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Meadow puffball (Lycoperdon pratense) is a conditionally edible mushroom belonging to the Champignon family. The people called him a bee sponge and a pearl raincoat. The mushroom has an atypical appearance. He is missing a hat and a leg. The raincoat has a spherical shape of a closed structure. Another name is field vascellum.
Description of the meadow raincoat
Meadow puffball is considered a conditionally edible mushroom. But it is customary to eat only young fruits. Their surface is covered with smooth milky peridium. As the fungus grows, it darkens, and the flesh becomes less elastic and filled with spore powder. Very old meadow raincoats can be completely black from the inside. In diameter, the size of the mushroom can vary from 2 to 5 cm. It grows in height above 3,5 cm. Meadow puffballs are found mainly in park areas. Harvest peaks between June and October. Due to its unpretentiousness to environmental conditions, the bee sponge is often grown purposefully in garden plots.
In appearance, the meadow raincoat resembles a mushroom. The difference lies in his voluminous hat. Over time, the color of the fungus may change to yellowish. Spikes form on the surface of the top. But heavy rains contribute to their disappearance.
Twins and their differences
The meadow puffball has twins that are completely unsuitable for eating. These include the common and spotted varieties of the fungus. They are extremely rare. To distinguish an edible mushroom from a false one, just look at its structure. The meadow raincoat has a partition separating the leg from the hat.
Common false raincoat considered the most common. It is often found in sparse grass and moss areas. The mushroom has a lemon or orange color. The fruit body reaches a length of 6 cm. The leg is absent, and the cap is egg-shaped. On the surface of an ordinary false raincoat there are dark scales. Over time, the top of the cap cracks. In the place of cracks, the fruiting body has a red tint. A distinctive feature of this type of raincoat is a repulsive smell, reminiscent of raw potatoes. When eating a false raincoat, an allergic reaction and indigestion may occur. The most common side effects include conjunctivitis and rhinitis.
spotted puffball got its name due to the characteristic color. It is also called leopard scleroderma. In diameter, the mushroom cap does not exceed 5 cm. It has a pear-shaped shape, slightly tumbled to one side. The smell of this type of mushroom is sweetish, but slightly pronounced. The color of the flesh is white, but may turn purple over time. You can meet the spotted false raincoat in almost any forest. It needs plenty of light and moist soil to grow. If you accidentally use a false raincoat, a clinical picture of poisoning will occur. It manifests itself in severe nausea and vomiting.
Where and how to grow
Meadow raincoat can be found in Central Asia, Ireland, Great Britain and Our Country. It grows predominantly in temperate deciduous and coniferous forests. The most favorable conditions for its growth on the territory of the Federation are presented in Siberia and the Far East. In search of meadow raincoats, mushroom pickers go to wastelands, wet meadows and a forest zone. On the territory of Our Country there are about seven species. Some of them are inedible.
Edible meadow puffball or not
According to its taste qualities, the meadow raincoat belongs to the fourth category. Despite this, it is not forbidden to eat. Gourmets often compare this species with aspen mushrooms. Before eating, make sure that the crop was not harvested near industrial facilities and highways. The fact is that mushrooms have the ability to absorb toxic substances. In this case, eating the product can be extremely dangerous.
How to prepare meadow raincoats
Experts recommend eating only young specimens. Before cooking, each mushroom should be carefully inspected. The flesh must be completely white. Any deformations and deviations in color indicate that the product is dangerous to eat. The preparation of a meadow raincoat can be done in any way. Most often it is stewed, boiled, fried and baked.
Cleaning and preparing mushrooms
Before cooking, it is necessary to carefully process the product. A sharp knife is used for cleaning. With it, gently pry off the skin of the bee sponge and remove it. You should also cut off the attachment point of the meadow raincoat with the root part. It is not necessary to wash the mushrooms. You just need to clear them of forest debris. It is strictly contraindicated to use brushes for this purpose. They will spoil the structure of the fruit. No need to soak. Before being placed in a pot or pan, they are cut into small slices.
How to fry
Fried meadow raincoats are very popular in cooking. Most often they are cooked in batter. Even when exposed to high temperatures, the fungus retains its size and structure. An excellent addition to a breaded dish is a vegetable salad.
Components:
- 2 chicken eggs;
- 500 g mushrooms;
- 1 bulb;
- 2 Art. l mayonnaise;
- 100 ml of sunflower oil;
- 3 Art. l flour;
- salt and pepper – to taste.
Cooking process:
- This recipe requires large fruits. They are carefully cleaned and cut into equal slices. Sprinkle a little salt on top.
- Beat the eggs in a separate container. Mayonnaise and spices are added to the resulting mass. Then you need to add flour, mixing the mixture thoroughly.
- Mushroom slices are dipped in batter and laid out on a hot frying pan.
