Russula mushroom description. Description of the Russula family. They are divided into certain groups according to edibility.

Russula are fungi of the basidiomycetes department, agaricomycetes class, russular order (russular, russula), russula family, russula genus (lat. Russula).

Own Russian name mushrooms were obtained due to the fact that many of them can be eaten after daily salting. Some russula can be eaten raw, but there are also bitter-tasting types that are desirable to soak before cooking to remove bitterness. Latin name The genus arose from one of the colors of their hat: the word "russulus" is translated as "reddish".

Russula: description and photo of mushrooms. What does russula look like?

Hat

The fruiting body of russula consists of a cap and a stem. The shape of the cap changes as it grows and develops. In young russula, it is semicircular, almost spherical, hemispherical; then it becomes convex or convex-prostrate, and in old mushrooms it is flat with a concave center or funnel-shaped.

The edges of the cap in different types of russula can be ribbed, wavy-curved, tuberculate or smooth, changing with age. In some species, the edges are straight, in others they are lowered or raised. Hat sizes vary from 2 to 15 cm.

The skin covering the hat, even in mushrooms of the same species, can be:

• either smooth, moist and sticky;
• or dry, matte, gently velvety.

The adhesive surface may dry out over time, and sometimes it is dry initially.

The peel from the pulp of the cap lags behind in different ways:

• easy (in birch russula (lat. Russula betularum);
• up to half (in solar russula (lat. Russula solaris);
• only along the edge (at golden russula (lat. Russula aurea).

The color of the russula cap includes almost all shades of the solar spectrum: red, yellow, green, purple, bluish, brown. The color is not always uniform: sometimes it has uneven spots and various color transitions, as if fading in the sun.

1. Golden Russula (lat. Russula aurea), photo by archenzo, CC BY-SA 3.0; 2. Turkish russula (lat. Russula turci), photo by Maja Dumat, CC BY 2.0; 3. Green russula (lat. Russula aeruginea), photo by: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0; 4. Russula light yellow (lat. Russula claroflava), photo by: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; 5. Russula (lat. Russula emetica), photo: Dohduhdah, Public Domain; 6. Black loader (lat. Russula adusta), photo by Igor Lebedinsky, CC BY 3.0.

Hymenophore

The hymenophore of the russula, or the lower surface of the cap, consists of broadly or narrowly adherent plates of different length, thickness, frequency and color. Russula plates can be white, light yellow, light cream, slightly pinkish, ocher, lemon yellow.

Leg

Russula is more common with cylindrical, regular-shaped legs, less often with spindle-shaped (olive russula (lat. R. olivacea), club-shaped (russula golden (lat. R. aurea), cylindrical, but narrowed towards the base (russula food, or edible (lat. R. vesca). The stem is attached to the middle of the hat. Its pulp changes with age; in young mushrooms, it can be filled, that is, loose, cotton-like or dense. As it ages, cavities appear in it, it becomes spongy and brittle. The color of the leg can be either light: white, yellowish, cream, pinkish, or dark: gray or brown. At its base, rusty spots may be present, as, for example, in green russula (lat. R. aeruginea). The surface of the stem is smooth, glabrous, silky or velvety, and may become slightly wrinkled with age.

pulp

The flesh of the cap is mostly white or very light in color; thick or thin; odorless or with a slight aroma and a different aftertaste. When the fruiting body of the russula is broken, no milky juice is released.

The plates, pulp and legs of russula are very fragile. Fragility and fragility of these fungi are given by spherocysts - special groups of vesicular cells that are located in the fruiting body.

spore powder

Russula spore powder also has a different color: whitish, cream, light cream, yellow, light ocher.

Where and when do russula mushrooms grow?

Russula is one of the most common mushrooms. They grow in Europe, Russia, Asia and America: from the Arctic to the tropics, but the vast majority are inhabitants of the middle latitudes. Some species are even found in Africa.

Russula live in symbiosis, i.e. mutually beneficial partnership, with many types of trees (depending on the type of mushroom) (, beech, hornbeam, poplar, linden, alder, aspen), and in some cases with shrubs and herbaceous plants, and therefore are widespread in all types of forests: coniferous, deciduous, mixed. Different species prefer different soils: moist, sandy, swampy. Mushrooms bear fruit from spring to autumn, but the main season for russula is August-September, since at this time they appear most actively.

What are russula: types, names, photos

Among the existing variety of russula, the number of which is different sources ranges from 275 to 750, it is rather difficult to determine a specific species. An ordinary mushroom picker can only recognize 2-3 dozen species, in other cases it is necessary to contact a specialist and even use chemical analysis. Externally, russula can be distinguished by the shape of the cap and stem, the structure of the subcap layer, as well as by the color of the skin and pulp of the cap and stem, plates and spore powder. Russulas are very brittle, and from milkers similar to them with this quality (lat. Lactarius) are distinguished by the fact that when incised and pressed, they do not secrete milky juice.

