How to recognize and prepare the Hericium coralliform mushroom?

Where does it grow

This mushroom grows in Russia, namely in the Amur region, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, in Magadan. Hedgehog is common in the Tver and Yaroslavl regions. This mushroom is also found in Siberia and the Caucasus; outside the Russian Federation, you can see this miracle of nature in North America and Asia.

Preparation

Blackberries are fried, baked, and used in soups and pies. Allowed to dry. Low calorie content: 100 g contains 30 kcal. Contains 3.7 g protein, 1.1 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fat. Prepare quickly.

Note! Fungi are prone to the accumulation of harmful substances from the environment. You cannot cut along the road. Collect them in environmentally friendly places.

After harvesting, store the fruits in the refrigerator. However, no longer than three days: otherwise, hardness and bitterness will appear.

Without refrigeration, mushrooms are good for only 3 hours. If the owner did not have time to process them during this time, the caps will turn black and take on an unattractive appearance.

Alcohol tincture recipe

The tincture is made from pre-dried mushrooms. Take a medicinal infusion for tumor diseases and inflammatory processes.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 l of vodka;

• dried fruits, 35 g.

Preparation:

1. Grind the mushrooms into powder.
2. Pour into a glass container (0.5 ml).
3. Fill with vodka.
4. Move the jar to a dark, cool place.
5. You can use the tincture after two weeks.

Preliminary processing

Lattice blackberries are not peeled.

1. Place the mushrooms in a colander and rinse under running water.
2. Rub soil-contaminated areas with a brush.
3. Washed, pour boiling water over them.
4. Leave in this state for 10-15 minutes.
5. Then they put it in a colander and drain it from the kettle.
6. After washing, remove the spines and remnants of the mycelium.

Tip: If blackberries are very dirty, they can be effectively cleaned with salt. The method is simple: add a handful of mushrooms and cover with warm water. After an hour, rinse. The mushrooms will wash off.

Pickling

Marinated mushrooms are used as an appetizer and added to salads.

Ingredients:

• 500 g mushrooms;
• one onion;
• garlic clove;
• salt (1 tbsp);
• vinegar (2 tbsp., 5%);

• black peppercorns (10 pcs.);
• bay leaf (1-2 pcs.);
• rapeseed oil (1 tbsp, can be replaced with sunflower oil);
• a glass of boiling water (250 ml.);
• jar 720 ml.

Preparation:

1. Peel the onion and cut into two parts.
2. Cut into half rings.
3. Chop the garlic clove with a knife.
4. Place onion, garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil (in the above proportions) in a jar. Pour 100 ml of boiling water.
5. Sprinkle processed mushrooms and bay leaves on top.
6. Add the remaining boiling water to the container.
7. Close the jar with a lid and shake. Turn it upside down for an hour.
8. Place it on the bottom and put it in the refrigerator.

It is easy to pickle the harvested crop; the mushrooms are suitable for serving after 12 hours. Cooked this way, they turn out crispy and elastic. Ideal with fried potatoes.

Freezing

To prevent mushrooms from losing their valuable qualities, they are frozen. For this, young fruits are used.

In the freezer, the shelf life is as follows:

-12°C - 3 months;

-18°C - 6 months;

-25°C – 12 months.

Freezing process:

1. Wash the fruits in a colander under running water.
2. Place on a napkin and dry.
3. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices.
4. Place in a bag and seal tightly.
5. Place in the freezer.

Frying

If you have collected few mushrooms, then it is wiser to fry them than to store them for the winter. Clear forest debris and remove thorns from the inside of the cap. The legs are also removed. It is allowed to combine with other types of mushrooms to enrich the taste. Pairs perfectly with vegetables. If desired, you can add sour cream and herbs to the finished dish.