- Each slice is fried on both sides until golden brown.
How to pickle
Due to the fact that there is little moisture in the meadow raincoat during cooking, the product practically does not change in size. For the winter, these forest fruits are often pickled. For these purposes, use your favorite seasonings and various herbs.
Components:
- 600 g of meadow raincoat;
- 2 Art. l sugar;
- 4 peas of allspice;
- 6 peas of black pepper;
- 1 st. l. dill seeds;
- 4 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 2 Art. l salts;
- Xnumx bud clove.
Cooking process:
- The main product is boiled in lightly salted water, periodically removing the foam. The total cooking time is 20 minutes.
- After readiness, the mushrooms are pulled out and placed in a separate container. All seasonings are thrown into the mushroom broth, after which the pan is put on fire again. After 10 minutes of boiling, pour in the vinegar and remove the pan from the heat.
- Mushrooms are laid out in sterilized jars. Garlic is placed on top. The contents are filled to the brim with marinade.
- Banks are rolled up with sterile lids and cleaned in a secluded place.
How to preserve meadow raincoats for the winter
Harvesting a meadow raincoat for the winter allows you to get a versatile dish for any occasion. It is advisable to roll the mushrooms into small jars so that it is convenient to get them one at a time if necessary. Containers are pre-sterilized with lids. Almost any recipe can be used to preserve the product.
How to freeze
Freezing a meadow raincoat allows you to extend the safety of useful properties and pleasant taste of the product for up to one year. But for this, a number of nuances should be taken into account. Before freezing, the product is cleaned and cut into small slices. In this form, it is laid out on a cutting board and put in the freezer for a couple of hours. Frozen fruit bodies are put in a bag and put in the freezer. Before freezing, mushrooms can be boiled or lightly fried.
How to dry
Dried mushrooms are great for making soups. They become more fragrant and take up very little space. In this form, the product is suitable for use within 1-2 years. The drying process is carried out in several stages:
- Mushrooms are cleaned of debris without rinsing them with water.
- Meadow raincoats are cut into slices of the same size and laid out in one layer on a baking sheet.
- The baking sheet is placed in the oven for an hour at a temperature of 45ºС.
- The second stage of drying is carried out with the oven door open at a temperature of 60ºС for four hours.
How to salt
Experts do not recommend salting meadow raincoats. As a result of the dry salting method, they lose their shape and lose the crunch that is characteristic of salted mushrooms. It is also believed that when frying and stewing, meadow raincoats are more tasty.
Healing properties of meadow raincoats
The meadow raincoat is common not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. Its pulp contains a number of substances that have a positive effect on health. Most often, the product is used to rid the body of toxins and toxins. There is an opinion that the raincoat copes well with diseases of the respiratory system. Its useful properties include:
- normalization of blood composition indicators;
- acceleration of regenerative functions;
- strengthening immunity;
- excretion of radionuclides from the body;
- improvement of the gastrointestinal tract;
- cleansing of liver cells.
With a disease of the respiratory organs, a broth prepared on the basis of a raincoat is used. Its benefits are comparable to those of chicken broth.
Mushrooms are often used in the fight against diseases of the genitourinary system. A drink brewed on the basis of bee sponge powder perfectly copes with postpartum hemorrhage. Sometimes it is also used to treat urolithiasis.
The benefits of tincture on meadow raincoats
For medicinal purposes, meadow raincoat is used in a wide variety of forms. Mushroom tincture has gained particular popularity. It is taken before meals three times a day. A single dosage is 40 drops. The benefits of tincture from the meadow raincoat are as follows:
- elimination of disorders in the thyroid gland;
- restoration of liver cells in hepatitis;
- getting rid of dysbacteriosis;
- prevention of leukemia.
A tincture of meadow puffballs is often used to prevent and treat multiple sclerosis. In this case, you need to take the medicine four times a day for a week. For diseases of the stomach, liver and kidneys, the tincture is taken 1 tsp. before going to bed. The total duration of treatment is 40 days.
In inflammatory processes on the skin surface, the tincture is used in conjunction with tea tree oil. The resulting mixture is rubbed on the skin, instead of lotion, twice a day.
How to grow meadow raincoats in the country
Due to the unpretentiousness of the meadow raincoat, its cultivation at home is quite possible. To start production, you need to plant Vascellum spores in moist soil. The most favorable conditions should be created in the meadow raincoat growing area. They are to provide shade from the trees and the presence of grass nearby. The first harvest can be used in a year. In order for meadow raincoats to grow on an ongoing basis, it is required to periodically sow spores in a specially designated area.
Conclusion
Meadow raincoat is a tasty and healthy product that requires special preparation. To avoid food poisoning, you need to responsibly choose mushrooms. In this case, it will be possible to fully reveal their unique taste qualities.