Fungi of the genus Russula are divided into:

• edible;
• conditionally edible;
• inedible.

Below are some varieties of russula that fall into each of these categories.

Edible Russula

Edible russula are pretty tasty mushrooms. They can be eaten fried, salted, pickled, and some even raw. The main thing is to know what they look like.

• Russula green(lat.Russula aeruginea ) - edible russula. It has a pungent taste that disappears when boiled. The shape of the cap is initially hemispherical, then convex-prostrate, and then flat, with a sunken center, 4-9 cm in diameter. The cap is light on the edges and dark in the middle, green, olive green, yellowish green, often with rusty brown spots. The leg is covered with the same spots, the height of which is 4-7 cm, and the diameter is from 1 to 2.5 cm. The plates are white or cream-colored. Spores are creamy. The peel is sticky, in places it separates easily. The flesh of this russula is white, not changing color when cut. The mushroom does not have a special smell. Green russula grows in forests of any type from June to October.

• Russula yellow (light yellow, pale yellow, bright yellow) (lat. Russula claroflava) named after the color of its cap, which is convex at the beginning and flat as it grows. In diameter, the hat reaches 8 centimeters. The stem is cylindrical or barrel-shaped, changing color from white to gray with age. White plates become grayish-black as the fungus ages. The light pulp of the russula turns gray on the cut. It has a mild or astringent taste, but is odorless. Spore powder of light ocher color. The skin is partially removed.

The fungus grows in small groups on moist, mossy soils, under poplars, birches or alders. This russula is not very tasty, but quite edible.

• Russula food (lat.Russula vesca ) - one of the most common types of mushrooms. Its cap, up to 10 cm in diameter, is dry, sometimes finely wrinkled, with a smooth or slightly ribbed edge, with a non-peeling or slightly peeling skin. The peel often does not reach the edge of the cap by 1-2 mm. It is pink, white-pink or burgundy-red, in most mushrooms with large white spots. The plates are frequent, branched near the stem, white or yellowish-white. The leg is pink, cylindrical, thinning downwards. The pulp is quite strong, white. This edible russula is boiled, fried and salted.

• Russula brown, fragrant, purple, or herring (lat. Russula xerampelina) – edible mushroom, which fully justifies the name "russula", since it can be eaten raw. The hat, with a diameter of 6 to 15 centimeters, is first convex, then flat-depressed and straight. The color of the cap, depending on the tree under which this russula grows, is different.
  • Under coniferous trees it is red with burgundy, carmine, brown or purple hues.
  • Under oaks - red-brown, pink or olive.
  • Under birches - yellow, yellowish-green, with purple edges.

The peel of the cap is initially slimy, then velvety, it lags behind the pulp to half. The flesh is white, turning brown with age, and in reaction with ferrous sulfate it turns green. The leg is brownish-reddish, with a pink tint, turning brown with age, 4-8 centimeters high. Spores are creamy yellow. The taste of young russula is a little sharp, later inexpressive. The smell, on the contrary, is hardly noticeable at first, becomes herring over time. Russula grows brown from August to November in coniferous and deciduous forests.

• Russula marsh (lat. Russula paludosa) , popular name - float. This is the largest mushroom of the russula genus, with a cap diameter of up to 16 cm, a leg 10-15 cm high and 1-3 cm in diameter. It has a convex orange-red cap with a slightly depressed yellowish middle. The fruit body is covered with a dry skin that becomes slightly sticky in wet weather. The plates of marsh russula are white, yellowish or light golden. Its flesh is pink, graying with age, with a pleasant taste. Edible swamp russula grows large groups on the sandy soil of coniferous forests.

• Russula greenish, or scaly (lat. Russula virescens) - an edible mushroom, one of the best species of the russula family for eating. The mushroom cap is large, up to 14 cm in diameter, with a velvety skin that quickly cracks into scales. Its shape, like many russula, changes with age. In young mushrooms, it is spherical; in large russula, its middle becomes concave. The color of the hat is a mixture of green, yellow, blue, ocher, copper and olive hues. The leg is white, with brown scales below. The plates are white. The mushroom is fleshy, with a sweetish nutty taste and odorless. Its flesh is dense and brittle, turning from white to rusty when cut. Greenish russula grow singly or in groups, preferring space under oaks, beeches and birches in deciduous and mixed forests.

• Russula blue, or azure (lat. Russula azurea) - a species growing under coniferous trees, more often under spruce trees. The diameter of the mushroom cap is from 3 to 10 cm. It is convex at an early age and flat with a concave center by the time the spores ripen. The hat comes in a variety of colors. purple with a bluish tint. Leg whitish, velvety. Skin with a bluish bloom, well removed. Spore powder is white. Blue russula are edible mushrooms with a pleasant taste.

