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Sheep tinder fungus is a rather rare, but tasty and healthy mushroom from the Albatrell family. It is used both for the treatment of diseases and for culinary purposes, so it is interesting to study the features of the sheep albatrellus in more detail.
Description of the sheep tinder
Sheep tinder fungus, also called sheep albatrellus, is a mushroom with a dense, brittle white flesh that turns yellow when dried or lightly pressed. It smells most often not very pleasant, soapy, but some argue that the smell can be flour or almond.
It is easy to recognize a sheep tinder fungus by its characteristic structure.
The easiest way to recognize fruiting bodies is by the structure of the cap and stem. Therefore, the photo and description of the sheep tinder fungus should be studied more carefully.
Description of the hat
Sheep tinder fungus is a medium-sized mushroom, the cap of which can reach 10 cm in diameter. In shape, it is most often rounded, but the edges can be wavy or lobed, sharp and thin. In the photo of the sheep tinder fungus, it is noticeable that in mature fruiting bodies, the caps often crack, and in young ones they are even, silky to the touch and covered with a smooth skin. The color of the mushroom ranges from whitish to beige and cream.
Albatrellus sheep's hat is wavy, with a thin sharp edge
The lower surface of the cap of the sheep tinder fungus is tubular, running strongly down the leg. The color of the tubules is also white, cream, greenish-yellow or yellow-lemon, noticeably yellow when pressed. The pores of the tinder fungus are round or angular in shape.
Leg description
The ovine albatrellus mushroom rises by an average of 3-7 cm above the ground, the girth of the leg is up to 3 cm. The structure of the leg is dense and smooth, solid from the inside, in shape - straight or slightly curved, with a slight narrowing towards the base. A photo of a sheep's mushroom demonstrates that the color of the leg is the same as that of the rest of the mushroom, white, cream, beige or grayish.
Where and how it grows
Sheep tinder fungus in Russia can be found from mid-summer to late autumn, mainly in the Far East and Siberia, as well as in the Central region. It grows mainly in mixed and coniferous forests under spruce trees, it is also found on forest edges and clearings, in glades and on roadsides. For growth, the fungus often chooses a moss cover and alkaline or neutral soils.
You can find sheep albatrellus in single specimens, but more often the mushroom grows in small groups. In this case, the fruiting bodies are usually closely pressed against each other and even grow together with the legs and edges of the caps.
Doubles and their differences
Sheep tinder fungus has quite a few twins - mushrooms that are similar in structure, but differ in color and taste. The tinder fungus does not have toxic twins, but it should not be confused with related species anyway. Not all similar mushrooms can please with the same pleasant taste.
Merging tinder fungus
It is possible to confuse related species primarily because of their structure. The fused tinder fungus also has a rounded cap with wavy edges, and often grows in small groups of several fused fruiting bodies.
You can distinguish mushrooms by color - the merging tinder fungus is much darker, its color is closer to reddish-brown. It is also possible to eat a related species for food, so the error in this case is not dangerous.
Yellow hedgehog
You can accidentally confuse the sheep albatrellus with the yellow hedgehog - the fruit bodies are similar in size and shape to the cap. It is also rounded, slightly wavy; it often grows in groups of several. Yellow urchins are good for human consumption, although some sources claim that mature fruiting bodies are too bitter.
It is possible to distinguish between sheep tinder fungus and yellow hedgehog by color - hedgehog is much brighter, it has a pronounced yellow tint. In addition, the structure of the hymenophore is different - on the underside of the cap of the hedgehog there are not tubes, but peculiar spines, as if hanging vertically downward.
Blushing albatrellus
This related species also has a wide cap with a wavy edge, sometimes up to 10 cm wide. You can distinguish between sheep and reddening albatrellus by color - for a reddening fungus, light ocher, light brown or light brown shades are characteristic. You can also recognize it by its slightly pinkish pubescent leg, which turns red when dried.
Crested albatrellus
Inexperienced mushroom pickers, who have not properly studied the photo of the sheep tinder fungus, may mistakenly take for it the related crested albatrellus. This mushroom is characterized by a wide cap with curved wavy edges; in general, the varieties are very similar in shape.
But at the same time, the comb tinder fungus has a pronounced olive-brown or greenish-brown color. You cannot eat the mushroom, it is not poisonous, but it has an unpleasant taste, and its flesh is too tough.
Sheep mushroom edible or not
Experts do not assess the taste qualities of sheep albatrellus very highly, it belongs only to the 4th category of edibility. But, nevertheless, sheep tinder fungus is completely suitable for eating, although it is preferable to choose only young, fresh fruit bodies for cooking.
How to cook sheep tinder
Sheep tinder fungus is eaten in a variety of ways. It is used in cold snacks and hot dishes, harvested for the winter and dried for medical purposes.
Mushroom preparation
Ovine albatrellus must be processed before cooking. The preparation consists in the fact that the lower part of the leg is cut off from the mushroom, and then the fruit body is washed and boiled in salted water. Cooking should take 15-20 minutes.
In the process of boiling, the light pulp of the tinder fungus acquires a greenish-yellow tint. This is completely normal and should not be a cause for concern.
