Content
Snow Talker is an edible spring mushroom. Fans of "quiet hunting" rarely put it in their basket, because they are afraid to confuse it with toadstools. Indeed, the Snow Talker has similar poisonous counterparts, which should be distinguished by their appearance.
Where snow talkers grow
Snow talker (Latin Clitocybe pruinosa) is a rare edible mushroom that is harvested in spring. It appears in coniferous, light forests in early May, the harvesting season lasts only a month, until the beginning of summer.
What snow talkers look like
It is a small mushroom with a rounded cap, the diameter of which in mature specimens does not exceed 4 cm. The color of the cap is gray-brownish with a dark center, its surface is shiny, waxy in dry weather.
In young representatives of the species, the cap has a rounded-convex shape, with age it becomes prostrate, with a depressed middle. Frequent plates descending to the pedicle are yellowish in mature specimens, and whitish in young specimens.
The leg is small and thin - no more than 4 cm in length and 3 mm in thickness. It is straight or curved and has the shape of a cylinder. It has a dense structure and a smooth surface, the color is reddish-cream, coincides with the color of the plates. The firm flesh does not have a pronounced odor or emits a faint earthy aroma.
Is it possible to eat snow talkers
Snow talkers are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms, they must be cooked before use. But it is quite difficult to find them in the forest, and inexperienced mushroom pickers can easily be confused with poisonous counterparts.
Taste qualities of the mushroom govorushka snow
The taste of these mushrooms is not particularly sophisticated, but quite worthy for a spring delicacy. Light mealy notes are felt; after cooking, a pleasant mushroom aroma remains.
Benefits and harm to the body
Edible Snow Talkers have many health benefits. They contain valuable mineral salts, rare for plant products, and vitamins. Low in calories, they are a source of fairly high-quality protein. Mushroom dishes are harmful for children under 10 years old and people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
False doubles
A translucent govorushka resembles a snowy govorushka in appearance and size - an inedible, poisonous mushroom from the Ryadovkovy family.
The fruiting season also begins in May, but is longer - until September.
The Snow Talker has another poisonous counterpart - the reddish talker, which contains muscarine. It grows in the same places as edible mushrooms, resembles them in appearance and size. Fruiting in a toadstool begins in June - this is the main difference.At a young age, her cap is grayish-white in color, in older specimens it acquires brown tones.
Collection rules
Collect the snow talker in May. The fruiting season sets it apart from other inedible or poisonous varieties that begin to appear in summer and grow until late autumn.
During harvesting, the mushrooms are unscrewed from the ground by hand. They take young, strong specimens. The old ones lose their pleasant taste and useful qualities. The fibrous legs are cut off, they are of little use for food. Do not put suspicious and strongly wormy fruit bodies in the basket.
Use
Mainly young specimens with elastic flesh and light plates are eaten. The legs have no taste, therefore, mainly hats are used in dishes, they are fried, boiled, salted and pickled. Fresh they are not suitable for food, as they contain bitter enzymes.
You can cook delicious mushroom soup from snow talkers. To do this, they are washed, put to cook, flooded with cold water. Peel potatoes for soup, chop carrots and parsley root. 10 minutes after boiling the water, remove the foam, add chopped potatoes to the pan. Parsley root, tomato and carrots are fried in vegetable oil, salt and pepper, put into the soup 5-6 minutes after the potatoes. After 5 minutes, chopped green onions are poured, salted if necessary, and the heating is turned off.
For a soup recipe you will need: 500 g talkers, 200 g potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 tomato, 2 parsley roots, 1 small bunch of green onions, 50 ml of vegetable oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf, spices to taste.
Conclusion
Snow talker is suitable for cooking culinary mushroom dishes, pickles and marinades. It is easy to confuse it with a translucent gossip, which also grows in spring and is poisonous. If you have the slightest doubt about identifying the fungus, you should leave it to grow in the forest. And experienced lovers of "quiet hunting" will be able to cook delicious dishes from the first spring mushrooms in May.