• The loader is often lamellar, or nigella often-plate (lat.Russula densifolia ) - mushroom of the russula genus. The diameter of its cap is less than 20 cm. The whitish flesh on the cut first turns red, and then turns brown and black. Plates are light. As the fungus ages, the outer color of the fungus changes from grayish to olive, brown and brown. Loading is growing in the southern regions in broad-leaved and coniferous forests. The extract of this russula is used in medicine.

• Russula gray (lat. Russula grisea ) - the earliest of russula. Grows in large groups in light pine or broadleaf forests, on fresh, sandy soils, from June to August. Its hat is from 5 to 12 cm in diameter, of a traditional form for russula: convex in young mushrooms and flat, funnel-shaped in old ones. Its color is bluish, gray, dirty gray or dirty lilac-bluish, lighter towards the edge and dark in the middle. The leg is light. The peel is removed to half the cap. Russula pulp is dense, white color, odorless, fresh or slightly edible.

• white pickup, or dry breast (lat. R u ssula d e lica ) . Synonyms: cracker, russula pleasant, excellent. White podgruzdki often found in coniferous and deciduous forests in the northern part of the forest zone of Russia. Grow from July to October. The hat, up to 20 cm in diameter, is first flat-convex with a curved edge and a depression in the middle, then funnel-shaped with a straightening edge, pure white, sometimes with brownish-yellow spots (tan marks), at first thin felt, then naked. A white load is characterized by the presence of adhering soil particles in the center of the cap.

The stem of the fungus is up to 5 cm long, smooth, at first solid, then hollow, white, thin-felt. The pulp is white, does not change at the break, is not caustic in the cap tissue, bitterish in the plates. The plates are descending, narrow, clean, sometimes forked, forked, white towards the outer edge. Spores are colorless, ovate-rounded. Usually this mushroom is salted. Salted podgruzdok tastes good and has a pleasant white color.

Conditionally edible russula

Conditionally edible russula can be eaten only after heat treatment and in no case should it be eaten raw. This group includes:

• Russula black, black podgrudok, or nigella (lat. Russula adusta) has a dirty white-gray in youth and brown in maturity color of the cap. Her legs are lighter. The plates are dirty gray, the spores are colorless. The flesh is first turning pink, and then graying on the cut, blackening on the stem when pressed. The cap of a young mushroom is convex-prostrate, then with a funnel in the center. The cap diameter is from 5 to 15 cm. The taste of the mushroom is mild, the smell is unpleasant. Black russula grows mainly in pine forests from July to October.

• Russula ocher (lat. Russula ochroleuca) has many similar specific epithets: pale ocher, pale yellow, lemon, ocher yellow, ocher white, ocher yellow. The color of the cap corresponds to the name, its diameter is 5-12 cm. Hemispherical at first, then it becomes convex. The skin of mushrooms of this species is easily separated by strips. Their leg is white with a brown tint, 3 to 8 in height, 1 to 2.5 cm in diameter. The plates and spores are white or creamy. Buffy russula are conditionally edible mushrooms that are often found in European forests all types.

• Russula pink, beautiful, or rosaceous (lat. Russula rosea) – conditionally edible mushroom. Named for the color of the cap, although it is not actually pink, but has shades from red to pinkish and can change with the weather to pale lemon. The diameter of the cap is from 4 to 12 cm. Its shape is semicircular, eventually flattened with a concave center. The skin does not separate from the pulp of the cap. The height of the stem is from 3 to 8 cm, the diameter is from 1 to 3 cm, its color is white or pinkish, approximately like a hat. The plates are pinkish or cream, sometimes reddish closer to the stem. The pulp is white with a sweet smell, dense, but brittle. The spore powder has light shades ocher or cream. Pink russula grows singly or in groups from July to October, mainly in broadleaf but sometimes in coniferous forests, on well-drained soil.

• Russula birch (caustic birch) (lat.Russula betularum ) - a conditionally edible mushroom that has a flat hat from 2 to 5 cm in diameter. Its color is the most diverse: from dark red to white with a yellowish center. The skin is easily removed. The leg is brittle, with cavities, soaking from dampness, wrinkled above, light. The flesh of the russula is white, grayish when wet, practically odorless, pungent in taste. Spores are white.

According to its name, these mushrooms grow under birch trees in deciduous and mixed forests. They like wet or swampy places. Birch russula is edible after preliminary boiling.

