Large harvest of mushrooms and signs. How to choose the right mushrooms, their benefits and myths: which mushrooms can be collected without fear of poisoning

06.10.2023

More than 100 thousand species of mushrooms are known to scientists

Mushrooms are a separate kingdom of living nature, along with plants, animals and bacteria. It includes not only cap mushrooms, which we are used to collecting in the forest, but also mold, yeast...

The cap mushroom is a mycelium, or mycelium, which consists of the finest threads (hyphae). What we see on the surface is the fruiting body, which serves to spread the spores.

78–90% of the biomass of all microorganisms in the forest litter accounts for the fungal mass (approximately 5 t/ha). Fungi are found everywhere where life can exist.

More than 1 km - a hypha of such a total length can be formed by the mycelium of one cap mushroom in a day.

More than 100 thousand species of mushrooms are known to scientists. There are hundreds of edible caps, only a few poisonous ones.

49% of Russians pick mushrooms themselves, 20% buy them at the market, 16% prefer to shop at the store, and about a fifth of the population does not eat mushrooms at all.

The largest mushroom weighed 140 kg, its coverage was almost two meters, such a mushroom was found in 1985 in the American state of Wisconsin.

Mushrooms are difficult to digest by the body due to their high chitin content. However, the nutritional value of mushrooms lies in their high aromatic and taste qualities, which is why they are used for seasonings, dressings, and sauces.

200 g of dried mushrooms per day will replenish a person’s need for calcium.

No later than 4–5 hours after picking, the mushrooms must be cooked. Collected mushrooms quickly deteriorate.

Some mushrooms can be eaten raw: young champignons, porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, truffles. They are cut into thin slices and served with ham or cheese.

From 30 to 85 kcal is contained in 100 g of raw mushrooms.

Mushrooms are a low-calorie food.

Shiitake is the most medicinal of mushrooms and is widely used in medicine. Lowers cholesterol, reduces inflammation, heals ulcers, improves immunity...

Some types of mushrooms contain psychoactive substances. Among ancient peoples, they were used in various rituals; in particular, fly agarics were used by the shamans of the peoples of Siberia.

Poisonous and edible mushrooms. Infographics

notes about mushrooms tips

How not to make mistakes and distinguish real mushrooms from poisonous ones.

Even experienced mushroom pickers wonder whether they found a real mushroom or a false one. The inedible look-alikes of white mushrooms are exactly like noble mushrooms. Sometimes the false mushroom is not poisonous, but it is bitter. So much so that dishes prepared from it are impossible to eat.

But some doppelgangers are very poisonous. For example, false honey mushrooms or toadstools, similar to champignons. In this case, you need to be especially careful.

How to distinguish an edible mushroom from a false one, see infographics

Salt or dry. What types of mushrooms are suitable for frying or boiling?

notes about mushrooms tips

Each type of mushroom has its own characteristics. Some are incredibly good fried, while others are best frozen.

The most versatile

Porcini mushrooms are unique creatures. They make the best soup in the world, an excellent sauce for vegetables and meat, they can be dried, and a jar of salted whites will be the subject of admiration for all guests gathered for the New Year. White ones also perform well when fried.

Make soup

In addition to porcini mushrooms, as if created by nature for soup (note that the mushroom broth from these mushrooms turns out golden brown, and not dark, like from many others), you can put boletus and boletus mushrooms in the soup. Classic cream of mushroom soup - made from champignons.

Make the sauce

Champignons with cream, truffles, porcini mushrooms - these are the best mushrooms for a variety of sauces. They are fragrant and memorable. Even adding a small amount of mushrooms will make the sauce bright and interesting.

Fry

Chanterelles, morels, sow mushrooms, saffron milk caps, honey mushrooms - all small crispy mushrooms are great for frying. Of course, no one bothers you to take mushrooms with a sponge: boletus, goat mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms. They will be delicious too.

Pickle

Strong, crispy mushrooms are amazing when salted or pickled. But not only them. White, spongy noble mushrooms - boletus and boletus - are salted separately (by the way, they can be salted together without separating them by variety). Small salted elastic chanterelles crunch wonderfully on your teeth. Salted boletus is amazing - this is one of the best mushrooms for pickling.

