What edible mushrooms grow in July in the Moscow region

After picking the first mushrooms in the spring, a period of calm begins in the forests of the Moscow region. However, already in July, mushroom pickers again go for the harvest. Some types of mushrooms are edible and healthy, others are inedible and dangerous. People who have little experience in collecting mushrooms need to learn to distinguish between them.

Mushrooms appear at different times and have certain taste qualities. July is the month of their diversity. Before going into the forest, you need to find out which mushrooms are healthy and which ones are suitable for drying and cooking. Despite the fact that July is the hottest summer month, there will be a lot of mushrooms in the forests of the Moscow region. Yields are affected by warm weather and moderate humidity.

Classification of mushrooms: which are the most delicious

When planning a trip to the forest to pick mushrooms, the first thing you need to decide is what they will be used for. There are edible and conditionally edible species, which are divided into 4 categories.

Category 1 includes:

• white;
• milk mushrooms;
• fawns;
• spruce

They have the most pronounced taste and aroma.

Category 2 includes:

• white and pink waves;
• oak trees;
• oilers;
• boletus;
• boletus;
• Polish mushroom;
• Champignon.

They are not as tasty as category 1 mushrooms, however, they are very popular among mushroom pickers.

3 categories include:

• value;
• chanterelles;
• oilers;
• flywheels;
• honey agaric;
• black and marsh boletuses;
• Russula.

They are in demand, however, they do not have a distinct taste.

Category 4 includes:

• milk mushrooms;
• oyster mushrooms;
• honey mushrooms;
• cobwebs;
• forest and pink plate champignons;
• dung beetles;
• swamp boletus.

Many category 4 mushrooms are conditionally edible, and to prepare them correctly requires skills and knowledge. They are subjected to heat treatment for at least 40 minutes. The fruiting bodies of such mushrooms contain irritating compounds, which can be removed by boiling them well, or by soaking them in cold water for 3 days or more, changing it regularly. Only after such manipulations are category 4 mushrooms edible.

MUSHROOMS COLLECTION

“Silent hunting,” as many call mushroom picking, allows you not only to breathe in fresh forest air, but also to create winter supplies. The mushroom season in the Moscow region is not constant and depends on climatic and weather conditions.

The first mushroom month can be considered the end of April - the beginning of May, when morels and sometimes boletus mushrooms appear.

With the onset of summer, you can count on collecting boletus, boletus, boletus and boletus, and in August the third mushroom flow approaches, but the peak of the mushroom season occurs in September - early October. At this time, significantly more species of edible mushrooms appear if humidity and temperature are favorable.

Beginning mushroom pickers are recommended to start collecting with tubular-type forest gifts, because inedible mushrooms are less likely to be found among them.

When traveling through the forest, you should remember to be careful about the environment, and the primary condition for mushroom pickers is to preserve the mycelium, so that next time you don’t have to be disappointed in the mushroom place.

Some mushroom pickers “try” to help nature by breaking edible mushrooms into pieces and scattering them around with the hope that this way they will multiply and the harvest will increase.

However, such actions lead to a dead end, since the pieces will simply rot, so the best option is to hang worm caps from the forest on tree branches. Then they will dry out, and the wind will scatter the spores, from which fresh mycelium will then arise.

Mushroom picking instructions

1. Collection of forest products should be carried out away from the city, railways, busy highways, factories and factories, in particular with hazardous industries. They, including edible specimens, are similar to a sponge and absorb everything from the environment in which heavy metal salts can cause poisoning of the body. Ecologically clean areas away from the city are the safest in all respects.
2. You should always refuse to collect poisonous and inedible specimens, since any processing methods and recipes for neutralizing the toxins contained are powerless and pointless.
3. Only put in the basket those items that are well known and there is no doubt about them. Under no circumstances should you take unfamiliar products and it is appropriate to avoid them, so as not to risk your health later.
4. To collect edible mushrooms, preference should be given to wicker baskets, in which they remain fresh longer and do not lose their appearance. In bags, buckets, backpacks and other containers, especially in plastic bags, the collected products quickly crumble, crumple and, due to the lack of fresh air, lose quality and take on an inconspicuous appearance.
5. To avoid damage to the mycelium, try to carefully twist the leg clockwise, but under no circumstances tear it off. Otherwise, cut off the forest fruits with a sharp knife, preserving the stem, but you should be aware that the remaining part of the product has a detrimental effect on the mycelium. The benefit of an individual with a stalk is that when sorting raw materials at home, you can accurately determine the type of edible mushroom.
6. Worthy and moldy products have no place in the mushroom basket. Firstly, worms are almost impossible to remove even when soaked in salt water, and secondly, they can migrate to other products in the basket.
7. It is also not entirely successful to collect old, overgrown and damaged specimens, which during transportation will turn into “porridge” and, ultimately, will be unacceptable for processing and will be thrown away.
8. It is wise to get rid of leaves and debris immediately, and then the delicate forest products will remain unharmed.
9. The start of collecting forest gifts should be planned for early in the morning when there is dew, when they have not yet been warmed up by the heat of the sun. They are more visible, as the caps shine well and last much longer.
10. When searching for the gifts of the forest, it is better to use a small stick, and then the chance of not bending over again and not straining your back increases.

The main rule when collecting forest beauties is to use clothes made of thick fabric and high boots to prevent insect bites and... Moreover, the snakes did not cause any harm, and after collecting the raw materials, there is no reason to delay its sorting and processing. For this purpose, the collected edible products must be placed in salt water for half an hour or more.

