St. George's mushroom. St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa)

System:

Kingdom: Mushrooms (Fungi)

Department: Basidial fungi (Basidiomycota)

Class: Agariaceae (Agaricomycetes)

Order: Champignonaceae (Agaricales)

Family: Lyophyllaceae

Genus: Kalotsibe ( Calocybe)

Species: Calocybe gambosa (Fr.) Donk (1962)

Hat: 5-12 cm, fleshy, first convex, then tuberculate-prostrate, often with a cracked or uneven wavy edge, flat or with a tubercle, dry, creamy, slightly yellowish or beige, off-white, usually with small watery-transparent spots, the autumn form is yellow (see two mushrooms in the collage at the top right). In old fruiting bodies, the cap may acquire an ocher or yellow-ocher tint. The plates are whitish with a creamy tint, becoming creamy with age, narrow, frequent, and thin. The pulp is thick, dense, white, the taste is characteristic, very pleasant, sweetish, the smell is strong, reminiscent of fresh flour.
Leg: 4-10 x 0.6-3 cm, cylindrical, relatively thick and short, dense, narrowed downward or, conversely, expanded, fibrous, whitish, brownish-cream or yellowish, often ocher or rusty-ocher at the base.
Habitat: sparse light deciduous forests and forest edges, woodlands, parks, grows in grassy areas, pastures, pastures, in gardens, near settlements, within the city, often, in places abundantly.
Fruiting period: mid-May - end of June, sometimes in September.
Distribution in the Russian Federation: European part, throughout the forest zone.

Edibility: May mushrooms have a pleasant and delicate taste. For me it is the smell and taste of spring. Some people don’t like them because of their distinct mealy smell, but when cooked they completely lose this aroma. In Europe, the most popular dish is fried May rows: they are poured with a small amount of salted water and left for an hour or two, then washed, peeled and cut, after which they are simply fried with onions until golden brown. It turns out very simply, and at the same time extremely tasty and aromatic. As an option, quickly fry with onion or garlic and place on buttered toast, salt and pepper.

May mushrooms are great for pickling, marinade and drying. They are often used in broths and sauces, risotto and omelettes, giving dishes a subtle, pleasant aroma; very good and stewed. Both young and mature specimens are suitable for food. It is noteworthy that dried mushrooms perfectly retain their delicious properties and can be used for any dishes after preliminary soaking. In Europe, they are often eaten raw as mushrooms in salads.

The best method of pickling for May row is hot and boiled for about 20 minutes.

When pickling, unlike all other rows and talkers, you need to categorically avoid strong seasonings and spices. No cloves, pepper, garlic, bay leaf. Meanwhile, it is quite possible to add onions and carrots. The May row's own aroma is so strong and good that there is no need to shade or dilute it with anything. By by and large salt, sugar and vinegar are all that is required to pickle the May mushroom. Moreover, you can take 1.5–2 times more sugar than in regular recipe(these rows are sweet in themselves, and they react very correctly to sugar). As a result, you will get spicy-sweet mushrooms in a clear marinade, with an excellent taste of their own.

Medicinal properties: dichloromethane extract has bactericidal properties (detrimental effect on Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli). Contains antibiotic substances that suppress the development of tuberculosis bacillus.

It has an anti-cancer effect (completely suppresses sarcoma-180 and Ehrlich carcinoma).

German biochemists have identified the antidiabetic effect of this mushroom, noting a significant decrease in blood sugar levels with its regular use.

Normalizes metabolism.

IN folk medicine mushrooms are not used.

May mushroom or May kalocybe, May row, St. George's mushroom - edible mushroom 4 categories, belonging to the genus Kalocybe, family Lyophyllaceae. This is a fairly large representative in the Agarikov order. The cap of the May mushroom can reach 10 cm in diameter. Young mushrooms usually have a spherical cap. However, as the May mushroom grows, it opens up, becoming flatter.

