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With the arrival of summer for any mushroom picker, the time of waiting begins. Towards the end of July, as soon as the first torrential rains have passed, forest wealth is ripening - mushrooms. Armed with baskets, "quiet hunters" often stumble upon a strong mushroom, which, like a boletus, turns blue on the cut, which is why it has earned the name "bruise". It belongs to the tubular cap mushrooms of the Gyroporov family. A photo of a bruise mushroom - a general view and in section - well demonstrates its differences and will help to recognize this representative in the forest.
Where does the mushroom bruise grow?
A bruise is most often found under birches, on sandy soils. The habitat of the fungus is the entire territory of the CIS. He especially prefers the northern regions, as he does not tolerate the hot climate. In spruce forests, it practically does not occur, but mixed and deciduous forests are rich in bruises. Most often, the fungus grows under birches, with the roots of which it forms mycorrhiza - a special symbiosis of the mycelium and the roots of higher plants.
For growth and development, a bruise needs moisture and moderate heat, therefore, most often this representative of the Gyroporov family is found on the northern side, avoiding the bright sun.
Under the oaks, chestnuts and birches, you can find counterparts of this mushroom, which bear a consonant name, but do not turn blue on the cut. Chestnut and oak bruises have a characteristic bitterness that is associated with the sap of the trees: the characteristic taste of oak bark persists even in the cooked dish.
What does a mushroom bruise look like?
The bruise has a convex cap, which becomes flatter and wider as it matures. Bruises grow up to 14-16 cm in diameter. Their cap is colored, depending on the tree, with which the mycorrhiza created the mycelium of the fungus. The color varies from light to brown. It is often confused with porcini mushroom, because they are really very similar.
The leg of the bruise is as thick and strong as that of the white species. At the root, it is thickened, as if stuffed with cotton wool. Closer to the upper part, cavities are found in the pedicle. The hat is velvety, sometimes even, but most often it has a bumpy surface, as if covered with scales. The older, the more irregularities the cap has. From below, a dense tubular structure is visible, initially white, but yellowing with age. This is due to a rash of yellow spore powder.
The snow-white pulp of this mushroom representative acquires a creamy hue with age. But when it breaks, this color remains only for a few seconds, after which it turns blue. A similar reaction is caused by the presence of a natural antibiotic, boletol, due to which the mushroom was almost exterminated, it was included in the Red Book, but, fortunately, in 2005 it again increased its growing area and was excluded from the list of rare plants.
The bruise mushroom is edible or not
The mushroom is absolutely edible, if it does not grow in landfills, territories of former industries, factories or landfills. Boletae tend to absorb harmful substances from the soil and accumulate them in themselves. Therefore, going on a "quiet hunt", you need to make sure that the mushroom picking sites are environmentally friendly.
Mushroom taste
Freshly cut bruises have a subtle nutty scent. After cooking, the pulp does not creep, retains its dense structure. Because of this similarity with the porcini mushroom and the boletus, the bruise is classified as a valuable variety. The bruise is widely used in cooking: it is dried and boiled, pickled and frozen.Among the descriptions of dishes and photos found on the network, the easiest way to cook a bruise mushroom is to fry it with potatoes.
The characteristic mushroom aroma in a dish or sauce leaves no doubt about the nutritional value of the bruise. You can store the boiled mass in the refrigerator, vegetable section, at a temperature not exceeding 4 ° C. Freshly picked are not stored for more than a week.
Benefits and harm to the body
In addition to bolethol, the bruise contains minerals and antioxidants, which makes it healthy to eat. However, gyroporus is not suitable for food for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract. With caution, you can use it for kidney diseases.
False doubles
As noted above, blue gyroporus cannot be confused with a poisonous mushroom due to the unusual reaction of the pulp to pressing or contact with air. But you can still make a mistake. The bruise turns light blue when pressed, but never darkens. But the Junquille boletus (Boletus junquilleus), which looks very much like a bruise, becomes almost black.
Boletus junquilleus in the photo:
But even if you confuse these two mushrooms, there is nothing wrong. Junkville boletus is edible. This semi-white mushroom also has a characteristic bitterness, as it grows under oak and beech trees. When cooked properly, bitterness can be eliminated.
The bruise can be confused with the oak tree and chestnut gyroporus, but the error is detected immediately: the chestnut and oak twins do not turn blue. These types of mushrooms share a common origin and structure. Chestnut or birch bruises are not boiled, but dried. With this method, the characteristic bitterness leaves the mushroom blanks.
Dubovik bruise (Boletus luridus) in the photo:
Gyroporus chestnut (Gyroporus castaneus):
Gyroporus growing under a birch, on the other hand, has a delicate taste and aroma, for which it is highly valued in gastronomy:
Collection rules
The bruise was not in vain entered into the Red Book, it was on the verge of extinction, including due to improper collection. Not only a bruise, but also any other mushrooms cannot be uprooted. With this method, the mycelium is damaged and dies. The mycelium can grow several meters and give dozens of fruiting bodies, but one careless movement - and a complex mushroom organism will no longer be able to give joy to another hunter. It is necessary to carefully cut off the found crop with a sharp knife, not too close to the root.
In addition, you cannot pick mushrooms along roads, near industrial enterprises, even abandoned ones, as well as landfills.
How to cook a mushroom bruise
To cook a bruise mushroom, you need to decide on the goal: whether the crop will be eaten immediately or saved for the winter.
For stocks, it is recommended to dry the mushrooms. To do this, bruises are cleaned of forest debris and strung on threads or laid out in a special dryer. Large specimens need to be cut, small fungi can be dried whole.
If you intend to cook a dish or marinate a product, boil the mushroom mass.
For this you need:
- Pour water into a saucepan at a rate of 1: 3.
- Dip the mushrooms in boiling water and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and fill the pot with fresh water.
- Bring to a boil again, but this time with the mushrooms.
- After boiling, reduce heat and cook the product for 15 minutes.
You can make any dish with boiled mushroom mass: soup, stew or gravy, as well as pickled blanks. Each housewife has her own recipes for making mushrooms at hand, for example, a creamy bruise gravy with chicken breast.
For 500 g of chicken breast fillet, you need to take:
- 200 - 300 g of mushrooms;
- 2 medium onions;
- 100 ml of cream of 10% fat (if there is no cream, you can replace them with milk, about 0.5 l).
Cooking procedure:
- Mushrooms and chicken fillet, chopped at random, are fried in oil over high heat for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Then the heat is reduced, chopped onion is added.
- Stew everything under the lid for 5 minutes.
Salt and favorite spices are added to taste, poured with cream or milk and stewed under the lid until the chicken is cooked.
You can add water to the cream: it all depends on the preference for the consistency of the gravy. Serve the dish with pasta, rice, buckwheat or boiled potatoes.
Conclusion
Going on a hike for forest riches, you need to take a closer look at a photo of a bruise mushroom so as not to miss this delicious rare specimen. Representatives of this valuable, useful and nutritious species grow in the northern regions of Russia and the CIS countries. The bruise is a powerful natural antibiotic due to the content of boletol in the composition.
