There are a huge number of edible mushrooms in the world . They are very popular in many national cuisines of different nations. Due to the high nutritional value (and mushrooms are very rich in protein), nutritionists also highly appreciate them.
For the same reason, fans of vegetarianism love these inhabitants of the forest kingdom. In addition, mushrooms contain mushroom sugar, fiber, as well as glycogen and useful substances such as potassium,
phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, magnesium. And the content in them of a large number of vitamins D, PP, A and B will benefit almost everyone.
Let's figure it out!
Well, a luxurious smell and a specific taste make mushroom dishes popular and in demand on our table. The only restriction that exists in their use concerns children and those who suffer from diseases of the digestive tract: mushrooms are heavy food for the stomach, and a weak body can simply not cope with them.
In Soviet times, all the edible representatives of the Berendey kingdom were conditionally divided into 4 main categories according to the degree of their nutritional value. And the last, fourth, did not belong to those mushrooms whose taste left much to be desired, but those that are a real rarity. They can not be found in the list of the most popular, not found in any forest belt. But sometimes among them you can meet a real gem. To these, not too famous among the people, are sandboxes - mushrooms are not quite ordinary. What are they, where to find them, and most importantly, how to cook them? Let's find out more about this.
Features
For the answer to the first question, we turn to the encyclopedia of mushrooms. It has an article on a related topic. So, what kind of mushrooms are sandboxes, photos with the description of which you have repeatedly met in books? They represent to us a number of different species of inhabitants of the forest hillocks. And this is not surprising, because the common name hides more than 40 species of mushrooms, known among scientists as row mushrooms . And sandboxes are, rather, a popular nickname. All of them are medium in size. Caps of rows of about 15 centimeters in diameter, have a depression in the middle. But his leg is small - a maximum of 5-7 centimeters, strong and has a thickening underneath. But by color sandboxes - a variety of mushrooms. The color of their tops ranges from really grayish-sand to bright red - because we have not forgotten that under the same name about 40 species are hidden. The flesh of these mushrooms looks especially contrasted against the background of bright hats - it is snow-white, but at the cut point it can gradually darken a little. The most famous of all the rows are three species, called by the color of the hats. It:
- the sandbox is green (aka greenfinch);
- the sandbox is red;
- the sandbox is gray.
Where can I find these unusual mushrooms?
Sandboxes do not often end up in mushroom picker baskets - their distribution range is very narrow. In particular, in the Russian Federation they are found only in the Saratov, Volgograd and Voronezh regions. But in Togliatti, visually similar mushrooms led to mass poisoning. But these were clearly not sandboxes. Mushrooms of these species prefer to settle on sandy (as you can easily guess) soils in pine and mixed forests.
There, they can equally meet under the trees themselves, and in open places near the stumps. On their hats there are constantly adhering leaves, blades of grass, needles and twigs - this is how they disguise themselves from the ubiquitous mushroom pickers. And also sandboxes - mushrooms that form the well-known "witch circles" - this is how their mycelium grows. They occupy quite large glades, and the method of their growth makes them memorable for a long time.
Let's find out how sandboxes grow?
Mushrooms, photos of which you probably saw in the encyclopedia and magazines, grow in a kind of bridge: from small specimens along the edges to a curved arc from older and higher brothers. And such a bridge can even spill over a small barrier, such as a stump, a rotten log, a mound of land. If you want to find a single mushroom, pay attention to the bumps, generously sprinkled with foliage - near the sandbox, the soil can be slightly raised.
If you cut the rows neatly, they will grow very quickly again. But the wrong cut, damage to the mycelium, or cutting down all the mushrooms at once can ruin their harvest in the entire clearing.
Well, what about the taste?
Sandboxes - mushrooms ideal for pickling. They are easy to prepare, and in 35-40 days you will become the owner of a delicious snack. To do this, you need a wooden tub or a glass bottle. Mushrooms need to be washed and laid carefully in layers, pouring with coarse salt. Moreover, at the bottom and from the very top it should be put more. We install a cover on top of them and a little oppression. After a couple of days, the mushrooms will settle, then a couple more layers can be laid on top. Thanks to this method of dry salting, the mushrooms will turn out to be tender, aromatic and extremely tasty.