Often, close proximity during the intensive growth of the May mushroom also leaves an imprint on the shape of the cap - the edges of the caps can take on different shapes, and in dry weather it can become covered with cracks. The surface of the cap is usually painted white or shades of yellow.  The stem of the May mushroom is thick and relatively short. Reaches 7 cm in height. The surface of the leg is smooth.

Color varies from white to cream. The pulp in the leg is dense, white. The plates are narrow and often located, adherent to the stem, the same color as on the cap. The fruiting period of the May mushroom lasts from mid-May to the end of July. It usually grows on forest edges, pastures, and meadows in the European part of Russia.

A similar species: white row, which has a more unpleasant odor.

May mushroom (Calocybe gambosa)

Calocybe gambosa

Fruiting body

to each other, attached to the leg with a tooth. Spore powder is white. The leg is whitish, strong, short. The pulp is white, with a floury smell.

Season and place

Grows in May-June in floodplain forests, forest edges and pastures.

Similarities

records; it doesn't have a floury smell.

Grade

Edible mushroom; When cooked, it retains a mealy taste.

May mushroom. T-shirt. St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa)

May mushroom. T-shirt. St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa) photo

Grows in sparse deciduous forests, on grassy areas, as well as on pastures, pastures, near populated areas in May-June. The cap is up to 12 cm in diameter, fleshy, at first convex, then spread, with a wavy, often cracking edge, flat or with a tubercle, cream, yellowish, off-white. The pulp is thick, white, soft, smells like flour.

The plates are whitish, frequent, notched or fused with teeth. Spore powder is creamy. The leg is up to 10 cm long, 3 cm thick, club-shaped, whitish, brownish-cream or yellowish, fibrous. Mushroom edible, fourth category.

Consumed fresh without prior boiling. Young St. George's mushroom looks like for poisonous entoloma. The shape of the cap and color are almost the same. They can be distinguished by their plates: in the entoloma they are scarlet, in the May mushroom they are white.

The May mushroom, as the name suggests, appears in the forests of the European part of Russia at the end of spring. People often call it the May row, T-shirt or St. George's mushroom. In scientific reference books you can often find the name Calocybe may (from the name of the genus Calocybe).

We invite you to read the description of the Mike mushroom, look at the photo of the May mushroom, and also find out some interesting facts about Kalocybe and get information about its medicinal properties.

Family: Rowers (Tricholomataceae).

Synonyms: May row, May kalocybe, T-shirt, St. George's mushroom.

Description. The cap is 5-12 cm in diameter, fleshy, at first convex, then prostrate, with a wavy, often cracking edge, flat or with a tubercle, creamy, yellowish, off-white, dry. Usually the cap of the kalocybe is smooth, but during dry periods the May mushroom is all wrinkled, as if dehydrated.

Its pulp is dense, white, soft, the taste and smell are strong, pleasant, and sweetish. The plates are whitish with a creamy tint, frequent. Leg 4-10 X 0.6-3 cm, dense, club-shaped, whitish, brownish-cream or yellowish, fibrous.

The mushroom loves sparse deciduous forests, forest edges, parks, and grows in grassy areas, pastures, pastures, gardens, and near populated areas. Found throughout the temperate zone of Russia.

Fruiting period: May - early June. Sometimes (quite rarely) the May mushroom manages to slip through for the second time a year in the fall (usually September). He appears in very small quantities in the same places where it grew in the spring, the caps of such mushrooms are yellowish in color. Previously, such autumn rashes were considered to be mushrooms of another species (C. georgii).

Similar species. Taking into account the timing and place of fruiting, the mushroom cannot be confused with any other species.

Medicinal properties: Dichloromethane extract has bactericidal properties (has a detrimental effect on Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli). Contains antibiotic substances that suppress the development of tuberculosis bacillus. It has an anti-cancer effect (completely suppresses sarcoma-180 and Ehrlich carcinoma).

German biochemists have identified the antidiabetic effect of this mushroom, noting a significant decrease in blood sugar levels with its regular use.

