Vesyolka Ravenelli: what it looks like and where it grows, is it possible to eat

Veselka Ravenelli belongs to the conditionally edible representatives of the Veselkov family. The species is unique, since at a young age it exists in the egg stage, and in the adult – in the receptacle stage. In order not to confuse the mushroom with inedible specimens, you need to know the external characteristics, view photo and video materials.

Where the merry Ravenelli grows

Vesyolka Ravenelli is a saprophyte mushroom that grows on dead wood or rotting substrate. It can be found in mixed forests, gardens, parks, open forest glades. It grows in large groups, comes into fruiting from May to October.

What does Ravenelli’s fun look like?

Veselka Ravenelli in the initial stage of development has an ovoid shape, about 5 cm in size. The surface is covered with leathery peridium, mycelial strands extend from the wrinkled base. The egg is covered with a snow-white shell, which becomes pink, lilac or purple as it matures. With mechanical damage, the color becomes brighter and richer.

Peridium consists of a jelly-like substance. When ripe, the egg is opened, and a receptacle comes out of it, which consists of a cap and a leg. Also during this period, the full maturation of the fungus occurs, and spores are carried out into the external environment.

Grows in mixed forests

The hat of an adult specimen is about 4 cm in size. The conical surface is covered with fine-grained olive or greenish-coffee-colored skin. The upper part has a gleba – the inner pulp of the fruiting body.

The snow-white or yellowish leg is hollow, porous. The flesh is dark with an unpleasant strong aroma that attracts insects.

Is it possible to eat Ravenelli fun

Vesyolka Ravenelli belongs to the 4th group of edibility, is conditionally edible. In cooking, only specimens in the egg stage are used. Adults have healing properties, so the mushroom has found application in folk medicine. Mushroom decoctions and infusions are used to treat visual dysfunction and rheumatic diseases.

The merry Ravenelli is surrounded by legends and beliefs because of its unusual appearance:

• the species is considered a strong aphrodisiac;
• thanks to antioxidants, infusions and decoctions stop the growth of cancer cells;
• when applied externally, mushroom pulp helps to heal wounds;
• in the Middle Ages, it was believed that a man who saw a merry-go-round should eat it, otherwise male impotence would befall him;
• the fungus grows so fast that it surpasses bamboo shoots in growth rate.

The taste of the mushroom

In cooking, Ravenelli’s fun is used only in the egg stage. Ripe specimens exude an unpleasant odor, so mushroom pickers prefer not to collect them and not use them for food. Overripe mushrooms, when eaten, cause mild food poisoning.

False doubles

This representative, like any inhabitant of the forest, has similar doubles. These include:

1. Ordinary – an edible representative that grows on fertile soil, in mixed forests and in open places. Fruiting from May to October. In cooking, only young specimens are used. But many mushroom pickers use the species not for gastronomic, but for medicinal purposes. Infusions and decoctions are used for abdominal syndrome, impotence and cancer.
   
   

   Only young specimens are used for food.

2. Adriana – the species is edible both in young and in adult form. When used in food, it is necessary to remove the spore-containing layer, otherwise the food will turn into an unsightly color. At a young age, the fungus has an ovoid shape, as it grows older, the fruiting body bursts and the fungus acquires a stem and a cap. The pulp is dense, snow-white, when ripe it exudes an unpleasant odor. It grows on dead wood throughout the warm period.
   
   

   Fruits throughout the warm period

3. Morel edible – conditionally edible. You can recognize it by a light coffee hat and a snow-white leg. Appears in mixed forests in early spring. Pulp with a pleasant taste and with a slight mushroom aroma. After preliminary boiling, the mushroom crop is fried, stewed, and harvested for the winter.
   
   

   Mushroom has a pleasant taste

Collection and consumption

Gathering fun spend the entire warm period. To use the mushroom for medicinal purposes, it is carefully cut with a sharp knife, and not twisted. Since the mycelium is very fragile and practically does not recover.

In cooking, only young specimens are used, when the mushroom has not yet opened and has not yet formed a stem and a hat. After heat treatment, the harvested crop is used in fried, stewed or boiled form. Also collected specimens can be dried and frozen for the winter.

Conclusion

Vesyolka Ravenelli is a conditionally edible representative of the forest kingdom. It grows on rotting wood in mixed forests and within the city. In cooking, young specimens are used, after a long boil, the harvested crop is used in food in fried, stewed and boiled form. For the winter, mushrooms are dried and frozen.