Contents
- Description of the motley hedgehog
- Twins and their differences
- Where and how does the motley blackberry grow
- Is the motley mushroom edible or not
- How to cook motley urchins
- Medicinal properties of variegated hedgehogs
- Growing variegated hedgehogs on the site
- Some interesting facts about motley hedgehogs
- Conclusion
Hedgehog motley is not found in every forest. The mushroom is outwardly attractive, but many people usually bypass it. Only experienced mushroom pickers know about its edibility and useful properties, they can distinguish a real hedgehog among twins.
Description of the motley hedgehog
The mushroom has a second name – Sarcodon imbracatum. Belongs to a large family of Ezhovikovs. The mushroom is considered conditionally edible.
The surface of the cap resembles tiles laid in a circle.
Cap Description
Sarkodon is easy to recognize by the unusual structure of the cap. In a young specimen, its diameter is about 5 cm, and over time it increases to 10 cm. Sometimes hats of record sizes grow up to 20 cm in diameter. The flesh is thick, brittle, but dense. In a young mushroom, it is first white. Over time, it turns a little gray and acquires a spicy aroma. Bitterness appears in the old pulp.
The blackberry cap can grow up to 20 cm in diameter.
By the shape of the cap, you can find out the age of the mushroom. Sarkodon variegated at the initial stage of life is slightly convex. Over time, the hat becomes flat, gradually acquires a concave shape, and in an old mushroom it resembles a large funnel.
The age of the motley sarcodon is also determined by the wavy edging. In a young specimen, the edge of the cap is curved upwards, while in an old one it is downwards. A distinctive feature of the blackberry is an unusual skin in the form of scales of a spruce cone or tile. By its color, you can similarly determine the age. The skin of a young mushroom is brown, and the cap of an old specimen is almost black with a brownish tint.
A distinctive feature of the hedgehog is the needle-like spore-bearing layer
On the back of the cap is the spore-bearing layer. In young representatives it is white-gray in color, and in old representatives it is dark gray. Spores are yellowish in color, sometimes completely light or colorless. The shape of the spore-bearing layer is acicular. It consists of many spikes up to 1 cm long. When pressed with a finger, the needles break easily.
Description of the leg
In young hedgehogs, the legs are dense, fleshy. With age, they become hollow inside. The shape of the leg is cylindrical. Height is about 5 cm, thickness varies from 1 to 3 cm, depending on age. The skin of the leg closer to the ground is brown with a brown tint, and at the top it is light, approximately the same color as the cap.
The leg of the old variegated sarcodon is empty inside
Twins and their differences
When the harvesting of the motley blackberry begins, it is important not to put a similar poisonous representative in the basket. To do this, you need to know the doubles of Sarcodon well:
- If Chicose Pineal Mushroom gets into the basket by mistake, there is nothing wrong with that. It is completely edible. It is easy to confuse the double with a motley blackberry, since its hat has similar scales. You can recognize Shikomushroom by the spore-bearing layer. It has a tubular shape.
The cap of the cone mushroom is covered with scales resembling a pine cone.
- The inedible twin of the motley sarcodon is the Finnish urchin. Outwardly, it has a good resemblance, but is recognizable by the color of the leg pulp. In the Finnish hedgehog, it is dark. Pepper flavor comes from the pulp. The juice tastes bitter. Another twin can be identified by its smaller size, but in the case of young mushrooms this is difficult to do.
The flesh of the Finnish blackberry leg is dark in color.
- Outwardly, the Rough Hedgehog has an almost perfect resemblance to the motley sarcodon. Experienced mushroom pickers recognize a double by small scales and a light cap color. The mushroom is considered conditionally edible.
Rough hedgehog is recognized by the light color of the cap
- Although Sarcodon amarescens is the inedible counterpart of the variegated member, it is non-poisonous. Unsuitability for consumption is due to the increased bitterness of the pulp. It is easy to identify a double by the black and blue color of the leg pulp.
Sarcodon amarescens – an inedible double that does not have a name
The Ezhovikov family still has many other representatives, but they are very different from the motley sarcodon.
Where and how does the motley blackberry grow
The optimal habitat for the motley blackberry is coniferous forests located on dry sandy or calcareous soil. Among the plantations of deciduous trees, mycelium is not found. Sometimes the variegated sarkadon can be found in mixed forests, but even here it grows closer to pine or spruce.