• Value (lat.Russula foetens ) - conditionally edible mushroom. Other names for the fungus: plakun, goby, svinur, kulbir, apricot, head over heels, podtopolnik, fist, cowshed. Grows in the forest area North America and Eurasia. It occurs in mountain, spruce, deciduous forests. Most abundant in oak forests and birch forests. Collect valui from July to October. The cap of the mushroom is yellow-brown or ocher. Its maximum diameter is 15 cm. At first it is spherical, adjacent to the leg. Later it becomes flat, depressed in the center. The edge of the cap is thin and ribbed, with a peeling off skin. The mushroom is covered with mucus, especially in wet weather, for which it was nicknamed the crybaby. Valuya leg is cylindrical, 6-12 cm high and up to 3 cm thick. Light, may be covered with brown spots at the base. Bloated, empty inside. Its flesh is initially white and dense, turning brown on the cut. It tastes pungent and pungent and bad smell dampness. in dry and hot weather the smell disappears completely. Valuya plates are often located, they are adherent, at first white, later yellow. Drops of liquid stand out along the edges of the plates, drying in air and leaving brown spots. Its spores are round, colorless at the time of appearance and light ocher, prickly at the time of maturation. Mushrooms are suitable for salting. To do this, it is better to collect valui with a hat up to 6 cm. Their legs are cut to the base and blanched before salting. Cooked in this way, they acquire a good taste. Valui is also used to make mushroom caviar.

• blackening loader, or russula blackening (lat.Russula nigricans ) - a large conditionally edible mushroom, at first with a convex, then with a flat-prostrate hat and a slightly depressed middle. The color of the cap varies from whitish to sooty brown. Its maximum diameter is 20 cm. The flesh is white, first reddening on the cut, and then blackening. The stem of the mushroom is short, strong, covered with veins. The plates are not typical for russula: thick, different in length, rare, at first yellowish, later dark and even black. Loading grows from July to October, mainly in coniferous forests.

• Russula reddening false (lat. Russula fuscorubroides) . The fungus grows singly or in small groups in pine and spruce forests from June to August. It has a smooth lilac-purple or black-tinted cap, convex-flat in young specimens and depressed in the middle with fringed edges in mature ones. Its diameter is from 4 to 14 cm. The stem is 4-9 cm high and 7-15 mm thick, purple, with blood-red longitudinal grooves, cylindrical, tapering upwards. The plates are adherent, narrow, arched, ocher-white. The spores are also buffy white. Due to its pungent taste, russula is used to prepare hot spices. It can be eaten after preliminary boiling in two or three waters.

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn brings a little sadness: the end of the warm season, the onset of rain and cold weather. But with this, the most pleasant time for mushroom pickers begins, when you can do quiet hunting.

Enjoying the smells of the forest and the singing of birds, we diligently look for fungus after fungus. And then we bring all this variety home. The aroma of fresh mushrooms and boiled potatoes fried with an onion already seems to be flowing in the air. However, not all so simple.

It is important that these goodies do not lead to sad health problems. Therefore, it is worth having some knowledge about the varieties of mushrooms, their edible and dangerous representatives.

The most popular and early ripening mushrooms are birch and russula! There are about 270 species of them in nature, hence the variety of intricate names: marsh russula, brown, yellow, purple, wavy, innocent, unpleasant and others.

Russula is one of the most popular mushrooms

They are divided into certain groups according to edibility:

• edible (excellent);
• edible (good);
• conditionally edible;
• inedible (non-toxic);
• toxic.

Obviously, it is difficult to remember such a huge number of varieties of mushrooms. Yes and ordinary person it's useless. It is enough to know their main varieties, how to distinguish one species from others. One must have a general idea of ​​those that are safe to eat and those that are poisonous to humans.

Edible and inedible - a rather conditional division of these mushrooms. False russula is the name of an inedible mushroom that can be dangerous to eat. it common name for all species of this family, the representatives of which can be harmful to human health.

False russula. Be careful!

What does russula look like

Surely many people know. It can be found in almost any area. She does not hide, like birch trees or chanterelles under the leaves of trees and grass, but on the contrary, coquettishly exposes herself to everyone. This fungus can be distinguished from the rest by its slightly convex, flat or funnel-shaped, often brightly colored cap, which can have a variety of colors. Color options: red, blue, green, grey…

The variant of the shape of the cap depends on the age of the mushroom: it begins to grow with a ball cap, then gradually the cap turns inside out. The upper bright skin can be removed completely or partially. The leg is usually straight, the size, compared with other mushrooms, is medium.

Despite the prevalence and diversity of species, it is this mushroom that people often ignore in the forest. Although russula mushroom for the most part has good palatability. Some are especially delicious. And there are those that are even considered delicacies.

Edible or not edible?

The fact that it is impossible to be fatally poisoned by them is partly true. From a scientific point of view, among them there are no mushrooms that can be fully classified as poisonous according to their specific characteristics. That is, this mushroom cannot be deadly

According to toxicity to humans, all mushrooms can be divided into three types:

• causing food poisoning;
• causing disruption of the nervous system;
• deadly poisonous.