Sheep tinder soup recipe
The pulp of sheep's albatrellus can be used to make a nutritious and delicious soup. The recipe looks like this:
- fresh tinder fungi in the amount of 1 kg are cleaned, the legs are cut off and the caps are cut into small pieces;
- tinder fungus are boiled for 15 minutes, at the same time 4 onions, cut into half rings, are lightly fried in oil in a pan;
- when the onion acquires a light golden hue, it is poured into a saucepan with mushrooms, and 350 g of millet, buckwheat or any other cereal is added, a little greens to taste and your favorite seasonings.
The soup is boiled until the cereals are fully cooked, after which they are removed from the stove and served on the table.
How to make sheep tinder rolls
Mushroom rolls from tinder fungus can be a decoration of the home table. It is very simple to prepare them, for this you need:
- boil, and then lightly fry 300-500 g of tinder fungus in vegetable oil;
- pass the fried tinder fungus through a meat grinder or cut with a knife into very small pieces;
- mix the mushroom minced meat with chopped onions, boiled egg and pieces of cheese, the proportions are determined according to your own taste;
- if desired, add a little mayonnaise, and then gently wrap it in pita bread.
Mushroom rolls differ not only in their pleasant taste, but also in nutritional value, therefore they can act as an independent snack.
Sheep tinder blanks for the winter
Sheep tinder fungus can be prepared for the winter, in which case it will be possible to use it even a few months after collection. There are mainly 2 methods of processing mushrooms for long-term storage.
Drying
Drying sheep tinder is very simple. This requires:
- clean fresh mushrooms from the ground, stuck needles and other debris;
- wipe them with a towel or paper towels;
- string on a thin thread and hang in a dry place with good ventilation.
When the pulp, when rubbed, begins to crumble in the fingers, the tinder fungus can be removed in a dry glass jar. When drying, it is important to monitor the humidity level in the room - in damp conditions, albatrellus will simply grow moldy. The mushrooms must not be rinsed before drying, in which case they will only pick up excess moisture.
Pickling
Among the recipes for cooking sheep mushroom, pickling is very popular. The recipe looks like this:
- mushrooms are cleaned and boiled in salted water for 30 minutes;
- then the tinder fungi are transferred to a glass jar and covered with salt at the rate of 50 g per 1 kg of fruit bodies;
- after that, add several bay leaves, 2-3 chopped garlic cloves, a few peas of black pepper to the jar;
- the ingredients are mixed well and closed with oppression.
After a few days, the marinade will completely cover the fruit bodies in the jar, and after a week the tinder fungi can be served on the table.
Healing properties
Sheep tinder fungi contain all essential vitamins and minerals, as well as amino acids, organic acids, fiber, antibiotic and immunomodulating substances. Therefore, with regular use, albatrellus:
- works as a natural anti-inflammatory and prevents the development of infections;
- reduces pain in chronic and acute diseases;
- increases the body's immunity due to the significant content of vitamin C and folic acid;
- has a beneficial effect on the skeletal system and strengthens blood vessels;
- helps to normalize digestion.
Eating fruiting bodies is useful in case of a tendency to anemia, sheep tinder contains a lot of proteins, therefore, it helps to quickly gain muscle mass and improves blood composition.
The use of sheep mushroom in traditional medicine
Sheep tinder is often found in home health recipes. On its basis, decoctions and water infusions, alcoholic tinctures and dry powders are prepared.
The substance griffolin in the composition of the fungus has a special value; it inhibits the growth of malignant cells and helps prevent cancer.
Sheep tinder fungus is also used to relieve inflammation in colds, infections and joint ailments - neogrypholine in its composition helps to fight negative processes.
Polypore contains the substance scutigeral, it is considered an effective pain reliever and can be used to relieve discomfort with a wide variety of ailments.
The main thing is that the sheep albatrellus is present on the table on a regular basis.
Eating Sheep Tinder is Good for Your Health
Limitations and contraindications
With its many beneficial properties, sheep tinder fungus can be harmful to health. It is not recommended to use it:
- with exacerbations of chronic stomach diseases, the tinder fungus is slowly digested and can create an unnecessary burden on the digestive tract;
- with a tendency to constipation;
- with serious liver disease;
- during pregnancy and lactation.
Also, it is better not to offer fruit bodies to children under 10 years old, their intestines may not be able to cope with the assimilation of tinder fungus.
How to grow a sheep mushroom at home
The rare Red Book albatrellus is rarely found in the forest and is prohibited from collection. However, it can be grown in the country at home. The algorithm looks like this:
- mycelium, purchased in a specialized store or via the Internet, is mixed with a nutritious substrate of wood shavings, sawdust and small twigs;
- the substrate is placed in clean plastic bags with incisions for air access, moistened with water and left in a warm room with a temperature of at least 20 ° C;
- the lighting in the room should be natural, mushrooms do not like bright sunlight, but they do not grow in complete darkness either.
From time to time, the substrate is moistened, not allowing it to dry out. The first fruiting bodies can grow in a month.
You can grow a sheep mushroom in your country house
Conclusion
Sheep polypore is a mushroom with valuable medicinal properties and a rather pleasant taste. You can rarely meet him in the forest, mushroom picking is not allowed everywhere, but albatrellus is well suited for growing at home.