Normalizes metabolism.

St. George's mushroom: collection rules and interesting facts

Collection rules: Young fruiting bodies are collected in dry weather. Alcohol infusions are used.

I am sure that among avid mushroom pickers there will definitely be those who are looking forward to the snow melting in the forest and the first grass turning green. And for good reason, because only in spring - in April and May - do special mushrooms appear that have excellent taste qualities.

These are the well-known “second after truffles” morels and controversial lines - no less tasty, but dangerous without special treatment. However, they are not the only ones on the list of those being collected. It turns out that other mushrooms also grow in the spring and have been used as food for centuries. I intend to list all of them in this article - with the obligatory indication of the dates of appearance and places of growth.

But, I will not limit my story to edible (or conditionally edible) mushrooms alone, and for greater scientific completeness I will supplement it (towards the end) with those species whose edibility is in question. The list is completed by the only spring mushroom, which is considered absolutely poisonous under any conditions.

Important: about boiling morels and strings

Before moving on to listing spring mushrooms, it would be useful to mention the nuances of preparing the two most popular groups - morels and strings.

Almost all sources recommend pre-boiling or (more reliably) drying these mushrooms for a long time - from 3 to 6 months - to avoid poisoning. However, it is known for certain that dangerous toxins are contained only in lines, and morels (and many experienced mushroom pickers point out this) can be prepared without boiling at all - this way they turn out much tastier. However, scientists warn: it is not necessary once and for all.

Depending on the place of growth and weather and climatic conditions, morels may well accumulate toxic substances, and the lines can grow with a minimal, virtually non-hazardous content of toxin, or vice versa - the concentration of poison in them will go off scale, and no amount of boiling or even six-month drying will help.

From this we can draw the only conclusion: the most reliable way to avoid poisoning is not to collect the lines at all, and to always boil or dry morels before cooking.

Eating strings or unboiled morels, especially strings that have not undergone pre-treatment, is something any mushroom picker can do at your own risk.

Edible morel

Photo 2. Young fruiting body of the edible morel.

Known to most mushroom pickers, the edible morel is the most mass appearance in our forests. It is, as a rule, most abundant and collected in the spring.

This mushroom grows in places where there is a lot of light and the soil is calcareous and rich. nutrients. It especially loves deciduous forests, although it can also be found in pine forests. Loves the southern slopes of hills, clearings, edges, gaps, as well as cluttered places with dead wood and windbreaks. Can be found in urban tree plantations, parks and gardens.

Fruits from early May until about mid-June. The fruiting bodies of the edible morel are the largest of all morels. Their usual size is from 6 to 15 cm in height, but sometimes 20-centimeter specimens are found.

Conical morel

Photo 3. A group of conical morel fruiting bodies.

This mushroom is not as common as the previous one, but appears noticeably earlier. In general, it can be called the very first spring mushroom.

The conical morel prefers coniferous and mixed forests to deciduous forests. Loves damp grassy places - swampy lowlands, floodplains.

Fruits from mid-April to May, occasionally appearing in early June. The size of the fruiting bodies usually does not exceed 15 centimeters.

Morel tall

Very similar to the conical morel, but often has more dark color caps and somewhat elongated in height. In terms of the rest - places of growth and timing of fruiting - it fully corresponds to it, except that it is noticeably less common.

Morel cap

A small mushroom similar to morels, but it is not a real morel, but belongs to the genus “Verpa”. By the way, the Latin name of the cap is translated into Russian as “Bohemian verpa.”

With such a “noble” name, this mushroom should definitely be edible! In principle, this is true: the morel cap can be consumed in the same way as morels - after boiling without decoction.

This fungus grows in light but damp forests - on loamy and dry soils. sandy soils. Loves lowlands, floodplains of streams, slightly swampy areas, simply put - all those places where it is humid. Mycorrhiza forms with trees such as aspen, linden, and birch; where they are not present, the fungus does not grow. Fruits in the second half of April - first half of May. Its fruiting bodies are very small in size - the diameter of the cap usually does not exceed 3 centimeters.