You need to look for a motley blackberry in pine forests
The variegated blackberry lends itself to growing at home from the acquired mycelium. In nature, sarcodon grows in the temperate European zone. However, in some areas there may be a lot of mushrooms, while in other forest zones there may be a complete deficit. Variegated sarcodons grow in small groups. There are single specimens. Luck for the mushroom picker is to find a group cluster that forms a “witch’s ring”. They go in search of hedgehogs from August until the last month of autumn, when frosts begin. The peak of fruiting falls on September.
Is the motley mushroom edible or not
Sarcodon is considered a conditionally edible mushroom. Only young representatives are suitable for eating. Old mushrooms are bitter. The taste of bitterness cannot be eliminated by any means: soaking, long-term cooking and other methods. Variegated urchins are boiled, fried, marinated, dried, canned. However, even young mushrooms are usually boiled for 10-15 minutes before the main cooking to get rid of the bitterness.
How to cook motley urchins
After harvesting, the crop must be carefully sorted again. Re-sorting helps to identify randomly collected doubles of the variegated urchin and old specimens. Only young mushrooms are left for cooking.
Before cooking, young hedgehogs are cleaned of thorns, dirt, washed for up to 20 minutes in clean water and boiled. You can put the harvested crop to dry in order to cook soups, sauces and other dishes all winter.
Cleaning and preparing mushrooms
Many mushroom pickers during cleaning try to completely remove the unusual spore-bearing layer of the needle-like appearance and clean the surface of the cap. In fact, this procedure is optional. Rinse the variegated sarcodons thoroughly in clean water using a brush. During washing, dirt, sand, adhering pieces of grass and foliage are removed from the surface of the pulp. From friction, most of the needle protrusions will fall off on their own. The remaining spikes after cooking are not felt in the mouth as hard formations.
The needle-like spore-bearing layer does not have to be removed when cleaning the cap.
How to fry
Before frying, colorful sarcodons are thoroughly washed. It is important to get rid of the remaining mycelium, dirt, sand. For reliability, the mushrooms are soaked and then boiled for about 20 minutes in salted water. The finished mass is discarded in a colander. When all the water has drained, the sarcodons are fried in a pan with the addition of sunflower oil.
Fried variegated blackberries delicious in sunflower oil or with sour cream
When the fruiting body of the fried mushrooms softens, onion sliced uXNUMXbuXNUMXbin rings is added to the pan. At this stage, you need to salt the dish. Continue frying with the lid open until all the juice has evaporated. If the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are still raw, cover the pan with a lid. Ready variegated sarcodons will darken slightly. A pleasant mushroom aroma will begin to emanate from them. If desired, a couple of minutes before the end of frying, you can add sour cream to the blackberries.
How to pickle
For marinating hedgehogs, it is best to use jars with a volume of 720 ml. For one such container, you will need the following ingredients:
- variegated sarcodons – 0,5 kg;
- one onion and a clove of garlic;
- 1 st. l. salt and sunflower oil;
- 2 tbsp. l. vinegar 5% or 1 tbsp. l. vinegar 9%;
- about 10 black peppercorns and 1-2 bay leaves.
To prepare the marinade for one jar, you need 250 ml of boiling water.
Pickled variegated sarcodons are ready to eat in a day
Washed and peeled hedgehogs are poured with boiling water for 15 minutes, after which they are left to drain in a colander. All ingredients, except for the bay leaf, are put in a jar. Pour in 100 ml of boiling water. The jar is filled to the neck with prepared colorful sarcodons. Lay a bay leaf on top. The remaining boiling water is poured into a jar so that the water completely covers its contents. The lid is used with a twist or plastic, depending on the neck of the container. A jar of mushrooms is turned upside down, after cooling, put in the refrigerator. A day later, pickled blackberries are served on the table.
How to freeze
Before freezing, variegated hedgehogs are cleaned, but not washed, otherwise they will be saturated with water. Mushrooms are frozen in bags or plastic containers, distributed into the desired portions. The duration of storage depends on the freezing temperature:
- – 12. оC – 3 months;
- – 18. оC – 6 months;
- – 25. оC – up to 1 year.
