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Saffron float (saffron float, saffron pusher) - one of the few representatives of mushrooms of the genus Amanita, suitable for food. This species can be found infrequently in our forests and, despite the fact that it is considered of little value from a culinary point of view, has its fans.
What does a saffron float look like?
The appearance of the saffron float changes depending on age - young specimens are strong, stable, dense, adults - with a fully opened cap on a thin leg, look fragile. Due to its appearance, many mushroom pickers consider it poisonous.
Description of the hat
The saffron float got its name because of the color and shape of the cap - it can have shades of orange-yellow with a brighter and more saturated center; thanks to this color, the mushroom is clearly visible in the grass. The newly appeared saffron float has an egg-shaped cap, as it grows, it opens, acquiring a hemispherical, bell-shaped shape. In adult specimens, the cap becomes flat with a small tubercle in the middle. In humid weather, its smooth, dry or slightly slimy surface acquires a characteristic shine. The cap on average reaches 40–80 mm in diameter, but in some cases it grows up to 130 mm.
With age, frequent white plates become creamy or yellowish and protrude along the edges of the cap, which is why it becomes ribbed. A small amount of volva may remain on the surface.
Leg description
The saffron pusher has a smooth or scaly cylindrical leg 60 to 120 mm long, 10–20 mm thick. At the base, it is somewhat thicker than that of the cap, it can be either straight or slightly curved. The color ranges from pure white to saffron. The leg is hollow, brittle, without a ring, but the scales can form peculiar belts.
A feature of this species is the presence of a saccular volva, from which the stem grows. In some cases, it can be in the ground, but more often it is observed above its surface.
Where and how it grows
In our latitudes, you can find a saffron float from the second half of summer to mid-autumn, mainly in those forests where deciduous trees grow - birch, beech, oak. It also often coexists with spruce. It feels best in lighted places: on the edges, along paths, in copses, it can grow in swampy areas. Prefers fertile, moist, acidic soils. Grows more often singly, but can also be found in groups.
In our country, it is most common in the Far East, in the Primorsky Territory, it is well known to mushroom pickers in the Tula and Ryazan regions.
Is the mushroom edible or not
The saffron float is classified as conditionally edible mushroom, but from a culinary point of view, its value is low, since the pulp does not have a pronounced taste and smell, it crumbles easily.
Like other conditionally edible species, the saffron float needs preliminary boiling, which is best done twice, changing the water.
How to cook a saffron float
After pre-boiling, the saffron float is fried, stewed, or added to soups.
Many mushroom lovers disagree that it is tasteless and share their recipes for its preparation. Some housewives suggest strongly frying the mushroom until it is crispy without first boiling. They argue that the taste of the finished dish with this method of preparation is somewhat similar to the taste of chicken.
Many people cook soups from mushrooms of this type, and also highly praise pickled saffron floats.
Often the taste of saffron pushers is compared to the taste of corn - the flesh of young specimens is dense and sweetish. There are lovers of "quiet hunting" who value the taste of pushers higher than others, even the noblest mushrooms.
Poisonous counterparts and their differences
The main danger when collecting a saffron float is its resemblance to the deadly poisonous pale toadstool. The difference between these species is that a toadstool has a ring on its leg, but a float does not. There are no grooves along the edge of the cap of the toadstool, like in adult pushers.
Also, a saffron float can be easily confused with a bright yellow fly agaric. The fruit bodies of these two species are very similar in shape and color.
You can distinguish one species from another by the following features:
- in the bright yellow fly agaric, the remains of the bedspread remain on the cap, and the surface of the saffron float is most often smooth and clean. If the remains of a Volvo remain on it, then there are very few of them;
- the pulp of the bright yellow fly agaric has a pronounced radish smell, while its edible counterpart has a weak mushroom aroma;
- the leg of the poisonous twin has a membranous ring. Even if it disappears over time, its trace still remains.
The saffron float can be easily confused with other types of conventionally edible floats - orange and gray. The orange float looks more graceful, and its head is painted in rich orange shades.
The gray float is larger. Its flesh is stronger and fleshy, and the color of the cap can vary in a wide range: from light gray to grayish-buffy.
Another double of the saffron float is considered the Caesar (royal) mushroom or the Caesar's fly agaric, which is considered an extremely valuable and tasty gourmet representative of the kingdom. Amanita Caesar is larger, has a stronger pulp, and has notes of hazelnut in the smell. The hat can have shades from orange to fiery red, the stem and plates are also colored orange. A distinctive feature of Caesar's fly agaric is the presence of a ring on the leg, which floats do not have.
Conclusion
The saffron float is a mushroom of interest to sophisticated lovers of "quiet hunting". When collecting, special care should be taken, since its counterparts are extremely dangerous. At the slightest doubt, you should refuse to collect the saffron float and give preference to the more well-known species.