Conical cap

Outwardly, it resembles the previous mushroom, but is a little smaller in size, and there may be no pronounced wrinkles on its cap. Grows in the most different forests, prefers calcareous soils. It has been spotted several times in gardens, in particular near hedges.

Fruits in late April - May. It is considered edible, consumed after boiling without decoction, however, it does not differ in special taste.

Ordinary stitch

This mushroom grows on sandy soils, preferring coniferous and mixed forests deciduous. Loves old burnt areas and clearings, can be found under poplars.

It bears fruit in April-May, the size of its fruiting bodies usually does not exceed 10-15 centimeters.

The line is gigantic

The stitch differs from the usual one in the lighter color of the cap and slightly larger sizes. However, coniferous forests The giant stitch prefers birch forests or mixed forests with an admixture of birch. Most often found in well-lit places - edges, clearings, clearings.

Fruits from late April to May, occasionally appearing in early June. The fruiting bodies are quite large; the cap can reach up to 30 cm in diameter.

Pointed stitch

It’s also a beam stitch. Enough little-known mushroom, was previously considered a subspecies of the giant stitch, but was separated into a separate species.

Grows in deciduous forests on calcareous soils, especially loves old oak forests, as well as any forests with an admixture of oak. He avoids other places; you definitely won’t find him in the taiga. Often found near rotten stumps and fallen trees.

Fruits from April to May.

May row (May mushroom)

It is also called “St. George’s mushroom.” Quite famous and highly respected by some mushroom pickers. Widely distributed, prefers places where there is litter and plenty of light: deciduous forests, forest edges, lawns, clearings, gardens, parks. It even grows on lawns.

It bears fruit quite en masse from April to June, often forming large clusters. As mentioned above, it is collected and eaten, although in some places mushroom pickers ignore this row.

Short-legged rower

A very little-known early mushroom, it is usually classified as a toadstool - due to external resemblance. Although, it is quite edible and is used as food in some places.

The short-legged row grows in different forests and is unpretentious to the location. You can meet her in a park or garden. Fruits from April to June.

Double-ringed champignon

It is also a sidewalk champignon. Grows in soils rich in organic matter, among grass. It can often be found on city lawns, on roadsides, and is also famous for its ability to grow through cracks in asphalt. Widely distributed and quite common.

The fruiting bodies of the double-ringed champignon appear in May and disappear in June. Knowledgeable mushroom pickers collect it, because this mushroom is edible and has good taste. Sometimes it is cultivated.

Sac-shaped golovach

Photo 13. The earliest of the raincoats is the sac-shaped bighead.

One of the earliest puffball mushrooms. Appears at the end of May, bears fruit until September. You can meet it in open places - forest edges and clearings, meadows and pastures.

Like all puffballs, it is considered edible in at a young age- while the pulp is white, elastic and has not yet turned into spore powder.

Sulfur-yellow tinder fungus

Photo 14. Young fruiting bodies of the sulfur-yellow tinder fungus.

When many hear the word “tinder”, the first thing they remember is a hefty “flying saucer” firmly stuck to an old stump or fallen timber. Eating these mushrooms is out of the question; all that remains is to offer them to the beaver as a dessert. However, having barely broken through the bark, the still young fruiting bodies of tinder fungi are tender and juicy, and therefore quite usable. But not all, but only certain species, a couple of which were included in our spring list.

The sulfur-yellow tinder fungus is one of them. Its fruiting bodies somewhat resemble yellow dough that has come out through cracks in the wood. Appear on deciduous trees, less often - coniferous trees in May - approximately in the second half of the month. The mushroom does not bear fruit for long - until the end of June.

