Edible and false mushrooms: how not to fall into a dangerous trap

Forest mushrooms everywhere attract special attention of fans of original food, because they can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted and dried. Unfortunately, in nature there are edible and false mushrooms, which often fall into the basket of inexperienced mushroom pickers. Before going out into the forest, it would be wise to get to know the mushrooms that grow in the area where we live.

The main symptoms of poisoning with inedible mushrooms occur a few hours after eating them. A sharp headache, nausea, dizziness, intestinal cramps signal a problem.

Edible and false mushrooms: criteria for difference

Who doesn't like to go to the forest for mushrooms and in a few hours to pick up a full basket or bucket? This is exactly the case with mushrooms. After all, they grow in huge families of several dozen pieces, located in a small area. For the campaign to end successfully, it is important for everyone to know how to distinguish honey mushrooms from false mushrooms. Otherwise, the joy can be replaced by the bitterness of food poisoning. First, consider edible and safe specimens. And then, we will remove the “mask” from false mushrooms, which strive to get into the basket of inexperienced mushroom pickers.

Experts advise paying attention to several criteria that help to notice the dangerous difference between edible and false mushrooms:

Aroma. If there are doubts when collecting forest gifts, you can smell the hat of the fruit to inhale its smell. The edible mushroom has a pleasant aroma, while the “imitator” has notes of rotten soil.
Leg. Young mushrooms have a leg, which is decorated with a film "skirt". It is next to the hat. Mushrooms similar to honey mushrooms do not have such a “decoration”.
Plate color. In edible mushrooms, they are yellowish or cream colored. False mushrooms boast a bright yellow, olive or earthy hue.
The outer texture of the hat. In young edible mushrooms, the surface of the cap is often scaly. False mushrooms have a smooth surface.
The color of the surface of the fungus. Edible mushrooms have a light brown cap color. Mushrooms "imitators" are distinguished by more elegant shades: the bright color of sulfur or red brick.

Of course, all these criteria are very important, but if doubts remain after the study, we apply the main principle: "Not sure - don't take it!".

Inexperienced mushroom pickers should not go for mushrooms alone. The practical advice of a specialist will help not to fall into the trap of greed, but to take only.

Features of your favorite autumn mushrooms

To learn how to distinguish between edible and false mushrooms from each other, it is important to have a good understanding of the characteristics of the growth of these plants. As you know, in nature there are many different types of mushrooms. But all of them are united by the general indicators of these cute mushrooms. It turns out that it is not enough to know how mushrooms look from the outside. It is important to get to know them better.

Edible mushrooms most often grow in large groups next to stumps or with tree roots protruding from the soil. When they are just poking out of the soft forest soil, they are decorated with a semicircular cap. In older specimens, it completely changes shape. Now it looks more like a wide plate turned upside down.

Looking at the photo of false and edible mushrooms, you can notice differences in the coloring and size of the hats. These can be such shades:

orange;
rusty yellow;
brownish;
honey yellow.

The diameter of the cap reaches up to 10 cm. Its outer part is covered with scales, which partially disappear with time. The back plates of the cap in young mushrooms are usually light. In mature specimens, they are colored brown or yellowish.

If you carefully examine the legs of edible specimens, you will notice that they are hollow inside. In addition, they are decorated with a leathery ring, which was formed from the protective cover of a young mushroom.

The pulp has a light brown color, which does not change even when water gets on it.

The enemy is better known by sight

With the onset of autumn, when the sun is still pampering people with its warm rays, many go to the forest for mushrooms. Particularly attractive are places with fallen trees or low stumps, covered with many pretty mushrooms. But in order not to run into disguised "enemies", it is worth getting to know the false mushrooms better. How to distinguish them from edible relatives and not accidentally put them in the basket and then on the table? Consider some types of such inedible options.

Inexperienced fans of forest gifts should take into account that false mushrooms can grow next to edible specimens of the same friendly families.

At the end of August, on the forest edges among old stumps and fallen trees, autumn grows in large groups. The photo helps to see this disguised "enemy" in all its glory. Most often, its convex hat is from 4 to 8 cm. In its mature form, it opens a little, thereby becoming similar to its relatives. The cardinal difference is the brick-red color of the outer covering of the cap. The flesh of the mushroom has a bitter taste and a pale yellow color.

Candolly

These false mushrooms "settle" in large families near the stumps and roots of centuries-old deciduous trees. They appear in late spring and bear fruit until early September. A distinctive feature of young mushrooms of this species is a bell-shaped hat. Over time, it opens like an umbrella, on top of which a convex tubercle flaunts. The edges of the cap of this camouflaged mushroom are framed by a light fringe that remains from the protective coverlet. Its diameter is from 3 to 7 cm. The color is most often yellow-brown, although it can be whitish.

This autumn honey agaric is a truly dangerous twin. The name and photo of the mushroom tell a lot about it. As a rule, sulfur-yellow honey agaric grows on trunks, branches, stumps and around deciduous and coniferous trees. Depending on climatic conditions, it actively bears fruit until the first October frosts. At the same time, it grows in numerous groups.

His hat, resembling a bell, eventually transforms into an “open umbrella” and is distinguished by this coloring:

yellow;
greyish yellow;
yellow-brown.

There is a contrasting darkening in the center of the cap. If such mushrooms end up on the dining table of fans of forest gifts, the outcome may be irreparable. Therefore, knowing what false mushrooms are dangerous for helps to stay away from them.

Royal mushrooms

This type of mushroom rightfully deserves special attention, as it is an exquisite delicacy for lovers of forest gifts. Edible specimens have a broad, bell-shaped hat that is rusty yellow or olive in color. The whole fruit is abundantly covered with brown scales, resembling flakes or graceful tubercles. And the pulp of royal mushrooms is colored yellow.

It is best to pick mushrooms that have slimy caps that are smooth to the touch. If the fruit has a dark shade, then it is no longer young.

Despite such popularity, disguised false royal mushrooms are also found in nature. Often they grow on the sites of old ashes or fires, which are already overgrown with grass. And the pulp of such mushrooms smells unpleasant, which is one of the hallmarks of these poisonous mushrooms. Some of them acquire a slimy character during the rainy season, and also have a small number of scales. With age, the graceful hats of false mushrooms change, which indicates their unsuitability for food.