Collect hedgehogs; description and preparation of yellow and motley hedgehogs

Yellow hedgehog – preparation, taste and appearance of the finished dish. From the author's personal experience

Hello dear reader!

I have already written about this mushroom. In a short post, I will additionally explain some of the peculiarities (possibly oddities) of this summer in relation to mushrooms.

The fact is that usually I always found one or two yellow barnacle mushrooms at a time. Well, what kind of “dish” is this?

Blackberry mushrooms can be quite large and dense mushrooms

Yes, the yellow bramble (or blackberry) is an edible mushroom. Mycologists attribute it to the Ezhovikov family. It is suitable for frying, boiling, drying.

However, a couple of mushrooms cooked in a mixture with others do not give the opportunity to evaluate either the taste or aroma of the mushroom.

But a few days ago, when I went into the forest, in about half an hour I picked up half a bag of yellow barnacles! Now this is a different matter.

The yellow hedgehog mushroom is in many ways similar to the chanterelle mushroom

So, I’m preparing yellow hedgehog mushroom. True, I still allowed myself a small “admixture”. We caught several funnel-shaped funnelweeds. I decided that this aromatic mushroom seasoning couldn't hurt.

When cutting, you don’t even need to cut the funnel mushrooms - just tear their fragile bodies into pieces.

When preparing to cook yellow hedgehog, the question arises: to remove or not to remove the spines from the underside of its cap. This is the spore-bearing layer of this mushroom (hymenophore) - in the form of soft needles. It is for them that the mushroom got its name.

On the underside of the yellow hedgehog cap there are soft spines instead of plates or folds.

This question, in my opinion, is as “principled” as the often discussed question: to clean or not to clean the butterfly caps from the mucous skin. Everyone is free to do as they please.

The spines of the hedgehog are even easier to remove than the skin of the butterfly. But, if you are going to cook yellow hedgehog, then keep in mind that due to the loose needles, the broth will be somewhat cloudy. And for frying mushrooms, their presence or absence is completely indifferent.

I decided to fry my hedgehogs. There is no need to boil this mushroom first.

How to collect and transport hedgehogs?

This mushroom cannot be confused with any other, much less a bad one. After all, the hedgehog has no poisonous counterparts. You need to collect these mushrooms by cutting off their stems with a knife. Blackberries grow in large numbers in one place. On about four square meters you can find from 1 to 2 kilograms of yellow hedgehogs. Most hedgehogs can be found in the forest in September. These mushrooms are quite dense, and therefore do not break, even if they had to be carried in a plastic bag. However, when hedgehogs are soaked in water without salt for literally 1 hour, they become brittle.

Description of the motley hedgehog (Hydnum imbricatum, Sarcodon imbricatum)

Variegated hedgehog is another edible species that appears more often in pine forests. This mushroom is classified as an autumn mushroom, since it grows closer to autumn (August - November). In some areas, the mottled hedgehog is called “elk” or “chicken”.

Variegated hedgehog, photo from Wikipedia

Hat. The variegated hedgehog has a fairly large (up to 20 cm or more) brownish cap of an impressive appearance. On top it is densely covered with large growing scales, which are “laid” like tiles. The tiny mushrooms have a dark cap that turns brownish and then brownish-black. The lower part of the cap is covered with whitish spines, which become brown or rusty-gray in color with age.

Leg. The color of the leg of the motley hedgehog is the same color as the cap. You can find mushrooms with purple stems.

Variegated hedgehog is good only when young. At this time, the grayish pulp of the mushroom has a pleasant tart smell. As it ages, it becomes more and more like a cork. Bitterness appears, which spoils the taste of the motley hedgehog.

Another species that is occasionally found in our forests is the rough hedgehog. It is not necessary to collect it due to its pungent taste. This mushroom is easily distinguished by its red-brown stem.

Do you need to clean the hedgehog mushrooms?

Mushrooms with strange needle-like growths on the back of their caps cause surprise among those who see them for the first time. You can see how these needles look in the photo below. Mushroom pickers recommend cleaning off these very needle-like outgrowths. However, as practice shows, no special cleansing of hedgehogs is required. Simply rinse them under running water using a brush. As a result, some of the needles will fall off. When these mushrooms are eaten, the needle-like outgrowths are not felt.

