In regions where nature has not stinted on fertile soil and forest land, you can pick a lot of mushrooms and berries. However, lovers of quiet hunting do not respect the mushroom mukruhu, which is often found in such places. The unpresentable mushroom, whose hat is densely covered with mucus, causes them only a grin and disgust. Nevertheless, if mokruha accidentally ends up in your basket, do not rush to throw it away. It is not considered poisonous, and some mushroom pickers even claim that if it is cooked correctly, then you can get a very elegant dish with a piquant taste.
Mushroom description
Mokruha is a conditionally edible mushroom that belongs to the fourth category of edible mushrooms. That is, to eat it, the mushroom must first be soaked, and then boiled. Some housewives use it as a complement to various sauces, dried, salted and pickled.
The Mokrukh family can be divided into two genera, called Hroogomphus (lat. Chroogomphus) and homphidius (lat. Gomphidius). A distinctive feature of these mushrooms is to form a wet, mucous film on the hat. To the touch, these gifts of the forest are always slippery. It is this characteristic feature that confuses many mushroom pickers.
Mokruhi can grow both individually and in small families. Active growth of representatives of this family is observed from the beginning or mid-July to the first frosts.
The truth about slippery mushrooms
In terms of taste, the mokrukh are significantly inferior to the more expensive representatives of this kingdom. Of course, they are not as tasty as white or champignons. However, the content of a large number of nutrients and antibacterial components in them is ahead of all types of mushrooms found in the middle lane of our country. Some biologists and botanists call the Mokruh family a storehouse of proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids and consider them indispensable in clinical nutrition. By the way, during cooking, the mushroom mukruha turns black.
Where are the mokrukh found?
In Russia, the mushroom is found in temperate regions. Here you can find six of their species. So, purple, pink or pine mokruhi chose pine forests for their existence. In symbiosis with fir, pines and cedars, a felt mushroom grows (felt mokruha). Mokruhi prefer slender or spotty to live under larches. The mushroom spruce found its refuge under the spruce.
The preparation and harvesting of these plants does not require special efforts and the presence of special knowledge in the field of cooking from the hostess. Therefore, many experienced mushroom pickers are happy to collect them. According to connoisseurs of mokruha, you can clean the mushroom immediately after the cut. This will not take much time and will allow other fungi not to get dirty with sticky mucus.
Noteworthy features
It doesn’t matter where you met the mushroom (photo of representatives of the kingdom of wildlife you can see in the article) - an experienced mushroom picker will never confuse it with anything. However, these fungi still differ among themselves. They can have dissimilar shapes and different color shades, to possess or not to have a specific smell. It is worth noting that, depending on the species, the taste qualities of this type of mushroom also differ significantly. It is believed that the most exquisite taste have pine family members.
What are similar and what are not similar
For example, spruce spruces may have a dry or rather sticky than mucous membrane. The color of the hat may be grayish or bluish, and may be dirty brown, without any stains. In young fungi, the cap is convex, but eventually acquires a more open shape. On the inside of the caps of these mushrooms are plates. A high leg with a slight swelling in the middle and a characteristic wide ring, also covered with mucus - these characteristics are a kind of hallmark of Mokrukh. The surface of the mushroom leg is smooth and moist, at the very bottom it is bright yellow, but whiter closer to the hat. The mushroom pulp is dense and fleshy, tender and almost white. The smell is almost completely absent. Usually these mushrooms grow in small families.
The purple mushroom has a fleshy, convex-conical hat with slightly bent edges. But the older the mushroom becomes, the flatter the hat becomes. Color - orange-brown or copper-red. On the surface has an adhesive mucous membrane. On dry sunny days, the wet layer dries up, and then the hat becomes glossy. On the back of the hat, the plates descend to a low, thin leg. If the leg is broken, at its fracture the flesh begins to turn yellow. The flesh of the mushroom itself is painted in saffron color, and with a slight pressure it becomes wine-red. It has a pleasant, slightly sweet smell.
The value of purple and spruce spruce
Particularly valuable properties of these subspecies include the presence of antibiotic characteristics, which can strongly resist the growth and vital activity of pathogenic microbes, including staphylococcus aureus. Mushroom spruce, like purple, is widely used in the treatment of sinusitis and skin diseases.
Other members of the family
Mokruha pink stands out from the family of these mushrooms. Her bright pink hat, slightly burnt in the center, attracts and at the same time scares away many mushroom pickers. Young pink mushrooms have a noticeably convex hat, but over time it becomes almost flat, while its edges begin to bend upward. The surface is mucous, sticky in wet weather. Wide plates smoothly descend to a short cylindrical pedicle, on which there is a mucous ring. The pulp of this mushroom is very light, fleshy and soft. When cooking, it turns black. There is almost no smell.
Mokruha slim got its name because of the size and shape. It looks very much like purple mokruha, but differs in a higher strong leg and the small sizes of a hat with dark spots. Has rare plates descending to the leg. Nevertheless, this is a completely different species, so you can not confuse them.
Felt mushroom is another representative of the Mokruh family. Its other names are felt yellow-legged and Swiss wet. A small hat is usually colored orange-brown and has a felt or scaly structure. In dry weather, it is mostly dry, but after rain it becomes slimy. It has dense pale pink plates that fall to a thin, often curved leg. With age, these plates may turn black. The leg of the mushroom is not high, in height it can reach 8 cm, at the base most often it narrows a little. Usually the color of the legs is identical to the color of the hat. The field of the cap of young mushrooms can be connected to the leg with a light, dry, fibrous tissue. This species is widespread in elevated coniferous forests and cedars.
How to cook mushrooms
Mokruhu, like any other type of mushroom, is soaked for several minutes, the upper adhesive layer is removed from the entire surface and washed thoroughly. Since these mushrooms are conditionally edible, they must be boiled. Many housewives claim that these forest products after pre-treatment must be placed in salted water, brought to a boil and cook over low heat for 15-30 minutes. However, in fact, long cooking of moss is undesirable. From this, their flesh becomes stiff and fibrous. In the process of heat treatment, the color of the mushrooms can change significantly: from light, the flesh becomes dark purple, almost black.
They are not very good as an independent dish, but as a complement to the side dish or as part of the sauce, they are simply excellent and give an original taste to the main dish. In the composition of the dish, mokruhu is difficult to confuse with something.
Application
Representatives of this mushroom family are used not only for cooking all kinds of culinary dishes. They are widely used in cosmetology and traditional medicine.
It is believed that mokruha has a beneficial effect on all organs of our body. The presence of antibacterial substances in this fungus determines the effectiveness of its use as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent. Modern medicine confirms that mokruha is effective in treating viral diseases. In many countries, this fungus is used to treat migraines, disorders of the nervous system, headaches and insomnia. It is assumed that such a product has a positive effect on the general condition of the body, helps strengthen immunity and is effective in the fight against chronic fatigue.
Cosmetics, which include the spruce spruce mushroom (making such drugs at home is not difficult) make the skin more elastic and silky. Lotions, infusions and decoctions relieve redness and inflammation. Along the way, they have a beneficial effect on skin color - it becomes smooth and matte. Creams with sputum are recommended for owners of oily skin, prone to enlargement of pores.
Decoctions and special masks from mokruha contribute to the strengthening and growth of hair. After applying such products, the hair becomes silky and shiny. Since ancient times, in folk medicine, this mushroom has been used to eliminate dandruff and split ends.