A rare edible mushroom called "blackberry" differs sharply from others, has an unusual structure, a special taste and smell. So they call a whole group of organisms that are similar in appearance, but belonging to different families.
Prior to a detailed study of the properties of blackberries, they were combined into the common genus Gidnum. The unusual shape, bright colors, the frequent arrangement in heaps and rather large sizes gave rise to many fears and legends regarding this resident of the forests. For example, the people call blackberry colonies “witch rings”.
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Characteristic features of the variety
Blackberries can have a different look. It can be leg-cap, while the leg is not always located in the center of the cap, and that, in turn, is rarely symmetrical.
There are varieties with a formless, branched appearance, without characteristic mushroom outlines.
You may be interested in:Appearance and photo
In the photo, these mushrooms, justifying their names, are more reminiscent of needle hedgehogs, stalactites or sea corals, and a description of their forms and places of distribution often causes surprise and distrust. Reaching the size of a human head and a half kilogram weight, some species manage to settle right on the branches of coniferous trees, mix with mosses, standing out against their background with their bright shades.
Morphology (species differences)
The main symptom of hydnum is a kind of spikes or spines on the underside of the cap or that make up the entire fruiting body. The spiky hymenophore (spore-bearing layer) has no plates or tubes, its needle-spikes are hard, brittle, sometimes reaching 20 cm in length.
Habitat
Unpretentious mushrooms live in the humid temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere; they prefer to grow on tree trunks of coniferous and deciduous forests, both on living and felled ones. Some live on faults of the bark, on stumps, moss litter. More often form large colonies.
You may be interested in:Eating
Little-known and not very popular blackberries belong to the fourth category, some resemble foxes in taste, others are somewhat similar to the taste of seafood or nuts with a sweet-fruity flavor. Young specimens are eaten, because with age, the fruiting bodies become more rigid and bitter. Strong aroma allows the use of these types for seasonings and sauces.
Types and their description with photos
The number of known species of blackberries exceeds a dozen, but many of them are extremely rare and are listed in the Red Book. External differences between them are striking, but the botanical properties are largely the same. Most often in nature you can find one of four more popular varieties.
Variegated or tiled
Belongs to the genus Sarkodon of the Bunker family, it has the popular name hawk, chicken and cap, called colorful because of the bright brown color of a large (up to 20 cm in diameter) hat with convex tile-like scales.
Spikes are long and brittle, descend along the massive legs to the ground. The pulp is dense, whitish. It grows in coniferous forests, has a strong pleasant aroma, and is most often used in seasonings.
Yellow or notched blackberry
Refers to chanterelles, has a fleshy smooth flat-funnel-shaped hat, reaching 12 cm.In different regions, the color differs in shades from whitish to bright orange. The hat has a flat shape and a concave middle.
Depending on the region of growth, the color changes from white to orange. The spikes are located under the hat, the leg is often attached off-center. During growth, neighboring fruiting bodies tend to grow together.
You may be interested in:Coral
A rare species listed in the Red Book, popularly nicknamed deer horns, usually grows alone, mainly on fallen trees and stumps of hardwood.
The hat reaches 20 cm in girth, it is coral in shape with spikes up to 2 cm long. It has a white and cream color, a pleasant smell and taste, white elastic and fibrous flesh.
Comb
The mushroom hymenophore in the form of hanging needle-shaped spikes, a body of rounded forms of beige-white shades, can reach a weight of one and a half kilograms.
Lives on the fault points of oak, beech and birch trunks, in many regions is listed in the Red Book. It is well bred artificially on sawdust substrates.
Rules and gathering places
Hedgehog-like mushrooms intensively absorb all the beneficial and harmful substances from the environment. Therefore, it is important to collect them in a clean area, away from the city, motorways and industry, polluted rivers and streams.
Blackberries must be sought on the sandy soils of coniferous or mixed forests with grass and moss, most often near firs, birches and pines. They grow on stumps and fallen trees, on the damaged bark of living firs, pines and firs. Searches must begin from the end of August until the frost.
Usually they choose sandy soils in coniferous and mixed forests, grass cover and moss for fruiting. Almost all blackberries form mycorrhiza with conifers.
Useful properties and restrictions for use
Like other mushrooms, blackberries have a rich composition of nutrients and nutrients that help provide antibacterial protection to the body (treatment of wounds from staphylococcus, destruction of E. coli).
Hedgehogs are used in medicine in the manufacture of ointments for the treatment of skin lesions, cosmetic masks from them perfectly moisturize and tone, tinctures and compresses are recommended for relieving inflammation and purulent processes.
Hedgehog mushrooms are not recommended for people who are diagnosed with gastritis, pancreatitis or liver disease. Rare individual intolerance occurs. It is better to refrain from taking blackberry dishes when the temperature rises, after the operations. Mushrooms are strictly prohibited for pregnant women and children under 5 years old.
Recipes and cooking features
Most often, blackberries use French cuisine. Main dishes, soups, mousses, appetizers and side dishes, julienne, seasonings and sauces use a special sour taste and piquant aroma of these exotics. The property of hedgehog mushrooms not to change size and shape during heat treatment is often used for their preparation in batter and for salads.
Before preparing dishes from blackberries, remove the spikes.Some varieties must be boiled to remove a kind of bitterness. But comb blackberries, antennae and "deer horns" can be fried and salted without boiling.
Blackberries are fried as well as chanterelles or honey mushrooms, you can stew them in sour cream and vegetables. Transparent soups and cream soups are excellent in taste and nutrition. Gravy made from boiled fruits is especially appreciated to improve the taste of eggs, all kinds of cereals, side dishes and salads.
For its preparation, enough grams of 300 mushrooms, 3 tablespoons of butter and flour, one and a half glasses of milk, 2 yolks, 1 glass of mushroom broth and salt to taste. You can add some spices, but it is better to refrain from this, so as not to drown out the mushroom aroma.
The preparation of gravy is quite simple: the so-called white sauce is prepared (the flour is fried in butter, milk is added to it when the mass begins to thicken, the broth and yolks are added) At the end of cooking, the mass is mixed with chopped mushrooms, and everything boils for about 15 minutes.
Answers to widespread questions
Blackberry is a rare, but quite edible mushroom, which in most cases grows next to coniferous trees. Most often it is used as seasoning, since the specific aroma and taste make the independent dish too exotic.
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