Ingredients:

• prepared mushrooms;
• two tbsp. l. sunflower (or olive) oil;

• bulb;
• tsp salt;
• ground black pepper to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Boil blackberries in salted water.
2. Drain in a colander.
3. Cut the hats into pieces.
4. Place the mushrooms in a cauldron with heated sunflower oil. Fry until excess liquid evaporates.
5. Sauté the onion and add to the mushrooms.
6. Salt and pepper.
7. Bring the dish to readiness over medium heat. Cooking takes approximately 7-10 minutes.

Salting for the winter

The collected mushrooms can be pickled. Cooks use pickles everywhere: they add them to soups, main courses, and pies.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of peeled fruits;
• 1.5 liters of warm water for soaking;
• 50 g salt;
• 5 sprigs of dill;

• 2 cloves of garlic;
• onion head;
• 50 g horseradish.

Preparation:

1. Soak the mushrooms in a saline solution for 4 hours (1 tablespoon of salt per 1.5 liters of water).
2. Cut the onion into half rings, chop the herbs, garlic, horseradish.
3. Drain in a colander.
4. Cut the caps into small pieces, 5 cm each.
5. Pour 2 liters of water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt.
6. Cook until tender (about 15 minutes).
7. Drain the water and rinse the fruits.
8. Place mushrooms in a clean bowl in layers, sprinkling with spices, dill, garlic, horseradish.
9. Place a flat plate on top and a jar of water (for pressure).
10. After a week, the product is ready for use.

Drying

The fruits are suitable for drying. However, they may turn out to be somewhat harsh. The shelf life of dried mushrooms is three years. They will be useful for cooking soups and broths.

Important! If you decide to use this harvesting method, then washing mushrooms is strictly prohibited!

Preparation of ingredients:

1. take healthy fruits, in the desired quantity;
2. wipe with a dry paper towel;
3. cut into thin slices (0.5 cm each);
4. place on a baking sheet (pre-cover it with parchment);
5. place the mushrooms so that they do not touch each other;
6. place the baking sheet in the oven (45°C);
7. try with a fork: if the fruits are dry (they rise easily from the parchment), then raise the temperature in the oven to 70 °C;
8. during the drying process, open the oven door slightly;
9. Repeat the steps described above for two days;
10. A properly prepared mushroom is plastic, bends when pressed, and does not break.

Soup with melted cheese

Warm Blackberry soup will lift your spirits and improve your well-being.

Ingredients:

• peeled mushrooms (300 g);
• chicken fillet (200 g);
• processed cheese (1-2 pcs.);
• potatoes (3 medium-sized pieces);

• onion head;
• butter (50 g);
• salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Place the pan on the fire and place the fillet in the water.
2. When the broth is cooked, remove the meat from the pan and cut into cubes.
3. Heat a frying pan with butter on the stove, add chopped mushrooms and onions. Salt and pepper.
4. Put the broth back on the fire to simmer. Add potatoes to it.
5. After 20 minutes, pour the contents of the pan into the pan.
6. Before serving, add finely chopped processed cheese to the soup.

Mushrooms with vegetables in Chinese

Lovers of Chinese cuisine will like it. The dish is low in calories and very tasty.

Ingredients:

• mushrooms (300 g);
• carrots (1 pc.);
• onion (1 pc.);
• garlic (2 cloves);
• vegetable oil (2 tbsp.);

• coriander, sesame seeds, pepper, salt (1 tsp each);
• celery (1 pc.);
• honey (1 tbsp);
• soy sauce (500 ml).

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
2. Add mushrooms to the pan.
3. After 7 minutes, add the rest of the sautéed vegetables. Close the lid.
4. Prepare the sauce: mix salt, pepper, honey, garlic, coriander, sesame seeds, soy sauce. Pour into the pan. Simmer over low heat for approximately 5 minutes.

Stewed mushrooms

Delicate in taste after stewing in sour cream.

You will need:

• mushrooms (300 g);
• sour cream (3 tbsp);
• bulb;

• vegetable oil (2 tbsp.);
• salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Chop the onion and cut the mushrooms into slices.
2. Fry the onion until golden brown, add the mushrooms.
3. Salt and pepper. Fry for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add sour cream. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.

