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Two-ring champignon (lat. Agaricus bitorquis) is an edible mushroom of the Champignon (Agaric) family, which, if desired, can be grown on your site. Other names for this species: champignon four-spore or sidewalk. The latter reflects one of the places where the fungus is most widespread – in the city, it often grows near roads.
What does double ring mushroom look like?
The cap of a ripened fruiting body can reach 4-15 cm in diameter. It is painted white, sometimes slightly grayish, as well as the leg. To the touch, the double-ring mushroom cap is completely smooth, although sometimes you can feel barely noticeable scales in the very center.
At the first stage of development, the cap has an egg-shaped shape, but then it takes on a semi-opened appearance. In mature mushrooms, it resembles a hemisphere flattened from above, the edges of which are bent inward.
The hymenophore of a mature two-ringed champignon consists of narrow light pink plates, which turn brown in old mushrooms. In young specimens, it is beige, almost white. The plates are located quite freely. At the initial stage of growth, the hymenophore is covered with a dense film.
The leg of the double-ringed champignon is quite massive – it grows only up to 3-4 cm in height, while its diameter is almost the same – 2-4 cm. Closer to the hat, you can find a torn ring of two layers – these are the remains of a protective film that covered plates of the fruiting body.
The flesh of this species is dense, fleshy. It has a white color, however, at the cut site it quickly becomes pinkish.
Where does four-spore champignon grow
The distribution area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbdouble-ring mushroom is extremely wide – it is almost cosmopolitan. This means that mushrooms are found on almost all continents, in different climatic zones. Most often, their small clusters can be found on the ground, which is rich in organic matter – in forests (both coniferous and deciduous) and parks. The mushroom picker can form on dead trees, old stumps and anthills. In the city, double-ring mushroom often grows along roads and fences.
This species bears fruit for a long time – from late May to September. It rarely grows alone, but the groups of fruiting bodies are rather scattered, not dense. The search for a crop is made more difficult by the fact that they have a short stem, so mushrooms are often covered with leaves, grass and earth.
Is it possible to eat double-ring champignon
Two-ring champignon is an edible mushroom with excellent taste. It tolerates any type of heat treatment well and serves as a key ingredient for a wide variety of dishes: salads, hot and cold appetizers, julienne, etc.
One of the main positive qualities of this species is its high yield – two-ring mushroom can be grown in large quantities in the garden.
False doubles
Very often, two-ring champignon is confused with August (lat. Agaricus augustus). The main difference between these two species is the color of the cap – in the August subspecies it is darker. Despite the fact that the very surface of his hat is white, it is covered with many light brown plates. Such scales are also present on the legs of the fruiting bodies. Otherwise, the mushrooms are very similar.
This is an edible species, however, its taste can hardly be called excellent.
Large spore champignon (lat. Agaricus macrosporus) – an edible mushroom with a pleasant taste of pulp. Mature fruiting bodies are difficult to confuse with two-ring mushrooms, as these are real giants. The cap diameter of this species is on average 25 cm. The main difference between young specimens is a longer stem and a pleasant almond smell.
elegant champignon (lat. Agaricus comtulus) is a rather rare species with excellent taste. It is edible and tolerates any type of cooking well.
This variety is distinguished from two-ring mushrooms by the color of the cap – it is grayish-yellow, often with pink stains. Otherwise, these mushrooms are almost identical.
The most dangerous double of the double-ring mushroom is the deadly poisonous pale grebe (lat. Amanita phalloides). It is impossible to eat it, since the pulp of the toadstool causes severe poisoning, even death.
These mushrooms are distinguished by the plates of the hymenophore – in the two-ringed champignon it is either pinkish (in young specimens) or brown (in old mushrooms). The hymenophore of the pale grebe is always white.
Rules for collection and use
Two-ring mushrooms are harvested until the first frost. In this case, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Two-ring champignon is best harvested at that stage of development, when a thin film is tightly stretched between the edge of the cap and the stem. It is also permissible to collect older mushrooms, in which it has already torn, and the pink plates of the hymenophore have become visible. Overripe specimens, which are distinguished by brown, darkened plates, should not be collected – eating their pulp can cause food poisoning.
- The fruiting body must not be pulled out of the ground. It is carefully cut with a knife just above the ground or twisted out of the mycelium. So she can bring the harvest next year.
- The place from which the mushrooms were taken is recommended to be sprinkled with a thin layer of casing soil.
- For mushrooms, it is better to go early in the morning, when the air is still quite humid and cool. So the harvested crop will retain freshness longer.
Fresh champignons can be safely eaten even raw, without subjecting them to heat treatment. The main thing is how to wash each fruiting body and remove the skin from them. In order for the earth and other debris to come off the crop more easily, it can be soaked briefly in a container of water. Caps cut into thin slices are added raw to cold appetizers and salads.
Also, double-ringed champignon can be fried, stewed, boiled and baked. After such processing, the harvested crop is added to a variety of sauces, pates, pastries, vegetable stews and juliennes.
Conclusion
Two-ring mushroom is an edible agaric mushroom with a pleasant taste that can be eaten both raw and after heat treatment. You can find it almost everywhere, however, when harvesting, you should be extremely careful – young specimens are quite easy to confuse with deadly poisonous pale grebes. Before going for mushrooms, it is necessary to carefully study the external differences of this species so as not to recruit false twins instead.
For more information on how to collect champignons, you can learn from the video below:
