What do spotted rows look like?
This is a rather large mushroom, the diameter of its cap can reach up to 15 cm. It is fleshy, convex, and over time can become prostrate, with a small depression in the center. The color of the cap is light brown, with a reddish or yellow tint; small rusty spots can be observed throughout the surface. Its uneven, folded edge is always less colored than the middle. After rains, the spotted surface, covered with mucus, becomes glossy.
The reverse side of the cap of young mushrooms is covered with dense white plates. In old, overripe fruiting bodies they become spotted, reddish or brown.
The leg is short, up to 5 cm in height, thick, widened towards the bottom, cylindrical, hollow inside, fibrous, diameter ranges from 1.5 to 3 cm. Its color is light, beige or white, in the upper part it is almost discolored. When pressed, the surface of the leg turns brown.
The off-white flesh has a faint powdery, unpleasant odor. The taste is vague, slightly bitter.
The spores are colorless, oval, smooth. Their powder is white.
Interesting Facts
- In general, mushrooms of the row family are very useful, as they are distinguished by a high content of vitamin B. But we are, of course, talking about edible species.
- They also found their use in medicine. They are used as raw materials for the preparation of some antibiotics that successfully fight tuberculosis bacillus.
- In addition to medicine, the dried fruiting bodies of the row are used in cosmetology for the production of lotions. These products are great for acne and excess oily skin.
- Some countries do not recognize even individual species of this family as edible. But it would still be correct to classify them as conditionally edible, since heat treatment during cooking guarantees their safe consumption.
- In other countries, row mushrooms, on the contrary, are called delicacies. And some species are even bred specifically for further export abroad.
- You can grow the row yourself at home. The cultivation of these mushrooms is similar to the cultivation of champignons.
How to distinguish spotted rows
All representatives of the genus are, in one way or another, similar to each other. The speckled row is distinguished from its species counterparts by characteristic spots on the cap.
The edible mushroom is the poplar row, similar to the spotted one. The first species is not found in coniferous forests, unlike its poisonous twin, but grows under poplars and aspens. Poplar has a smooth, glossy, fleshy cap with a smooth edge. Its color is dark, with a hint of red, almost burgundy. The leg is thick, strong and coffee-colored.
The poplar row bears fruit earlier than the spotted one - from August to early October. The edible mushroom grows in large families in spacious, well-lit clearings in deciduous forests.
The white-brown row is a conditionally edible representative of the species, which is distinguished by a fleshy convex cap, without characteristic markings. The color of the cap is dark or light brown, the surface is matte.
The stem and dense flesh of the mushroom are pure white, under the skin it is reddish, and immediately darkens when pressed. There is no characteristic mushroom smell or taste.
The mushroom also grows in coniferous forests, less often in mixed forests. The main feature: the double, growing in large groups, forms orderly rows along forest clearings.
The red-brown row is a conditionally edible mushroom, which differs from the poisonous one only in its wider spores. The shape and location of growth are identical. The red-brown row has a more rounded cap, which is colored dark brown.
Season and habitat of the mushroom
Mushroom pickers rarely encounter spotted rowers (Tricholoma pessundatum) on their routes. The period of their active fruiting begins in September and ends in the second half of October. This type of rowing prefers to grow on acidic soils, in spruce forests, in the middle of pine sandy forests. Most often, spotted rows are found in mixed or coniferous forests.
Features of taste
The poplar mushroom belongs to the edible category, but the characteristic taste of the pulp requires mandatory pre-treatment of the fruiting bodies in order to remove specific bitterness. As a rule, specimens with the most bitter pulp grow under silver poplars.
Such mushrooms require especially careful boiling or prolonged soaking. It should be noted that even during a very long cooking process, the mushroom pulp of the poplar is able to maintain a fairly dense consistency, therefore the fruiting bodies of this type of row are especially highly valued among lovers of “elastic” mushrooms.
Use in cooking
The shod row has a refined aroma and good nutritional properties. It is widely used in cooking, especially in eastern countries. Matsutaki can be:
- boil;
- fry over coals;
- steam;
- stew;
- add to salad;
- salt;
- pickle for the winter.
Before any method of preparation, a shod row of matsutaki must be prepared. Namely:
- rinse in cool water;
- dry on a towel or blot with a clean cloth;
- remove the hard lower part of the leg;
- cut the fruiting bodies into small slices.
The shod row does not need prolonged boiling, but its pleasant aroma is lost and its benefits are reduced. Sometimes matsutake is even eaten raw.
