly, the families of which grow around the trunks or on stumps left during the sanitary clearing of pine trees. In young and middle-aged pine forests you can find groups of saffron milk caps. They grow in damp places in small depressions, in clearings, forest clearings and edges, and less often - in the aisles of pine trees. At the end of summer and autumn, purple moth appears in such places. Sometimes in young pine plantings you can find variegated hedgehog. This mushroom is edible when young, but older mushrooms become tough and bitter.

In damp pine forests, along the outskirts of pine-covered sphagnum swamps, various moss mushrooms and goat grass grow. Here you can also find marsh butterwort, marsh russula, and gray pink milkweed. In damp places, among the moss, various rows grow in small groups. In young, middle-aged and old pine forests with a small admixture of birch, true chanterelles are found in large numbers, which bear fruit in the same places throughout the summer. Gall fungus is found in mature pine forests. It is not poisonous, but very bitter. At a young age, the gall fungus can easily be mistaken for a white one, so to check, you can lick the flesh of a suspicious mushroom with the tip of your tongue.

In pine forests of middle and older age, various varieties of russula appear in abundance - yellow, blue-yellow, greenish, swamp, brittle, fragrant. In autumn, in moderately damp, mossy places you can find black podgrudok. In mature pine forests, the Polish mushroom is found, and in clearings with sparse mature pine trees, the granular oiler is found. In forest clearings, edges, among sparse forests, the variegated umbrella mushroom grows - one of the most delicious mushrooms - and the red umbrella mushroom - also an edible and tasty mushroom, especially at a young age. Along the edges of old pine forests, gray-pink fly agaric is often found - a conditionally edible mushroom. In pine forests overgrown with weeds, various types of talkers grow abundantly, often forming “witch rings.” Most of them are edible, although of low quality, but some are poisonous.

Poisonous mushrooms found in pine forests include toadstool and fly agaric - panther, red, and toadstool. On stumps and around dried trees, poisonous sulfur-yellow fungus is found in large groups.

A pine forest, even with a small admixture of other tree species, is much richer in the diversity of mushrooms than a pure pine forest. With an admixture of birch, boletuses, aspen boletuses, bruises, russula, volzhanka, white cape and other milkweeds appear there. If there is an admixture of aspen and oak in the pine forest, the oak form of the porcini mushroom appears there, the variety of russula increases, white milk mushrooms, black milk mushrooms and other types of milk mushrooms are found.

Pine row, also known as matsutake, is an edible mushroom with high taste. In our country, it can be found only in the Urals, as well as in the southern part of the Primorsky Territory, and it is listed in the Red Book. However, this fruiting body is one of the most popular abroad. Asian markets sell matsutake at high prices. Sometimes the cost of one such copy can range from 100 to 300 US dollars. Ryadovka grows in pine forests on fallen pine needles or moss at the foot of tree roots. The word “matsutake” itself means “pine mushroom” in Japanese.

In Japanese, Korean, Chinese and North American cuisines, pine rows are especially highly valued. Beautiful appearance, specific pine aroma and amazing taste make this mushroom very expensive. For clarity, we suggest looking at the photo and description of the pine row.

Pine row mushroom: photo, description and application

Latin name: Tricholoma matsutake.

Family: Ordinary.

Synonyms: matsutake, shod row, spotted row, pine mushroom. Latin synonyms: Armillaria matsutake, Armillaria nauseosa, Tricholoma nauseosum.

Hat: fleshy, large, up to 20 cm in diameter, bell-shaped, the surface is smooth and dry. At maturity, the cap of the fruiting body cracks at the edges, which is why you can see a gap in the white pulp. Also on the surface of the cap you can see large dark brown scales. Color varies from dark to light brown. Sometimes the mushroom cap may have a resinous color. One more interesting feature can also be added to the description of pine row: as the mushroom matures, rusty spots appear on the surface of the mushroom.

Leg: up to 20 cm in height, but due to the fact that most of it is hidden deep in the soil (up to 10-13 cm), it seems short. Wide, up to 3 cm thick, slightly widened at the base.

The photo of a pine row shows that the leg is often tilted towards the ground, but at the same time it is firmly attached to the root. The surface up to the ring-skirt is painted in white patterns, and after - in brown. The main color of the stem is the same as that of the cap.

Records: light, unequal in length, at a young age covered with a protective film, which breaks, forming a velvety ring on the stem. In addition, a depression can be seen at the base of the plates.