Rarely does anyone collect it here, but in some places abroad it is considered a delicacy and has the nickname “tree chicken.” However, you should be careful with it: there is information that a mushroom grown on coniferous trees causes poisoning and allergic reactions, the same effect can be observed when eating old fruiting bodies.

Scaly polypore

Photo 14. Young fruiting bodies of the scaly polypore.

He is also a variegated tinder fungus. Like the previous mushroom, it grows on trees, you can eat it while it’s young. However, in years of famine, people also had to eat old fruiting bodies - they made broth from them.

Appears in May - towards the end of the month, bears fruit throughout the warm season - until October.

Wood-loving collibia (spring honey fungus)

This mushroom begins the list of spring mushrooms, the consumption of which is not a serious matter, either due to poor nutritional qualities, or due to outright inedibility and toxicity.

Wood-loving collibia is a small mushroom with a wide cap and a thin stalk. In fact, it is edible, but in appearance it is very similar false honey fungus, therefore, it is rarely collected and prepared by anyone, except perhaps the most experienced (and fanatical) mushroom pickers.

Grows in deciduous forests with litter, loves oak forests. Fruiting bodies are released throughout the warm season - from May to October.

Dung beetle flickering

Photo 17. Fruiting bodies of the dung beetle on rotten wood.

A small fungus that grows anywhere there is rotting wood. You can meet it in a variety of forests, as well as in parks and gardens. Many mushroom pickers know this mushroom well, but hardly anyone collects it: the shimmering dung beetle is inconspicuous and small (its cap does not exceed 4 cm in diameter), in addition, it quickly turns into a black slurry (like all dung mushrooms). And some experts even consider it inedible.

It bears fruit from May to September and is usually found in large groups.

Spindlefish

Photo 18. Spindlefish (enlarged several times).

It grows in a wide variety of forests, mainly on moist loamy soil. The first fruiting bodies appear in April - in fairly decent bunches. The spindlewort bears fruit throughout the warm season - until October.

It’s a beautiful fungus, it looks quite appetizing in the photo, and could possibly be edible, but it didn’t turn out to be a sprout. The diameter of its fruiting body does not exceed half a centimeter, and therefore it has no nutritional value.

Petsitsa bright red

Photo 19. Bright red petsica - compact and beautiful.

This early mushroom, like the previous one, can be found in any forest, but it grows not on the soil, but on wood debris (usually on old branches immersed in the soil). He especially loves places cluttered with dead wood.

The bright red beetroot also bears fruit throughout the warm season - from April to October. The size of its fruiting bodies does not exceed 6 centimeters in diameter (usually less). There is no information about the regular consumption of this mushroom. Its pulp is quite hard and does not have a pronounced taste. However, it is known for certain that this mushroom is not poisonous.

Lakhnum bicolor

Photo 20. Fruiting bodies of Lakhnum bicolor on a rotten branch. Increased several times.

A rare small mushroom growing on the branch litter of deciduous trees. Fruits in April-May. It has a yellow cap, trimmed along the edges with white, fluffy fibers.

Under a magnifying glass, this fungus looks very impressive, but has no nutritional value - its diameter does not exceed two millimeters.

Multi-colored tinder fungus

Photo 21. This forest regular is familiar to many hikers. Multi-colored tinder fungus on a stump.

A very widespread and familiar fungus to many lovers of forest walks, growing on dried trunks deciduous trees. Occasionally it can be found on fallen fir trees.

Fruits from May to October. Like many tinder fungi, it is tough and woody, and therefore has no nutritional value.

Common gorsewort

Photo 22. Common chinwort on a fallen tree.

Just like the previous one, this mushroom loves wood, and it can grow not only on dried trunks and stumps, but also on living trees (mainly deciduous trees). It comes across quite often - in a variety of forests.

Fruits in spring and summer - from May to August. It has no nutritional value due to its small size (the diameter of the cap does not exceed 3 cm).

Lacrymaria velvety

A widespread mushroom that grows on rotting wood - in mixed and deciduous forests.