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Interesting facts about the mushroom

1. Representatives of completely different families are called hedgehogs. For example, the comb (Hericium erinaceus) - also known as “lion’s mane” and “mushroom noodles”, as well as the coral (Hericium coralloídes) are not related to the white one.
2. Hydnum albidum, like its yellow brother, is used as an additional remedy in the treatment of malignant tumors.

Now you won't neglect this delicious mushroom. It has no dangerous doubles, and is prepared in exactly the same way as the familiar chanterelles and russula. If you manage to get mycelium, then the hedgehog will become a regular on your menu. Bon appetit!

Salting and pickling of hedgehog mushrooms

These mushrooms turn out very tasty if you salt or marinate them. Blackberries practically do not lose their volume during heat treatment and when exposed to salt and acid. Therefore, after one collection of hedgehogs, you can pickle a large number of them. Detailed recipe for marinating hedgehog mushrooms.

Evaluation of taste qualities, medicinal properties, benefits and possible harm

Experts rate the taste of the hedgehog as average. It requires mandatory heat treatment; when boiled, it is not aromatic enough, but it is excellent for making seasoning by grinding dried raw materials. But even this addition to dishes has a very specific taste and is not universal and widely used.

The mushroom is able to reduce cholesterol levels and is a powerful immunomodulator.

The scaly hedgehog has never been used in folk medicine, but scientists in the laboratory were able to extract from it substances that can have a broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect, neutralizing even Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella.

Studies have also proven that preparations from variegated kolchak can be beneficial for cancer. True, in practice, efficiency statistics have not yet been collected outside the walls of research laboratories.

Ointments are prepared from the mushroom to treat skin diseases, as well as cosmetic products for its nutrition and rejuvenation.

Contraindications include:

• individual intolerance;
• increased sensitivity of the gastrointestinal tract;
• liver diseases;
• Not recommended for use by children under 5 years of age and pregnant women.

Soup with hedgehogs

Before preparing vegetarian soup with yellow bramble mushrooms, you need to process the mushrooms as described above in this article. Then the mushrooms need to be placed in a pan of boiling water, where bay leaves, salt, spices and diced potatoes have already been added. Cook the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes at most. The chopped onion and garlic clove should be fried in rapeseed oil. And then throw the roast into the soup. This first dish takes about 20 minutes to cook. At the end of cooking, you can add chopped herbs to the soup - dill, parsley, onion.

Other options for cooking your favorite product

The instructions on how to cook fried mushrooms are characterized by extremely simple rules. First, you should rinse each mushroom and clean it (remove the remaining mycelium from the end of the legs). A dry frying pan should be greased with vegetable oil and heated on the stove. Next, you need to cut the blackberries into pieces of approximately the same size and pour them into a hot frying pan. Mushrooms should be cooked over low heat on the stove; in the middle of the frying process, you will need to add finely chopped onions and bring the dish to readiness.

Blackberry mushrooms are fried with the addition of chopped onions

• The secret to the amazing softness of the dish lies in stewing the mushrooms under the lid in sour cream, added a couple of minutes before they are completely cooked.
• Do not chop too finely, as mushrooms may shrink in size under the influence of temperature conditions.

Place of growth and season of collection

The blackberry mushroom grows throughout Russian forests in the temperate climate zone. The colder the region, the less common it is to be found. Some species spread in more southern regions, and the comb blackberry loves moist subtropical forests: it can be found in the Caucasus (foothills), in the Primorsky and Amur Territories, in the Khabarovsk region.

The blackberry's favorite place is dry coniferous forest on sandy soil (some species are on limestone). Mushrooms can grow alone, or they can form “witch rings”. Another type of blackberry loves dead trees. These mushrooms grow on:

• stumps;
• wood substrate;
• dead wood

They can grow in loose hollows, and on the site of broken and broken branches of a living tree.

Blackberries are harvested, depending on the type of mushroom and the growing season, from June-July to October-November.

Description

Yellow hedgehog (Hydnum repandum) has similar names such as:

• Yellow blackberry (colloquially);
• Notched hedgehog;
• Yellow hedgehog;
• Hydnum emarginate;
• The dentinum is notched.