The benefits and pleasure from eating forest products come if you correctly collect edible mushrooms, carefully process them and intelligently prepare dishes. When collecting them, it is necessary to show unrelenting attention, and then the mushroom menu will pay off handsomely for a healthy diet.

Types of mushrooms that are collected in the forests of the Moscow region in July

July can be called a “mushroom” month. In the forests of the Moscow region there are many of them after rain, since the soil is well moistened and its temperature is 15 - 17 degrees. Mushroom pickers in the Moscow region go to the forests in the second summer month for:

1. porcini mushrooms;
2. oyster mushrooms;
3. milk mushrooms;
4. chanterelles;
5. boletus;
6. loading;
7. Polish mushrooms;
8. pigs;
9. champignons.

Many of them can be found either in coniferous or mixed forest. In the first days of the month, chanterelles with russula appear, followed by the Polish mushroom.

Description of edible mushrooms in the Moscow region

Edible varieties of mushrooms in the Moscow region are presented in a wide variety, so mushroom pickers can easily reap a rich harvest.

Early spring

Spring varieties appear after the soil has warmed up well enough and the bulk of the snow has melted away. The main edible species include oyster mushrooms, talker mushrooms, morels and puffballs, as well as tree mushrooms.

Ordinary stitch

G.esculenta - has an irregularly shaped, sinuous cap with a smooth or wrinkled upper part, brownish or dark brown shades. The leg area is smooth and hollow inside, with a narrowing at the base, light in color, with a pinkish tint. The pulp is waxy, brittle, has a fruity aroma and a pleasant taste.

Pear-shaped raincoat

L.pyriforme - has a fruiting body that is reverse pear-shaped or almost spherical in shape with pronounced white mycelial strands. The pulp is white, olive and gray-brownish, with a strong characteristic aroma.

Summer views

Starting from the first ten days of June, the period of fruiting of mushrooms of the highest or first category begins, including oiler, boletus and aspen mushroom, honey mushroom, chanterelle and porcini mushroom, as well as flywheel.

Common oiler

S.luteus - has a hemispherical, round-convex, plano-convex or cushion-shaped cap, almost flat in shape. The surface may be smooth, slightly slimy, brown, dark brown and chocolate brown, reddish brown and reddish brown, yellowish brown and yellowish brown, grayish brown or brownish olive. The skin is easily separated from the pulp, radially fibrous, mucous. The pulp is soft and juicy. The leg area is cylindrical, solid type, with longitudinal fibrous, whitish or yellowish in color.

Red boletus

L.aurantiasum - has a hemispherical and cushion-convex cap, covered with red, orange or brown-red skin with a smooth or slightly velvety surface. The pulp is fleshy, dense and elastic, with a mild mushroom aroma and taste. The leg is solid, often widening at the bottom, grayish-white in color, covered with longitudinally fibrous scales.

Moss fly green

X. subtomentosus - has a cushion-convex, velvety, grayish-brown or olive-brown cap and white flesh, sometimes blue when cut. Tubular hymenophore of an adherent type, yellowish or olive-yellow in color, slightly blue when pressed, with large, angular pores. The leg region is cylindrical or tapering at the base, with a smooth, fibrous surface covered with a dark brown reticulate pattern.

Porcini

B.edulis - characterized by a convex, flat-convex, sometimes prostrate cap with a smooth or wrinkled surface that can crack. The surface skin is sparsely fibrous-scaly, sometimes slightly slimy, on dry days matte or shiny, of different shades of red-brown, not detachable. The pulp is juicy and fleshy, fibrous, white or yellowish in color, with a mild, mild aroma and a characteristic mushroom taste. The leg is massive, barrel-shaped or club-shaped, whitish or brownish.

What mushrooms grow in the Moscow region (video)

Autumn mushrooms of the Moscow region

In the early autumn period, before the onset of significant cooling, boletus, boletus and aspen boletus, white and green moss mushrooms continue to bear fruit, and spruce and pine saffron milk caps, groups of boletuses, valuuya and milk mushrooms also appear.

Black milk mushroom

L.necator - has a flat or wide funnel-shaped cap, with felt edges rolled inward and a depressed central part. The skin is slimy or slightly sticky, with faint, concentric zones and a dark olive color. The flesh is dense and brittle, white in color, turning gray when cut, abundantly secreting white milky juice with a pungent taste. The mushroom stalk region is noticeably narrowed at the bottom, with a smooth and slimy olive-colored surface.

The saffron milk cap is real

L. deliciosus - has a convex cap that straightens over time, and also acquires a funnel-shaped cap, with rolled or straight edges and a not too pronounced elevation in the central part. The surface is smooth, shiny, sticky, red in color with the presence of dark red concentric rings and spots. The leg area is smooth, cylindrical, narrowing at the base, hollow. The pulp is dense, yellowish-orange in color, acquiring a greenish tint when cut, with abundant and thick milky juice.

A reminder to mushroom pickers about what inedible mushrooms grow in the Moscow region

Poisonous mushrooms can be confused with edible ones. Inedible mushrooms growing in July in the Moscow region include:

1. pale grebe;
2. gall fungus (cleft lip);
3. red fly agaric;
4. thin pig.

The harelip mushroom is called gall mushroom because it is bitter. It is easy to confuse it with porcini mushroom. If you examine it carefully, you will notice a black mesh on the stem with pink pores on the back of the hat (spore-bearing layer).

A thin pig is confused with an edible one. For 27 years in Russia it has been classified as an inedible poisonous mushroom. Its fruiting body contains compounds that provoke the destruction of blood cells. A person's hemoglobin levels decrease after consuming it.

