Fir spruce: description and classification

Ryzhik (spruce, pine, etc.) belongs to the kingdom of mushrooms, the diversity of which is estimated in hundreds of thousands of copies and is estimated by mycologists in 1.5 million species. Large and noticeable to the person representatives at the same time very little. They make up only a small part of the total.

Possessing high taste qualities, unsurpassed aroma and wide prevalence, the redhead is used in cooking. Many connoisseurs of mushrooms put it on a par with mushrooms and champignons. Red fir and pine, prepared with dry salting, have long been known in Russia. They were always submitted to the royal table.

This valuable edible fungus does not have poisonous analogs, like, for example, an opaque or white. Collecting redheads is easy and fast. The only gifts of the forest with which they can be confused are less delicious freckles. Currently, several species of these fungi are known, which differ in their ecological characteristics, slightly in appearance. We draw your attention to the most common specimens.

Salmon rouge

As a rule, red mushrooms are fir-trees. However, this species is found in mixed forests, on soils rich in calcium. It is considered edible and suitable for food after soaking and pickling. Time of collection - autumn. Red salmon has a hat with a slightly depressed center and a dry surface. Color, as you might guess from the title, is pink. On the surface there are sometimes weakly expressed concentric circles.

The lower leaves of the plate, salmon-colored, blush when touched. The hat is most often elongated oval. Dimensions in length - 5-8 centimeters, width - 5-6 cm. The leg is painted in the tone of the cap, on the smooth surface there are often spots. In our latitudes the mushroom does not occur. It is common in Europe and looks much like a fir-tree sprout in appearance.

Red japanese (fir)

A species that grows in Japan and in the south of Primorsky Krai. The season comes in September-October. As the name suggests, you can meet it in the forests formed by fir-tree fir-tree. The cap of the fungus is large - from 6 to 8 cm in diameter with a dented center and bent edges. As it grows, it acquires a funnel-like shape. Color - light-terracotta, pinkish-ohristy with concentric circles. The plates are brighter, shimmering. The flesh is fresh to taste in comparison with other species. At the break, as a rule, does not become green. Milky juice is a blood-red color.

Red bell red

Red-tailed red is not the most common species. It occurs in coniferous (pine, spruce) plantings. It grows in small groups (glades) under young trees. The season begins in the summer and lasts all autumn, until frost. For an abundant harvest, rains are required. The large cap (5-15 cm in diameter) is dry, initially hemispherical in shape. As you grow in the middle, a depression appears. The color is orange-red or with a rusty tinge. Plates on the lower surface of the cap are grown or slightly run over. From the touch change the color from yellow-orange to green.

Like the spruce spruce, this species is distinguished by the fragile and brittle flesh of a dense structure. It has a whitish color with randomly distributed red spots. On the fracture, blood-red dense milky juice is allocated. The leg is sturdy, 4-6 cm high, cylindrical in shape with a powdery coating and marked pitches of a red hue. Spores are white. Red red can be confused with the present. The main difference - the presence of the last expressed concentric circles on the cap and the absence of bright milky juice. A valuable antibiotic, lactariovioline, is prepared from both species, which suppresses the activity of many bacteria, including the causative agent of such a dangerous disease as tuberculosis.

Red-haired man

Even an inexperienced mushroomer mix up the fir-tree spruce and the present will be difficult. One of his names says that he has all the best. It is characterized by an unmatched mushroom flavor, bright color and a beautiful funnel shaped cap, reminiscent of the top of the mushrooms. There is a real red-haired mushroom in mixed and coniferous forests, usually under pines. It is difficult to notice it. It grows under the cover of grass, often buried in moss. The season begins at the end of summer and continues throughout the autumn.

The hat has a concave shape with tucked edges. Its surface is orange-brown with clearly defined concentric circles, in diameter it grows from 4 to 18 cm. The leg is short, dense, with bright spots. Its height is 3-7 cm, the circumference is 1.5-2 cm. The dense yellow-orange pulp is green on the fracture and gives off an abundant thick milky orange-colored juice with a characteristic sweetish-fruity aroma.

