Russula green: twins, photos, how to cook

In almost every forest there is a green russula. It belongs to the genus of agaric fungi of the same family. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs of forest gifts will never pass by her. But beginners sometimes confuse it with poisonous doubles or do not know how to cook. As a result, inexperienced mushroom pickers lose part of their forest prey.

Where green russula mushrooms grow

This is one of the most unpretentious representatives of his kingdom. The green forest beauty is completely undemanding to the composition of the soil and climatic conditions, therefore it is found everywhere. It usually grows in mixed forests, deciduous forest belts – most often singly or in small groups.

At first glance, the mushroom is unpresentable, the greenish shade of the cap is associated with toadstools. But experienced gatherers know that green russula is tasty and healthy when cooked properly. And their low calorie content makes them valuable for lovers of a healthy lifestyle.

What do green russula look like

It is important to study the photo and description of the green russula before heading into the forest. This will allow:

• Do not pass by the edible green inhabitants of the forest floor: beginners often leave those specimens for which they cannot find an exact definition;
• Do not put a poisonous specimen in the basket.

These organisms form symbiosis with tree roots. Therefore, you need to look for them near birches, less often – coniferous trees. The fungus has a tubular structure and is colored green or white. It turns gray as it ages. Hats are usually small, from 5 to 10 cm, but under favorable conditions, real giants grow up to 20 cm. In young green russula, the hat is beautiful, even, reminiscent of an umbrella.

1. The caps are covered with slime, which becomes shiny when dry.
2. The height of the leg reaches 7 cm, and the diameter is up to 3 cm. On the cut, the leg is dense, without cavities, smooth. In severe drought, brown spots appear on it.
3. The pulp is white with a pleasant smell. When pressed, it turns brown.

Green russula edible mushroom or not

The characteristic shade of the hat gives it a clear resemblance to a toadstool. Despite this, the mushroom belongs to the edible types of russula. It has a pleasant taste without bitterness. Of course, it cannot be compared with whites or mushrooms, which is why they refer it to the 4th category.

Of the entire russula family, greens are considered the safest to consume. They can be fried and stewed, salted and marinated.

The taste of the mushroom

Returning from the forest, I want to clean the green prey as soon as possible and start cooking. Cooking green russula requires a little more time and exposure than other representatives of the species. The green variety is considered the most delicious, but the characteristic pungency can ruin the dish if cooked incorrectly. This problem is solved simply. Mushrooms are soaked for a day or boiled for 15 – 20 minutes. You can combine both methods.

Russula is a dietary product, the calorie content of the fruiting bodies is 19 kcal per 100 g. The rich protein composition makes it useful for athletes and people engaged in physical labor.

Benefits and harm to the body

When collecting forest gifts, you need to know exactly how their use will affect your condition and well-being. If a mushroom dish is being prepared for the first time, then you should not offer it to children and the elderly.

And this, despite the fact that russula, due to its multicomponent composition and beneficial properties, helps the body cope with daily stress: 

1. It is a natural antibiotic that inhibits the development of pathological microflora and the growth of bacteria.
2. The vitamins contained in the composition are necessary for the functioning of all organs.
3. Low calorie and high protein content will help people in the fight against excess weight.
4. Exceptional nutritional value makes russula an analogue of chicken breast for athletes. It quickly saturates the body and does not cause heaviness in the stomach.
5. Green russula contains substances that reduce the risk of blood clots.

Possible contraindications

Despite the fact that this is an edible mushroom, some categories of people should be careful with its use or exclude it from food altogether. This applies to cases:

1. Individual intolerance;
2. Serious diseases of the liver, kidneys and heart;
3. Pregnancy and lactation. This is especially important for women with sensitive digestion;
4. Children’s age up to 7 years. Pediatricians limit the use of mushrooms to children under 2 years old, but even after that, care must be taken.

Poisonous twins of green russula

The biggest danger when going for mushrooms is to bring a dangerous specimen in the basket that can be harmful to health. Therefore, it is important to study the mushroom map of the region of residence. As for the green russula, it has no poisonous counterparts, that is, there are no varieties that are like two peas in a pod.

But in practice, it happens that this mushroom is confused with a pale grebe or fly agaric. It should be noted that this similarity is very arbitrary. Just a little understanding is enough to avoid mistakes. Signs of difference:

1. The edible mushroom does not have a Volvo ring, and there is also a pleasant aroma.
2. A young russula has a poorly visible leg, which enhances the resemblance to a toadstool. Therefore, you need to dig a little soil: the toadstool grows from an egg – Volvo, and two rings are visible on the leg.
3. A pungent smell gives out a poisonous toadstool.

The second “poisonous green russula” is fly agaric. The scaly variety is confused with it, despite the absence of a characteristic cap and white spots. But in the russula, the scales adhere to the hat tightly, and in the fly agaric, they are easily torn off.

Russula green in the photo:

Amanita:

Poisonous Russula

In shape, these mushroom specimens are similar to the edible green variety, but at the same time they have a remarkable, bright color that gives them away.

There are species that are not poisonous because they do not contain toxins. However, they can cause indigestion and indigestion. These curds include: 

1. Birch. Her hat can be pink, purple, red. It grows in damp places, near birches. Because of the bitter taste, it is not used for food.
2. caustic. It has a purple color, a pronounced mushroom aroma, and a bitter taste. It is permissible to eat it, but the quality of the dish will be low. For medicinal purposes, this variety is also not used.
3. blood red. Her hat seems to warn that such a mushroom should not be collected. It has a sharp taste.
4. spicy. The hat can have different shades, from lilac to purple. Because of the causticity in cooking, this species is not used, because even with soaking and boiling, an unpleasant odor remains.

Collection rules

Mushroom pickers are condescending towards this family, and if there is other prey, they leave the green variety to less fortunate followers. Green russula, unlike other members of the family, almost do not crumble during the collection process and perfectly tolerate transportation. They have a dense structure, which is a feature of this species.

How to cook green russula

Mushrooms brought home must be sorted out and washed well.

• A prerequisite is soaking, preferably for 3 – 5 hours;
• The field is boiled for 15 minutes, which will help remove bitterness.

After that, you can proceed to cooking. Russula is not suitable for frying and soups, but it’s better not to come up with blanks. The dense pulp of the mushroom perfectly tolerates soaking and does not fall apart after cooking. Salting green russula is an art that will be useful for the hostess to master. There are two techniques, each of which is successful in its own way:

1. Cold salting. This method does not involve boiling. To prepare the marinade, take 100 g of salt per liter of water and pour the mushrooms with this solution. To remove bitterness, the first three days the water is changed every day. After 1,5 months you can try.
2. Hot way. Allows you to make the pulp of the mushroom elastic. The concentration of salt in the brine is similar to the first recipe. Russula should be boiled and spices added: garlic, pepper. Readiness is determined easily when the mushroom mass settles to the bottom.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that green russula is not a standard in terms of taste, it can still be successfully used in cooking. With a certain skill, the housewives prepare soups, casseroles from it, add it to various sauces. And although the aroma of russula cannot be compared with a porcini mushroom, it is still a valuable food product, a source of protein, without extra calories.

Beginning mushroom pickers can be advised to carefully study the information before going into the forest. It is not difficult to distinguish russula from grebe, as well as from its less edible counterparts. And if conditionally inedible mushrooms got into the basket, then boiling will avoid problems with digestion.