Every mushroom picker knows that not all plants in the forest can be eaten. In order not to harm your body, it is worthwhile to study in advance all the characteristic features of mushrooms, as well as learn about similar doubles and be able to distinguish them. This recommendation also applies to the popular chanterelles, which will be discussed in this article.
Biological description
Real and false chanterelles have much in common in appearance. In order not to make a mistake in your choice, it is important to know about the key features of each of these types. Ordinary chanterelles have the same shape of fruiting bodies as the rest of the hat-legged, but without a characteristic border between the leg and the hat. The color of the fungus can be light or orange-yellow. The upper part (cap) has a diameter of 2-12 cm and is characterized by the presence of a wavy edge of irregular shape.
At different stages of the development of the fungus, the hat can change shape: in young plants, it seems convex, and eventually becomes more depressed (up to the funnel shape). The surface of the cap is smooth, without glare, and its skin is difficult to separate from the dense and fleshy pulp. The internal tissues of the legs are fibrous, they are whitish inside the fruit body and more yellow at the edges (with pressure, they can turn red).
Important! One of the advantages of the chanterelle is the almost complete absence of worms and insect larvae in the pulp, due to the presence in its composition of a substance called hinomannosis. It has a detrimental effect on all helminths and arthropods (regardless of their origin).
The leg of the mushroom (1-3 cm thick and 4-7 cm long) always grows together with a hat, fully matching it in color. The cap of false chanterelles is much narrower in diameter and reaches only 1.5–6 cm. At the beginning of the development of the fungus, it is almost flat, then it becomes depressed and funnel-shaped, with the edge down. The color of the mushroom can vary from bright yellow to orange-ocher, sometimes with beige, yellow-white or red-orange tint.
To the touch, the surface of such a mushroom is velvety, and under its dense skin is a whitish or yellowish pulp with a faint mushroom aroma. The foot of the false chanterelle will also be slightly smaller: 1–5 cm in length and not more than 1 cm in thickness. Moreover, it is not always smooth, but can be curved, with fibrous pulp inside.
Other names
The most common synonymous names for a real fox can be attributed to such definitions as ordinary chanterelle and "cockerel". In Latin, Agaricus cantharellus, Merulius cantharellus, Chanterel cantharellus can be considered related concepts, but Hygrophorópsis aurantíaca, on the contrary, is the Latin definition of the very false fox.
Spread
Chanterelle common in all areas with a temperate climate (for example, Belarus, Ukraine and Central Russia), developing from the beginning of summer in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. Most of these mushrooms can be collected in mid-summer, but individual specimens are found until late autumn. It is noteworthy that in the Belarusian forests, in addition to the standard orange chanterelle, its gray variety is also listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus. In neighboring countries, it is very rare.
False chanterelles are widespread in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, growing in soils of coniferous or small-leaved mixed forests. Most of all, she likes mossy territories with a lot of fallen leaves and rotting wood, under which it is quite moist and cool. Mushrooms can grow both in groups and in a single order (even when grouped, they are at a certain distance from each other). The fruiting period depends on the weather, but usually occurs at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn.
Did you know? Chanterelles are used in folk medicine in several main areas: as a good anthelmintic, and also as an adjunct in the treatment of hepatitis, fatty degeneration of the liver and hemangiomas.
How to distinguish
Given the external differences between real and false foxes, it is necessary to determine which mushroom was found by the following characteristic signs:
- hats should have wavy edges, since in false chanterelles they are always smooth and of the correct form;
- the surface of good hats will be matte and smooth, with a skin that is difficult to separate from them (in false varieties, the coating easily leaves the fleshy part);
- the smell of high-quality mushroom is pleasant, with fruity notes, sometimes resembling the aroma of peach or apricot;
- the color of the flesh when pressed on a real fox will change to reddish, while on the "fake" it will remain the same;
- the stalk of the cockerel is usually thick, with no voids inside, and the false species grows on a thinner and hollow stalk.
In addition, the growth of suitable mushrooms in the discovered meadow should be a group, since it is the fake chanterelles that often grow individually, located on fallen rotting tree trunks (oak, beech, birch).
Important! The main reason for the confusion when collecting mushrooms is that both species of chanterelles grow on the territories of the same mixed and coniferous forests. In addition, their collection falls at one time: mainly in August – October.
Edibility
There is no doubt in the edibility of ordinary chanterelles, which cannot be said about the false species of the fungus. Disputes on this subject in the circle of mushroom pickers are quite relevant. While some categorically do not recommend eating such mushrooms, considering them poisonous, others allow this possibility, but only after appropriate treatment.
Experimenting with the use of false chanterelles in the presence of any problems with the gastrointestinal tract is extremely undesirable, because with a weak digestive system it is unlikely to avoid poisoning even after heat treatment.
Given this fact, in some European countries such mushrooms are classified as edible varieties of low quality, but the Russians consider them to be little-known, but completely edible specimens with the need for prolonged heat treatment before use. The taste properties of false chanterelles are quite low, so because of it, you definitely should not risk your health.
How to handle false chanterelles
Like all mushrooms, it is advisable to soak false chanterelles in salt water before use. Only you have to spend not a couple of hours, but a whole day, during which you need to change the water several times. An alternative and more reliable type of preparatory measures will be heat treatment, which can be divided into two main stages: primary and secondary.
Did you know? About 200 tons of chanterelles are harvested annually in the world, and 72 tons are taken from the forests of Latvia.
To achieve maximum effectiveness of the actions performed, it is worth observing the following sequence:
- To clear the mushrooms of debris and cut off the deformed and darkened areas together with the inside of the hat of the overripe specimens.
- Rinse the product under running water for several minutes, and then recline in a colander and allow the water to drain.
- Soak the mushrooms for 10 hours, changing the liquid every few hours, and then let them stand for another 10 minutes.
- Cut the product into several parts and boil in salted water for 30 minutes, throwing a whole, unpeeled onion to them. All this time, you should periodically remove the emerging foam, and then throw the chanterelles into a colander and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer prepared mushrooms to salted water and bring to a boil again, leaving it on the stove for about 10 minutes.
- Rinse them under running filtered water and place in cheesecloth, allowing the liquid to drain and the mushrooms to cool.
- Scalp the dried mushrooms and rinse them again by moving them to a colander.
For more confidence in the possibility of using these mushrooms, you can additionally hang them over a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. After that, use standard cooking recipes to cook already prepared foods.
Having studied all the basic characteristics of real and false chanterelles, how they should look and how they may differ, you will no longer confuse these mushrooms and do not harm your health. For greater confidence and safety, it is worth pre-processing the collected mushrooms.