— Until 1984, on the territory of the USSR, Svinushka thin belonged to the group of conditionally edible mushrooms. But it was excluded from it and classified as poisonous. As it turned out, when it is consumed as food, a special compound accumulates in the human body - an antigen, which accumulates in the blood, settling on the surface of red blood cells. After the death of its carrier, this compound is transferred to a new blood cell. As a result, a response occurs in the body and conditions develop that lead to death,” biologist Irina Selutina.

Pale toadstool is a poisonous mushroom and can be confused with russula. However, the base of the toadstool's leg is expanded, resembles a potato tuber, and has a cover. Biologists say that no mushrooms can be collected 3 meters from a toadstool.

- Attention! If you are poisoned by toadstool, you should never use alcoholic drinks to “disinfect” your internal organs. Alcohol not only will not destroy toxins, but, on the contrary, will help them penetrate the bloodstream even faster and spread throughout the body, which can speed up irreversible processes, - biologist Irina Selutina.

Red fly agarics are a deadly mushroom containing the alkaloid muscarine, a metabolite of ibotenic acid muscimol. A person who eats such a mushroom begins to become intoxicated, poisoned. Eating 15 fly agarics will lead to death.

HEALTHY MUSHROOMS FOR HUMANS

Unlike plants, the basis of food for mushrooms are organic substances, which are absorbed by the mycelium only in a liquid state from the soil or other substrate, and they also parasitize animals, decomposing dead organic tissue.

According to the shape of their structure, forest gifts belong to the tubular or lamellar class, and conditionally edible specimens occupy an intermediate position between edible and inedible species.

Black humor says that all mushrooms can be eaten, but individual ones only once, therefore, before talking about the beneficial species for human health, it is appropriate to highlight not so much the inedible ones, but the extremely poisonous and most dangerous ones, which include the following species:

• fly agarics;
• pale and spring grebes;
• whitish merrymakers and talkers;
• gall mushrooms similar to boletus mushrooms;
• pink waves;
• autumn dung beetles;
• pepper mushrooms, similar to boletus mushrooms;
• false chanterelles, honey mushrooms, raincoats, etc.

Without going into details, it should be noted that, taking into account the scope of application, these and other gifts of nature bring benefits to human health, but in everyday life we ​​often deal with edible products for cooking, growing in the forest or cultivated in artificial conditions.

White mushrooms

The leading role in the kingdom of edible gifts from the forests of the Moscow region rightfully belongs to the porcini mushroom, which is considered the “king of mushrooms”, since it is the most valuable, tasty and nutritious.

It attracts even inexperienced mushroom pickers with its appearance, and thanks to its white marbled flesh it has been called this way since ancient times. Unlike other edible specimens, it does not darken from heat treatment and drying. Its other common name is boletus, as well as mullein and capercaillie.

According to the description, the forest beauty is crowned with a hat reaching even 30 cm in diameter, which is convex in a young specimen and becomes flat in an old one. Taking into account the surrounding trees, the cap takes on a shade from light brown to dark brown.

The length of the leg can reach 12 cm, and its diameter up to 7 cm, which looks like a barrel and its color ranges from white to rich brown.

Boletuses grow mostly in coniferous and deciduous forests with pine and spruce, birch and oak in warm and rainy weather from June to September and appear on foggy, warm nights.

However, among them there is an inedible gall species, in which, after cutting, the flesh darkens to a pinkish-brown color, and a mesh is clearly visible on the stem. It has a bitterish flesh, and the tubular layer is slightly pink in color, in contrast to the white or yellowish of the real boletus.

Boletus mushrooms contain almost no fat, but they contain more protein than a piece of beef of comparable weight. They are good for the heart, the lecithin they contain cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol, and ergothioneine renews the cells of the human body and has a beneficial effect on the liver and kidneys, bone marrow and vision. They are used both for drying and for salting and pickling.

boletus

The name of this species comes from the birch tree, which creates a mycelium on it and begins to vigorously spread spores for reproduction, but it is not a parasite, but helps the roots of the tree to absorb nutrients from the soil and creates protection against unhealthy bacteria.

In Russia, including the Moscow region, boletus mushrooms are included as the main product in the mushroom menu in the fall.

The description of the boletus is comparable to the boletus, since its cap is hemispherical in shape and reaches 18 cm in diameter, but as it matures it takes the shape of a pillow. Its color is soft chocolate or grayish with a matte tint.

The stem of the boletus is long and dense, dirty-white, widening downward, covered with scaly dark processes, repeating the color scheme of the cap, and its height can reach 12 cm.

The boletus class includes up to 40 species of individuals, but the most famous specimens are the common and hornbeam. They grow in groups or singly from May to late autumn, depending on the area, and spring boletuses are among the first to appear.

The flesh of the cap is dense and white, sometimes with a greenish tint, but later becomes gray and watery-loose, has a pleasant mushroom smell, and takes on a slightly grayish color when it comes into contact with air when cut.

Boletus mushrooms have found use in unbalancing the nervous system, regulating blood sugar, and treating kidney ailments. They tend to remove toxins from the human body, improve the musculoskeletal mechanism, and the excess phosphoric acid content is actively involved in the creation of enzymes.

These forest gifts are considered a delicacy and are used by most people in cooking, but can become a good analogue of medicines.

Boletus (red mushrooms)

The very name boletus, by analogy with boletus, received from the aspen tree, otherwise they are called aspen or redhead, because they are found in forests with a predominance of this type of tree, and their color is similar to the autumn foliage of aspen.