Spruce Fir

Very common in our forests is the fir spruce, the photo of which you see below. It grows in conifers, as a rule, in spruce groves, wherece its second name is also called the "elovik". The season begins from the end of summer and continues until frost. In the hot summer, the number of mushrooms is small. Like other redheads, he prefers cooler weather and an abundance of precipitation. The fungus has a small cap with a diameter of 2-8 cm. At first it is characterized by a convex shape, and then, as it grows, it becomes flat-concave with the edges lowered down. The structure is fragile enough, there is no omission. The skin on the bonnet is smooth, in damp weather has a characteristic mucus. Its color is orange with pronounced concentric circles. If damaged and with age, the color changes to greenish.

Leg - 3-7 cm of cylindrical shape. As the inside grows, a cavity appears. The pulp is orange, with a pleasant taste and a weak aroma. The fungus can be confused with a red or pink rose. The latter is conditionally edible and has low nutritional value. If damaged, the fir spruce green color always acquires, as in the cooking process. And this is one of the hallmarks.

Hogweed or Pine

Concerning the existence of this species, there are various opinions of botanists. The former declare its independence, while the latter is considered a variety. However, in terms of nutritional value and taste qualities, it differs little from a spruce or a real redhead. The mushroom grows exclusively in pine forests (boron), whence, in fact, its second name.

It forms a symbiosis with already grown pines. It occurs, as a rule, singly, not in groups. Dimensions are similar to the previous view. The hat is painted in a bright orange color. With age, there is a depression in the center, the edges are bent and covered. Concentric circles are present, but they are wider and not as smooth along the edges as in the spruce redhead.

What is the difference between fir-trees and pine trees?

First, the habitat. Both of them grow in conifers. But the pine redhead is localized only in the burs, since it forms a symbiosis with the tree. It's not so easy to notice. He seems to be hiding in the grass. Prefers sandy soils. A fir is more visible.

Secondly, they differ in appearance. Concentric circles on the hat of the pine redhead are larger and more vague, the surface is pubescent. While his spruce fellow has mucus (especially in wet weather) and the flesh is more brittle. Pine rozhik strong, dense, green not so fast. Thirdly, the taste of mushrooms is also different. Red pine from the pine forest is more fragrant and tasty, so it is often called delicacy. The truth is to find it more difficult, since the fungus grows most often singly, not in groups.

Ways to prepare

Agree, in the name "redhead" a lot of warmth and even affection. A beautiful and fragrant mushroom has become extremely popular in our country. The main species we listed above, but, as a rule, falls into our baskets most often pine pine, spruce. How to prepare them, every mushroomer should know. In the workpiece are all types of red and yellow. However, the real delicacy are those whose hat is slightly smaller than the neck of the bottle. The main methods of preparation are as follows.

• Salting (dry and cold);
• Quenching;
• pickling;
• Frying and cooking.

Let us dwell in more detail on the traditional methods of pickling redheads, which have been known since ancient times.

Cold ambassador

Before the salting process, the rozhiki must be cleaned and cleaned of debris, rinsed under running water. Do this as quickly as possible, so that the mushrooms do not have time to absorb too much moisture. Then cut off excessively long or damaged legs. In the prepared dishes (ceramic or glass), lay the mushrooms in a dense layer with a cap down. Each row carefully pour salt (consumption of 40-60 g per kilogram of fresh mushrooms).

When the process is complete, place a wooden circle wrapped in a clean rag on top of the redheads. Its diameter must match the size of the container. From above put oppression (cargo). After a couple of days, the mushrooms will give juice, and the air left between the layers will come out, sealing them harder. Pickled in this way rozhiki can be eaten after 30-40 days.

Dry ambassadors ambassadors

This method has been used for a long time in Russia. Mushrooms were salted in huge wooden barrels, enough to last the whole winter. The product was particularly appreciated during the post. Now this option is not trusted by everyone, many pre-boil mushrooms. Boiled rozhiki keep their color and do not grow green, but they lose their unique aroma and taste. If you want to try mushrooms in the original version, then try a dry salting.

Before you salt spruce or pine fir, clean them of debris and grass. Then carefully wipe with a dry rag, cut off long legs. The further actions are similar. The mushrooms are piled down in a salty container, not primed or pressed. Each layer is poured with salt (per kilogram - 40 g). A wooden circle is placed on top, and a load is placed on it. Mushrooms will begin to settle in a couple of hours, as they are compacted, you can add new layers.

It is not necessary to use various spices and spices - this will only repel the natural aroma of redheads. In the process of pickling mushrooms, most likely, will change the color from orange-brown to green. But it normal. Cooked dry or cold salting rouge should be stored in a cool dry place. Make sure that they are constantly covered with brine.