Contents
Squeaker mushrooms, or creakers, violinists, are considered by many to be a type of milk mushroom, because of the incredible resemblance. However, representatives of the milkers are inferior to white milk mushrooms in terms of taste, therefore they are classified as a conditionally edible category. Despite this, avid mushroom pickers collect violinists for salting, knowing about the mass of useful properties that have a beneficial effect on the body.
Where do mushrooms grow
Skripun, or spurge, got its name because of the squeak emitted when touching the hat. The second name is given in connection with the very caustic, bitter juice released when the mushroom is cut. Violins are very common mushrooms that grow everywhere. They are found throughout Our Country – from its western part to the Far East. Culture prefers sunlit, open places in deciduous or mixed forests. Skipper mushrooms like to settle under aspens or birch trees, which grow singly, on soil covered with dry foliage or moss. According to the description and photo, violin mushrooms grow in large groups, young with overripe individuals interspersed. Violin enters the stage of active growth in July and bears fruit until October.
What do violin mushrooms look like
Violinists are not classified as white, but as felt mushrooms, which grow to very large sizes, with a hat diameter of about 16–17 cm. At a young age, violinists have a convex white hat, but during growth it gradually straightens and acquires a yellowish tint. Adult individuals are distinguished by a funnel-shaped, dense and fleshy hat with wavy edges. Hard, brittle pulp, when broken, secretes a white milky juice, characteristic of all representatives of the milkers. The same solid, white leg, no more than 6 cm long, is narrowed closer to the base. Its entire surface is covered with a white, delicate fluff, for which the squeaky mushroom was called the felt mushroom.
Is it possible to eat creaky mushrooms
The violin mushroom is edible, although it is much inferior in taste to the white milk mushroom. More precisely, it belongs to the conditionally edible mushroom category, which requires mandatory pre-treatment of the product before eating it.
Important conditions for the preparation of this variety are:
- soaking in cold water for 3-4 days, with a constant change of water to fresh;
- soaking in hot water with a new one every few hours;
- boiling creakers for 30 minutes. or salting.
Only after thorough soaking does the violin lose its bitter, unpleasant aftertaste, which secretes the milky juice. The hot method allows you to quickly eliminate it, but even after that, the mushrooms need heat treatment or salting, the process of which is at least 40 days.
Taste qualities of mushrooms
Properly cooked salted creaks vaguely resemble milk mushrooms in taste and aroma. They are dense, strong and firm, which gourmets quite like. However, many people consider them to be very mediocre in taste, so they bypass them in the forest. In the absence of other representatives of the mushroom kingdom, violin violins can be safely put in a basket in order to diversify the table in the winter and spring seasons.
Benefits and harm to the body
Like the white mushroom, the creaker mushroom contains a lot of useful substances in its composition. These include:
- vitamins and amino acids;
- cellulose;
- phosphorus, potassium, sodium and iron.
The daily human need for vital elements – phosphorus, iron and potassium – can be satisfied by an ordinary portion of a mushroom dish from violin. Despite the low calorie content of the creaker – only 23 kcal per 100 g of product, it gives a feeling of satiety and is the main supplier of protein when you refuse meat or fish during a diet. Therefore, the product is considered dietary if the amount of salt during its use is minimal.
The regular presence of violin in the menu helps to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and this has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The fungus is considered a natural antibiotic that has an anti-inflammatory, bactericidal effect on the human body. It contributes to the development of protective properties during bacterial and viral infections, helping a person to overcome the disease faster. As a result, the immune system of the body is completely strengthened, its vitality rises, and the energy balance is restored. Alcohol tincture of violin is considered an excellent remedy against cancerous tumors, eliminating inflammatory processes of a different nature.
Not only benefits the creaker brings to the human body. If abused, it can become harmful. Absolutely all mushrooms are a heavy food that requires proper preparation. Otherwise, the risk of heaviness in the stomach, severe pain and pain is not excluded. Therefore, it is very important to follow the technological process of preparation for violin and not to abuse the product in the diet. This is especially true for children and the elderly. Skripun is also contraindicated for people with stomach diseases and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. These include primarily gastritis, an ulcer with low acidity of gastric juice.
Similar species
Skripuny belong to mushrooms of a low category, and therefore mushroom pickers do not go specifically for them. However, violinists often confuse mushrooms with white mushrooms, which is clearly seen from the photo and description of the latter. However, upon closer examination, it is quite possible to distinguish between these two varieties:
- The milk mushrooms at the bottom of the cap have a characteristic fringe, which the creaker does not have.
- The milky juice secreted in the air in the milk mushroom after a while becomes yellow, and in the violinist the color of the liquid does not change.
- The violin has greater strength and rigidity.
- In the milk mushroom, the plates under the hat are white, and in the creaker they are light yellow.
Both mushrooms – milk mushroom and creaker – are edible, so there is no threat of poisoning if one is replaced by another. But, the characteristic differences between the white milk mushroom and the violin will allow an attentive mushroom picker to properly prepare each type, which will reveal all the gastronomic qualities of the product and dishes from it.
Collection rules
Squeaky mushrooms are harvested in autumn – from the beginning of September to the end of the month. You need to look for them in birch groves in lighted, open places, soil covered with a dense grass layer or moss. Skripuny grow in large groups almost everywhere, which makes their search quite easy and fast.
Having found a group of creakers of different ages, young individuals are selected, the hat of which is still convex, up to 5–7 cm in diameter. They are cut off with a sharp knife, almost under the hat, since the leg is still not eaten. They put the cut-off creakers in a basket or basket with their hats down, which will eliminate the risk of them breaking off and being damaged during transportation. Skripuny are large, overgrown, with a hat more than 10 cm in diameter, do not collect.
A useful video on how violins grow will help you not to make a mistake in choosing mushrooms:
Use
In Our Country, violin is classified as a mushroom of the low, fourth, category, and in the West it is completely considered inedible. The violin is used only in salted and pickled form, having previously subjected it to the soaking process. Mushrooms brought from the forest are cleaned of debris, washed and cut off the legs under the base of the hat. Even after proper salting, creakers retain a rather mediocre taste with a somewhat sour aroma, characteristic of salted agaric mushrooms.
However, they bring tangible benefits to the human body due to their unique composition and active active ingredients that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of vital organs. With the help of salted and pickled creakers, you can significantly diversify the winter-spring diet. Salted euphorbia retains its white color, with a slight bluish tint, while remaining strong, hard, slightly creaking on the teeth. It smells like real shit. Such mushrooms are not eaten boiled, stewed or fried.
Conclusion
Skripuny mushrooms are much inferior to white milk mushrooms, but this variety also has its admirers. The mass growth of the species in large numbers makes it possible for lovers of “quiet hunting” to always return home with full baskets.