The taste and nutritional qualities of boletus are practically not inferior to boletus, and in terms of nicotinic acid content it is the main competitor of the liver. As with any other type of product, they contain more protein than meat.

Boletuses are characterized by a brightly colored cap, the diameter of which sometimes exceeds 30 cm and is hemispherical in shape, tightly compressing the top of the stem. The skin of the cap is often felted or velvety, hangs over the edges and does not come off in almost the majority of specimens.

The flesh of the cap is white, elastic and fleshy, but when cut it turns blue and acquires a dark color. The leg is tall, dense and stocky, reaching 20 cm, the outer side of which contains small scales, black or most often brown.

Boletuses, along with the Moscow region, are common in the temperate zones of all continents, growing in groups, but single specimens are also found and not only among aspens, but under poplars, willows, birches, spruces and oaks.

They also have several varieties and appear in early July, and some species grow until the autumn frosts. False boletuses actually do not exist, but gall-bearing inedible individuals (bitterweeds) can often be mistaken for them, although they differ in appearance.

In terms of their properties, boletus mushrooms are not inferior to boletus mushrooms, and one of their properties is their low calorie content, so they are useful for people who have suffered infections, inflammatory processes, and in the postoperative period.

The pulp of boletuses, like boletus, acquires a darkish tint during cooking, which is eliminated with a small amount of half a percent vinegar. In cooking they are also dried, boiled, salted and pickled.

Butter

One of the most generous, tasty and nutritious gifts of the forest is boletus. They are difficult to confuse with other, sometimes related edible specimens, because they have caps with a mucous upper film, similar to vegetable oil, which is why they are named that way.

Butterflies are found in abundance in the forests of the Moscow region, as well as in forest-steppe areas and even in the steppe zone with forest plantings. Their benefits to humans and taste significantly depend on the age of the individuals and processing methods.

Butternuts are characterized by dense pulp of a yellowish or light shade, the smell of which is coniferous or neutral. They are tender edible specimens, but quickly age and become wormy.

In color, butterflies have a yellow-brown or chestnut sticky cap and a whitish stem; the skin of the cap of an ordinary butterfly is easily separated from the pulp, but when cut, the flesh begins to darken.

A haven for boletus is a coniferous forest, where the soil is sandy, and they do not tolerate thickets without sunlight and wet places. As a rule, these gifts of the forest are found in groups or one at a time on the edges or clearings, near paths and in clearings.

The appearance of the first butterfly is timed to coincide with the beginning of summer, the second flow - in July with the beginning of linden flowering, the third - from August until the end of autumn, until the soil freezes to 2 cm. There are about fifty species, among which there are conditionally edible ones: swamp butterfly, gray, goat, etc.

Butternuts contain more protein than boletus and milk mushrooms, benefiting the nervous system and heart, helping in the treatment of infectious diseases of gout and migraine. In cooking, the most popular method of preparing butter is by marinating or freezing.

Their salting is usually combined with fermentation or pickling, but drying them under the sun is unacceptable due to their rapid spoilage, so an oven or microwave is used for this purpose.

Mokhoviki

Moss fly mushrooms got their name from their affinity for moss. They are considered edible specimens and, due to their excellent taste, are popular among mushroom pickers, and in appearance they resemble boletus mushrooms. The yellow-brown moss is often called the yellow-brown oiler, as well as the bog or sandy moss.

The mushroom pulp of moss mushrooms is usually described as having a yellowish tint, and their cap shape, up to 20 cm in size, is semicircular or convex with straight edges, but later transforms into a cushion-shaped one.

The color of the cap ranges from yellow to dark chestnut and the skin does not actually separate from the flesh. The leg of the moss fly is characterized by a cylindrical appearance with a lighter shade, and it can be thickened in the middle or closer to the ground and curved.

Moss fly mushrooms grow mainly in moss on sandy soils and anthills in mixed and coniferous forests with a temperate climate, which is typical for the Moscow region, and are collected from early spring to late autumn.

There are about two dozen species of flywheels, and they grow mainly in clearings and forest edges, but a number of flywheels parasitize on tree trunks, stumps and other fungi, for example, on dead puffballs. False inedible analogs of moss fly mushrooms are not poisonous, but they are smaller in size and the cut site does not turn blue compared to the edible specimen.

Boletus mushrooms have antibiotic properties, so it is recommended to include them in the menu of people with infectious and colds, and like boletus mushrooms, they have rejuvenating properties for the human body.

Moss mushrooms, like all tubular edible mushrooms, have an excellent taste, so they are boiled, fried, frozen, pickled, pickled and dried.

Saffron milk caps

In Rus', these gifts of the forest have been delighting people since ancient times, who, like boletus mushrooms, are called “grand princes.” Their original taste and incomparable aroma were appreciated by both peasants and nobility.

In terms of digestibility by the human body, they belong to the most valuable edible mushrooms from the category of russula. They got their memorable name not from the bright color of the skin, but from the carrot-orange hue of the milky juice.

According to the description, saffron milk caps have brittle, light, dense flesh, but the cut turns green or red when in contact with air, and their juice is tart and sweet. The caps of young individuals are velvety, hemispherical, but later change to funnel-shaped with a thin straight end and a size reaching up to 20 cm.

The leg is small, up to 6 cm, and approximately the same color as the cap. It is usually cylindrical in shape and has small pits and dark green spots on the outside and turns green when squeezed.