From all these names we can conclude about its appearance: the color of the cap and the distinctive appearance of the lower part. Main differences:

• hat

  . It can be from 12 to 15 cm in diameter, most often has a color in shades of warm yellow, as well as light cream and red. The older the mushroom, the darker its cap becomes and acquires a nutty hue. The bright orange color can only be seen when you press on the mushroom. The hat has a configuration from convex to flat, which changes as time passes. Often there is a shape pressed in the center. Sometimes it grows together with neighboring caps due to the formation of protruding lobes. The edges are folded to the bottom. The skin is inseparable, slightly velvety.

• Hymenophore or lower part of the mushroom. This is the uniqueness that will not allow it to be confused with other species. It is seeded with small thin thorns that look like needles. They reach a length of 5-7 mm and descend to the stem. The color of the spines changes with age: in young ones it is light and elastic; with age the tone becomes darker. Also, during the growth process, the spines become brittle and quickly fall off.
• Controversy. They are white in color, their surface is smooth, but when viewed en masse they have a yellow tint.
• Leg. Its thickness reaches 3 cm, length - up to 7 cm. The shade is yellow, quite solid, sometimes there are voids inside. It has the shape of a cylinder and rarely bends. Most often, mushrooms of this type are found with a stalk widened at the base, which smoothly turns into a cap. There are cases when it grows together with neighboring hedgehogs.
• Pulp. It has a white or yellowish color. With a fairly dense structure, but with increased fragility. There is a light aroma of fruit. Over time it hardens and becomes bitter. If you press on it, it turns orange.

Evaluation of the edibility of blackberry notched

The notched blackberry is edible; its taste is almost identical to the yellow chanterelle. Before cooking, these mushrooms are pre-boiled. They can be prepared in any way: fry, boil, stew, dry, but they are not very suitable for pickling and salting.

Some mushroom pickers consider yellow blackberries inedible and trample entire families of these mushrooms. It is worth noting that even squirrels collect blackberries for the winter, and they are very picky about mushrooms and store only the best of the best. But in France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada and Mexico, yellow blackberries are valued and sold en masse in markets.

Medicinal properties of yellow blackberries

Hollow blackberries contain large amounts of amino acids, organic acids, mycosterol and fatty acids. An alkylating agent, diepoxide, was isolated from these fungi and was named repanediol. This agent has high activity against cancer cells, and is especially effective against gastric cancer. Repandiol connects the paired strands of cancer DNA with the help of an additional bridge, which prevents their divergence and therefore division.

Mycelium extract is 70% effective against sarcoma-180, and fresh mushroom extract is 90% effective. These mushrooms also have antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. Epidermidis and Enterobacter aerogenes. Polysaccharides contained in yellow blackberries lower blood cholesterol levels.

Photo: Yellow hedgehog (Hydnum repandum)

When going on a quiet hunt, most mushroom pickers collect only those mushrooms that are well known to them. And this is an absolutely correct approach. However, poor knowledge of local mushrooms sometimes leaves their baskets empty. Many people saw a yellow hedgehog in the forest, initially thinking that it was a chanterelle, but when they came closer or even cut it off, they passed by indifferently, considering the mushroom inedible.

Yellow hedgehog mushroom, description

Yellow hedgehog is a fairly common type of mushroom from the genus Gidnum (Hedgehog) of the Hedgehog family. The fruiting bodies are from 5 to 10 cm high; the caps of young mushrooms are slightly convex; as they grow, they straighten out and become flat or concave. The diameter of the caps is from 3 to 12 cm, the edges are wavy, curved downwards. Neighboring mushrooms often grow together with caps. The color of the caps varies from pale yellow, almost white, to all variants of yellow, red, and orange. As it grows and ages, the cap darkens and acquires a rusty tint. The skin does not come off.

The stem is dense, cylindrical, very often shifted from the center to one of the edges of the cap. The color is white or light yellow, darkening with age. The pulp has a dense, brittle texture. At the break it is white or yellowish, and after time it turns brown. No milky juice is released. The yellow hedgehog mushroom has a pleasant smell with fruity notes.

A distinctive feature of hedgehogs is the appearance of the hymenophore - the spore-bearing layer on the underside of the cap. It is formed by small needle-like spines - outgrowths. Young mushrooms have short, elastic outgrowths. As the fruiting body grows, they lengthen to 8 mm and easily break off and crumble. It is almost impossible to confuse yellow hedgehog mushrooms with other inedible or toxic mushrooms. Even the false moth bears little resemblance to it due to the gelatinous appearance of the fruiting body.