Russula can cause food poisoning

The toxicity of any representative of this kingdom is determined by one or another chemical which causes disturbances in the human body. And our false views the maximum can be attributed only to the first group. Despite this, there are some species that are worth focusing on. When collecting them, you should be extremely careful.

Russula burning (Russula emetica)

This is a representative of the false group, it contains the alkaloid muscarine, which is toxic to humans. Its content is low, but sufficient to cause disruption gastrointestinal tract. In appearance, it has an orange-red or pale red hat with rounded edges. You can smell its fruity scent.

Russula red or blood red (Russula sanguinea)

It has a bright red color of the cap, which may fade over time. The leg is thin. The peculiarity is that the skin is practically not removed. It may have a fruity aroma, but it is acrid and bitter in taste and can cause indigestion.

Blood red russula tastes bitter and can cause indigestion

Brittle russula (Russula fragilis)

It has a fairly diverse color palette on the hats. From olive to lilac-blue and pink. Thin, fragile. Tastes very bitter. Russula brittle can cause mild poisoning. It can only be eaten for pickling. Cooking should be done after thoroughly boiling.

Russula green (Russula aeruginea), as well as scaly (Russula virescens)

These mushrooms have excellent taste qualities. The green russula has a greenish-gray hat with the shape of a hemisphere in a young mushroom. The mature one has a straight hat with slightly torn edges turned inside out in the mature one. The danger of mushrooms with a green color of the cap lies in the fact that they are very similar in appearance to the poisonous pale grebe. They can be difficult to distinguish, especially when they are young mushrooms. And, accordingly, it is easy to make a mistake. It is by no means green russula that can get into the basket. And poisoning with a pale toadstool is deadly for humans.

Russula green is easy to confuse with pale grebe

So what can you eat?

Most of the rest of the members of this family are safe to eat. The main thing to remember is the correct processing and preparation, in order to reduce the likelihood of unhealthy substances entering the body. The most common types that can be safely and happily brought to the table are described below.

Russula food (Russula vesca)

One of the most common: pink-brown hat, semi-circular or flat, depending on the maturity of the mushroom. The leg is thick. Grows all summer and autumn. Russula food is not in vain has such a name, because it is very tasty (has a nutty flavor). No wonder it is one of the most commonly eaten.

Russula food - very delicious mushroom

Swamp Russula (Russula paludosa)

Otherwise, it is called a float, it has a red, darker wavy hat in the center with slightly raised edges. The stem is white, like a spindle. Edible, but not very tasty. Russula marsh is very common in coniferous forests, grows in late summer and autumn. Despite its name - marsh russula - it grows not only in swampy areas, but is found in places overgrown with moss.

Russula golden (Russula aurea)

It has a rich cap color from brick to copper. The cap itself is slightly convex to slightly concave. It has a smooth fleshy leg, which becomes porous with age. There is a golden russula quite rarely. However, it has good taste.

Russula yellow (Russula claroflava)

The mushroom has an ordinary semicircular or flat cap, but is distinguished by its rich yellow. Its flesh is thick and white. Grows in summer and autumn under birches. Do not be afraid that the russula is yellow at the break and changes from white to gray, and when cooked, it generally turns to dark gray. This phenomenon is a normal property of this fungus.

Yellow russula - edible mushroom

Brown Russula (Russula xerampelina)

It has a purple hat darker in the middle with a slightly convex or slightly concave shape with an impression in the center. The taste is pleasant, but the smell has a specific. The brown russula is named so due to the fact that when the leg is damaged, its color becomes brown from a reddish tint, unlike other counterparts, the color of which remains the same color or becomes slightly gray when broken. Interestingly, brown russula is considered a delicacy in some countries.

Blue Russula (Russula azurea)

A mushroom with a semicircular to concave cap with a depression in the center of a delicate lilac to amethyst-blue color with a well-removable gossamer skin. It has a pleasant aromatic taste.

Edible blue russula

Why can you get poisoned?

The reason for poisoning with these mushrooms is most often the use of false (inedible) species without the necessary heat treatment (cooking). Collected, washed, fried, eaten. Voila! Hello food poisoning, basin and toilet.

In case of poisoning with russula, the help of a doctor is required

Russula mushroom, which is edible, may well be eaten without cooking. However, it should not be eaten completely raw. You can, for example, fry, pickle or pickle. If there are doubts and worries about a particular mushroom, it is recommended to either boil (stew) or completely refuse to use it.
How much to cook russula to safely consume? The answer is simple. It is necessary to cook in two waters: first bring to a boil in one container, then transfer to new boiling water and cook there for about 20 minutes.
If, nevertheless, signs of food poisoning appear after consumption (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), it is recommended to cleanse the stomach and intestines of food debris with the help of vomiting and enemas, and take enterosorbents. But if you feel the need, see a doctor.

Video

See interesting video about the green russula-twin of the pale grebe.