Matsutaki with rice
One of the recipes suggests preparing a booted row with rice and tofu cheese. The following ingredients are needed:
Recommended reading: Benefits of goat cheese
- matsutake - 100 g;
- fish broth - 300 ml;
- fried tofu cheese - 100 g;
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l.;
- rice - 2 cups;
- sake - 2 tsp.
The cooking algorithm is as follows:
- the cereal is washed and placed in a rice cooker along with fish broth for half an hour;
- pure matsutake mushrooms are cut into strips, and fried tofu is cut into thin strips;
- put the row and cheese into the kitchen unit and add soy sauce and sake.
Then you need to set the cooking mode and process the ingredients until the rice softens. The dish turns out aromatic, tasty and very satisfying.
A row of matsutaki with rice is one of the traditional Japanese dishes.
Matsutaki pickled for the winter
It is not customary to freeze and dry shod rows, since this causes them to lose their pleasant aroma and rich taste. But you can preserve the mushroom for the winter by pickling it. The recipe requires:
- matsutake mushrooms - 500 g;
- vinegar - 1 tsp;
- salt - 4 tsp;
- black pepper - to taste;
- garlic - to taste;
- bay leaf - 4-5 pcs.
The salting process looks like this:
- fresh mushrooms are shaken off and washed, and then the stems are separated from the caps;
- cut the pulp into small pieces of arbitrary shape;
- lay the row with the caps down in a small layer in pre-sterilized jars, and place the legs in the remaining empty spaces;
- sprinkle the mushrooms on top with salt and spices;
- lay the next layer of matsutaki.
You need to alternate mushrooms and spices until the jar is filled to the neck. There should be a layer of salt on top. At the final stage, pressure is placed on the container and sent to a dark, cold place.
In salting, the matsutake row will reach readiness in 1.5 months
Cultivation:
There are two ways to grow mushrooms: outdoors and indoors. Poplar row growing outdoors is technically easier. It is recommended to plant the crop in beds, in bags or boxes filled with substrate. Peat, plant soil or ordinary soil can be used as a substrate.
Add 100 grams of chalk and 1 liter of water to 5 kilograms of soil. Add 50 grams of mycelium to the resulting mixture and mix gently. Place the substrate mixed with mycelium in a box or bag and sprinkle with a 5 cm layer of damp soil, cover with film and provide high humidity and air circulation around the edges.
Mycelium grows best at a temperature of 20°C. After the mycelium has grown on the ground, the film is removed and the substrate is transferred to a shaded, damp place. The first fruiting bodies appear 4-6 weeks after planting. After each mushroom collection, you should water the ground or, even better, add a layer (3-5 cm) of damp soil.
Poplar row can also be grown indoors, where it is necessary to provide the minimum necessary conditions: high humidity and temperature 12-15°C, provide constant ventilation and natural light. the substrate with mycelium should be provided with the necessary soil moisture. After harvesting each crop, it is necessary to sprinkle a 3-5 cm layer of damp soil.
Spreading
The row is wavy-pedunculated.
Speckled or spotted row is known throughout European territory. In addition, it grows in the United States (in the central part). American rows differ slightly from “domestic” ones. This fungus produces mycorrhiza with conifers.
Fruiting is observed late and for a long time in comparison with other mushrooms - from early autumn until winter.
Cultivation:
There are two ways to grow mushrooms: outdoors and indoors. Poplar row growing outdoors is technically easier. It is recommended to plant the crop in beds, in bags or boxes filled with substrate. Peat, plant soil or ordinary soil can be used as a substrate.
Add 100 grams of chalk and 1 liter of water to 5 kilograms of soil. Add 50 grams of mycelium to the resulting mixture and mix gently. Place the substrate mixed with mycelium in a box or bag and sprinkle with a 5 cm layer of damp soil, cover with film and provide high humidity and air circulation around the edges.
Mycelium grows best at a temperature of 20°C. After the mycelium has grown on the ground, the film is removed and the substrate is transferred to a shaded, damp place. The first fruiting bodies appear 4-6 weeks after planting. After each mushroom collection, you should water the ground or, even better, add a layer (3-5 cm) of damp soil.
Poplar row can also be grown indoors, where it is necessary to provide the minimum necessary conditions: high humidity and temperature 12-15°C, provide constant ventilation and natural light. the substrate with mycelium should be provided with the necessary soil moisture. After harvesting each crop, it is necessary to sprinkle a 3-5 cm layer of damp soil.