Among the rare but surprisingly delicious edible mushrooms is the chestnut mushroom, also referred to as chestnut, shortbread or rabbit mushroom. It belongs to the cap, is a representative of the Boletov family. Due to the fact that it is rare in nature, the mushroom is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
Hat Description
Chestnut gyroorus - this is what the chestnut mushroom is called in science - does not have specific distinctive features and therefore is little recognized even by experienced mushroom pickers. In appearance, it is an almost complete analogue of the Polish mushroom, differing from it not only in its larger hat and leg, but also in less bright color. It resembles a white mushroom, however, it will not be difficult to distinguish between them: the chestnut leg is brown, and the white one is grayish.
Refers to the tubular, that is, the hat on the back side consists of numerous small tubes, light cream or yellowish.
The hat has the following distinctive features:
- Slightly convex, rarely found mushrooms with a flat hat.
- The average diameter is 5-8 cm.
- Chestnut color is the most common, but you can find mushrooms and brown, reddish, brown, rusty varieties.
- The tubules of young mushrooms are white, with a yellowish tint with age.
- Dry to the touch, without mucus.
Often in dry times, the hat becomes cracked due to lack of moisture.
What does the leg look like?
The chestnut leg is as follows:
- Cylindrical shape.
- The average length is 5-8 cm.
- Brown, shade darker than a hat.
- Inside, it is hollow in adult mushrooms, while young ones have a content that looks like cotton wool.
- On the cut does not change color.
The pulp is white, in young mushrooms it is hard, but when growing older it becomes fragile. The smell is very weak, but a characteristic bitter aftertaste can be felt even in raw mushrooms.
How to distinguish from doubles?
The photo and description of the chestnut mushroom will help not to confuse it with similar relatives, both edible and inedible. The main differences are presented in table form.
Chestnut and its doublesMushroom | Chestnut | White | Duvet | Polish |
Hat | Most often brown | The correct form, convex, velvety to the touch | Very similar to the chestnut hat in shape and color | Much smaller in size, different in color, more often - in chocolate |
Leg | Light brown. When cut, the color does not change. Height not more than 8 cm. Leg shape - cylindrical | Gray-white, darkens when cut. The average height is about 12 cm. The shape is characteristic, resembles a rounded barrel | Yellow-orange, turns blue on cut | Light brown, but smaller than those of chestnut |
It is very important to be able to distinguish between edible and inedible doubles. So, the chestnut has one fellow, outwardly similar to it, but inedible due to the specific taste of the pulp. This is a bile fungus or mustard, also a representative of the Boletov family. It is not poisonous, but only one, accidentally caught, a mushroom can spoil the entire dish with bitterness. It is not difficult to find out: on the cut, the leg will characteristically turn pink. These symptoms will help prevent collection errors. Interestingly, there are no poisonous analogues in the chestnut mushroom, the photo of which is presented below, in nature.
Where is it growing?
The chestnut umbrella mushroom grows in Europe, its Eastern and Western parts, however, in small quantities, and therefore belongs to the category of rare ones. He is in Russia, concentrating in temperate latitudes, Siberia and the Far East, the Caucasus. Most often found in small groups, less often fungi grow alone.
Chestnut can be found in deciduous forests, where it grows under lindens, beeches, maples and, of course, chestnuts. However, sometimes mycelium is surrounded by coniferous representatives of the flora, mainly pines. Prefers sandy soils in light and dry oak forests and fringes. In more often forests, where through the thick crowns of trees the sun's rays cannot penetrate to the lower tiers, it is impossible to meet such a mushroom.
Using
In nature, chestnut mushrooms often serve as a favorite treat of numerous forest inhabitants, especially hares. That is why the popular name of chestnut is a hare mushroom.
I found this rare gift of nature for use in cooking, thanks to its nutritional value and a whole set of useful properties. Chefs used mainly in dried form, because when cooking gives bitterness. Also, such a mushroom can be fried, but it is unsuitable for pickling or pickling.
However, fans of quiet hunting should know that the chestnut in Russia is under protection and its collection can be equated to poaching.
A chestnut mushroom is used in pharmaceuticals, and antibiotic boletol is obtained from its pulp.
The fruiting time is not long, as a rule, from the first weeks of the last summer month to the second half of September. Due to its rarity, chestnut mushrooms are not very popular among Russian mushroom pickers, but they can be picked by mistake, mistaking them for boletus.
Chestnut mushroom in Russian forests can be seen infrequently, and if you discover a mushroom, you should not ruin it, as this will be a direct violation of the law. However, you can grow it yourself, for this the mycelium is evenly scattered under deciduous trees on previously loosened soil and sprinkled on top of humus mixed with forest soil.