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Psaritella gray-brown is almost unknown even to experienced lovers of quiet hunting. In most cases, mushroom pickers take it for a toadstool. However, it is an edible variety that occurs from early spring to late autumn.
Where do gray-brown psatirrella grow
You can meet gray-brown psaritella in a deciduous forest. For growth, she chooses old stumps and decaying wood. This representative of the mushroom kingdom appears one of the very first in May, in park areas and forests. The fruiting season comes in waves. Some mushroom pickers claim that it is possible to collect these mushrooms in some regions until October.
What do gray-brown psatirrella look like?
In young specimens, the hat is domed, with a diameter of 2 to 5 – 6 cm. Over time, in the process of aging, it straightens and becomes flat, with a small tubercle in the middle. Its color is from brown to gray, depending on the ripeness and weather conditions during the development period. The edges of the cap are fringed. As the fungus grows, the color may change towards darkening.
Psaritella gray-brown refers to lamellar species. The underside of young specimens is covered with fused thin light plates, which darken with age to a rich brown color.
Leg – thin, hollow, up to 10 cm high, no more than 6 – 8 mm in diameter. On the bottom there is a thickening. The flesh of the leg is whitish, brittle and slightly watery.
Is it possible to eat gray-brown psatirrella
Biologists attribute gray-brown psaritella to edible mushrooms. Its fruiting body does not contain toxins that can have a negative impact on human health. But among mushroom pickers, the opinion about the edibility of this gift of the forest is ambiguous. Some are sure that this variety is not worth collecting for food, because it looks like poisonous mushrooms. In addition, its fruiting body is thin, so it has no great value for eating.
The taste of the mushroom
However, experts say that gray-brown psaritella has quite high gastronomic properties. When boiled, it retains a bright mushroom flavor and aroma. At the same time, it is noted that transportation and preparation of fragile fruiting bodies causes difficulties.
Benefits and harm to the body
There is practically no information about the beneficial and harmful qualities of the fungus. For commercial purposes, the gray-brown psaritella is not used. Therefore, serious studies on the content of useful or harmful substances in the product have not been conducted.
False doubles
The color of the fruiting body of the gray-brown psaritella is very variable. In dry weather, it can lighten, and darken with age. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish it from other representatives of the genus Psaritella, among which poisonous specimens are also found.
Psaritella water-loving
This mushroom is very similar in shape, as well as the size of the cap and stem, to the gray-brown look. Depending on weather conditions, the color may change. In drought, the fruiting body brightens, and in rainy weather, the hydrophobic cap absorbs moisture and darkens. The main difference of the species is the false ring, which is located in the upper part of the leg.
The water-loving psaritella grows on old stumps and fallen trees. It is very similar to the autumn mushroom, so it is sometimes mistakenly referred to as false representatives of this species.
Cotton psaritella
Another representative of the genus Psaritell, who likes to settle on the remains of coniferous trees. Most often this variety grows in dense groups, but can also be found in single specimens. Cotton psaritella is distinguished by a lighter shade of the cap. But in form it is similar to most representatives of its kind. The mushroom is considered inedible, although there is no information about the content of toxins in the fruiting body.
Collection rules
Fruit bodies are cut with a knife without injuring the base and mycelium. For eating, you need to choose young representatives of the species with a domed hat shape. Do not collect gray-brown psaritella, damaged by insects.
Fragile fruiting bodies are folded loosely into rigid baskets. Otherwise, the caps and legs can be easily damaged during transportation.
Use
Due to the absence of toxins in the composition, it is believed that psaritella can be consumed even raw. But mushrooms are recommended to be boiled for a short time.
Before cooking, the fruiting bodies must be carefully washed in water. You can pre-soak mushroom raw materials in saline to rid the space between the plates from insects and sand. Water during soaking is changed 2-3 times. The damaged parts of the fruiting bodies are cut off.
Mushrooms are folded into an enamel bowl and poured with a small amount of water. During cooking, a lot of foamy liquid is released. Psaritella gray-brown is cooked for no more than 15 minutes. After that, the broth is drained and the mushroom mass is washed in a large amount of clean water.
Gray-brown psaritella is used to make vegetable soups, roasts or sauces.
You can harvest mushrooms for cooking in winter. Fruit bodies, previously boiled and washed, are placed in containers or bags for freezing.
Like most gifts of the forest, this species can be dried. When moisture is removed, the mushroom pulp brightens. Raw materials are dry-cleaned from debris, damaged parts are cut out and crushed. Fragile mushroom can be crushed by hand.
Fruiting bodies are dried in vegetable dryers or a conventional oven. The temperature in this case should not exceed 100 °C. It is advisable to use a cabinet with ventilation. In conventional mushroom ovens, the door is left ajar.
The dried mushroom mass is ground in a coffee grinder or manually.
Conclusion
Psaritella gray-brown is rarely used for food. The nondescript look and difficulties during transportation make it undeservedly overlooked by mushroom pickers. It is better for beginners not to collect such an ambiguous look on their own. At the same time, it is difficult to confuse the gray-brown variety with poisonous twins.