All of the above is salted hot, that is, first boiled and then poured with marinade. There is also a cold method of pickling, when raw mushrooms are sprinkled with salt and placed under pressure. This is how saffron milk caps are prepared, as well as milk mushrooms and mushrooms, but the latter must be soaked in cold water before salting.

Dry

Here again porcini mushrooms are the leaders. Dried boletuses and small, strong chanterelles also perform well. Sometimes honey mushrooms, moss mushrooms, goats and boletus are dried.

To freeze

The best are lamellar mushrooms: chanterelles and honey mushrooms. Mushrooms with a sponge turn out well only if they are frozen raw, and then it is better to choose very strong small porcini or aspen mushrooms.

Garnish a dish or in a salad

Small elastic mushrooms - small chanterelles or very small mushrooms. If you find a mini white one, you can build a whole composition of vegetables and mushrooms around it.

Are they difficult to prepare?

Actually, it’s not difficult, but rather just troublesome. This is what they say about those mushrooms that are called conditionally edible. They contain toxic, easily degradable substances. Therefore, they need to be boiled for a long time before cooking. At least 40 minutes in one water. Or better yet, 20 minutes at a time, but in two doses and with a change of water. The resulting mushroom broth is not used for cooking, but is poured out.

1) wave

2) nigella (aka black milk mushroom, very similar to pig milk, but much darker)

4) various milk mushrooms

5) morels and lines

6) goat fly (similar to moss fly, only the cap is curved)

7) milky

8) autumn honey fungus (sometimes classified as edible, and sometimes as conditionally edible mushrooms)

9) fly agaric

If you decide to dry such mushrooms for the winter, then keep in mind that they cannot be used for cooking earlier than after 3 months. During this time, all toxic substances will disintegrate.

Milkweeds and volushki need to be soaked so that the bitterness goes away from them. And then boil as described above.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of the “conditionally edible” label. Otherwise, you can miss out on a lot: for example, not trying fried dunka or, in the spring, not sinking your teeth into an elastic stitch. These mushrooms, along with tremors, are considered one of the most delicious.

Salted mushrooms are just great, but you can’t make soup from them or bake a pie. For this you need dried or frozen

Drying and freezing mushrooms should be fresh, just picked. The best thing is to pick mushrooms yourself, rather than buy them at the market or, worse, along the road. You don’t know when and where they were collected, how they were stored. And mushrooms instantly absorb all harmful substances if they grow or just lie close to cars.

Before processing, you need to sort out the mushrooms and check again to see if your “prey” contains any poisonous or inedible mushrooms. All stale, heavily worm-eaten, bruised mushrooms should be set aside. Some of them, by the way, can be used for pickling, but some will have to be thrown away. But for drying and freezing, mushrooms must be selected.

What does fresh mean? Boletuses and boletuses will live in the refrigerator after harvesting for a maximum of a day, and only if you picked them young and strong. Boletus boletus is best processed on the day of collection. Chanterelles will be able to “last” in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

All mushrooms must be cleaned of twigs and dirt, and the soil on the stem must be carefully trimmed. To dry and freeze fresh mushrooms, it is better not to wash them. They absorb water very well, therefore, they will not dry well and may become moldy, and when frozen, the water will turn into ice.

How to freeze mushrooms

notes about mushrooms tips

Method 1. Raw

Porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms and all mushrooms that have a sponge under the cap are best frozen fresh. This way they will retain freshness and elasticity. When cooked, these mushrooms will become watery and will lose much flavor after defrosting. In the same way you can freeze honey mushrooms and chanterelles.

To save space in the freezer, mushrooms should be chopped; the smallest ones are best left whole; in winter they can decorate your dishes.

Spread the mushrooms in a thin layer on a tray or the bottom of the freezer, which is turned on to maximum so that the mushrooms freeze very quickly. After 12 hours, the mushrooms can be poured into a bag and the freezer can be returned to normal mode.

Method 2. Boiled

Before freezing, mushrooms must be boiled in accordance with the cooking recommendations for each type. For example, honey mushrooms need to be cooked for at least half an hour, otherwise they can cause upset in the body. After cooking, place the mushrooms in a colander and let drain. A long time - half an hour, or even an hour. You can squeeze the mushrooms a little more with your hands to remove excess moisture.

Then put the mushrooms in a tight bag or container for freezing and put them in the freezer.

Important! Mushrooms should not be re-frozen - you will end up with a tasteless, watery mess.

