Did you know that one of the species of this mushroom got into the Guinness Book of Records because of its huge size? Such a bighead was found in England, and its growth reached 1.7 m in height. It is often confused with a raincoat, but this is completely different types... How it looks like, as it is popularly called, and most importantly where the collection time grows, you will learn from this article.
The first question is: is the mushroom edible or not? Is it worth taking him home or is it better to walk by? Of course, Golovach or in Latin Calvatia from the mushroom family is edible, belongs to the fourth category in terms of taste.
The baggy bighead is considered the best for eating. Only young specimens can be eaten, since in mature age breaks the cap of the mushroom to release the spore powder from the pulp or scientifically gleba.
In nature, there are more than a dozen species of bighead, below is a description of the most common species in Russia.
Giant bighead
The Latin name is Calvatia gigantea. Other names: Langermany.
Peculiarities: A spherical hat, slightly flattened, can grow up to one meter in diameter and weigh up to 35 kg. V young age milky white, turns brown with aging and becomes unsuitable for food. The pulp resembles cottage cheese or marshmallow. It grows rapidly, so small specimens are practically not found. It is unique in its size and weight.
Where it grows: In forests of any type, prefers acidic and nitrogen-containing soils, likes forest outskirts, meadows and pastures, found in parks. Grows singly or in a small group.
When it grows: From August to September after heavy rains, in the south of the country it grows to November.
Baggy golovach
The Latin name is Calvatia utriformis. Other names: round, saccular head.
Type of: Edible, 4th category. The inside of the hat is suitable for eating. You need to collect only young specimens, while the pulp is white. Be sure to peel off before cooking. Suitable for frying, can be eaten raw.
Peculiarities: The main difference: the surface of the cap has a warty structure, it grows in diameter up to 20 centimeters. Has a false stem. Young specimens are white, turn yellow over time and become brown in old age. The pulp with a pleasant smell, sterile and able to stop bleeding.
Where it grows: V deciduous forests and mixed type, can be found on forest edges, meadows, glades and gardens. It grows mostly alone.
When it grows: May to September.
Golovach oblong
The Latin name is Calvatia excipuliformis. Other names: elongated raincoat.
Peculiarities: Unlike its counterparts, it has a club-shaped cap, and not a spherical one. It grows up to 15 centimeters in length and up to 5 centimeters in diameter. With age, it turns from white to brown. In youth, they have growths on the surface, old ones are smooth. Over time, the cap breaks and falls off completely.
Where it grows: In deciduous and coniferous forests, young plantings, throughout Russia. Loves bright places, meadows and edges. It grows both singly and in groups.
When it grows: July to October.
Similar species
The closest relative of the bighead is the raincoat. At a young age, they are practically indistinguishable. This is not dangerous, since both varieties do not have poisonous representatives and can be eaten.
For those who are interested in determining the belonging of the mushroom, the difference is as follows: when fully ripe, the cap of the bighead breaks completely, the raincoat has only a small hole on the top of the head. Otherwise, both species are identical.
Inexperienced amateurs quiet hunting may confuse the bighead with a false raincoat. Here the main difference will be the color of the cap, which is much darker, and the presence of purple flesh. The false slicker is not poisonous, but has an unpleasant bitter taste and is considered inedible.
Composition and nutritional value
Golovach is the record holder for protein content, it is more than that of boletus.
One hundred grams of fresh hats contains:
V chemical composition includes macronutrients:
- most potassium
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Calcium
From trace elements:
- Selenium
- Manganese
- Iron
Vitamins of group B: B1 and B2, B6 and B9, also contains ascorbic acid, niacin, styrenes.
In the 1960s, scientists were biologically isolated from fruit bodies active substance calvacin. It was planned to use this agent for the treatment of malignant tumors. Calvacin triggered the process of apoptosis (dying) of cancer cells in 13 out of 24 known species. a large number side effects from the use of the pure substance on animals, further research was abandoned.
Beneficial features
One of the main medicinal properties of this species is its antibacterial effect. In medicine, it is used to create effective drugs against salmonella, streptococci, candida and other dangerous bacteria.
