Contents
Psatirella Candolly refers to false honey mushrooms, which do not contain toxic substances and, if properly prepared, may well be used as a food product. However, unlike ordinary mushrooms, it requires a longer and more complex cooking process. It is also very important to distinguish this fungus from other poisonous representatives and are dangerous to human health and life.
Where do Psatirrella Candoll grow?
Psatirella Candolly grows everywhere: in the central regions of Our Country, in Siberia, in the Urals and the Far East, in deciduous or mixed forests. A favorite habitat is dead, rotten wood, fallen trees, stumps. You can also meet these mushrooms in parks and gardens near human habitation. Psatirella grows throughout the warm season, from May to autumn.
What do Candoll’s psatirrella look like?
Psatirella Candolly has an outward resemblance to honey agaric, so its other name is false honey agaric. The bell-shaped hat in young representatives takes a prostrate shape as it grows, and a smooth tubercle remains in the center. The hat, 3 to 8 cm in diameter, is almost white, and becomes darker with age, acquiring a brown tint. The remains of the bedspread of young fungi subsequently break and form snow-white flakes on the inside, which is also characteristic of mushrooms. A hollow, long cylindrical cream-colored leg grows from 7 to 10 cm. It is very smooth, occasionally has a slight pubescence. The pulp of its brown color with a whitish tinge has a very thin, pleasant mushroom aroma, which becomes noticeable only when the mushroom is brought to the sinuses. The hat and leg of representatives of this species are very fragile and brittle.
You can clearly see this mushroom in the following video:
Is it possible to eat psatirrella Candoll
The edibility of Psatirrella Candoll is debatable. Some sources indicate that it is conditionally edible, while others indicate that it is completely inedible. The use of this false foam requires complex heat treatment, so it is very rarely used for cooking.
The taste of the mushroom
The taste qualities of Candoll psatirella are mediocre in any form. Its taste is nothing special, and its nutritional value remains doubtful. In its raw form, honey agaric is very bitter, unpleasant in taste, so they try it only in finished form. If bitterness is felt in the cooked mushroom dish, then it should be thrown out immediately. This signals that poisonous fruiting bodies have entered the mushroom basket. Given the similarity with inedible mushrooms of its kind, Candoll’s false mushroom is rarely used for gastronomic purposes.
Benefits and harm to the body
Psatirella Kandolla does not represent any benefit for the human body, since it does not have any unique properties. It is not used in traditional medicine for medicinal purposes. False foam can cause harm if cooked incorrectly and non-observance of heat treatment modes.
Poisoning is characterized by the following symptoms:
- dizziness and headache;
- nausea, heartburn, very unpleasant symptoms inside the stomach;
- vomiting, diarrhea;
- loss of consciousness;
- weakness, apathy and trembling of the limbs.
In some cases, in case of poisoning with Candoll’s psatirella, loss of consciousness is possible. At the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor.
False doubles
Psatirella has the remains of a bedspread on the inside of the cap, which is typical for real mushrooms. However, it is quite difficult to confuse them with each other. In some cases, the mushroom does not retain the remains of the bedspread, which makes mushroom pickers confuse it with mushrooms of different types. But, unlike them, the Candoll species grows only on dead wood and in most cases in large groups. Mushrooms are also distinguished by a clearly defined ring on the stem, which is not present in the species under consideration.
Psatirella Candolly has an external similarity with other representatives of the genus Agrotsibe – gray-brown and water-loving psatirella. However, Candolla is characterized by a darker spore color than its counterparts. And the water-loving false foam actively bears fruit only in autumn – from September to November. Both mushrooms are conditionally edible.
Psatirella water-loving on the picture:
Psatirella gray-brown:
Collection rules
Psatirella Candolla is highly variable: its external characteristics depend on the place of growth, air temperature during growth, soil composition, lighting and type of wood. Therefore, in different regions and even in different places, the mushroom has its own unique appearance. Candolla differs from related inedible mushrooms only in the presence of remnants of the bedspread and the shade of spores. This makes it very difficult to collect. Fragile mushroom bears fruit in places with little shading, even on fairly dry soil in large groups, where about 1 kg of mushrooms can be collected at a time. In one place, the culture grows for 3-4 years, which is very important for mushroom pickers interested in collecting.
Use
As a commercial mushroom, Candolla psatirella is not of great interest. The fact that it is inedible, there is information in old sources. However, at present, scientists have classified the mushroom as a conditionally edible variety of fruiting bodies. Before eating, psatirella is soaked in cold water, then boiled for 30-40 minutes, the broth must be drained and not used for cooking. After that, the mushroom mass is fried, boiled, salted or pickled.
You can check the edibility of psatirella in this way:
- Place them in a cooking pot.
- After boiling, put a peeled onion or a few cloves of garlic there.
- A change in the color of mushrooms to brown or blue indicates the presence of poisonous specimens.
Conclusion
Psatirella Kandolla grows in large groups throughout the summer, so it is not difficult to collect them. The main thing is not to be confused with kindred brethren. Not having high gastronomic qualities, in the absence of other mushrooms, psatirella will be able to diversify the table in the summer-autumn and winter seasons.