Pulp: elastic, dense, white, well preserved, has a strong aroma that cannot be confused with any other type. Fruity and spicy notes (with a hint of cinnamon) in smell and taste make the mushroom especially popular.

Edibility: The pine row mushroom is edible. Attractive taste, as well as a unique smell, make the mushroom a real delicacy.

Application: Matsutake is perfectly used in any form - both raw and cooked. It is fried, pickled, salted, and also dried. Freezing and prolonged boiling are not allowed. It is highly valued by gourmets for its high taste. It is also used in Chinese folk medicine to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Spreading: pine or pine-oak forests of America, Sweden, Finland, Korea and Japan. In our territory, matsutake grows in the eastern part. Rarely found in Belarus and Ukraine.

If you believe the statistics, pine forests are one of the most widespread in the Northern Hemisphere: in 1986, for example, their area was about 325 million hectares. Even if we make allowances for the fact that these are data from the end of the twentieth century, such a figure is still impressive. Pine forests are mainly located in temperate climatic zones, but they can be found in the subtropical and even tropical zones. There is nothing mysterious or surprising in such prevalence: all varieties of pine (and, according to some sources, there are more than 120 of them) are resistant to frost and hot temperatures, often and abundantly bear fruit, and also quickly recover from devastating fires and planned or poacher logging. Due to its unpretentiousness and the presence of a superficial root system, which can develop even in a thin one-two-centimeter fertile layer, pine often takes root where other tree species are unable to take root, so it can often be found even on very poor sandy soils, not to mention mountain slopes. And although the species composition of tropical pine forests differs significantly from the composition of northern pine forests, which are more familiar to our eyes, this is not significant: pine, as they say, is pine in Africa.

A word of praise about the pine forest

Pine forests are very important for humans. So, for example, they:

1. are a source of wood, resin and other types of valuable raw materials of remarkable quality, and even stumps act in this capacity.
2. have a beneficial effect on yields due to the constant high humidity in their surroundings and greater amounts of precipitation than in other places.
3. They bind sandy soils with their roots, strengthen ravines and mountain slopes.
4. reliably protect against avalanches and mudflows, retain soil water and contribute to more uniform soil moisture than related spruce forests.
5. very rich in phytoncides (substances produced by plants that kill bacteria, microscopic fungi, protozoa or inhibit their growth and development). One hectare of pine forest produces about 5 kg. phytoncides per day, which are destructive for the causative agent of tuberculosis and E. coli, so in a pine forest, especially in a young one, the air is almost sterile.

In addition, pine forests emit substances beneficial to humans, which is why they are a very popular place for recreation and treatment. It is no coincidence that sanatoriums and dispensaries are often located in them, and in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, where pine forests also grow, there is even an original therapeutic technique known as “forest bathing”, the essence of which is the active inhalation of phytoncides by people to improve your health. The clean, healing air of the pine forest incredibly invigorates and refreshes any person, inspiring him to new achievements. But what would a vacation in the forest be without picking mushrooms? – that’s right, none, and the pine forest provides mushroom pickers with great opportunities to enjoy their gifts in the form of delicious mushrooms. And since it would be a sin not to take advantage of such opportunities, it is not surprising that lovers of quiet hunting often ask each other what kind of edible mushrooms grow in the pine forest.

Guide to pine forest mushrooms

The fungal diversity of a pine forest depends primarily on two factors: its age and purity/mixedness. If it contains at least small inclusions of other tree species - for example, birch - then, in addition to purely “pine” mushrooms, a successful mushroom picker can also count on a harvest of boletus, aspen, russula, volzhanka, chanterelles and other similar mushrooms. The presence of oak and aspen in the pine forest gives an almost one hundred percent guarantee that you will encounter a lot of milk mushrooms, white mushrooms, the oak form of the porcini mushroom and a truly countless number of russula.

But even without these inclusions, the pine forest can please even the most fastidious mushroom lovers. For example, it contains:

1. various types of butter (late, granular, marsh).
2. goats.
3. greenfinches
4. autumn honey mushrooms.
5. saffron milk caps.
6. whites.
7. various types of russula and talkers.
8. rows.
9. moss mushrooms are predominantly yellow-brown and green.
10. Polish mushroom.
11. umbrella mushrooms.
12. purple moths.
13. lines.
14. morels.
15. raincoats are spiky.
16. truffle.
17. pine varieties of boletus.
18. waves.
19. Variegated hedgehogs.

