Contents
Pistil horn belongs to conditionally edible mushrooms from the family Clavariadelphaceae (Klavariadelphaceae), the genus Clavariadelphus (Klavariadelphus). Many people do not eat it because of its bitter taste. This species is also called club-shaped or pistillate clavariadelphus.
Description of the pestle horn
In appearance, it resembles a mace and therefore, in the common people, the horned man is called Hercules. The leg is covered with longitudinal wrinkles. The color is light yellow or reddish, the base is felt, light.
Description of the pestle horn, shown in the photo:
- the fruiting body and the stem are not separated and form one whole;
- the mushroom can reach a height of 20 cm, but the average is 10 cm, the diameter is about 3 cm;
- elongated shape, expanding at the top.
The hornwort has a white spore powder. The flesh quickly turns brown on the cut, has no smell, is painted in an even yellowish tint. It is characterized by a spongy structure.
The mushroom is listed in the Red Book of Our Country and is rare. It grows in deciduous forests and on calcareous soil. It can be found in beech groves.
Actively begins to appear from mid-August, the peak of fruiting occurs at the end of the month. It can occur in the first two weeks of September, in rare cases a second wave appears in October.
Is it possible to eat pistil horn
In some sources, the mushroom is erroneously called inedible. Pistil horns are not classified as poisonous, but few people like them because of their specific taste. Therefore, it is usually cooked with other mushrooms.
For mushroom pickers, the pestle horn is of little interest, but its inclusion in the Red Book is easily explained: every year the number of beech forests decreases, and myceliums die along with the trees.
Taste qualities of the mushroom hornwort pistil
Differs in low and specific tastes. The pulp is bitter and of little use. Long boiling can solve this problem, but it is better to mix the pistil hornbeam with other mushrooms. Young specimens are the least bitter, but the taste of the pulp is not particularly remarkable.
It is undesirable to preserve, pickle and dry. The species is on the verge of extinction, so it is undesirable to collect it in large numbers.
Benefits and harm to the body
This type of mushroom does not have a special taste, but it can be used for medical purposes. The fruiting body contains substances of the tryptamine group, which are very important for the functioning of the body.
In folk medicine, it is used to treat Ehrlich’s carcinoma and Crocker’s sarcoma. But scientific confirmation of their effectiveness does not exist.
The mushroom is not a poisonous species and therefore its use cannot be fatal. But it can provoke indigestion and cause unpleasant taste sensations.
False doubles
The pestle horn has no dangerous counterparts. Therefore, mushroom pickers may not be afraid that they will find a poisonous variety. A close relative is the truncated horn, but its cap is flat rather than round. Otherwise, they are similar – in size, color and structure of the pulp. Widespread in coniferous forests.
There is a fusiform horn. It belongs to inedible, but non-hazardous species. The body is elongated, even, cylindrical. The colors are yellow and fawn, on the cut and when pressed, the color does not change and does not darken.
There is also a grape-shaped horn. Mushrooms resemble a head of cauliflower – many shoots of a reddish hue grow from one base. The bases are white, on top the branches have small points.
Unlike the pistillate horn, it is endowed with good taste, and also belongs to endangered species. Therefore, it is undesirable to collect it.
There is also a gray horned, similar to corals. Twigs solitary or fused, off-white. The pulp does not differ in taste and smell, very fragile. The mushroom is edible, but due to the lack of special qualities it is not eaten.
Use
When harvesting, you need to cut only young specimens, since the older the pestle horn, the more bitter it will be. Therefore, it is better to take small shoots.
Due to the structural features, each mushroom is thoroughly washed under running water. A large amount of debris and dirt can accumulate between the fruiting bodies. Therefore, cleaning must be thorough.
The collected pestle horns are soaked in a large amount of cold water for several hours. To prevent them from floating up, you can press them with a plate or a small lid. Some mushroom pickers add 2 tbsp. l. salt to neutralize bitterness.
After soaking, the mushrooms are boiled in water with the addition of table salt. When boiling, the fire is slightly reduced and left to boil for half an hour. The water is drained, the pestle horns are thoroughly washed under running water.
Mushrooms should be boiled again in salted water for 20 minutes. Drain the water. After such processing, pestle horns are fried with vegetables, added to soups or sauces. Due to the special aroma, you should not add a large amount of herbs and spices.
Conclusion
Pistil horn is characterized by multi-stage processing during cooking and low taste. Therefore, it is not very popular among mushroom pickers and few people are looking for it. Sometimes people are attracted to an unusual shape.
If a person wants to collect a pestle horn, then a description with a photo will help him correctly determine the type of mushroom. It is important to take into account all the signs of instances. In case of doubt, it is better not to touch the mushrooms.
