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Spruce peel is one of the most common species of the genus of the same name. This edible mushroom with a high nutritional value has distinctive characteristics that are important to recognize before harvesting.
What do spruce mushrooms look like?
According to the description and photo, spruce wormwood has a hemispherical cap. The diameter of the surface of the mushroom is from 4 to 10 cm. At a young age, the ends of the cap are tucked towards the stem, but over time, the surface of the spruce spruce becomes convex-conical, and then - a prostrate shape with an inconspicuous tubercle in the center.
The hat can be gray with a brown or blue tint in the center and purple at the edges. A thick layer of mucus covers the smooth skin of spruce moss, which makes the mushroom shine and looks wet.
The edges of the cap of young specimens are connected to the peduncle by a thin mucous blanket. It has the appearance of a colorless film formed by threadlike fibers, which begins to tear as the fungus grows. The bedspread peels off and remains hanging on a high, massive leg. Subsequently, black blotches appear on the surface of spruce moss.
Under the cap, there are a rare layer of descending arcuate plates of grayish or white color, from 3 to 6 mm wide. In young specimens, they are covered by a mucous cover. With age, the plates acquire a brown hue, after which they become purple, almost black.
In young specimens, the leg is thick, slightly swollen, from 5 to 11 cm. As it grows, it acquires a cylindrical shape, and its base becomes narrowed. It has a solid structure and a smooth surface in bright yellow or lemon color.
Spruce bark is characterized by elongated spindle-shaped or cylindrical spores. Their surface is smooth, brown, with 1-2 oily drops.
The pink flesh becomes grayish as it grows. In structure, the fruit body is fleshy, but fragile.
Where do spruce moss grow
Most often, the variety can be found in the central and northern regions of Russia, near spruce trees, in rare cases - near pines. The fungus can be found both on grassy lit areas and in the shade among mosses. Spruce bark is found in groups, often the culture is found not far from boletus.
You can find out more information about the variety from the video:
Is it possible to eat spruce moss
Spruce peels are edible mushrooms. Before cooking, it is important to clean the mushroom from the skin and mucous cover; for this, using a sharp knife, the edge of the cap must be gently pryed towards the middle and the top layer must be removed.Before the main culinary processing, the fruit bodies of mokruha need preliminary boiling for 15 minutes.
Taste qualities of spruce mokruha mushroom
The pulp of spruce mokruha is characterized by a mild sweetish or sour taste and a weak mushroom aroma. Due to this, fruiting bodies are in demand in cooking, as well as in traditional medicine recipes.
Benefits and harm to the body
Spruce bark is one of the most useful types due to the high content of carbohydrates and amino acids in the composition. Fruit bodies are rich in vitamins of groups C, B and E, chitin and fiber. All these components have a beneficial effect on the body systems:
- increasing its tone;
- helping to improve memory;
- eliminating chronic fatigue;
- improving the process of hematopoiesis.
The use of the product is especially useful for those who suffer from headaches or have diseases of the nervous system.
The mushroom is used for the preparation of antimicrobial tincture. Such a remedy prevents the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, spruce mokruha is actively used to eliminate skin diseases, sinusitis, to heal wounds, and also to rinse the mouth.
Masks with spruce moss will be useful for split ends, and for weakened and dull hair, rinsing with a decoction of the mushroom is suitable. Regular use of these products can help stop hair loss and even prevent baldness.
For all its nutritional value, most edible mushrooms are a rather heavy product for the body. That is why the use of spruce mokruha is contraindicated for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys. This is due to the fact that fiber and chitin are capable of provoking the appearance of pancreatitis or gastritis. In addition, the fungus can increase the development of gout.
Spruce mokruha should not be given to children under 10-12 years of age, as well as during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In case of individual intolerance to the substances in the composition of the product, an allergic reaction may occur.
It is allowed to use only specimens collected in ecologically clean territories for food. Preliminary heat treatment of fruit bodies will significantly reduce the risk of gastrointestinal problems.
False doubles
Spruce moss has no poisonous counterparts, which is a great advantage of the species.
Sometimes it can be confused with seemingly similar edible varieties:
- The mucous membrane is spotty: the fracture of its pulp has a red tint, there are dark blotches on the surface of the mushroom.
- Another edible double is purple moss. It is distinguished by orange-brown flesh and dark purple plates.
- Often, due to the dark cap, spruce moss is confused with oil, but the latter do not have plates.