In their search, you can stumble upon gall mushroom, pepper mushroom, bitter mushroom, ringed cap, thick pig, horned mushroom, garlic mushroom. Well, of course, in the pine forest there is no escape from fly agarics of various types (panther, red, gray-pink, toadstool), pale toadstools, and sulfur-yellow false mushrooms.

Who, when and where grows

But, as we have already mentioned, the diversity of mushrooms is greatly influenced by the age of the pine forest, and the first to be seen in it is the late oiler. It grows already in two-year-old pine plantings, starting from the end of May, and comes into force already in June, and is found both near single pine trees and in inter-row grass. Sometimes this mushroom (as later the greenfinch) can be identified by small tubercles of raised needles. A pine forest is a favorable environment for the oiler: it bears fruit very abundantly throughout almost the entire summer, in the same places, and is capable of producing from 3 to 6 harvests per season. Every year its quantity only increases and reaches a peak in pine forests that are 10-15 years old. Then its productivity declines, but it is replaced in the finally formed environment (when the tree crowns close) by other mushrooms...

In addition to the late oil can, in young pine forests you can also find:

1. autumn honey fungus, growing in clusters around trunks or on stumps left after sanitary felling.
2. camelina, also growing in groups in damp, low-lying or open places, starting in mid-summer. Occasionally it can be found in pine aisles.
3. purple wet. Few people know this mushroom, but in terms of taste it is not inferior to butter mushrooms and is suitable for all types of culinary processing. The moth is found from August to the end of September, growing near pine trees, often on hills, singly or in small groups. You can also see them after the first autumn frosts, after which they often acquire a characteristic copper-purple color.
4. variegated hedgehog. This mushroom belongs to the category of conditionally edible because of its specific smell and bitter taste, but the latter disappears after a few minutes of cooking, and thanks to the former, the blackberry is often used as a seasoning. But only young, immature hedgehogs are suitable for consumption; older specimens become hard and have an increased bitter taste, which is why they are no longer suitable for food. In addition, according to some information, motley hedgehog should not be eaten raw: it can be poisonous. This mushroom bears fruit from August to October-November, grows singly or in groups (“witch rings”) of 3-5 specimens, prefers dry pine forests and sandy soils.
5. Greenfinch is another mushroom that is characterized by collectivism and prefers dense shady lowlands and illuminated clearings.
6. row, loving flat places, growing in sandstone, in moss and under coniferous litter, both alone and in “witch circles”. This mushroom often chooses the same places as the greenfinch, but you need to be careful with it: of all its varieties (from 90 to 100), only 19 are edible, all the rest are poisonous mushrooms. The most popular and widespread edible species is the gray row, known among mushroom pickers as “serushka”.
7. a pine-shaped boletus mushroom, which can sometimes be confused with a young gall mushroom (this variety has a yellow-brown cap and a thin, almost cylindrical stem). However, it is not difficult to figure out who is who: just lick the cap of a suspicious mushroom, and everything will fall into place, since the boletus will not have the same taste as the gall mushroom.

Pine forests aged from 15 to 40 years are considered the most productive. By this age, their root system becomes stronger, but the abundance of small shoots with delicate skin in it makes it possible for the mushroom mycelium to penetrate into a fertile environment for it. In addition, the layer of forest litter is still small, which allows the soil to easily warm up and moisten. It is during this twenty-fifth anniversary that one can find in the forests almost all of the mushrooms we listed earlier, growing in the lowlands, and on the edges of plantings and sphagnum bogs, and on the edges, and on the plains, and in the clearings, and in the aisles, in open areas and among dead wood... If the pine forest is sufficiently humid, then it will delight the mushroom picker with an abundance of moss mushrooms, goats, swamp boletus and russula, gray-pink milkweeds, rows, and if it is overgrown with weeds, then the mushroom picker’s basket will definitely be replenished with talkers.

The older the pine forest becomes, the more diverse its mushroom kingdom becomes. In middle-aged and older-aged forests grow various types of russula, black mushroom, umbrella mushroom - one of the most delicious mushrooms in the world, especially at a young age - Polish mushroom, granular butterfly, replacing its late “brother”, greenfinch... However, if the age of the pine forest When it exceeds 40 years, there are fewer and fewer mushrooms in it. This is due to the compaction of the crown, thickening of the litter, which causes the soil to warm up worse, and the coarsening of the root system of the trees, through which it is already difficult for the mycelium to break through. In addition, mature forests are unusually moisture-loving. But a small number of mushrooms does not mean their complete absence: especially stubborn mushroom pickers will almost certainly have luck in the “face” of those mushrooms that grow year after year in the same places: butter mushrooms, honey mushrooms, Polish mushrooms... If by this time pine the forest will be diluted with other trees, the mushroom kingdom will have a “second wind”.