Russula is the most common mushroom in Russia. Russula mushrooms grow in any forest - deciduous, coniferous or mixed. These beautiful mushrooms are undeservedly deprived of attention: mushroom pickers and culinary experts consider russula third-rate and take them only when they do not find other mushrooms. Of course, taste is an individual matter, and for each type of mushroom you need to find your own approach or style, if you want. Russula cannot be cooked in the same way as other mushrooms, and often this detail scares off cooks. In practice, russula girba are even easier to prepare than white ones, and the taste of salty russula can surprise with its nutty nuances and make culinary fantasy work to its fullest. There are many types of russula, it is worth understanding them in order to determine the cooking method for each type and cook these delicious mushrooms with confidence.

There are 13 main varieties of russula. They can be divided into 3 groups:
. Delicious (4 varieties)
. Edible (3 varieties)
. Inedible and poisonous

Delicious

Or russula greenish(Russula virescens). The cap is from 5 to 15 cm in diameter, hemispherical in young mushrooms, then mushroom-shaped with a hole in the center and with inverted edges in mature mushrooms. The skin is light green or gray Green colour with white patches, often torn. The plates are white or fawn. The leg is thick, fleshy, dense. The pulp has a nutty flavor. Grows in deciduous forests in summer and autumn. This is a very tasty mushroom, considered the best among russula.

Attention! Russula scaly looks like a pale grebe - deadly poisonous mushroom. Be extremely careful!

(Russula vesca). Hat 5-9 cm, pink or brown-pink, with a sticky surface (matte when dry). Young russula have hemispherical caps, mature ones are flat. The plates are rare, white or with red spots. The leg is white, fleshy. Food russula has a nutty taste and a slight mushroom aroma. It grows all summer and autumn in deciduous and coniferous forests. This is a very tasty mushroom, one of the best among russula. It has a slight resemblance to the fly agaric, in contrast to which it does not have spots on the hat and “skirt” on the leg.

(Russula cyanoxaniha). Hat from 5 to 15 cm, lilac, steel with a bluish tint or green with purple hues. In youth it is spherical, then flat in shape with lowered edges with a sticky surface. The plates are frequent, non-fragile, white. The pulp is white, dense in young mushrooms and curdled in mature ones. Grows in deciduous forests in summer and autumn. It differs from other russula in flexible plates.

(Russula integra). The cap is 6 to 15 cm long, globose when young and flat with raised margins when mature. Coloring from brown-red to chocolate-brown. The plates are milky white, and then yellowish. The pulp is white, dense and brittle in young mushrooms and yellowish, crumbly in mature mushrooms. It grows all summer and autumn in deciduous forests. Whole russula should be distinguished from purple-brown, which has a bitter taste.

Edible.

It can be noted that mushrooms without a pronounced taste fall into this group, which should be taken and cooked only if you really want mushrooms. Nevertheless, these mushrooms are edible, they can be harvested: salted and pickled, give them some taste and aroma with spices or used as fillings.

Russula marsh or float(Russula paludosa). Hat 8-15 cm, bright red, dark in the center. Bell-shaped when young, mature - with lowered edges. Adhesive film, plates are white or yellowish, often stick to the stem, in the context it can be reddish. The flesh is white and odorless. It grows mainly in coniferous forests in summer and autumn.

(Russula decolorans). Hat 3-10 cm, orange-red, with a sticky-mucous film in young mushrooms, dry and smooth in mature ones. The plates are frequent, white or buttery yellow in mature ones, and gray in old ones. The leg is long, even, white in young and mature, gray in old ones. The flesh is white, graying with age. Summer and autumn grow in coniferous forests. It is very important not to confuse the faded russula with the burning-caustic russula, in which the plates and spore powder are white, and the flesh is not graying.

(Russula daroflava). Hat 4-10 cm, dark yellow, spherical in young and flat in mature mushrooms. The plates are narrow, adherent to the stem, white in young, gray in mature. The flesh is tender, white, dense in young, friable and graying in mature ones. The smell is not pronounced or absent. It grows in summer and autumn on peat soil next to birches.

Inedible and poisonous

This group includes conditionally edible and poisonous mushrooms. Yes, among russula there are a couple of species that are dangerous to eat.

Conditionally edible mushrooms can be eaten, but they can either be tasteless or difficult to process. These include (Russula ochroleuca) with a specific color of the hat, similar to yellow russula. You can distinguish it from yellow russula by color: in ocher, the color is dirty, in yellow, it is bright, clean. Russula golden yellow(Russula risigalina) is also edible, but has an inexpressive taste. It differs from yellow in smaller sizes (cap 3-7 cm) and egg-yellow spore powder. Russula green(Russula aerguinea) with ugly hats of unpleasant green (marsh) color 5-10 cm in diameter. The mushroom is tasteless and, in addition, looks like a pale grebe. Russula is beautiful(Russula lepida), despite its name, has a bitter, tough and tasteless flesh. It is distinguished by a blood-red color of the cap 5-10 cm in diameter. Russula purplish brown(Russula badia) is purple-red when young. Hat 8-12 cm, ocher spore powder. It has a specific smell, reminiscent of a cigar box. The taste is unpleasant, it can be very bitter.