Scientific studies have shown that the bighead can accumulate copper and zinc in the human body, as well as stop bleeding and serve as an antioxidant.
With regular consumption, you can get the following effects:
- Prevention of vision... Due to its selenium content, which is sufficient to satisfy daily allowance a person, the level of threat of hyperopia or myopia, asthenopia, cataracts, retinal dystrophy decreases.
- Normalization of the cardiovascular system... Due to the high content of potassium in the composition of the product, the prevention of diseases such as myocardial infarction, rheumatism, angina pectoris, arrhythmia is carried out. Golovach is able to lower blood pressure and eliminate headaches.
- Immunity activation. For effective work immune system she needs ascorbic and folic acid, iron. The use of the bighead allows you to saturate the body with all these three substances at the same time, which is the main advantage. Therefore, eating the bighead can effectively fight ARVI.
- Improving performance gastrointestinal tract ... The cellulose in the bighead does well with this work. It helps to normalize the activity of not only the intestines, but also the kidneys and liver. Removes heavy metal salts, radionuclides, toxins, excess cholesterol.
- Improving the condition of joints and teeth... It occurs due to the content of phosphorus and calcium in the product. These substances protect against arthrosis, osteochondrosis, arthritis, osteoporosis. The likelihood of periodontal disease, caries and other dental problems is significantly reduced.
- Tonic action... Despite the low calorie content, after eating the bighead one feels an increase in strength and improves mood. That is why it is so useful during spring blues, depression, emotional exhaustion.
Important! The most useful part of the mushroom is the cap. After heat treatment most of nutrients are lost. It is healthier to consume it raw.
Harm and contraindications
All mushrooms are hard to digest, and the bighead is no exception. General contraindications: do not use the product before bedtime, at a late dinner, at least 2-3 hours before bedtime, since at night there may be stomach pains, nausea, diarrhea.
It is worth avoiding its use for people with diseases:
- Pancreatitis.
- Stomach or intestinal ulcers.
- Gastritis in the acute stage.
- Hypertension.
How to store
For long-term storage this kind is not suitable. Fresh harvested mushrooms, left even overnight in the refrigerator, have time to ripen, turn yellow and become unsuitable for eating. They are not used for conservation. When salted or pickled, they are consumed immediately after readiness. They are good for preparing salads, sauces, or just fried.
Drying can be one of the ways of long-term storage. But here, too, you must first boil the mushrooms. Otherwise, during the drying process, they ripen and turn into spore dust. Or dry only very young mushrooms by cutting them into translucent plates so that they dry in an hour or two.
The second long-term storage method, up to 6 months, can be shock freezing. For storage, the mushroom must be cut into slices.
Growing
A pleasant feature of this species is its very fast growth. The mushroom gains weight up to 10 kg in just a week. It can be grown without much difficulty in your area, since roots are not required for growth. big trees. Temperature conditions, except for winter, not lower than 14 degrees and not more than 29 degrees. It bears fruit frequently, every three weeks. For planting, choose semi-shady places, for example, in raspberries, bushes.
Before planting, the soil must be loosened, the mycelium should be evenly scattered and covered with a centimeter layer of soil, watered abundantly. The second method of growing: grind mature caps with spores and pour water for a day, water the prepared soil for planting with a solution and water it well, sprinkle with grass and foliage. You can expect next year's harvest if the soil and growing conditions are right.
In cooking
This mushroom is a brother of champignons, so wherever every housewife uses them, you can safely crumble a bighead or a raincoat. These mushrooms are loved for their taste, aroma and ease of preparation. However, they are not suitable for cooking soups, as the broth tastes unpleasant. Below are selected several delicious recipes cooking.
Mushroom caviar
This dish is a lifesaver, it can be served on festive table and just spread on sandwiches, use as a filling for pies and pancakes.
Ingredients:
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Carrot
- Eggplant or squash
- Animal fat
How to cook:
Peel all vegetables and mushrooms in equal proportions. Grind and fry in hot fat. Add salt and spices. Cool and beat with a blender until smooth.
Salad in five minutes
A really quick salad for all occasions.
Ingredients:
- Canned beans 1 can
- Mushrooms 200 gr.