Conclusion

Those who have at least once visited a pine forest, breathed its air and walked through mushroom places, without a shadow of a doubt call it the best forest in the world. And, probably, they are not far from the truth: pine forests stand out favorably against the background of other forests, no matter how healing and rich in their gifts they may be. Pine is not only unpretentious and resilient, but also friendly and quite capable of getting along with birch, white alder, spruce, oak, and aspen, which means that you can find a variety of mushrooms in a pine forest. The main thing is to know where to look for them, so finally we’ll tell you a little about where everyone’s favorite mushrooms most often prefer to settle.

All mushrooms during their productive period (summer-autumn) try to choose humus-rich and well-warmed soil, so they can often be seen in semi-shaded and open places, the slopes of ravines, hills and along the sides of forest paths and abandoned roads. In hot summers, they try to hide at the roots and under coniferous spruce branches, and in bad weather, in the fall or in a too wet forest, on the contrary, they prefer edges and clearings on hills. At the same time, mushrooms, with a few exceptions, avoid extremes such as swampy lowlands, excessively dry clearings, thickets and forests with too tall grass. Most mushrooms are monogamous: once they have chosen a place, they grow there almost every year in very different quantities, so every experienced mushroom picker, like a fisherman, has favorite places that delight him with a constant mushroom harvest. Finally, the abundance of mushrooms is influenced not only by the growing environment, but also by air temperature and weather. It is no coincidence that the largest harvest of mushrooms awaits a person on a clear, moderately warm day after a light rain, popularly called “mushroom rain.”

What could be better than a summer walk in the forest? The voices of invisible birds are heard, the lungs are filled with oxygen. But walking aimlessly is no fun. It’s better to take a basket and go mushroom picking. The pine forest allows sunlight to pass through well, which allows the soil to warm up well. Thanks to this, mushrooms in a pine forest are no less diverse than in forests consisting of deciduous trees.

Mushrooms of coniferous forests

Unlike green plants, mushrooms do not have chlorophyll and are therefore unable to produce their own nutrients. Because of this, they are forced to look for alternative sources of food. There are two such sources: firstly, it is humus from dead plants; secondly, these are substances from tree roots. And if everything is extremely simple with the first source, then the second requires explanation.

Most people are accustomed to thinking of something that grows on the ground as a mushroom. But everything is much more complicated. A mushroom is only the above-ground part of the mycelium. Most of it is located underground and is presented in the form of densely branched thin threads of mycelium. Some consider mycelium to be roots, but these are not exactly roots in the usual sense. Although the mycelium also performs the functions of the root system.

The species diversity of mushrooms in a pine forest depends on its age. The younger the forest, the easier the mycelium can grow into the roots of trees. In a two-year-old pine forest, late oil can already grow. Its growth begins in May, but its greatest activity occurs in June. It can be detected by small tubercles that lift fallen needles. Fruiting continues throughout the summer. If conditions are favorable, then in one season you can harvest from three to six harvests. After fifteen years, the activity of the oil can weakens, and new varieties of mushrooms take its place.

Along with boletus, the following species are found in the forest:

The most diverse mushroom palette of the pine forest is in the period from 15 to 40 years. Especially if, in addition to pine trees, there are inclusions of deciduous trees in the forest. Birch trees will delight mushroom pickers with boletus, aspen, russula and volzhanka. If there is oak, then an oak version of boletus may appear, as well as numerous varieties of russula, black milk mushroom, white milk mushroom and many more varieties of milk mushrooms. Mounds of fallen leaves from last year will tell you where to look for milk mushrooms. They grow up as families. Therefore, if one milk mushroom is found, you should not rush to a new place. If you look around carefully, you may find the rest of its relatives.

Unfortunately , in addition to edible mushrooms, the forest contains many poisonous ones. These include:

• death cap;
• panther, toadstool and red fly agaric;
• false honey fungus.

After boron reaches its fortieth anniversary, the number of mushrooms in it begins to steadily decrease. And there are three main reasons for this: firstly, the tree crowns become thicker, and light penetrates poorly through them and does not warm the ground enough; secondly, the forest floor thickens, which also prevents the soil from warming up; thirdly, it becomes more difficult for mycelium to penetrate the root system due to its coarsening. On top of that, old forests absorb a lot of moisture.