What does it look like

The length of the fruiting body of the fungus varies from 20 to 40 cm. It is branched from the base, which is nodule-shaped and fleshy, then hardens. There are thorns on the branches of the hedgehog, they are directed downwards. The length of the protective devices is approximately 5 mm.

The flesh of the mushroom is fibrous and hardens as it ripens. It tastes bitter and has virtually no odor. The spores of the hedgehog are ellipsoidal, often smooth. Their parameters are 3.5-5 by 2.8-4 microns.

Description

Other names of the bioactive fungus: Coral hedgehog, Lattice bramble, Hericium branched, Hericium coral, Hericium coral, Hericium lattice.

Lat. name – Hericium coralloides. The average cost per kg of mushrooms is $25.

The cap size varies from medium to large. Can reach up to 30 cm in diameter. It is flat and has a depression in the center.

In the process of development, the funnel increases. In the heat, the edges crack. The edges are wavy, thin, easily deformed, and look lighter than the middle part. In the heat, they crack. The cap of young fruits is velvety and scaly. As they grow, the scales transform into bundles of fibers. From above, they resemble tiles. The color of the mushroom changes with age: from light gray, milky, to black.

Growing at home

To begin with, you should buy wooden sticks with fungal spores in a special store. They are planted in the soil from April until October. They can stay in greenhouse conditions all year round.

Another way of growing is by placing it in wood. Freshly sawn logs that have no shoots are suitable. The diameter of the tree must be at least 20 cm, and the length must be at least 1 m. The sticks must be placed in water after 3 cm holes have been made in them, which are located at a distance of 10 cm from each other. In order for the mushrooms to develop faster, you should wrap the wood with film. You need to water the mushrooms 2 times every 7 days. In winter, the logs are covered with film.

The first harvest should appear after six months. Mushrooms can only be eaten at a young age.

Evaluation of taste qualities, medicinal properties, benefits and contraindications

A mushroom with a pleasant woody aroma. The pulp gives off spicy notes. As it ages, it may become bitter. Therefore, it is worth preparing only young fruits.

Scientists conducted experiments on rats to evaluate the usefulness of the species. Research has shown that Hericium coralloides helps regenerate nerve cells in muscles. During the observation process, the animals did not experience intoxication.

Mushroom extracts are beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Hericenon B, contained in the fruit, has an antiplatelet effect. Substances found in the mycelium reduce cholesterol levels when consumed. If you use the tincture, you will lose weight. It helps fight cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Heals wounds, has an anti-inflammatory effect, eliminates insomnia and depression.

The benefits of consuming it in the form of tinctures, extracts, or as a separate dish are obvious. Acceptable mushroom dosage: 5g/kg body weight. There are no contraindications for oral administration.

Coral blackberry: photos and similar species

Pay attention to the photo of coral blackberry: it has long, 1-2 cm, thin, rather brittle thorns. The pulp is white, fibrous, elastic, slightly yellowish with age, with a pleasant taste and smell.

The pulp is white, fibrous, elastic, slightly yellowish with age, with a pleasant taste and smell.

Similar species. A closely related species is the very rare alpine blackberry (H. alpestre), which differs primarily in its woody substrate. This similar species of coral-shaped blackberry grows on stumps, large dead wood and dead trees of spruce, fir and cedar pine in mountain, less often lowland taiga forests.

Chinese researchers believe that the medicinal properties of coral blackberry are in no way inferior to those of another world-famous medicinal blackberry - comb blackberry.

Synonyms: tiled blackberry, scaly blackberry, kolchak, chicken, hawk.

The antibacterial effect of blackberry mycelial extract on Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis has been shown.

Family: Blackberries (Hydnaceae).

Synonyms: notched blackberry.

Description. The cap is 5-15 cm in diameter, fleshy, dry and dense, pinkish-yellow or yellowish to almost orange, flat, with a concave middle, usually uneven, with downward-curved edges. Young mushrooms have a slightly convex cap, slightly velvety.