- Tomato 1-2 pcs.
- Greens
- Rusks
- Turnip onion ½ head
- Salt pepper
- Mayonnaise
How to cook:
Cut greens, tomatoes and mushrooms into cubes. Mix all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper and season with mayonnaise. If you are not ready to eat mushrooms in fresh, you can pre-fry them with onions.
Mushroom schnitzel
it original dish will delight even a sophisticated gourmet. It will take about an hour of your time to cook, but the result is worth it.
Ingredients:
- Mushrooms
- Ginger
- Soy sauce
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Corn flour
- Chicken eggs
- Spices: allspice and pink pepper
How to cook:
Peel the mushrooms, cut into large round slices. Scribble the edges of each slice.
For the marinade: grate the ginger on a fine grater, pass the garlic through a press, mix everything with soy sauce and spices. Marinate the mushrooms for 15-20 minutes.
Beat two eggs. Prepare flour in a separate bowl.
Heat to fry sunflower oil in a frying pan. Dip each mushroom slice in beaten eggs first, then roll in flour and fry for two minutes on each side.
Garnish the finished schnitzels with finely chopped herbs and serve with a fresh vegetable salad.
Bon Appetit!
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Golovach giant (giant raincoat, giant Langermania) (lat.Calvatia gigantea) is an edible mushroom that belongs to the Basidiomycete department, Agaricomycete class, Agaricaceae order, Champignon family, genus Bigheads.
Giant raincoat (giant head) - description and characteristics.
Giant raincoat mushrooms (bigheads) can reach 35 centimeters in diameter. The weight of the bighead can be 10 kilograms. Such a mushroom has neither a cap nor a leg. The fruit body is in the shape of a ball. The giant raincoat has snow-white pulp, a pleasant smell, and also a pleasant taste. As the mushroom begins to ripen more and more, the snow-white color changes to yellow and then green. A raincoat should not be eaten when it begins to turn yellow.
Where does the giant bighead grow?
Mushrooms bear fruit from early summer to October. For germination, the raincoat chooses nitrogen-rich soil in the clearings and edges of deciduous or mixed forests, and also grows in steppes, meadows, fields, parks, gardens, and pastures.
Giant golovach - useful properties.
These mushrooms contain a beneficial substance called calvacin. It is used by traditional medicine doctors in the treatment of kidney, leukemia and tumors. A giant raincoat is used to make a flu vaccine. The fungus can help with laryngitis, smallpox, and hives. In case of bleeding, the cut giant slicker and its spores have a healing effect. There are many decoctions and preparations from this mushroom. Preparations containing fungal spores cleanse the body of toxins, metals and radionuclides. The medicine from the spores of the giant bighead is used for diabetes, pleurisy, pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchial asthma.
How to cook a giant head?
You can add a giant raincoat to your diet, but only a white mushroom with white and elastic flesh. The shell is removed and the pulp is cut into layers. Layers of mushrooms can be fried in batter or bread crumbs. It is not worth boiling this mushroom, because during cooking it acquires an unpleasant taste, absorbing a lot of water.
Another way to eat the mushroom is to dry it. The raincoat dries very easily and quickly.
This mushroom has many names. For example, the gigantic raincoat and the giant Langermannia. These mushrooms are called golovachi because of the peculiar shape of the fruiting body, which really resembles a head. Well, the name "raincoat" was given due to the fact that often these mushrooms appeared in the forest after heavy rains.
It is not for nothing that the bighead is called giant. He is a true record heavyweight among edible mushrooms... People who find it in the forest do not always immediately understand that it is really the fruiting body of the fungus in front of them, because most are accustomed to collecting smaller "trophies". There is a known case when one of the lovers of quiet hunting managed to find a bighead that weighed more than 25 kg.
MUSHROOM LONE
Giant raincoats grow not in groups, but individually. Large white "heads" can be found in deciduous and mixed forests, in fields and meadows, in ravines - where moist soils rich in nutrients lie. You can find these mushrooms from the beginning of June to the end of September.