Photo: Yellow hedgehog, back side of the cap

The hedgehog can be found mainly in mixed forests of the northern hemisphere. On the territory of the country it lives both in the European part and in Siberia and the Far East. Grows under almost any trees and shrubs. Found both singly and in large and small groups. The hedgehogs appear in early July and form fruiting bodies until October.

The benefits and harms of yellow hedgehog

The hedgehog mushroom contains up to 3.5 - 3.9% protein, similar to the proteins of meat products. It contains vitamins C, group B, D. Metal salts are present in small quantities: selenium; potassium; calcium; phosphorus; magnesium

The yellow hedgehog mushroom is useful to the body as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals. It contains the compound campesterone, a substance similar to cholesterol of animal origin. Today, attitudes towards this substance are ambiguous; some scientists consider it useful and capable of reducing the level of bad cholesterol in the human body, while other researchers deny these properties.

Dishes made from hedgehog mushrooms are contraindicated for children under 5 years of age and the elderly. They should be excluded from the diet of patients with problems of the liver, gallbladder, intestines and stomach. It remains to be seen what and how to prepare from these mushrooms.

Photo: Yellow hedgehog, needle-like outgrowths on the underside of the cap

How to cook yellow hedgehog, recipes

Yellow hedgehog can be considered a universal forest mushroom. It is also good in soup, it can be dried or frozen for future use. It’s a good idea to prepare it for eating immediately after harvesting. Despite the fact that on the Internet you can find recommendations for frying or stewing young blackberries without first boiling them, it is still better not to skip this stage. During boiling, the fruiting bodies become somewhat soft, and the dish made from them becomes more tasty and juicy. You should not avoid cooking mature mushrooms; they have a richer taste. For any dish, mushrooms are sorted, the ends of the stems with the remains of soil and mycelium are cut off, and washed. The spines of young mushrooms hold tightly and do not need to be removed. In mature mushrooms they break off easily and are very easy to remove with your hands under running water. If this is not done, they will clog the finished dish, in which they will look like small worms. Place the prepared fruiting bodies in a spacious saucepan, fill with water, take about 2 liters of water per 1 kg of mushrooms, add salt and cook after boiling for 20 - 25 minutes, remove the scale as it forms.

Fried yellow blackberry

This dish is the simplest and most delicious. Cut the boiled mushrooms into medium-sized pieces, cut small specimens into halves or leave whole. Heat 50 ml of oil for 1 kg of boiled mushrooms and add the prepared blackberries, fry in an open frying pan for about 40 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Before serving, squeeze a clove of garlic into them and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. These mushrooms go great with boiled potatoes.

Yellow blackberry fried in batter

For this dish you need: boiled whole mushrooms, medium-sized, one size 20 pcs.; eggs 3 pcs.; salt; milk 60-70 ml; how much flour will be needed; oil 180-200 ml. 1. Beat the eggs with a fork, add milk, 2-3 pinches of salt and add flour in parts until you get a dough similar to liquid sour cream. 2. If the mushrooms were cooked with stems, it is advisable to cut them off and leave only the caps. 3. Heat the oil in a small saucepan on high. 4. Dip the mushrooms in the batter and lower them into the oil. To prevent the temperature from dropping, you need to do this in batches, lowering 5-6 pieces at a time. 5. Mushrooms should be semi-deep-fried until golden brown. To ensure even cooking, turn them over 2-3 times with a fork. 6.Place the finished blackberries in batter on a paper napkin, it will absorb excess fat. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.

If there are lovers of elastic and crunchy mushrooms in the family, then yellow hedgehog mushrooms will certainly appeal to your taste; in France, young hedgehog mushrooms are considered a delicious delicacy of mushrooms. When dry, they are crushed and used as an additive to sauces, julienne and other dishes.

Many domestic mushroom pickers are so accustomed to collecting the same types of mushrooms that they rush to classify a mushroom of an unfamiliar shape and structure as a toadstool. And all because they do not know about the useful mushrooms growing nearby, without having the proper information. So the edible varieties turn out to be unharvested. One of these “sufferers” is the yellow hedgehog, which is quite tasty and healthy for the body.

