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Saffron float (saffron float, saffron pusher) – one of the few representatives of mushrooms of the Amanita genus, suitable for food. This species can be found infrequently in our forests and, despite the fact that it is considered of little value from a culinary point of view, it has its fans.
What does a saffron float look like
The appearance of the saffron float varies depending on age – young specimens are strong, stable, dense, adults – with a fully opened hat on a thin stem, look fragile. Because of its appearance, many mushroom pickers consider it poisonous.
Cap Description
The saffron float got its name because of the color and shape of the cap – it can have shades of orange-yellow with a brighter and more saturated center; thanks to this coloring, the mushroom is clearly visible in the grass. In the newly appeared saffron float, the cap is ovoid; as it grows, it opens, acquiring a hemispherical, bell-shaped shape. In adult specimens, the cap becomes flat with a small tubercle in the middle. In wet weather, its smooth, dry or slightly mucous surface acquires a characteristic sheen. The cap on average reaches 40–80 mm in diameter, but in some cases grows up to 130 mm.
With age, frequent white plates become cream or yellowish and show through the edges of the cap, due to which it becomes ribbed. A small amount of Volvo may remain on the surface.
Description of the leg
The saffron pusher has a smooth or scaly cylindrical leg 60 to 120 mm long and 10–20 mm thick. At the base, it is somewhat thicker than at the cap, it can be either straight or slightly curved. The color varies from pure white to saffron. The leg is hollow, brittle, without a ring, but the scales can form peculiar belts.
A feature of the fungus of this species is the presence of a bag-shaped volva, from which the leg grows. In some cases, it may be in the ground, but more often it is observed above its surface.
Where and how to grow
In our latitudes, you can meet a saffron float from the second half of summer to mid-autumn, mainly in those forests where deciduous trees grow – birch, beech, oak. It also often coexists with spruce. It feels best in lighted places: on the edges, along paths, in copses, it can grow in swampy areas. Prefers fertile, moist, acidic soils. It grows more often singly, but can also occur in groups.
In our country, it is most common in the Far East, in the Primorsky Territory, it is well known to mushroom pickers in the Tula and Ryazan regions.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The saffron float is classified as a conditionally edible mushroom, but from a culinary point of view, its value is low, since the flesh does not have a pronounced taste and smell, and easily crumbles.
Like other conditionally edible species, the saffron float needs to be pre-boiled, which is best done twice, changing the water.
How to cook saffron float
After preliminary boiling, the saffron float is fried, stewed or added to soups.
Many mushroom lovers disagree that it is tasteless and share their recipes for its preparation. Some housewives suggest strongly frying the mushroom until a crispy crust forms without first boiling it. They claim that the taste of the finished dish with this method of preparation is somewhat reminiscent of the taste of chicken.
Many people cook soups from mushrooms of this type, and they also praise pickled saffron floats very much.
Often the taste of saffron pushers is compared with the taste of corn – the pulp of young specimens is dense and sweetish. There are lovers of “quiet hunting” who appreciate the taste of pushers higher than other, even the most noble mushrooms.
Poison twins and their differences
The main danger when collecting a saffron float is its resemblance to a deadly poisonous toadstool. The difference between these species is that the toadstool has a ring on the leg, but the float does not have it. Along the edge of the cap of the pale grebe, grooves do not appear, as in adult pushers.
Also, a saffron float is easy to confuse with a bright yellow fly agaric. The fruit bodies of these two varieties are very similar in shape and color.
You can distinguish one species from another by the following features:
- in the bright yellow fly agaric, the remains of the bedspread remain on the hat, and the surface of the saffron float is most often smooth and clean. If the remains of the Volvo remain on it, then there are very few of them;
- the flesh of the bright yellow fly agaric has a pronounced smell of radish, while its edible counterpart has a slight mushroom aroma;
- the leg of the poisonous twin has a membranous ring. Even if it disappears over time, its trace still remains.
The saffron float is easily confused with other types of conditionally edible floats – orange and gray. The float orange looks more graceful, and its hat is painted in rich shades of orange.
The gray float is larger. Its flesh is stronger and more fleshy, and the color of the cap can vary widely: from light gray to grayish-buff.
Another twin of the saffron float is the Caesar (royal) mushroom or Caesar’s fly agaric, which is considered an exceptionally valuable and tasty delicacy representative of the kingdom. Caesar’s fly agaric is larger, has a stronger pulp, and there are hints of hazelnut in the smell. The hat can have shades from orange to fiery red, the stem and plates are also painted orange. A distinctive feature of Caesar’s fly agaric is the presence of a ring on the leg, which floats do not have.
Conclusion
Saffron float is a mushroom of interest to sophisticated lovers of “quiet hunting”. When collecting, special care should be taken, since its counterparts are extremely dangerous. At the slightest doubt, you should refuse to collect the saffron float and give preference to more well-known species.