Contents
Snow talker is an edible spring mushroom. Fans of “silent hunting” rarely put it in their basket, because they are afraid of confusing it with grebes. Indeed, the snow talker has similar poisonous counterparts, which should be distinguished in appearance.
Where snow talkers grow
Snow talker (lat. Clitocybe pruinosa) is a rare edible mushroom that is harvested in the spring. It appears in coniferous, light forests in early May, the collection season lasts only a month, until the beginning of summer.
What do snow talkers look like
This is a small mushroom with a rounded cap, the diameter of which in mature specimens does not exceed 4 cm. The color of the cap is gray-brownish with a dark center, its surface is shiny, waxy in dry weather.
In young representatives of the species, the cap has a rounded-convex shape, with age it becomes prostrate, with a depressed middle. Frequent plates descending to the stem are yellowish in mature specimens, and whitish in young ones.
The leg is small and thin – no more than 4 cm in length and 3 mm in thickness. It is straight or curved, has the shape of a cylinder. It has a dense structure and a smooth surface, the color is reddish-cream, matching the color of the plates. The dense pulp has no pronounced smell or emits a faint earthy aroma.
Is it possible to eat snow talkers
Snow talkers are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms; before use, they must undergo heat treatment. But it is quite difficult to find them in the forest, and inexperienced mushroom pickers can easily be confused with poisonous twins.
Taste qualities of the snow govorushka mushroom
The taste of these mushrooms is not very refined, but it is quite worthy for a spring delicacy. Light floury notes are felt, after cooking a pleasant mushroom aroma remains.
Benefits and harm to the body
Edible snow talkers have many useful properties. They contain valuable mineral salts, rare for plant products, and vitamins. With a low calorie content, they are a source of fairly high-quality protein. Harmful mushroom dishes for children under 10 years old and people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
False doubles
A translucent talker resembles a snow talker in appearance and size – an inedible, poisonous mushroom from the Ryadovkovye family.
The fruiting season also begins in May, but it is longer – until September.
The snow talker has another poisonous counterpart – the reddish talker, which contains muscarine. It grows in the same places as edible mushrooms and resembles them in appearance and size. Fruiting in the toadstool begins in June – this is the main difference. At a young age, her cap has a grayish-white color, in older specimens it acquires brown tones.
Collection rules
They collect a snow talker in May. The fruiting season favorably distinguishes it from other inedible or poisonous varieties that begin to appear in the summer and grow until late autumn.
During harvest, mushrooms are twisted out of the ground by hand. Take young, strong specimens. Old ones lose their pleasant taste and useful qualities. Fibrous legs are cut off, they are of little use for food. Suspicious and strongly wormy fruiting bodies are not put in a basket.
Use
Mostly young specimens with elastic pulp and light plates are eaten. The legs have no taste, therefore, hats are mainly used in dishes, they are fried, boiled, salted and marinated. When fresh, they are not suitable for food, as they contain bitter enzymes.
You can cook delicious mushroom soup from snow talkers. To do this, they are washed, put to boil, filled with cold water. Peel potatoes for soup, chop carrots and parsley root. 10 minutes after boiling water, remove the foam, add chopped potatoes to the pan. Parsley root, tomato and carrots are fried in vegetable oil, salted and peppered, put in the soup 5-6 minutes after the potatoes. After 5 minutes, add chopped green onions, add salt if necessary, and turn off the heat.
For the soup recipe you will need: 500 g talkers, 200 g potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 tomato, 2 parsley roots, 1 small bunch of green onions, 50 ml of vegetable oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf, spices to taste.
Conclusion
The snow talker is suitable for cooking culinary mushroom dishes, pickles and marinades. It is easy to confuse it with the translucent talker, which also grows in the spring and is poisonous. At the slightest doubt in the identification of the mushroom, you need to leave it to grow in the forest. And experienced lovers of “quiet hunting” will be able to cook delicious dishes from the first spring mushrooms in May.