Yellow blackberry (also called notched blackberry) grows in both coniferous and deciduous forests, forming a symbiosis with trees. Found in mossy places among bushes. Grows in temperate climates in North American and Eurasian territories. Distributed throughout Russian territory up to the cold Siberian and Far Eastern regions. It grows both alone and in large groups. You can collect from July until the autumn frosts. The largest harvest occurs in late August and early September.

Is it possible to grow combed hedgehogs in the country?

Since the fruiting bodies of hericium are very rare in nature and, moreover, are most often prohibited for collection, the combed hedgehog is often grown in the country. You can order mushroom mycelium in specialized stores or via the Internet, and hedgehog mushrooms are bred in accordance with the following rules:

1. To grow the mushroom, a fresh leafy log is soaked for a couple of days and then left for a week in a warm, well-ventilated room.
2. Then small depressions no more than 4 cm in depth and 1 cm in diameter are made in a checkerboard pattern in the log. The gap between them should be about 10 cm.
3. The purchased mycelium is carefully placed in these holes, and then the logs are wrapped in polyethylene with holes made for air and left in the shade and warm.
4. Once every 4 days, the logs are moistened so that they do not dry out, and when the first white threads of the mycelium appear, they are soaked in cold water for a day.

After this, the logs are placed vertically and left in a warm and shaded place. For the winter, plantings of combed hedgehog should be placed in a barn or basement. The first harvest can be harvested after about 9 months; it is better to cut the fruiting bodies young and fresh. After the first collection of mushrooms, the logs with blackberry stop being watered for 2-3 weeks, and then watering is resumed. Subsequently, the rare mushroom bears fruit in waves, and the fruiting bodies are collected as they appear, each time without waiting until they are completely ripe and dry.

You can grow a rare mushroom in your summer cottage

Useful medical properties

This mushroom, of course, is not a medicinal plant, but it also brings some benefits to the body.

1. The contained substances have a clear antibacterial effect: they inhibit the development of bacteria, especially staphylococcal and streptococcal. If you cut your hand while picking mushrooms, the applied blackberry juice will slow down the infection and further development of the infection.
2. Enhances hormone production. Recommended for people involved in sports.
3. They have a stimulating effect on the immune system.
4. They have a good hypnotic effect and are suitable for those who have problems falling asleep.
5. Helps hematopoiesis by stimulating the body to produce red blood cells. By regularly consuming dishes made from these mushrooms, you can improve your blood composition.
6. It has a positive effect on the functioning of the lungs, the nervous system, the digestive organs, and cleanses the body of unnecessary toxins.
7. To restore performance, it is enough to consume cooked blackberry mushrooms twice a week. In any form.
8. Helps improve body tone. Thus, blackberry tincture is popular in China; doctors recommend taking it for long-term depression.
9. It has a good effect on the skin and improves the condition of the skin. Ointments are made from hedgehog mushrooms and used for preventive and therapeutic purposes. These ointments are also used to make therapeutic, nourishing and tonic masks.

Beneficial features

It’s amazing how many beneficial properties such mushrooms have. Thus, hedgehogs have an antibacterial effect and actively fight against staphylococci, as well as other similar bacteria. They improve the functioning of the body’s endocrine glands, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of nails, hair and even skin, and also increases the tone of the whole body.

In China, these mushrooms are widely used in alternative medicine: various tinctures and compresses are made from them. For example, tincture of yellow bramble is a good remedy for combating long-term depression.

Thanks to their beneficial properties, these mushrooms do an excellent job of improving the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract, nervous and even respiratory systems and increasing immunity

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Use in cooking

Although this mushroom is not very popular among mushroom pickers, it has also found use in cooking. The most important property of yellow bramble is that when fried, it almost does not decrease in size due to its fleshy and very dense texture.

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The pulp of the mushroom has a pleasant sourness when it comes to taste. However, only young mushrooms are suitable for consumption, since they do not have the bitterness characteristic of mature hedgehog mushrooms.

You can prepare many dishes from mushrooms. They are great for frying, boiling, salting, and can be dried for the winter.

. In our country, they are especially popular fried with onions and sour cream. However, in Europe, and more precisely in France, hedgehogs are used in many delicious dishes: they are served both as a main dish and as a side dish, for example, with meat or fish, combined with various sauces, and also added to salads and soups.