From time to time, information appears in the media that the largest mushroom in the world has been discovered, a new record holder among similar creatures. According to biologists, the huge parameters of the new finds are a natural phenomenon and are not a sign of any anomaly. These representatives of a special form of life, which combine characteristics characteristic of plants and animals, can grow to enormous sizes if favorable conditions are created for them.
Scientists find it surprising that many of the giant mushrooms discovered are edible. It is amazing that these giants were able to survive and grow to impressive sizes, despite the efforts of many mushroom pickers and the love of animals to feast on fresh mushrooms.
Armillaria ostoyae – record holder among mushrooms
In the Oregon forests located in the United States, biologists were able to discover a fungus that is striking in its size. True, the terrestrial part of this record holder cannot surprise – Armillaria ostoyae fits in the palm of your hand. We know these mushrooms as honey mushrooms. Scientists were really surprised by the size of the mycelium, which is impressive with its parameters:
- the area occupied by the rhizome of the fungus is 880 hectares;
- Mycelium can cover about 1,665 football fields;
- the age of formation of the fungal root system is 2500 years;
- the estimated weight of the mycelium is more than 600 kg.
Biologists, after conducting research, have established that the discovered Armillaria ostoyae is not only the largest among other mushrooms, but also the greatest living creature on the planet. Even the roots of some centuries-old trees were destroyed by the mycelium of this giant.
Where is the largest organism in the world located?
As mentioned above, the largest organism in the world is located in the state of Oregon (USA). This specimen is located in the Malheur National Forest, which scientists believe occupies a significant part of this forest. The species itself is distributed mainly in cooler areas of the northern hemisphere. In North America, this fungus is found exclusively on coniferous trees in the forests of British Columbia and in the northwest of the continent on the Pacific Ocean. It is unlikely that you will be able to see what the largest organism in the world looks like, but you can visit the Malheur National Forest. The best option to get there from Moscow would be to take a flight to Portland with a transfer in Amsterdam. The journey will take approximately 32 hours, with the flight to Portland taking 21 hours. The cost of such a trip (round trip) will cost approximately 230 thousand Russian rubles per person. This amount:
- 74 thousand Russian rubles flight to Portland (one way);
- About 9 thousand bus to the National Forest;
- About 8 thousand housing per day (2 days)
- The rest is food;
Read: South Asian monitor lizard is a predator of Thai forests.
tree mushroom
In 2010, a huge tree fungus, Phellinus ellipsoideus, was discovered in China. In about 20 years, it managed to reach a height of 10.85 m. The width of its cap reaches 88 cm. Scientists managed to discover it while studying various tree mushrooms on the island of Hainan. The giant grew underground, which prevented it from being discovered earlier. According to a rough estimate by biologists, the weight of Phellinus ellipsoideus reaches 500 kg.
Cooking recipes
The bodies of dark mushrooms contain a little water, they are perfect for frying, but the legs are often not used for food, as they are very hard, especially in older specimens. Because of their love for coniferous trees, honey mushrooms can be a little bitter, but boiling them gets rid of this.
These mushrooms are salted, pickled, dried and frozen - they are suitable for any processing.
Primary processing
Preliminary preparation for further preparation consists of cleaning the fruits from forest debris, they should also be washed under running water and boiled for 20 minutes, draining the water after that.
Cooking
To boil mushrooms, you only need the fruits themselves, water and salt to taste. It is enough to boil the honey mushrooms in salted water twice for 20 minutes, changing the water between processes for a new one. After this, they can be cooked further or added to soup.
Pickling
For marinating, boiled honey mushrooms are used; you will need:
- mushrooms – 1 kg;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.;
- cloves – 2 buds.
Cooking process:
- Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, add salt and sugar, bring to a boil.
- Pour in vinegar and add cloves.
- After 2 minutes add mushrooms.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Place the fruits in prepared jars and pour marinade over them.
The jars should be cooled, covered with lids and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Freezing
Boiled mushrooms are frozen. They should cool completely and all the water should drain off. After this, the fruits are distributed into portioned containers or bags and sent to the freezer.
Important! If you freeze a large number of mushrooms in one container, then it will be difficult to separate them and get the required amount for cooking.
Frying
To make delicious mushrooms with sour cream, you will need:
- boiled honey mushrooms – 0.5 kg;
- sour cream – 5 tbsp. l.;
- onion – 300 g;
- fresh dill – 100 g;
- butter – 50 g;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking process:
- Finely chop the onion and fry in a frying pan until soft.
- Add mushrooms, butter, stir, salt and pepper.
- After 5 minutes, add sour cream.
- After boiling, add finely chopped dill.
- After 2 minutes, remove from heat.
These mushrooms are best served with boiled potatoes.
Pickling
For salting, you will need previously prepared dark mushrooms, boiled in salted water. Besides:
- mushrooms – 2 kg;
- salt – 100 g;
- garlic – 6 cloves;
- black allspice – 10 peas;
- dill - 2 umbrellas.