Look carefully at the photo of yellow blackberries: when viewed from above, the mushrooms look quite similar to chanterelles. The pulp is whitish-yellowish, dense, with a pleasant smell, and becomes corky with age (according to some reports, it begins to taste bitter). The lower surface of the cap has short, yellowish-pink, very brittle, easily crumbling needle-like spines descending onto the stalk. The leg is 2-8 X 1-3 cm, dense, solid, always lighter than the cap.

If you look at a photo of the yellow blackberry mushroom in its natural habitat, you can imagine a bright, sunny blanket - they abundantly settle on the moss cover in light forests and sometimes merge into a single whole with caps and legs. They bear fruit from July to October.

Similar species. Two species very closely related to the yellow blackberry - whitish (H. albidum) and reddish-yellow (H. rufes-cens) - differ mainly in color and slightly smaller sizes. The first is whitish, sometimes almost white, the second is reddish-red, reddish-yellow. Both have similar nutritional and medicinal properties.

The isolated alkylating agent diepoxide, called repanediol, showed high cytotoxic activity against cancer cells of various lines, being especially active against gastric cancer. Repandiol binds paired DNA strands of cancer cells with additional bridges, which prevents their divergence and, accordingly, the division of tumor cells.

The mycelial culture extract showed 70% inhibition of sarcoma-180, while the fresh fruit extract showed 90% inhibition of sarcoma-180 and Ehrlich carcinoma.

Chloroform extract of the fruiting bodies of the fungus showed antibacterial activity against Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis.

Use in cooking: Edible, almost no different in taste and consistency from yellow chanterelle, does not require preliminary boiling. Suitable for all types of culinary processing, drying, but not very suitable for salting and pickling.

Blackberries are collected en masse and sold in vegetable markets in Italy, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Mexico and Canada.

Edibility of the coraloid hedgehog

These are edible mushrooms used in cooking. Coral hedgehogs do not need to be pre-boiled. They are suitable for making soups, frying and drying.

Coral-shaped hedgehog in medicine

In China, coral hedgehogs are widely used as a remedy for gastrointestinal pathologies, to improve immunity, improve the functioning of the nervous system and the functioning of the respiratory tract.

These mushrooms have a tonic effect and are a stimulator of hematopoiesis. Tinctures are actively produced from coral hedgehogs. If you follow the proportions correctly, you can get an effective medicine.

In 1998, in Germany, during research, erinacin E was isolated from the fermentation broth of this mushroom. This substance is a powerful stimulator of nerve cell growth. This discovery has made the coral grass a potential treatment for the incurable pathology Alzheimer's disease. Japanese scientists were able to synthesize erinacin E chemically in 2008. Currently, work is underway to create a drug based on erinacin E.

In addition, the antiparasitic activity of coral hedgehog has been established; for example, it is toxic to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Chinese scientists say that the coral hedgehog is not inferior in its medicinal properties to its world-famous brother, the combed hedgehog.

2123Article ratingKira Stoletova

The exotic representatives of the forest kingdom include the coral mushroom. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia. The organism grows in deciduous and mixed forests, creating mycosis with beech, birch or pine, less common on alder and linden. Sometimes it is found on sick and weak plants.

Features of coral mushroom

Interesting Facts

Curious! Hericium branched medicinal. In China, it is considered a folk remedy for treating stomach disorders. With its help, they strengthen the immune system and nervous system.

Let's summarize:

1. Blackberry's favorite place to grow is on an oak block.
2. Young mushrooms are used for food.
3. Improves health.
4. Red Book.

Information sources

1. Bulgakov K.G. Little-known edible mushrooms. - Moscow: Technosphere, 2012. 2. Bobyak, 1907. 3. Bukhalo, Mitropolskaya, 2001. 4. Identifier of mushrooms of Ukraine, 1979. 5. Red Book of the USSR, 1984 6. Sarkina et al., 2003.