It begins to throw out small fruiting bodies in May and continues until September. It is considered inedible due to its strong astringent taste.

Stropharia hemispherical

Photo 24. Fruiting bodies of Stropharia hemispherica.

A fairly common mushroom that grows in well-manured soil, but most often directly on manure. Belongs to the very well-known family of Strophariaceae, which also includes hallucinogenic mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe.

Fruits from May to October. Counts inedible mushroom, although some authors claim that it can be eaten. However, few people want to pick mushrooms that grow on... well, you get the idea!

Entoloma spring

Photo 25. Spring entoloma. On the left is a view from below, on the right is a young fruiting body.

Spring entoloma is the only one on our list poisonous mushroom, which cannot be collected (let alone eaten) because it is fraught with severe poisoning.

This mushroom is quite widespread. It is found in various forests, as well as in gardens and parks. Its small fruiting bodies (no more than 10 cm in height) appear in April - May, in large clusters.

Quiet hunting for mushrooms, contrary to popular belief, begins not with the approach of autumn, but in the spring, when May mushrooms appear, growing crowded. You can collect a whole basket of them and pamper them with seven dishes from fresh mushrooms already in May.

Name of the mushroom

Little-known May mushrooms are usually called calocybe in scientific communities (this name comes from the name of the genus Calocybe). People call them differently - May row, St. George's mushroom. And the mushrooms of their family Tricholomataceae are simply called T-shirt.

Habitats

St. George's mushroom appears in May and is found until July in temperate zones Russia. He does not grow alone, he prefers to form large groups in woodlands, grassy areas, parks, gardens, pastures, pastures, along the edges. By appearance May mushroom resembles a champignon. Its aroma and taste are similar to that of

Description of the May mushroom

Kalotsibe May has a fleshy dry cap, the diameter of which can reach 12 centimeters. At first it is convex. As it grows it becomes prostrate. Its wavy edges often crack. It can be flat or with a tubercle. The cap is painted in cream, yellowish or off-white tones.

It is endowed with thick, dense, soft, white pulp with a mealy odor and taste. An unpopular May mushroom, the photo of which perfectly demonstrates it characteristic features, has pulp lined with frequent notched or fused plates with a tooth and a stalk. The color of the plates is whitish with cream shades.

The color of the spore powder is creamy. The spores are ovoid or ellipsoid in shape. The length of the leg is ten centimeters, width - three. It is dense, fibrous, club-shaped. The color range of the legs varies from whitish tones to yellowish and whitish-cream shades.

Young May mushrooms are easily confused with poisonous entoloma. Although there are serious differences between them. It has a brown cap with brown plates. The cap turns red at the break.

Useful properties

St. George's mushrooms are unique. They have a balanced composition. They are rich in protein compounds, amino acids, and vitamin-mineral complex. They belong to the fourth category of edible mushrooms.

Since ancient times, Chinese, Japanese and Roman healers have used May mushrooms to make medicines. Tinctures and extracts were prepared from them. Medicines treated heart disease and digestive tract. They relieved migraines and

The vitamin-mineral complex strengthens the immune system, stimulates the brain and leads to the harmonious functioning of the body. Thanks to this, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened and hematopoiesis improves. Doctors compare the May row with food made from animal liver.

The row contains melanin, a powerful natural antioxidant. It, saturated with mushroom chitin, helps cleanse the body. Chitin plays the role of a sponge that draws in waste and toxins. Bound leaves the body naturally.

Possible harm

May row is a harmless mushroom. It is fried, salted, pickled, without resorting to preliminary boiling. However, when assembling a row, you must follow the rules. When collecting, you need complete confidence that it is Kalocybe and not the poisonous entomola that ends up in the basket. The fungal body tends to accumulate easily harmful substances. Therefore, mushrooms are not collected in traffic areas and near cities.

The rows must be processed immediately after collection. Long-term storage has a detrimental effect on their quality. They are from useful product turn into harmful food that can lead to disastrous consequences.