It is best to defrost mushrooms slowly - simply transfer them to the refrigerator and leave them overnight. If they don’t defrost, then you can defrost them at room temperature.

Advice: If you are afraid that great whites and boletuses will turn out watery, cut off the sponge from them after freezing.

How to dry mushrooms

Usually white ones are dried, but boletuses are also excellent dried, and sometimes boletus and chanterelles are also dried.

Mushrooms for drying need to be coarsely chopped: they will dry out 3-4 times. Small mushrooms can be dried whole. If the mushroom is medium, then simply separate the cap and stem.

Method 1. Under the sun

If the balcony faces the sunny side and it’s hot outside, then you can simply dry the mushrooms in the sun. String them on threads and hang them in the sun. The main thing is that they are blown by the wind. They will dry in three to four days, but if the weather turns bad, you can dry them in the oven.

Method 2. In the oven

You need to place the mushrooms on a baking sheet in one layer, open the oven door slightly to allow air access, you can turn on the convection mode. Set the oven to 70-80 degrees and dry for several hours. You can do it in several steps, but do not close the oven door.

Method 3. In the oven

If there is a stove at the dacha, then it is most convenient to dry it in it. Moreover, in the fall it has to be heated often. Drying one batch will require several fireboxes: first, the mushrooms will need to be placed in an oven that has already cooled down; the temperature in the oven should be about 50 degrees. And leave for 3-4 hours - the mushrooms will dry out, they will become soft, but they will no longer release juice. In the next firebox, the mushrooms need to be dried at a temperature of 70-80 degrees. When they become dry and brittle, they are ready.

Attention!

Do not put mushrooms in the oven during or immediately after heating, otherwise everything will burn.

It is best to store dry mushrooms in a dry place in a glass or ceramic jar. You can grind some of the mushrooms in a coffee grinder; they will be useful for sauces and flavoring of dishes, and will take up much less space.

Before cooking, mushrooms should be washed well and soaked in hot water for 2 hours. After soaking, the water must be changed and boiled in new water.

Mushroom picker rules: how to collect, where to buy and how to store

The most severe cases of mushroom poisoning are suffered by people with poor health and children. The child’s body does not yet have the necessary amount of enzymes to digest them. This is why it is not recommended to feed children under 14 years of age with any mushrooms, and this is why they have a hard time suffering from poisoning.

At the same time, according to Rospotrebnadzor specialists, it is in the fall, during the mushroom season, that cases of mushroom poisoning among children become more frequent. This usually happens during walks, due to the inattention of adults and the carelessness of children putting raw mushrooms into their mouths.

But during the mushroom season, not only children, but also adults are poisoned. To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is important to take precautions.

Infographics AiF

Why do we get poisoned?

Every year in Russia, cases of food poisoning associated with the consumption of mushrooms are registered. Mushrooms are a difficult-to-digest product; they contain a lot of mushroom fiber - chitin, which is not only indigestible, but also makes it difficult for digestive juices to access digestible substances.

Important!

Follow the storage conditions for mushrooms and the rules for preparing mushroom dishes. Any types of mushrooms must be boiled in well-salted water, which is drained after boiling.

Mushroom proteins are mostly poorly soluble, which negatively affects the digestion process. Therefore, mushroom dishes are recommended for absolutely healthy people who do not suffer from diseases of the digestive tract.

Keep an eye on the kids!

It is important to prevent situations where a child might eat a raw mushroom. To do this, you need to inspect the place where the child will be walking in advance, before the walk. You also need to inspect the territory of nurseries and kindergartens, schools and other institutions.

In addition, it is necessary to closely monitor children while walking, especially in parks, squares, playgrounds and in the forest.

Mushroom Picker Rules

To prevent mushroom poisoning, it is important to take precautions, in particular:

1) Collect mushrooms away from roads, highways, outside populated areas, in ecologically clean areas.

2) Collect mushrooms in wicker baskets - this way they will stay fresh longer.

3) Collect only familiar types of mushrooms.

4) Cut off each mushroom with its stem intact.

All mushrooms brought home on the same day must be sorted, sorted by type and carefully reviewed again. Throw away all wormy, overripe, lamellar mushrooms, mushrooms without legs, flabby mushrooms, as well as inedible and poisonous ones, if they are collected by mistake.