Cooking process:
- Prepare a deep enamel bowl, line the bottom with salt, a layer of mushrooms on top, continue alternating.
- Each layer should be sprinkled with garlic, pepper and dill.
- Cover everything with gauze in two layers, press with a plate and place a weight on top.
- After 10 days, you can try the finished mushrooms.
During this time, you should periodically wash the gauze or replace it with a new one; this will preserve the harvest and prevent it from becoming moldy during the pickling process.
At the end, the mushrooms are placed in jars and closed with lids. You can store it in the refrigerator, cellar or basement.
Drying
In order to dry honey mushrooms, you should not wash or boil them. It is enough to remove debris with a soft brush and remove rotten and wormy specimens.
Mushrooms should be cut so that they are all the same size, this will allow them to dry equally intensively.
Then string all the parts on a thread and hang them in a sunny place, in a well-ventilated room or on a balcony or in the garden.
It is better to cover the top of the fruits with several layers of gauze, this way you will avoid infection by insects and dust settling.
After a week, in sunny weather, the mushrooms will be completely dried. They can be stored in a dry place, away from foreign odors.
Canning for the winter
To preserve mushrooms for a longer period you will need:
- dark boiled honey mushrooms – 1 kg;
- vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- laurel leaves – 3 pcs.;
- garlic – 5 cloves;
- black peppercorns – 10 pcs.
Cooking process:
- Add salt, sugar to 1 liter of water and bring to a boil.
- Then add bay leaf, garlic, pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, boil for 5 minutes.
- Add vinegar, cook for another 5 minutes.
- Place the fruits in sterilized jars and fill with marinade to the top.
- Sterilize the jars for 20 minutes, then roll them up.
Such mushrooms will be stored for a long time and will delight you throughout the long winter.
Macrocybe
In 2005, a Mexican biologist in the United States found a macrocybe mushroom that grew between coffee trees and weighed 28 kg. Two years later, another macrocybe of impressive size was discovered on a coffee plantation in Mexico. The giant, found in 2007, towered 70 cm above the ground. Its weight was 20 kg. Now scientists are trying to determine whether coffee trees have a positive effect on mushrooms, which contributes to their rapid growth.
The secret of longevity of mycelium
To find out how the mycelium remains alive for decades, scientists decided to study rhizomorphs in the laboratory. They had two samples of mushroom threads at their disposal: the first was grown artificially, and the second grew in the natural environment. It turned out that fragments of wild mycelium have a protective layer that protects them from both mechanical stress and chemicals. Researcher Steven Naleway compared the strength of this coating with plastic and noted that such properties are rare in nature.
Artificial (left) and wild (right) rhizomorphs
You can see that the natural rhizomorph is black in color. This shade is given to it by melanin, a pigment that gives mushrooms various benefits. For example, it binds calcium ions, which protect against poisons produced by insects. But the surface layer of the mycelium itself is well protected from harmful substances. Yes, there are pores on its surface, but they are so tiny that chemicals cannot pass through them.
Rhizomorphs in nature
Ultimately, it turns out that the vitality of the huge mycelium in Oregon is associated with the presence of a durable layer to protect it from external influences. According to Stephen Neilway, if it is necessary to destroy large myceliums, from now on it is necessary to act on the outer layer of rhizomorphs - otherwise this idea may be a failure. In addition to protection, the outer layer makes the mycelium strong and allows it to break through hard woody roots and steal nutrients from plants. Based on all this, it is not surprising that the mycelium lives for thousands of years and does quite well.
Source: https://hi-news.ru/
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Champignon
The real giant was discovered in the Italian province of Baria. A resident of one of the villages near his home came across a huge champignon. The weight of the find reached 14 kg. A thorough examination showed that this giant is quite edible. The champignon was taken home by a lucky mushroom picker and cooked. There were enough dishes from it to arrange a small feast for the inhabitants of the house and their neighbors.
Raincoat from Russia
Another record holder was a huge raincoat, weighing 12 kg. This giant mushroom was found in the Perm region. But, according to biologists, larger raincoats are also found in Russia. According to unconfirmed reports, micromycetes were identified, the weight of which reached 20 kg. The found mushroom was taken to Perm University for study.
Lingzhi
The varnished tinder fungus also takes pride of place among the largest mushrooms. Residents of the small Chinese town of Hezhou managed to discover the giant. The Chinese call this mushroom lingzhi. It has been used for more than 2000 years in alternative medicine for the preparation of healing potions. The weight of the find was 7.5 kg, and the diameter of this giant reached 107 cm.
A gift from the Polish forest
Poland is distinguished by a variety of relief zones. There are many mixed forests with an abundance of mosses and lichens, in which birch, beech, pine and spruce often grow. This creates favorable conditions for boletus fruiting.
In 2013, it became known about a resident of the town of Bydgoszcz who found a specimen weighing about 3 kg. The diameter of the cap was about 40 cm.