What to look for in a spruce forest

Unlike pine forests, there are fewer mushrooms in pure spruce forests. And this is explained by the density of spruce crowns. In a young spruce forest, along with the spruce camelina, a pine version of the same camelina can also grow. The spruce version of boletus is found in middle-aged forests. And also talkers, growing in large groups. Some varieties of russula may be found. In older forests there is a chance to find yellow milk mushroom.

There are also poisonous representatives of the mushroom family. The royal fly agaric with a yellow-orange cap and numerous cobwebs are the most striking representatives of inedible mushrooms.

The basics of quiet hunting

Popularly, mushroom picking is called “silent hunting.” And no wonder. As with regular hunting, silent hunting also has its own purpose. If a beginner wants to become a successful mushroom picker, then he should listen to simple rules:

Main mushroom season includes three seasons; spring, summer and autumn. In April, the first morels appear in the forests. And in the fall, right up to the first frost, you can collect milk mushrooms. But the peak of the mushroom season is in the summer.

Are there mushrooms in the forest when it’s winter outside? It sounds fantastic, but even a winter forest can please a mushroom picker. While skiing through a snowy forest, it is quite possible to come across a family of oyster mushrooms or winter mushrooms.

You don't have to wait until late summer to harvest edible mushrooms. Many delicious species inhabit the forest from June, and especially early ones - from spring. Knowing the types of some edible mushrooms will help distinguish them from dangerous ones.

Mushrooms that appear the earliest, when properly prepared, are no less tasty than those collected in summer and autumn. The main thing is to distinguish them from poisonous species, which also grow immediately after the snow melts.

Morels

They appear in areas well warmed by the sun's rays. Their cap is dotted with folds and indentations, which gives the morel a wrinkled appearance. The mushroom has several common varieties, so the shape of the cap may vary: be pear-shaped, elongated, conical.

Podabrikosovik

Scientific name: roseoplate thyroid. It has a brown stem and cap. The diameter of the latter ranges from 1 to 10 cm. The pleasant-tasting white pulp is traditionally used in canning. Grows in gardens and wild apricot groves.

Podabrikosovik

Oyster mushrooms

They grow in a suspended state on stumps, attached to them with a thin stalk. The color of the cap, which often grows up to 30 cm in diameter, varies from snow-white to brown. Oyster mushrooms usually form whole flocks, which makes them easier to collect.

Meadow mushrooms

These are thin lamellar mushrooms, appearing in May in clearings and forest edges in the form of “witch’s rings.” The diameter of the chestnut cap is very small: less than 4 cm.

Champignon

These valuable forest dwellers appear in mid-May in regions with warm climates, choosing well-lit open spaces. The spherical cap is painted white, and the leg may have beige shades. Widely used in cooking, including for preparing gourmet dishes.

Gallery: edible mushrooms (25 photos)

boletus

They appear everywhere at the end of May. This is the sun loving one. Boletus mushrooms usually grow in “families” around trees. Their hemispherical cap can be either white or dark brown, depending on the age of the find. It is important to distinguish between boletus and: the latter has a pungent, bitter taste and a pink layer of spores, while boletus mushrooms have gray spores.

boletus

Butter

Appear simultaneously with boletus mushrooms, but they prefer pine forests. A distinctive feature of the oiler is its brown cap covered with a sticky film.

How to pick mushrooms (video)

Summer edible mushrooms

In the summer they grow and are joined by new ones. Avid lovers of quiet hunting have been going into the forest since June, and in August, which is the peak of fruiting, everyone else joins them.

Porcini

The first place in the list of summer species is, of course, white. This is a very valuable species because it not only has an excellent taste, but also healing properties: it contains substances that kill bacteria.

The appearance of “white” is difficult to confuse with others: A fleshy hat, colored in warm shades of brown, pink or even white, mounted on a plump stem. The pulp has a pleasant taste and aroma.

For its positive properties it is called the “king of mushrooms”. You can find “white” in forests with birch and pine trees, in open areas. But the mushroom itself prefers to remain in the shade, hiding under fallen trees or thick grass.

Porcini

Mosswort

Grows in forests that contain oak or pine trees. At first glance, the flywheel resembles an oil can, but the surface of its brown or olive cap is dry and has a velvety structure. Their diameter does not exceed 10 cm, but in a favorable environment this figure can become larger.

