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Serushka belongs to the lactiferous genus. The mushroom has a cap with a diameter of about 5 to 10 centimeters, which is very convex at first, and then takes on the form of a funnel, and its edges become uneven. The hat has a gray-pink color, sometimes with a hint of purple or brown. On some, lighter rings are noticeable, but sometimes mushrooms are found without them. The plates of the fungus are quite rare, adhere tightly to the stem and have a yellowish tint. The spores that the fungus reproduces have the same shade. It got its characteristic name due to the gray hat, although in fact there are mushrooms with a yellow-gray hat and even with a shade closer to orange.
The leg is thin, up to about 2-2,5 cm in diameter, quite high, reaches a height of 9 cm. At the very beginning of growth, it is quite dense, then it becomes hollow inside, often has the same shade as the hat or slightly lighter. A characteristic difference between the legs is the longitudinal grooves, which are very noticeable. The mushroom has dense pulp of bright white color with a pleasant fruity smell. When cut, the pulp releases a lot of juice, which remains white even in the air.
Serushka prefers mixed forests for her life, often aspen or birch groves. It grows very often in clearings where there is enough sunlight, or along the road, thanks to which it got its second name – plantain. It grows mainly in groups, although single mushrooms are sometimes found. The active growth season begins in mid-summer and ends around September. This species is very unpretentious to the composition of the soil, as well as to weather conditions.
For life, the serushka prefers birch groves, mostly glades, where there is very warm soil and a sufficient amount of sunlight. The number of these mushrooms increases significantly after rain, as they need a lot of moisture.
Among other species that belong to the genus lactic, serushka is distinguished by yellowish plates and the fact that its juice does not change its color in the open air. Serushka belongs to conditionally edible mushrooms, since before eating it, it is necessary to soak for a long time, and then salting.
Useful Properties
These mushrooms have been used by mankind for the treatment of various diseases for a long time. In particular, in the Middle Ages, it was used to treat various diseases of the stomach and was even used to create a cure for consumption and cholera. And all this is due to the unique composition, which includes a wide range of trace elements and vitamins. Not so much the composition, but the proportions of vitamins and trace elements in serushka are considered unique. These mushrooms can be considered dietary food, as they are easily digestible, have a great effect on the functioning of the whole organism, support the gastrointestinal tract, stimulate the immune system, improve brain function, strengthen blood vessels and even stimulate the excretion of heavy metal salts from the body. This mushroom is consumed exclusively in salt form after soaking in water for several days. It is not recommended to fry or boil serushki.
Treatment with serushka
Serushka is very useful, as it contains many complex polysaccharides that stimulate the immune system and strengthen the body in the fight against infections. Various tinctures from this fungus, a decoction or ointment created from it, are used to treat various infectious diseases, to help people with skin problems, to support and treat the stomach and intestines. Thanks to this fungus, the body is cleansed, it also stimulates the excretion of salts of heavy metals and toxins, and helps fight parasites. In particular, in folk medicine, serushka was very often used to combat worms.
Use in cooking
Serushka is considered a conditionally edible mushroom. Before cooking, it must be soaked in clean water for some time. By itself, it has a bitter taste, so it cannot boast of good compatibility with various dishes. However, after soaking, the bitter aftertaste disappears, only a pronounced mushroom aroma remains, so serushka is very often used as part of rowing platters.
In the process of cooking, these mushrooms retain a fairly dense texture, slightly decrease in size and retain their bright pleasant color. Most often they are used in pickled form or after salting. After salting, they practically do not differ in taste from champignon, but are considered much more affordable.
How to salt serushka
First of all, it is necessary to get rid of the characteristic bitterness that is inherent in this type of mushroom. Most of the substances that are responsible for this bitter taste are contained in the serushka juice, so long soaking is necessary to get rid of them. To completely get rid of bitterness, it takes two or three days, depending on the size and age of the mushrooms.
Water should be clean and cool, it must be changed three or four times a day, replacing with new. In exactly the same way, most of the other mushrooms that are lactic, for example, milk mushrooms and volushki, are prepared. Serushka is considered ready for salting when the caps no longer break when pressed, but simply bend.
As for dishes, barrels or other containers made of pure hardwood are best, of course, for salting. However, enameled or glass containers with a wide mouth are also quite suitable so that oppression can be established.
After a long soaking, the serushka can be salted. To do this, it is necessary to tightly lay them in a suitable dish with their hats down, and then cover them with salt, using about 25 grams of salt for one kilogram of raw materials.
To improve the taste and give it special notes, you can add garlic, a little horseradish, cherry or currant leaves.
During salting, mushrooms must be under oppression, so large dishes with a wide neck are usually used. If you want to use ordinary jars for salting, you need to do this: you need to tightly fill the jar with mushrooms, up to the neck, into which you also need to hammer the leaves, and close the lid with a significant effort from above. Provided that the mushrooms are completely covered with brine, oppression will not be needed. You can also use the hot method of salting the serushki, in which case they are not soaked, but simply boiled for 20-25 minutes, then the water is drained and the mushrooms are salted. You can store the finished product at a low temperature; a balcony, refrigerator or basement is well suited for this.
Contraindications and harm
Serushka does not harm the body, although it is very important to soak the mushrooms thoroughly during cooking to get rid of the bitter aftertaste. However, even raw, they are quite edible, just not very tasty.
Already in September, next to some of these mushrooms, you can see a white powder – these are their spores. In this case, you should not collect this serushka – it is overripe and will not please you with a pleasant taste.
It is important to remember that any mushrooms very easily absorb substances from the environment and from the soil. Therefore, during the collection, give preference to those forests that are as far as possible from roads and industrial areas.