(Russula emetica) is truly inedible and even poisonous. It has a hat 5-10 cm, blood-red, which in rainy weather becomes ocher-yellow and slippery. The leg is even, white or pink, with brittle pulp. The flesh of the cap is white, reddish under the skin. It has an interesting fruity smell and a very pungent taste. Be extremely careful - the mushroom is poisonous!

Now that you've been warned and can tell the difference between tasty and poisonous russula, don't be afraid to pick and cook them. Russula are very brittle. This is the most main feature this type of mushroom and its main disadvantage. Disentangling from the grass, freeing from twigs and transportation should be neat, without jerking or shaking.

Inexperienced or novice mushroom pickers and culinary specialists, the name of the mushroom (russula) can be confusing. These mushrooms are not eaten raw, it is not accepted. If you wish, you can eat raw russula - you can’t get poisoned and die if it was of the right kind. For better taste Russula is marinated, salted, fried, stewed and boiled. Pickled and salted russula are best obtained, for which they got their name. After a day of salting, the russula can be eaten, just add the traditional mushroom dressing from oil and onion or garlic.

salting

Mushrooms should be washed, coarsely chopped or left whole, poured with saline and put in dark place. You can add a few black peppercorns, currant leaves, dill or other fragrant herbs.

Pickling

It differs from salting in that vinegar is added to the solution. Usually used for canning, but in the case of russula, it makes sense to quickly marinate without preservation. Thus, you can always have a ready-made cold snack in the refrigerator.

frying

Mushrooms need to be cleaned, but not washed. Cut not too finely and fry in oil. Russula are fried quite quickly and it is very important not to turn them into coals, trying to get rid of the imaginary poison. Inedible or simply tasteless russula should be removed at the sorting stage and not bother with thoughts of poisoning during cooking. If in doubt - cook.

Cooking

Russula is washed, cleaned, cut into medium pieces and boiled in two waters. In the first water, bring to a boil, cook for several minutes, then transfer the mushrooms to another container with boiling water and cook there for 15-20 minutes. For suspicious, pre-soaking can be recommended.

Extinguishing

The best way to cook russula mushrooms. Combines cooking and frying, removes doubts from even the most suspicious. There are two ways: wash the mushrooms, peel, cut and lay in a layer in a pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally. The second way: boil and stew. More liquid will be released - you can make, for example, a broth or sauce based on a liquid that is poured into a separate container, or you can simply let the moisture evaporate. When stewing russula, you can add peppers (peas, whole chili peppers), bay leaves or curry leaves, cloves, and generally enrich russula with different flavors. Although aesthetes claim that russula is already delicious and that their wonderful nutty taste should not be spoiled. Of course, there is no need to spoil, but you can strengthen it. If the nutty taste is not observed, then you can add sour cream and simmer in it.

Fans of potatoes with mushrooms can be recommended to fry the potatoes separately and add separately fried russula at the last stage of cooking - this way you can easily control the frying process of these fundamentally different ingredients. You can do the same with other products: cook them separately from russula and mix at the last stage of cooking. Or don't mix and serve separately.

All traditional mushroom recipes are applicable to russula, but the best way cooking remains salting. You can salt russula even in field conditions, which is what experienced hikers, hunters or summer residents use. Garlic cloves and fragrant herbs are used as aromatic additives. For quick salting garlic is cut into plates, herbs are crushed, salt is taken a little more than for long cooking.

Salted russula

Ingredients:
500 g mushrooms
2 tbsp. tablespoons of salt (per 1 liter of water),
5 garlic cloves,
herbs (bilberry sprouts, mint, tarragon, dill).

Cooking:
Rinse the mushrooms, place in a container for salting, add garlic, sprinkle with salt, add herbs and fill with spring water. Leave for 10-12 hours. Serve mushrooms drizzled with butter. You can add onions.

Russula - very tasty, easy-to-cook mushrooms, an excellent cold appetizer, a great addition to potatoes and vegetables.

Alexey Borodin

Russula are delicious mushrooms, which mushroom pickers “hunt” every year, as soon as the next mushroom season. Outwardly, russula can be so diverse that people do not worry too much about how to recognize whether it is really an edible mushroom. And not everyone, unfortunately, knows whether there is false russula basically. But there are false russula, among which there are very few conditionally edible ones! This means that poisoning with false russula is very likely. So, how to distinguish a false russula from an edible one and what does this mushroom look like?

