Fans of "silent hunting" are not so few among the inhabitants of villages and cities surrounded by forests. Many of them eventually become real professionals in this matter, predicting the location of the prey, no matter how it hides. However, few have heard of “rabbit ears” about the mushroom: it is common for people to remember the appearance of what they are looking for and ignore the uninteresting and unnecessary. Maybe someone drew attention to an unusual creature, but only briefly noted a strange shape and indifferently passed by.
What does he look like
"Hare’s ear" is a mushroom that has the scientific name "otidea hare". Outwardly, it really looks like an elongated ear. If a couple of specimens grew nearby, it really seems that a hare buried right at the top of the head. There are three mushrooms of this “ear-like” type: in addition to the rabbits, there are also Judas (round) and donkey (very similar to those described) ears.
“Hare’s ear” is a small mushroom, up to four centimeters high, and does not exceed three in diameter. The edges of a flat thin and soft body are wrapped inward; color - from dark honey to brown.
Where and how it grows
You can find the "hare ears" mushroom in the Far Eastern and Siberian conifers, in the Caucasus, and the Russian middle lane is its habitat. Mixed forests are also suitable for growing otidea under conditions. It does not form large groups, so it would be rather difficult to purposefully assemble it. However, otidea is not in demand among mushroom pickers: the “hare ear” is conditionally edible, it has almost no taste, the smell is also there, and the pulp is so small that even “one tooth” is not enough. Moreover, the edible part is quite elastic, leathery. However, if you wish (or out of curiosity) you can collect it from July to mid-September.
How to use it
Those rare mushroom pickers who know about otidia claim to have eaten a raw hare ear. Mushroom, they say, although tasteless, but quite satisfying. Other “silent hunters” believe that, like any conventionally edible subspecies, otidia should be boiled. An additional processing argument is the softening of the body of the fungus, which in its raw form resembles rubber in ductility. In addition, during the preparation process, you can give the product at least some taste with the help of spices.
However, it is unlikely that any of the mushroom pickers will go to the forests to collect the "bunny ear". Nevertheless, it does not represent any special value: it cannot be salted for the winter, when dried it dries to a thin plate and crumbles, and it does not give much pleasure when fresh. Unless to admire ...