It is imperative to cook the mushrooms on the day of collection, and cook each type of mushroom separately.

By the way

It is prohibited to sell mushrooms in stores and supermarkets without accompanying documents confirming their origin, quality and safety for human health.

To avoid mushroom poisoning, remember not to:

o collect mushrooms in buckets, plastic bags or sacks - this leads to spoilage of the mushrooms;

o collect old, overgrown, wormy and unknown mushrooms;

o try mushrooms during picking;

o cook mushrooms a day or more after collection;

o marinate or pickle mushrooms in galvanized dishes and glazed clay dishes;

o keep mushrooms warm - this is a perishable product.

If you are buying already collected mushrooms, remember that you cannot buy dried, salted, pickled and canned mushrooms from random persons and places of unauthorized trade.

Non-industrial mushrooms are allowed for sale at markets and fairs only after an examination, which is carried out to control the quality of products going on sale.

The examination is designed to determine the quality of mushrooms, their integrity, and radionuclide content. Only after the examination is carried out, permission to sell the product is issued.

If you buy already collected mushrooms in stores and supermarkets, carefully examine the packaging with mushrooms; they should not be rotten or spoiled. Do not buy mushrooms if the integrity of the packaging is damaged or the packaging is dirty. Also, do not buy mushrooms if the packaging does not have a label, inserts, or any information about the product at all.

Harvesting mushrooms

When preparing mushrooms, you must remember that there is a list of edible mushrooms. Of the large group of edible mushrooms, only the porcini mushroom, the real milk mushroom, and the common saffron milk cap are certainly edible mushrooms. Only these mushrooms can be used to prepare mushroom dishes without prior boiling.

One of the main causes of food poisoning is improper technology for preparing mushrooms. To neutralize conditionally edible mushrooms, you need to treat them in a special way - clean them of soil, rinse them well in water, and then soak or boil them. During the processing process, toxic substances are removed from the fruiting body of the mushroom - only after this can the mushrooms be used for preparing mushroom dishes.

Mushroom poisoning: symptoms and first aid. Infographics

Mushrooms are a product that is difficult to digest in the intestines. It is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women to eat mushrooms; they are contraindicated for children, regardless of the method and time of preparation, as well as for the elderly.

Edible or poisonous?

According to Rospotrebnadzor specialists, the main cause of mushroom poisoning is the inability to recognize edible and poisonous mushrooms and improper preparation of dishes from some edible and conditionally edible mushrooms.

notes about mushrooms tips

AiF infographics

Symptoms

The main signs of mushroom poisoning may appear within 1.5–2 hours after eating them.

Among the symptoms of mushroom poisoning:

1) nausea;

3) severe abdominal pain with diarrhea up to 10–15 times a day;

4) increased body temperature;

5) weak pulse;

6) hands and feet become cold;

7) inflammation of the stomach and small intestine (acute gastroenteritis)

In case of poisoning with fly agarics (red, panther, stinking), satanic mushroom, false honey mushrooms, it is possible:

1) the appearance of delirium;

2) the appearance of hallucinations;

3) a person may fall into a state bordering on insanity.

First aid

If signs of poisoning appear after eating mushrooms, you should urgently call a doctor. Before his arrival, bed rest and drinking plenty of fluids are recommended. You can drink cold water, cold strong tea. You can also use activated carbon.

Recovery with proper treatment and timely consultation with a doctor usually occurs within a day.

Botulism

Canned mushrooms can be a source of a very serious disease - botulism. The causative agents of this disease in the form of spore-bearing rods are found mainly in the soil. Therefore, before canning, mushrooms must be thoroughly washed and cleaned, because botulism pathogens may also appear on their surface along with the smallest particles of soil.

Home processing of mushrooms does not always kill the causative agents of botulism, and the conditions in a hermetically sealed jar, without access to oxygen, are favorable for the development of this microbial toxin - the most dangerous poison for humans.

Botulism disease appears 12–72 hours after ingesting mushrooms. Clinical manifestations of botulism disease:

1) visual impairment (objects double, become blurry);

2) headache;

3) dry mouth;

4) nausea;

7) convulsions;

8) difficulty swallowing.

If at least one or two of these signs appear after eating canned mushrooms, you should immediately consult a doctor and under no circumstances self-medicate.

based on materials from Aif.ru