Scientists have noticed that bigheads do not constantly grow in the same area for a long time. They can disappear in this place on long years or even disappear altogether. Species of fungi that grow in this way are called meteoric species by experts.
Despite the fact that the giant bighead is truly phenomenal in size, there are inedible mushrooms, which can compete with it in size. So, in the 1940s, a huge tinder fungus Oxyporus nobilissimus was discovered, weighing 140 kg and about a meter in diameter.
GOURMET FIND
The fruit body of the bighead is gigantic, round in shape. Below this huge "head" is a thin leg, consisting of an interweaving of fungal hyphae. Golovach, like most other fungi, forms mycorrhiza with the roots of nearby trees. From above, the fruiting body is covered with a thin white skin. Over time, it, like the snow-white pulp of a raincoat, acquires a brownish tint. Young bigheads can be eaten - their pulp looks like cotton wool, but has a characteristic taste and smell. Connoisseurs say that this mushroom is especially tasty when fried. Having decided to try this delicacy, it is worth remembering that it is better to eat it within 24 hours after harvesting, otherwise the mushroom will become unusable. If the raincoat found in the forest has already acquired a greenish or brown color, it is not worth collecting and preparing it. In a mature fungus, the outer shell darkens and soon bursts, thus releasing millions of brown spores.
WHO ARE GASTEROMYCETES
AMAZING PROPERTIES
Biologists managed to isolate from the fruiting body of the bighead a giant substance called "calvacin". It comes from the Latin generic name for the raincoat. Calvacin has antitumor activity and is also an antibiotic of natural origin. Probably, it is precisely because of the presence of calvacin in the fruiting body of the fungus that the giant bighead was widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases.
History has kept interesting fact: Many 19th century hairdressers always kept a small piece of dried raincoat with them while working. The pulp applied to the cut helped stop the bleeding and promoted rapid healing of wounds.
DO NOT MIX!
Small bigheads can be easily confused with false raincoats (Scleraderma aurantium), which are not agaric, but painful mushrooms - completely different systematic group... These twin mushrooms are also found in forests and have a rounded fruiting body. Despite the fact that these mushrooms are not poisonous, you should not eat them: the taste and smell of pseudo-raincoats are rather unpleasant. To distinguish false raincoats from giant bigheads it is possible by the color of the pulp: it is not white, but dark purple, and the outer shell covering the fruiting body is not thin in false raincoats, but dense and leathery.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
Kingdom: mushrooms.
Department: Basidiomycetes.
Class: agaricomycetes.
Family: champignon.
Genus: bighead.
Species: giant bighead.
Latin name: Calvatia gigantea.
Size: diameter up to 50 cm.
Bighead mushroom - bright representative of the genus Golovach of the Champignon family. A fairly common mushroom in many areas Russian Federation... It can often be found in deciduous and mixed forests, meadows, steppes, fields, even in city parks and squares. Original appearance, size and shape, easily distinguish it from other reducers of its kind. The edible mushroom is widely used in cooking and traditional medicine.
Germinates singly or in groups. Often it has a spherical, oval, ovoid shape of the fruiting body, slightly flattened. The head mushroom grows up to 10 - 50 cm in diameter. In a young specimen, the body is white, as it matures, it darkens, cracks, takes on various dark shades of yellow or brown. The pulp or gleb at the beginning of growth is white, firm, after ripening it is cotton-like, loose, pale green or brown in color. The leg is white, thick, cylindrical in shape, it can thicken or narrow to the ground, in many species the leg is short, in others it can grow up to 15 - 20 cm.The surface of the cap of the bighead can be smooth or rough, when broken, pieces of unequal shape with torn edges are formed.
Characteristic distinctive feature- during ripening, the fruit body is almost completely cracked and falls off. The spores of the fungus are brown in color.
For cooking, only young mushrooms with white, dense, elastic pulp are used.
Varieties and twins
The genus of bighead mushrooms has more than 30 species. The most common are 3 types: giant, baggy, oblong. Unknowingly, many people confuse this mushroom with raincoats, porchovies, although this is not scary, since these species are also edible.