Russula

This is a small and very fragile mushroom that grows everywhere in large quantities. The color of the caps can be very diverse: yellow, pink, purple, white. White pulp, easily broken when pressed, sweet in taste. Russulas grow until late autumn, mainly in the lowlands of any forest, and are undemanding to soil. Despite the name, breaded, fried, boiled, added to soup and potatoes, or pickled for the winter.

Russula

Bitters

They grow in large “families” in well-moistened areas of mixed and coniferous forest. This lamellar mushroom does not exceed 10 cm in diameter. The cap of a young bitterling is almost flat, and over time it turns into a funnel-shaped one. Both the stem and the skin are brick-colored. The pulp, like that of russula, is fragile; if damaged, white juice may appear from it.

Chanterelles

These are mushrooms loved by many and make an excellent duo with potatoes when fried. They appear in June among moss in birch or pine forests.

Chanterelles grow in a dense carpet or are bright yellow in color (which is why they got their name). The funnel-shaped cap has a wavy edge. A pleasant feature of the mushroom is that it is almost always untouched by worms.

Varieties of edible mushrooms (video)

Edible autumn mushrooms

The beginning of September can be called the most productive time for, when a wide variety of species grow in the forest: from boletus mushrooms that appeared in May to autumn mushrooms.

Honey mushrooms

Perhaps the most beloved inhabitants of the mushroom kingdom that appear in the fall are honey mushrooms (they are also called honey mushrooms). Some varieties begin to grow as early as late summer.

Honey mushrooms never grow alone: ​​they “attack” stumps, logs and even healthy trees in entire colonies. One family can have up to 100 pieces. Therefore, collecting them is easy and quick.

Honey mushrooms are cap mushrooms of brown and red color.. The diameter of the brown cap, darkening towards the middle, is from 2 to 10 cm. These are mushrooms that have a pleasant smell and taste, so they are used for cooking in almost any form. Miniature young mushrooms with legs marinated in spicy brine are especially tasty.

Rows

A large family, representatives of which grow in orderly rows in pine or mixed forests. Sometimes they can form ring-shaped colonies . They have many species, most of which are edible. But there are also poisonous rows.

These are medium-sized mushrooms (average diameter 5–13 cm), the caps of which are painted in various colors. Their shape changes over time: old specimens are usually almost flat, with a knob in the middle; young ones can be cone-shaped.

Wet

This is an edible species that is often confused with toadstools. Its cap is usually covered with mucus, but can also be dry. There are different types of mothweed, for example, spruce and pink.

How to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones

The task of a lover of quiet hunting is not only to find mushrooms, but also to distinguish edible from inedible and even poisonous ones. Knowledge and practical experience help with this. The easiest way to avoid mistakes is to know the characteristics of the species. But there are still general rules that allow you to determine how safe a mushroom is for health.

Edible mushrooms

They have the following properties:

• pleasant “edible” smell;
• the bottom of the cap is covered with a tubular layer;
• they were chosen by bugs or worms;
• the skin of the cap is characteristic in color for its species.

There are general rules to determine how safe a mushroom is for health.

Inedible mushrooms

If there is any doubt about the suitability of a find for consumption, then it is better to leave it when the mushroom:

• has an unusual or bright color;
• it emits a sharp and unpleasant odor;
• there are no pests on the surface;
• the cut takes on an unnatural color;
• there is no tubular layer under the cap.

The variety of species does not allow us to derive an axiom on how to determine by appearance whether a mushroom is dangerous or not. They successfully disguise themselves as each other and are almost indistinguishable. Therefore, the main rule of all mushroom pickers is: “If you’re not sure, don’t take it.”

The main rule of all mushroom pickers is: If you’re not sure, don’t take it.

Which mushrooms appear first?

The first ones to emerge from the ground are usually small in size. They are thin, fragile and unremarkable; They grow literally everywhere: in forests, parks and on lawns along with the first grass.

The very first edible morels will appear a little later, from about mid-April in the middle zone.

The importance of edible mushrooms in human nutrition

Mushrooms are widely used in cooking. Their taste and smell are determined by extractive and aromatic substances. The product is used mainly after heat treatment: as an addition to vegetable and meat dishes, salads and snacks. Dried caps and legs are added to soups to give them a characteristic taste and aroma. Another common method of preparation is canning, in which spicy spices and plants are added.