Pine forests, and often mixed forests in the northern part of the Moscow region, are the most frequent suppliers of these gifts of nature. Their favorite places include forest clearings, edges, clearings and young coniferous forests.

They grow in groups from July to September, but they are not easy to find, because they are hidden under fallen leaves and needles, and also age quickly, which still does not interfere with experienced mushroom pickers, who, after the next rain, harvest a good harvest in the marked places.

Saffron milk caps are found in several types, which differ slightly from each other, but their conditionally edible counterparts can also be found. True saffron milk caps are used to get rid of metabolic disorders in the human body, rheumatism, lung disease, vitiligo, etc.

They are eaten salted, fried and pickled, but when salted they look more tempting, but when dried, it is not recommended to wash them, and the finished product does not exceed 12% of the total mass.

Milk mushrooms

For centuries, milk mushrooms have been considered one of the best edible products, and for avid mushroom pickers this gift of the forest is a godsend that will always find a place in the basket among boletus and saffron milk caps. The most famous are white and black milk mushrooms, called nigella, for which the myth about their inedibility has long been discarded.

In the vastness of Russia, as well as in the Moscow region, this particular type of forest products is among the most collected forest products, since most people know the methods of harvesting this product.

White milk mushrooms, according to the description, have a tight milky-white flesh with a fruity smell, and when cut it turns yellow and a liquid of the same color is released, which does not darken in the air. The cap of an individual with a diameter of up to 30 cm contains a fleshy base, spread along the curved edges of the fringe, and pressed inside the surface.

The leg of the white milk mushroom is smooth and dense, does not exceed 8 cm in height, and its beginning is formed from frequent descending creamy-white plates of the inner surface of the cap, and tapers downward.

The flesh of the black milk mushroom is white in color and contains a bitter-tasting juice. The diameter of the nigella cap is no more than 20 cm, and its middle is slightly depressed in the form of a funnel, and the edges are folded inward, and it is not only black, but brown and greenish.

The stem is no higher than 8 cm, but thick (up to 3 cm in diameter) and at the ground it becomes hollow and narrow, and at the top it turns into thin plates of the inside of the cap.

Most different types of milk mushrooms grow in groups, prefer cool, moderate humidity, deciduous forests with a predominance of birch and hide under fallen leaves, pine needles, moss and grass.

White milk mushrooms, mainly inhabitants of the northern regions of Russia and in the Moscow region, are rare, but nigella are ubiquitous here, and they are rarely wormy. The harvest season for white milk mushrooms is from August to November, and the harvest season for nigella mushrooms is from July to October, but their abundant harvest is in August-September.

The aces of the “silent hunt”, having found one nigella, often search for them further on all fours and crawling, so as not to accidentally crush or damage the mycelium, while examining a vast adjacent area of ​​the forest.

Mushroom pickers often mistake black milk mushrooms for black mushrooms, which are an integral attribute of a pine forest. It also belongs to the russula family, but is suitable for consumption only after preservation and long-term soaking.

These autumn forest gifts of nature have proven themselves best in the fight against Koch bacilli, and when soaked, they are recognized by traditional medicine as a good remedy for the prevention of gallstone diseases.

The splendor of milk mushrooms lies not only in salting, when they become slightly bluish, but also in pickling, which is traditionally carried out by hot processing, but the method of cold pickling is not excluded.

Volnushki

The popularity of the conditionally edible mushrooms is due to their good taste. In the north of Russia, they are used to store supplies for the winter, but within the Moscow region they have not found proper use in cooking due to the complexity of preparing food from them.

Volnushki belong to the category of russula; their colors are pink and white, with different cap sizes, and after cutting they release a bitter, burning, thick and oily juice that does not change white when oxidized in air. For this reason, they are thoroughly soaked in salt water.

The caps contain white flesh, and the size of their caps is up to 12 cm, which in young individuals is characterized by a bulge, but later it becomes flat with a small depression in the middle, and the edges are wrapped and slightly lowered.

A vague pattern of concentric circles is noticeable on the skin of the cap, and when you touch it, dark marks remain. The diameter of the leg is no more than 2 cm with a height of up to 6 cm.

Volnushki grow, as a rule, in forests near old birches and have many popular names, such as Volzhanka, Volnovkha and others, but they are rarely found in mixed forests. Their collection period begins at the end of July and ends in September. In the food menu, volushki are used pickled and after pickling after a month and a half.

Russula

According to one of the assumptions, the roots of the origin of the Russian name of this edible species are not at all connected with the fact that it is suitable for fresh consumption. However, in a short time when salted, in comparison with other forest specimens, it becomes ready for consumption, that is, it is appropriate to say that it is eaten “raw”.

Modest and simple russulas with pinkish-red, yellowish, grayish and purple caps are recognized for their pungent but mild taste and numerous beneficial qualities.

The pulp of russula is spongy or has a fragile structure, but is quite dense and white in color, but when cut it can change it or remain the same. The cap of juveniles is bell-shaped or spherical, but later becomes funnel-like or flat, and the edges are turned up in places.

Cracks are often observed on the outer layer of the cap, and the skin is easily cut off from the pulp. Russula has a smooth white cylindrical leg, thickened or pointed near the ground, which is empty or filled with pulp.

Russula - unpretentious individuals have many varieties and grow everywhere in the Moscow region, both in mixed, coniferous, deciduous forests, and in swampy areas. Inedible mushrooms have a pungent and pungent composition that causes vomiting.

The first russula appear in May, and the last at the end of October after the rains, but due to their fragile appearance it is recommended to collect them separately from other edible products.

