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Brown Russula is a very healthy and tasty mushroom, which in many areas is considered a real delicacy. In order not to pass by this fungus in the forest and properly process it after collection, you need to read the detailed description.
Where do brown russula grow
You can meet a browning russula in the entire middle lane, as well as in the more northern regions of Our Country. Most often, mushrooms grow in coniferous forests, mainly pine forests, but they can choose oak and birch forests as their habitat.
Fungi grow both individually and in small families, but single mushrooms come across more often. You can see the fungus in the forest as early as July, and fruiting continues until October.
What do brown russula look like
Like other mushrooms from the Russula family, in young mushrooms of a brownish appearance, the cap is convex, while in adults it is flat with slightly curved edges. In diameter, the cap grows to about 8 cm, the skin color in the upper part varies from dark olive to burgundy at a young age, and in adulthood it often becomes brown-yellow. The mushroom cap looks and feels dry, smooth and matte. The lower surface consists of frequent white plates, in old mushrooms it is yellow-brown.
The photo and description of the brown russula show that the fungus usually rises above the ground by no more than 7 cm, the rounded leg reaches 2 cm in girth. In young mushrooms, the leg is dense and with pulp inside, but becomes hollow over time. The color of the legs is white or with reddish tints. On the cut, the pulp of the fungus is elastic and dense, slightly yellowish and darkening in the air.
Is it possible to eat brown russula
The mushroom belongs to the category of edible – it is definitely allowed to eat it. Moreover, brown russula is considered a delicious delicacy, it is highly valued not only in Our Country, but also in European countries.
Taste qualities of browning russula
The brown fungus has two great advantages at once. First of all, it is very pleasant to the taste, not only when salted, but also after boiling or frying. A fresh mushroom can be repelled by the strong smell of herring, but if the flesh is boiled for a short time, the specific aroma will completely disappear.
In addition, brown russula requires minimal heat treatment. It is not even necessary to soak it, like most other mushrooms, it is enough to rinse peeled and washed mushrooms in cold water before boiling or frying. This also raises the culinary popularity of the fungus.
Benefit and harm
Delicious pulp can have a very beneficial effect on the human body. The composition of the fungus contains vitamins and trace elements, fiber and organic acids, amino acids and enzymes.
Thanks to this, the fungus brings the following health benefits:
- improves metabolic processes and helps cleanse the body;
- increases stamina and strengthens the immune system;
- has a healing effect on blood vessels and the heart;
- prevents the development of atherosclerosis and lowers cholesterol;
- helps to lose weight without harm to health – in 100 g of mushrooms there are only 19 kcal.
At the same time, useful browning russula can also have a negative effect on the body. You need to stop using them:
- in the presence of individual allergies;
- at the age of less than 7 years, it is generally better for small children not to try mushrooms;
- with acute gastric ailments;
- in pancreatitis;
- with severe bowel disease.
It is necessary to remember about the norms of consumption, you can eat browning fungi in an amount of no more than 150 g per day. It is also not recommended to eat fungi in the evening, they are digested for a long time, and if you eat them too late, it will prevent you from falling asleep and cause discomfort in the stomach.
Collection rules
It is necessary to collect brown russula in ecologically clean areas closer to autumn. Most mushrooms are found in August and September, when they grow especially abundantly.
For food purposes, it is best to cut young mushrooms. It is quite easy to recognize them – the cap of young brown russula usually still retains a slight bulge, and the plates on the underside remain completely white and intact. It is better to bypass old mushrooms, most often they are heavily affected by insects, and they simply cannot be used for food. In addition, the taste qualities of overgrown brown russula are much worse, their flesh is hard and dense, they do not have a delicious taste.
False twins of browning russula
The fungus has a fairly recognizable appearance, but it can still be confused with some other mushrooms. False twins of brown russula are mainly fungi from the same family.
Almond russula
Mushrooms are very similar in structure and size. However, the cap of the almond variety is ocher or honey-colored. The main difference is in taste and smell, as the name suggests, almond russula has a distinct smell of almonds, and it tastes quite pungent.
Golden red russula
Another mushroom similar to brown russula differs from it in a red-orange brick cap with a slight purple tint. The taste of the fungus is quite pleasant, sweetish, but it can be distinguished by the smell, or rather, by its absence, because the golden-red variety does not emit any aroma.
Whole russula
This mushroom looks like a browning variety, but the shade of its cap is yellow-olive, brown or deep red. You can recognize a whole russula by yellowish spots on the stem and by the sharp taste of pulp in adult mushrooms.
The use of browning russula
In cooking, the fungus is used everywhere, it is salted and fried, boiled, consumed as part of the first and second courses, added to fillings for meat pies and dessert pastries. An advantageous advantage of the brown russula is the short processing time, for example, when salting, the fungus can be eaten in a couple of weeks.
The fungus is used not only in cooking, but also in medicine. The rich chemical composition of the fruiting bodies of this type of russula allows it to be used to create pharmacological preparations. Extracts and extracts from the fungus can be found in the composition of antitumor drugs, it is also used to treat infectious diseases and get rid of parasites.
Conclusion
Browning russula is a very tasty, easy-to-handle and healthy mushroom. It can be used in most culinary dishes, the fungus has a high value for health and also saturates well, although its calorie content is low.
