Content
The humpbacked chanterelle is a lamellar mushroom, rarely found on the territory of Russia. Not in demand among mushroom pickers due to the small size and nondescript color of the fruit body. The mushroom is suitable for consumption, but does not have a pronounced aroma and taste; in culinary terms, it is not of particular value.
Where humpback chanterelle mushrooms grow
The main distribution of the chanterelle humpback, otherwise cantarellula tubercle, is in the European, central part of Russia, Moscow region. This is an infrequently found species, it grows only in groups, and gives a stable harvest every year. Mushrooms are harvested from late August to September. In regions with early winter, the end of the humpback chanterelle mushroom season often coincides with the appearance of the first snow.
Chanterelles grow in families in a row or form large circles, occupy a large area on a moss cushion. More often found in damp forest under pine trees, but can also grow in dry coniferous forest. The time of collection falls on the main mushroom season, when there are mushrooms that are more valuable from an economic point of view, therefore, the humpback chanterelle is rarely paid attention to. Less experienced mushroom pickers, due to its unusual appearance, consider the humpback chanterelle poisonous. The fruit body is not only edible, but also, due to its chemical composition, has a certain nutritional value.
What humpback chanterelles look like
Cantarellula is difficult to confuse with other species; outwardly, it does not even remotely resemble the usual classic chanterelle. The fruit body is small, which does not add to the popularity of the mushroom, the color is gray or dark ash, uneven.
The cap is of the correct rounded shape - 4 cm in diameter, it can be slightly wavy if the chanterelle is overripe. The surface is smooth, lighter at the edge, dark in the middle with concentric steel-colored circles. A cylindrical bulge forms in the central part; the tubercle is present in young and mature specimens. As it grows, a shallow funnel forms around it. The edges of the cap are slightly concave inward.
The lamellar spore-bearing surface is dense, the plates are forked-branched, densely arranged, descending to the upper part of the fruit stem. The lower part of the chanterelle is white with a slight gray tint. In the line of transition from the cap to the leg, the plates are covered with a rare blotch in the form of red dots.
The leg is straight, rounded, covered with a dense white bloom on top. The length depends on the layer of moss, on average 8 cm. The diameter is the same along the entire length - within 0.5 cm. Near the mycelium, the color is light brown, towards the cap - closer to white. The leg is one-piece, the inner part is rigid and dense.
The pulp is soft, the concentration of water is insignificant, therefore the structure is brittle, the color is white with a barely noticeable gray tint. The smell is subtle mushroom, not expressed. There is no bitterness in the taste. The cut site turns red during oxidation.
Is it possible to eat humpback chanterelles
In terms of nutritional value and taste, humped chanterelles are referred to the 4th last classification group. Cantarellula is characterized as a conditionally edible mushroom, non-toxic to humans. The group includes numerous representatives, they are also divided according to the degree of nutritional value.
In the upper part of the fruiting body, the cap and part of the stem of the humped chanterelle, the concentration of nutrients is not inferior to the classical form. The chanterelle is used only after heat treatment. For example, mushrooms are not suitable for drying.
Taste qualities
Each type of mushroom has its own aroma and taste. In some, the qualities are clearly expressed, in others weaker. Cantarellula has a pleasant taste, fruiting body after processing with a delicate mushroom taste, tender, without bitterness, not insipid. Mushrooms do not require preliminary soaking and laborious processing. The only drawback of the humpback chanterelle is the complete absence of smell. If the mushroom aroma is barely perceptible in raw fruit bodies, then after processing it disappears completely.
Benefit and harm
The chemical composition of the humpback chanterelle is quite diverse, the main composition is the elements involved in many metabolic processes in the human body. Chanterelles have medicinal properties, they are widely used in folk medicine. If the gastronomic value of cantarellul is low, then the medicinal properties are at the proper level. The fruit body contains vitamins: PP, B1, E, B2, C. Macronutrients:
- calcium;
- sodium;
- potassium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- chlorine;
- sulfur.
Trace elements:
- iron;
- zinc;
- copper;
- fluorine;
- cobalt;
- manganese.
The chemical composition includes proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids. The humpback chanterelle contains a unique substance - hinomannose, toxic to helminths, capable of destroying parasites and their eggs. During heat treatment, the substance decomposes. Therefore, for medicinal purposes, cantarellula is dried and ground into powder.
The beneficial effect on the body of the humpback chanterelle:
- cleanses and restores liver cells;
- inhibits the division of cancer cells;
- participates in the processes of the digestive tract;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- serves as the prevention of cardiovascular diseases;
- improves vision;
- strengthens the immune system;
- relieves worms.
There is no harm from mushrooms, only it is recommended to refrain from eating women during lactation and people with individual intolerance.
Collection rules
The harvesting season for humpback chanterelles begins in early autumn and can last until frost. Mushrooms grow on a moss litter, in a damp or dry coniferous forest. When collecting, they pay attention to the state of the fruiting body; overripe ones are not taken. Not collected in an industrial area, near highways, sewage treatment plants, landfills. Mushrooms from the air and soil absorb and accumulate heavy metals, toxic compounds, they are not recommended to be consumed.
False doubles of humpback chanterelles
Fungi of the 4th group rarely have twins, some of them themselves are referred to as false ones. The humpback chanterelle has no officially recognized double, there are two species that are considered to be false.
In the photo there is a double of the edible cantarella humpbacked - a false convex chanterelle, she has:
- bright yellow color of the cap and other shape;
- pronounced funnel and lack of bulge in the center;
- the leg is shorter, hollow, dark;
- the landing of the plates is rare;
- there are no red blotches near the transition to the leg;
- the presence of snails is visible, the humpback chanterelle is not eaten by insects and worms.
The smell of the double is sharp, herbaceous, bitterness in the taste. Grows on a moss or deciduous bed singly, rarely in pairs. On the cut, the flesh does not turn red.
Photo of another similar species of the Ryadovkov family, to which the humpbacked chanterelle belongs - the gray-blue ryadovka. It grows in families, often located next to cantarella, without close attention they can be confused. A closer look identifies the differences.The plates do not fall on the leg. The shape of the cap is sloping, without a depression or bulge in the center.
The use of humpback chanterelles
Chanterelles are used in cooking only after boiling. The water is poured out, it does not go to the preparation of the dish. Application:
- Humpback chanterelles are salted in large and small containers.
- Fried with onions or potatoes.
- Stew with sour cream.
- They make soup.
In conservation they are used only in assorted varieties. Mushrooms do not lose their unusual color after processing. In winter preparation, they carry not so much a gastronomic as an aesthetic function. Boil and freeze in the freezer. Used in traditional medicine recipes.
Conclusion
Humpbacked chanterelle is a small lamellar mushroom that grows on a moss litter in pine and mixed coniferous forests. In terms of nutritional value, it belongs to the 4th group. In terms of chemical composition, it is not inferior to the classical form. The mushroom is suitable for consumption, it is fried, boiled, used in winter harvesting.