Are there false russula

In fact, all mushrooms that are called false russula have their own names. And they call them that only because they are really very often confused with real russula. Often, the real pale grebe is mistaken for a real russula, but at the same time it is called a grebe. Conditionally edible or non-poisonous mushrooms, similar to russula, have their own names that correspond to the family and external hallmarks mushroom. It is worth knowing about the most famous representatives of russula, which are most often mistaken for real russula.

Description of false russula

It is important for any mushroom picker to know how to distinguish a real russula from a false one, since poisonous mushrooms are also found among its species. However, it is worth starting with conditionally edible and inedible false russula:

• Russula is caustic (burning or vomiting) - it is characterized by a bright red cap, from which the film is easily separated. The flesh of this mushroom also has a reddish tint, and the stem is pink. In general, this false russula causes a lot of controversy to this day, some mycologists consider it absolutely poisonous, others simply inedible. But for a mushroom picker, this no longer matters, since one thing is clear - it is impossible to collect such russula.
• Russula bile is distinguished by a burning aftertaste and a brownish-yellow shade of the cap. This mushroom is also forbidden to eat.
• Blood-red russula is also not intended to be eaten due to its burning taste and unpleasant bitterness. This false russula is very insidious, as it tends to change the color of the plates from white to cream over time.
• Ocher-yellow, dark purple and reddening - all these false russula are not poisonous, but because of the unpleasant taste they are not eaten.

How to distinguish false russula from real

Most often, in a basket with real russula, there may be a burning-caustic or vomiting russula. Outwardly, it is very similar to the edible marsh russula, so it is difficult to distinguish it from real russula at first glance. But other false russula also often end up in the baskets of mushroom pickers. Anyone who has not seen a false russula either in the photo or in person should be alerted by such signs of the fungus:

To finally make sure that the russula is false, you need to taste it in the truest sense of the word. For a person, this will not create any threat, it will only cause a slight discomfort in the form of a burning sensation of the tongue, which will pass in 15 minutes.

Russula is the most common mushroom belonging to the Russula family. On the this moment more than 270 species of russula are known, about 10 species grow on our territory. Almost all representatives of this family are either suitable for human consumption or of little use, being conditionally edible or toxic mushrooms.

The hat of russula can be spherical, bell-shaped. In mature mushrooms - prostrate or flat. Sometimes funnel-shaped with a wrapped or straight edge (in some representatives, the edge is ribbed). Skin color from greenish-brown to reddish poisonous russula), dry to the touch, shiny or matte. Easily separated from the pulp (grown in some mushrooms). The plates are descending (free), adherent, of various lengths, frequent (rare in some representatives), brittle. Their color varies from white to yellowish.

The russula mushroom has a dense pulp, fragile in the leg. The color is white, changing when cut and as it matures. The leg of the russula is cylindrical, even, sometimes thickened at the base. The color is white (or to match the hat). The leg is hollow inside.

Russula wavy - an edible representative of russula, growing in deciduous forests. It has a purple cap with a depressed center. Sometimes there are yellow spots on the hat. The leg of the wavy russula is short, club-shaped, white (cream) shades. The pulp is white, pungent in taste.

Russula is pale green - an edible mushroom belonging to category 4. Its main difference is the color of the hat. It ranges from olive green to off-white with a faded center. At first, the cap has a hemispherical shape; in mature mushrooms, it straightens. Slightly sticky to the touch, with a thin ribbed edge. The skin on the cap is easily separated from the pulp. The leg reaches 5 cm in length, 2 cm in diameter. It lives in deciduous, less often coniferous forests. Young mushrooms look like a poisonous relative - a pale grebe. You can distinguish by the absence of Volvo, bedspreads.

Russula food - a mushroom belonging to category 3, considered one of the most delicious in russula. It differs in the shape and color of the hat. Most often it has a hemispherical shape, sometimes wavy-curved. Sticky in wet weather, matte in dry weather. The color is pinkish, brick-reddish, brown-red. Often colored unevenly, with light spots. The skin is easily separated from the white flesh. The leg is short up to 3-5 cm. It likes to grow in deciduous forests in well-lit places.

Russula is caustic (vomiting) - a poisonous mushroom that causes food poisoning. The taste is very bitter, contains the alkaloid muscarine, which causes collapse and respiratory disorders. AT large quantities- deadly. It bears fruit at the same time as edible russula, it is distinguished by a bright red, light red color of the cap. The edge of the cap is down, obtuse. The flesh is pinkish, with a bitter taste, fruity aroma. Grows near deciduous (sometimes coniferous) trees.

Photos mushroom

In the photo, the russula is wavy, pale green, food, caustic. The main difference is in the color of the hat. Fruiting from August to September, in deciduous, rarely coniferous forests. They grow singly, sometimes in groups. They bear fruit every year.