The enzyme russulin, found in russula, is in particular demand in the production of cheeses, of which only 1 g is required to turn 200 liters of fresh milk into cottage cheese. For human health, russula is an invaluable aid in cleaning blood vessels and preventing the accumulation of cholesterol.

A large number of types of russula have antibacterial properties that cleanse the intestines and stomach. At the same time, the products are bitter, but the bitterness disappears after soaking and cooking.

Honey mushrooms

The group of these gifts of nature bears a popular name, since honey mushrooms grow on stumps, and the group contains specimens belonging to different families and genera. The group is complex and controversial, which includes both edible and inedible mushrooms.

The group contains specimens of species that are strictly prohibited from being eaten, as they cause serious poisoning with paralysis and even cardiac arrest. However, the urgency of the issue lies in the ability to distinguish between them, since they are very similar to each other.

All types of honey mushrooms (autumn, spring, winter, summer) are small in size and have a similar delicate pale yellow smooth flesh with the smell of damp wood. In the initial period, the honey fungus is crowned with a hemispherical cap, the edges of which are later bent, and it becomes like an umbrella with a small tubercle in the middle with a diameter of no more than 10 cm and often becomes yellowish-red.

The height of the leg reaches 15 cm and usually has a “skirt” that connects to the cap, and the color tone of the leg varies from honey to dark brown.

Honey mushrooms in the Moscow region, as in other regions of Russia, usually appear in large numbers in deciduous forests on stumps, dead wood, in gullies, near swampy areas and other damp places. They grow in the absence of direct sunlight in colonies, and are rarely found individually, which is essential in identifying edible mushrooms.

The more famous autumn honey mushrooms are in particular demand from the second half of August to the end of September, since toxic false honey mushrooms appear only in the summer.

Honey mushrooms are comparable in phosphorus and potassium content to fish, and they are beneficial for the bones of the human skeleton. In their raw form, such edibles have a poor taste, which is greatly improved when they are boiled or fried. These processing methods are considered fast and last no more than half an hour, but if you have time and patience, honey mushrooms can be salted, pickled and dried.

Oyster mushrooms

On the one hand, the Russian name for these edible mushrooms comes from the spring season, when they begin to appear, and, on the other hand, it is no less plausible that they grow on dry stumps and seem to be suspended from them. They are the second type of product grown at home after champignons.

For the first time, oyster mushrooms began to be cultivated by humans in 1900 in Germany, and in Russia the artificial method of growing them began to develop at a rapid pace in recent years.

Young mushrooms have juicy and elastic flesh, but over time it becomes fibrous, hard and dry. Their cap is up to 20 cm in size, round or oval, slightly thinned at the edges, smoothly transforms into a stem and, depending on the type, it can be ash-violet, gray, lemon-colored or whitish.

The stem of oyster mushrooms is a cylinder up to 5 cm high with a diameter of no more than 3 cm, narrows closer to the base, and is painted in yellowish grayish or white tones.

For their growth in nature, oyster mushrooms have chosen dry fallen trees, shrubs and rotten stumps of deciduous and mixed forests in temperate climates.

Their myceliums are unpretentious and take root on anything, even on weakened tree trunks of birch, aspen, willow, oak, often forming massive colonies with rows of several tiers of 30 or more individuals, and their harvest begins in August-September and continues until December.

No poisonous analogue of these mushrooms has been identified in Russia, as well as in the Moscow region, but residents of our country place more trust in oyster mushrooms grown by humans, so only a few people collect them under natural conditions. There are more than a dozen species of these gifts of nature, and they are conventionally divided according to the categories of trees on which they grow.

Oyster mushrooms are edible mushrooms that have a powerful anti-cancer effect on human health and help remove radioactive products from the body, and their ability to increase male potency has recently been discovered.

Due to their unique taste, they are compared to boletus and champignons, so dishes and supplies from them are prepared in any available way.

Chanterelles

In color, chanterelles are red, as they contain a large proportion of vitamin C, and, of course, they look like a fox, but both names originate from the word “fox,” that is, yellow. There are approximately 60 species of chanterelles, among which the common chanterelle or cockerel has become widespread in the Moscow region.

The pulp of chanterelles has a dense, fleshy shape with an inherent light aroma of dry fruit and a slightly sour taste, and in the leg area it takes on a yellowish or white tone, but after pressing it acquires a reddish tint. The diameter of the cap is no more than 12 cm, which is smooth and flat of irregular shape with wavy edges in the form of an “inverted umbrella” with a skin that is difficult to separate.

The stem is usually of the same tone with a cap up to 3 cm thick and no more than 7 cm high, slightly narrowed near the soil.

The habitat of chanterelles is, as a rule, a coniferous forest or a damp mixed forest with a temperate climate. They grow in colonies in moss, between fallen leaves, grass and are born after heavy rains with thunderstorms from early June to mid-October.

They are distinguished by the absence of worms, but they should be stored in a cool place, because 4-5 hours after collection, harmful decomposition products are concentrated in them. Along with edible mushrooms, there are conditionally edible chanterelles, but no poisonous ones have been found.

Chanterelles have an increased concentration of ascorbic acid and liver ailments are treated with extracts from them, and the antibiotics found in them lead to the destruction of tubercle bacilli and staphylococci. The taste of nuts and fruits gives chanterelles a unique taste, so the preparation of dishes and stocks from them is carried out by boiling, frying, stewing, pickling and drying.