Collection rules
To avoid negative consequences, it is necessary to adhere to the main rules for collecting spruce moss:
- The fruiting body is carefully cut with a sharp knife so as not to damage the structure of the mycelium.
- It is best to put the mushrooms in a wicker basket so that they do not stain the specimens lying next to them purple. The best option is to sort the mushrooms by type.
- You should not cut off old moss, as they may be rotten on the inside. Collected specimens should be checked for worminess.
- It is best to start harvesting in the morning, until most of the moisture has evaporated from the mushrooms. So the moles will retain a maximum of useful substances in their composition.
- The optimal time for harvesting mushrooms is after a warm rain. It is not recommended to go out on a "quiet hunt" in dry weather.
It is important to process the harvested mushrooms as soon as possible so that they do not deteriorate and retain their beneficial properties.Spruce moss are carefully sorted out, cleaned of dirt, earth lumps and needles. After the raw material is best placed in a cool place. For long-term storage, mushrooms can be placed in the freezer. Fruit bodies can be stored frozen for 10 to 12 months.
How to cook spruce moss
Spruce mud is salted, fried, pickled, and also dried. The mushroom is used to make soups, sauces, casseroles and sandwiches. Fried or boiled fruit bodies are added to salads. Mokrukha in combination with other types of mushrooms is also used as an addition to main dishes. It goes especially well with meat or fish. Recipes for canning spruce moss are no less popular.
Before peeling the mushrooms, they need to be put in water for 5-7 minutes: then the mucous membrane will be much easier to remove. After cleaning, the fruit bodies should be thoroughly rinsed and boiled over a fire for 15-20 minutes. Heat treatment changes the color of the mushroom to a darker one, but this does not in any way affect the taste of the product.
Frying spruce bush does not require a lot of oil, since their pulp itself secretes a sufficient amount of juice. You should also not stew mushrooms for a long time, this will make them tough.
Spruce mokruh recipes
There are many different options for making spruce mokruha. Among them, everyone can find the most suitable one for themselves. All of them are simple to perform.
Pickled spruce moss
Ingredients:
- 2 kg wet mud;
- 2 carnations;
- 70 g sugar;
- 50 g of salt;
- 100 ml of 6% vinegar;
- black pepper;
- Bay leaf;
- sunflower oil;
- 1 liter of water.
How to cook:
- Peel the mushrooms, place in a deep container and cover with a little water, adding a pinch of salt and citric acid. The mixture should be brought to a boil and cooked for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the water, rinse the fruiting bodies thoroughly.
- Fill a saucepan with water, add sugar, black pepper, cloves, salt, vinegar and bay leaf.
- Bring the resulting mixture to a boil and add 2 kg of peeled spruce bush. Cook over a fire for 15-20 minutes.
- When the fruit bodies settle to the bottom, they must be transferred together with the marinade into prepared jars. The liquid should completely cover the mushrooms.
- Add 1 tbsp to each of the jars. l. sunflower oil and close with a nylon lid. Store pickled moss in the refrigerator.
Korean spruce
Mushrooms must be carefully separated from the mucous membrane, boiled. After that, the fruit bodies should be fried, adding chopped onions and Korean carrots. Season the dish with olive oil.
Stuffed peppers with spruce moss and buckwheat
In addition to the classic version with rice and minced meat, you can use buckwheat and mushrooms for stuffing peppers:
- Fruit bodies are boiled and fried for several minutes.
- Then spruce mokrukh are mixed with buckwheat, salted and pepper to taste.
- The resulting mixture is filled with peppers peeled from seeds in advance.
- A little tomato paste is added to a container with water, the peppers are stewed for 30-35 minutes until fully cooked.
Bachelor Sandwiches
- 2-4 slices of bread are fried in a pan. Then spread with a thin layer of butter.
- Pre-peeled and boiled fruit bodies are fried over low heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Mushrooms are placed on bread, sprinkled with grated cheese and finely chopped herbs on top.
- After that, the sandwiches are sent to the microwave for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
Low calorie content and a rich composition of nutrients allow you to use spruce moss even during a diet. Moreover, in terms of protein content, such mushrooms are not inferior even to meat dishes.
Conclusion
Spruce peel is one of the most famous representatives of the family. This species has no false counterparts. It belongs to the edible group, which makes it possible to actively use spruce moss in cooking: they can be salted, pickled, fried, and also dried.In addition, the mushroom contains many useful substances that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body.