After defrosting, the mushrooms are subjected to washing and other preparatory procedures.
Frozen mushrooms are stored in a bag or plastic container.
How to dry
To dry mushrooms, it is similarly undesirable to wash them. An exception to the rule is their further purpose. If dry variegated urchins are ground into powder for seasoning, then they must be washed before drying. The crushed flour cannot be washed in the future, and sand from dirty mushrooms may remain in it.
Dried mushrooms can be stored whole or ground in a coffee grinder into seasoning powder.
If the hedgehogs are stored whole, then you can wash them before using them for cooking. Mushrooms are dried naturally, laid out on a tray or strung on a thread. For quick drying, use an oven, microwave or tumble dryer.
canning
For long-term preservation of the crop, conservation is best. The ingredients are the same as for pickling. Only spices should not be poured with boiling water, but marinade should be cooked from them. Banks are steam sterilized or heated in the oven. Rolling is carried out with metal covers. Preservation is stored in a cellar or a cool basement. In an urban environment, a balcony is suitable.
Canned hedgehogs can be stored for up to 1 year
Medicinal properties of variegated hedgehogs
In addition to cooking, blackberry is used in folk medicine in the treatment of many diseases, as well as simply to maintain vitality. The pulp contains such useful substances as: campesterol, glutamic, nicotinic and aspartic acid, as well as potassium.
The popularity of the motley blackberry among traditional healers is due to the many useful properties of the fungus.
If we consider in more detail the blackberry motley, its benefits extend to many vital human organs:
- The fungus contains antibacterial substances. The juice squeezed from the pulp disinfects the wound, eliminates the inflammatory process. The mushroom is a natural mushroom picker’s first aid kit, helps to provide first aid in case of injury, infection with Escherichia coli.
- Athletes are recommended to use hedgehogs during active activities. Useful substances contribute to building muscle mass, increasing vitality.
- Traditional healers use the mushroom to relieve symptoms of depression, improve sleep and mood, and calm the nervous system.
- The acids included in the composition contribute to the removal of cholesterol and toxins from the body. There is an increase in the production of red blood cells that improve the blood formula. The walls of blood vessels become elastic.
- The fungus has a positive effect on the human body and hair. The skin restores elasticity, natural shine. Hair becomes silky.
Even ancient healers knew about the benefits of hedgehogs. The surviving treatises of Chinese doctors contain many recipes for the preparation of healing tinctures and ointments. Based on the motley sarcodon, rejuvenating face masks are prepared.
Growing variegated hedgehogs on the site
If variegated sarcodons do not grow in the forest, you can grow them yourself. It is enough to purchase mycelium. More often among amateurs, wooden sticks containing fungus spores are popular. In general terms, the procedure for growing a motley blackberry in the country is simple. Landing on the street is done from April to autumn. Inside the prepared room, you can grow mushrooms all year round.
If desired, variegated hedgehogs can be grown artificially on your site.
To grow mushrooms, you will need logs of freshly cut trees. Chocks are taken about 1 m long, 15-20 cm thick. At intervals of 10 cm, holes are drilled of such a size that wooden mushroom sticks enter inside. Usually the parameters are standard: length – 40 mm, thickness – 8 mm. The logs are soaked in water. A stick is inserted inside each hole, the chock is wrapped with a film, and sent to a dark place. When the mycelium sprouts, the logs are taken out into the street. When growing in the basement, turn on artificial lighting. It is important to maintain humidity and ventilation. If mushrooms grew on the street, before winter all the bodies are cut off, and the logs are covered with straw.
Some interesting facts about motley hedgehogs
Variegated sarcodons tend to fade in the sun. They become a color similar to yellow hedgehogs. However, these mushrooms are not related. What they have in common is only the same structure of the spore-bearing layer.
Despite the similarity, the speckled sarcodon is not related to the yellow burrill.
Scientists have obtained a large number of useful components from hedgehogs, but they are not yet officially used in pharmacology. All substances are laboratory tested. For medicinal purposes, the mushroom is used only by admirers of traditional medicine.
For more information about mushrooms, see the video:
Conclusion
Hedgehog motley should be given to children with caution, especially if there is no certainty about the authenticity of the variety. Mushrooms are heavy on the digestive system. This fact must be taken into account when included in the diet of the elderly.