Champignon

The Russian name for champignons originates from a consonant French word, which in translation means “mushroom”, and among the people they are also called “blushka” and “cap”. Today, champignons are found in abundance on retail shelves, and we know that they are grown in special greenhouses, but wild champignons have not yet disappeared from nature.

The pulp of champignons is white, but when it comes into contact with air it takes on a reddish or yellowish tint and has a mushroom or anise smell. The cap of these edible mushrooms is dense and massive: in young specimens it is in the form of a sphere, but later it becomes flatter and the color can vary from white to cream and brown.

The leg is smooth and also dense, but sometimes it is loose and empty, on which a one- or two-layer ring is clearly visible.

Under natural conditions, champignons grow in the Moscow region on soils rich in humus: meadows, open glades, pastures, even manure heaps; they are less common in mixed forests, but when sunlight warms the underlying surface.

The first champignons appear in May and their collection continues until mid-autumn. A small number of species of toxic champignons are known in nature, which, for example, include the variegated and yellow-skinned champignon.

Champignons have antibacterial and antitumor properties, and they help the human body get rid of toxins, cholesterol and heavy metal salts. During heat treatment, fresh champignons are used even in their raw form and are classified as instant food, for which there is no point in using all methods of processing edible mushrooms other than freezing.

What are the benefits and harms of mushrooms?

Mushrooms contain a variety of vitamins - A, C, E, D, group B, as well as minerals with microelements, macroelements, and fiber. But some mushrooms are loaded with toxic substances that can cause food poisoning, hallucinations, and death.

Useful properties of mushrooms

Mushrooms have a lot of proteins, more than meat. Also, 90% of their composition is water, therefore they are low-calorie. The mushrooms are also filled with:

1. 18 amino acids;
2. potassium;
3. calcium;
4. manganese;
5. phosphorus;
6. vitamins;
7. nicotinic acid.

Mushrooms prevent the development of cancerous tumors and strengthen the immune system.

Why are mushrooms dangerous?

Despite the low calorie content of mushrooms, they should not be eaten often: it is difficult for the body to digest them, and the digestive process slows down in the stomach. The body spends a lot of energy processing chitin contained on the legs.

Mushrooms absorb toxins, which means their nutritional quality deteriorates. Their improper processing before preservation will create a favorable environment in the jar for the development of the causative agent of botulism.

Mushroom places in the Moscow region (video)

The best time to collect is in the morning. You need to collect only well-known, edible varieties. Fruiting bodies that secrete a significant amount of milky juice should be collected in a separate basket. You should not taste unfamiliar mushrooms. It is strictly forbidden to collect overripe, slimy, flabby, wormy and spoiled fruiting bodies. The harvest brought home must be carefully inspected, sorted and washed. Processing of fruiting bodies should be done as quickly as possible, since mushrooms stored for a long time can deteriorate.

How to get there by car?

1. Drive from Vnukovo to the junction nearby and turn towards Ankudinovo. This is a good place to park your car near any of the nearby villages. Here you can also collect an impressive amount of mushrooms. An alternative option is to drive to Krekshino, turn right, stop near Aprelevka and comb the local forests.
2. Along the Minsk highway, focusing on the Zhavoronok station, drive a little north.
3. Drive along New Riga, and as soon as you get to Novy, turn towards Novoarkhangelsk, where there is a place for a car next to the river and go in search of “trophies” in the forest park.
4. If you drive along Leningradka or Pyatnitsky, you can stop in the Mitino or Khimki area, but it is better to get to Eleno, which is behind Sheremetyevskoye Highway and Black Gryad.
5. You can take the Gorkovskoye Highway (alternatively the Nosovikhinskoye Highway), get to Vlasovo or Subbotino, where there are good mushroom glades in the vicinity.

Butter

Psilocybin mushrooms: description, varieties and distribution places

Butterflies grow in coniferous forests. They got their name from the cap, which in rainy weather becomes sticky and shiny, as if it had been oiled.

Appearance

Usually boletus is small to medium in size and resembles flywheels in appearance. They have a hemispherical or conical cap. With age, it straightens and looks more like a pillow. Its maximum diameter is 15 cm. The top of the cap is covered with skin that can be easily removed in young specimens.

They have a tubular hymenophore of light yellow color. The flesh is white, the cut turns blue or red. Butternuts age quickly and after 7-8 days they become tough and the flesh darkens. Description of the leg:

• diameter – 1-3 cm;
• height – 5-10 cm;
• the bottom is white or matches the color of the hat;
• the surface is rough to the touch.

Poisonous analogues

Some edible types of boletus are similar to the pepper mushroom. But it is smaller in size, the diameter of the cap is 4-5 cm, the height of the stem is 4-6 cm. The peppercorn has a light brown tint, the flesh is yellow. It has a sharp, burning taste and is considered inedible precisely because of this.

It forms mycorrhiza with pine, therefore it prefers coniferous forests with a predominance of this tree species. Less often it can be found in mixed, deciduous or spruce forests. The collection begins in June.

Time and place of fruiting

The first boletus is collected in June, but sometimes they are found even in May. They grow in pine forests (prefer young plantings), but some species bear fruit next to birch and oak trees.

They do not like dark areas of the forest, so they are found in small clearings, forest edges and in thickets of young pine needles. Butterflies can grow in clusters (very often they form entire snake ribbons) and individually.

Folk signs associated with the appearance of mushrooms

Let's start with forecasts for the harvest of mushrooms, of which there are many in folk superstitions. Let's list just a few:

January. On the night before Christmas (from January 6 to 7), the snow sparkles with stars - to the mushroom harvest.