Round baggy head
Another name for this species is a bubble-shaped, rounded, hare raincoat. The cap is spherical, slightly compressed, from above it reaches a diameter of up to 15 cm, narrows towards the ground, forming a false stem. It reaches a height of 20 cm. The surface is white, with characteristic dotted bulges, reminiscent of short needles or thorns. The pulp is white, firm. As it ripens, the color of the fruit body and inner pulp changes from yellow to dark brown. After full maturation top part the fruiting body disintegrates, exposing the pulp with spores, the mushroom takes the form of a wide bowl with uneven edges. Spores are brown.
It grows almost everywhere - in forests, meadows and fields, in most cases a single mushroom can be found, it grows in groups extremely rarely. Harvested from late May to the second half of September, peak growth in July.
This species belongs to the 4th category of edible mushrooms; only specimens with white pulp are eaten.
Giant bighead langermania
The fruit body is rounded, up to 0.5 m in diameter, slightly compressed from above. The leg is short, barely noticeable under the massive cap. In a young mushroom, the flesh is white, elastic, turns yellow when ripe, becomes loose, then acquires a brown tint.
The giant golovach becomes brown after full maturation, then the shell breaks almost completely, exposing interior with disputes.
Huge, giant mushroom grows mainly singly in the forests of the temperate zone.
Golovach oblong
Other names - elongated raincoat, marsupial head. The fruit body is shaped like a pin or an inverted pear. It reaches a height of up to 18 cm. A small rounded cap, smoothly transforms into a pseudopod, widened near the ground. The diameter of the wide part is 5 - 7 cm, the narrow part is up to 4 cm.The surface is heterogeneous, rough, covered with thorns different sizes... A young mushroom is white; in the process of maturation, it acquires darker shades, up to dark brown. At the same time, the flesh changes - elastic and white, it darkens, becomes loose. After ripening, the cap breaks and falls off, the pseudopod in most cases remains standing. Spores are dark brown in color.
The oblong golovach grows from the second half of July to the end of September, either in groups or singly. Found in mixed forests, meadows and fields.
In cooking, only the hat is used.
Golovach oblong
Related species
Very often, the bighead mushroom is mistaken for a large spiny raincoat, especially a specimen with a short pseudopod. A big difference, especially at a young age, is difficult to see. When ripe, the raincoat throws spores out of the crack in the cap, and in the bighead, the cap breaks up.
Growing
Golovach is easy to grow at home, in the country or in the garden. To do this, it is enough to find an old mushroom in the forest, which has not yet "dropped" its head. The hat is finely cut and soaked in water for a day, then the resulting mixture is poured onto the area where they want to get a mushroom clearing.
Another method is to pass the mushroom through a meat grinder, pour the mass into a jar, add live yeast and a little sugar, mix well, let it brew for a couple of days. It is believed that the germination of fungal spores increases significantly with this method of cultivation.
The first shoots can be observed after 4 - 6 months.
The benefits of the mushroom
Having a large mass and size, the giant bighead is attractive as a trophy for mushroom pickers. In any case, be it a young mushroom or an old one, it can be used, if not in cooking, then as a folk remedy.
Cooking applications
In cooking, only young, fresh bigheads with white flesh are used. This is how they differ from the champignon mushroom and other representatives, which can easily withstand long-term storage in the cold.
Do not store the bighead for a long time, concentration over time poisonous substances increases.
The golovach is giant, baggy and oblong, unlike other mushrooms, it does not require preliminary cooking. It is used in frying, baked goods and soups. Prepared like other mushrooms that do not require pre-heat treatment.
Application in medicine
The giant golovach is widely used in folk and traditional medicine. For the preparation of various drugs and medicines, only fully matured specimens are used. This kind fungi has antioxidant, anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and hemostatic properties. Ripe spores or thin layers of bighead are used. For cuts, the wound is sprinkled with spore powder or a thin layer of pulp is applied. Also used to treat laryngitis, smallpox, urticaria.
Danger from fungus
It is extremely dangerous to eat old bigheads, as you can get poisoned. In such mushrooms, the concentration of toxins increases; when consumed, the body's reaction can be lethal. Signs of poisoning do not appear immediately, but after 2-3 days, during which time the internal organs are severely affected.
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