March. On Evdokia (Avdotya), March 14, good weather - for the harvest of milk mushrooms.

April. Wet April for mushroom summer. On Annunciation (April 7) there will be frost - there will be a harvest of milk mushrooms.

May. On Lukerya Komarnitsa (May 26) there are a lot of midges in the forest - prepare a lot of baskets for mushrooms.

June. It rains all day long on Lukyan the Anemone (June 16) - for the mushroom harvest. Sultry June - don’t give a damn about mushrooms and fishing.

July. Starry night on Ivan Kupala (July 7) - there will be a lot of mushrooms.

August. August 25 (Fotya Povetenny) - clear weather with an abundance of whites. If there are a lot of mushrooms on August 26 (Tikhon Strastnoy), then next year will be fruitful.

September. Natalya-Ovsyanitsa (September 8) invites you to pick mushrooms in the forest.

October. October 14 (Pokrov) is the last day of collecting milk mushrooms and saffron milk caps. Until Yakov Drovopilets (October 22), russula grow.

And there are so many proven signs associated with specific mushrooms.

Boletuses. The fluff has flown from the aspen tree - get ready for the aspen boletuses. Ivan-tea is blooming wildly - there will be a good harvest of boletus and boletus.

Saffron milk caps. The heather is blooming - go for saffron milk caps. A lot of mold on last year's foliage means a harvest of saffron milk caps.

Boletus mushrooms. Lines appeared - in three weeks the boletus mushrooms will grow.

Morels. The hazel is blooming - collect morels. The alder and birch trees are blooming, and morels and strings are appearing. “Where the fire burned, where the fires burned, there the old lines overcame the frost.”

White mushrooms. The rye is earing and the first porcini mushrooms are appearing. They are called spikeworts. A lot of raspberries means a lot of porcini mushrooms will grow. The chanterelles have started to appear, and in two weeks white and boletus mushrooms will begin to grow. The red fly agaric points to the white mushroom.

Greenbacks. Greenfinches have appeared - wait for frost.

Butter. The pine blossomed and boletus began to grow under it.

The saffron mushrooms appear in front of the nigella and milk mushrooms, and the saffron milk cap appears in front of the honey mushrooms.

Honey mushrooms. Honey mushrooms have appeared - summer is over.

Tips for mushroom pickers

Mushrooms are tasty and nutritious. If you follow some rules, the mushroom season will bring you only joy:

1. The first sign of a clean area in which to collect mushrooms is the abundance of fly agaric mushrooms.
2. If only russula grow at the edge of the forest, it is better to avoid it - most likely, the soil is contaminated.
3. 90% of mushrooms grow along the edges, clearings and young plantings, so there is no point in climbing into the thickets at the risk of not finding your way home.
4. Mushrooms grow from 1 day to 3 days. Optimal conditions: 10-20 degrees Celsius, for lamellar and noble ones - from 5 to 15 degrees above zero. Air humidity is 80-90%, rain and heavy dew are desirable.
5. Only young mushrooms whose caps are not fully opened or partially opened are suitable for food. Overripe mushrooms with their caps open like an umbrella have no nutritional value. It is better to hang such a mushroom on a branch - let the spores spread throughout the area. But if the cap is curved like a dome, it means that the mushroom has already released spores and a poison similar to that of a corpse is formed in it. It is dangerous and is the main cause of poisoning.

Previously on the topic of Mushrooms:

October

What mushrooms to collect: all are leaving, but there are still a lot of honey mushrooms and saffron milk caps. Valuis, rowers, and greenfinches can be found until the end of the month.

Where to collect: in deciduous forests.

In October, the mushroom season closes, but if the weather permits, you can still replenish your supplies for the winter and eat some. In the Moscow region, at the beginning of the month there is often warm weather with clear air; during this period you can even find fly mushrooms, milk mushrooms and porcini mushrooms. There are often a lot of mushrooms under fallen leaves and in the sun - the soil warms up there, and the leaves do not allow moisture to evaporate. Mushrooms are usually small, but very tasty, without worms, ideal for pickles. By the middle of the month, it is already more difficult to collect a full basket, but the process is more exciting, and it’s nice to walk in the forest. At the end of October and November, you can usually find a maximum of a few specimens. We just have to wait for spring.

A very important topic is where you can’t pick mushrooms, since there is a high risk of infection. In the area of ​​Noginsk and Elektrostal, the situation with arsenic, ammonia, chlorine and other nasty things is almost critical

. If you are going to Orekhovo-Zuevo, go further towards Vladimir, to Petushki. The situation is bad in the forests near Klin, Podolsk, Vidnoye - but there is already less concentration there.

You need to understand that Moscow itself emits tons of harmful and heavy metals. The farther from it, the better. It is also not recommended to pick mushrooms near highways and railways - it is better to move at least 20-30 meters away, behind tall bushes and trees. But if only electric trains travel on the railway, then it is relatively safe.

On the map of dangerous mushroom areas, the zones are shown in red and yellow - it is better not to go there with a basket. But green areas are quite suitable for picking mushrooms, but even then not everywhere. You need to assess the situation yourself - if there are landfills, cemeteries, or hazardous factories nearby, then it is better to refrain from harvesting mushrooms.

And, of course, you need to understand the mushrooms themselves. If you don’t know the species, you’re not sure if it’s a trumpet, pass by. You need to be able to pickle mushrooms correctly; every year they cause thousands of poisonings in the Moscow Region, often with fatal consequences! So quiet hunting should bring health benefits and pleasure!

mushrooms