One of the representatives of lamellar mushrooms got its name because of the pronounced olive-green color of the fruiting body - greenfinch, greenfin or green rowan. This mushroom belongs to sandstone mushrooms, that is, they grow on the sand.
Mushroom description
The meaty hat of green-yellow color with a yellowish-brown center has wavy edges. Its surface is very sticky, therefore it is constantly in grains of sand and garbage. It is because of this that many mushroom pickers are in no hurry to collect them. Wash all the sand so that it does not grit on the teeth, it’s not an easy task.
The diameter of the hat is 3–15 cm. First, it is convex, and then becomes flat. The pulp is dense white, yellowish under the skin of a hat, powdery and pleasant to the taste with the aroma of fresh flour or cucumbers, if the mushroom grows near a pine tree. The plates are often located, they are quite wide with recesses, painted in greenish-yellow color. Spore powder is white. The leg is strong, low - 4–6 cm in length, 1–2 cm thick. It is painted the same way as the hat. Hiding completely in the sand.
The nutritional value of greenfinch
The mushroom is edible and is included in the 4th category by nutrition.
The chemical composition of greenfinch (100 g of the product contains):
- proteins - 3.09 g;
- carbohydrates - 3.26 g;
- fats - 0, 34 g;
- water - 92, 45 g;
- ash - 0.85 g.
It is rich in B vitamins, contains vitamin C, D, E, K and PP, a number of amino acids and minerals - calcium, selenium, magnesium, potassium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc and sodium, fiber.
Nutrition value of 100 g of fresh mushrooms - 28 kcal.
Dishes from this type of fungus are contraindicated for people with poor blood coagulability, since it contains toxic substances that make it green. And also you can’t eat mushrooms to people with an allergic reaction to them, with kidney diseases, during pregnancy and lactation, hypervitaminosis, children under 12 years old.
Where and when do they grow?
Zelenushki can be found in the northern forest zone. She prefers to settle in a dry pine forest, on sandy and sandy loamy soils. Rarely can they be found in deciduous forests. They go hunting for them at the end of summer, when the amount of precipitation increases. The sand becomes wet and the mycelium wakes up.
The first greenfinches are found already in early August, the latter - in mid-September. But if Indian summer dragged on, individual mushrooms can be found in November. They grow individually or in small groups of 5-8 pieces. Almost never a mushroom is wormy.
Varieties
Zelenushka is one of a kind, but it resembles inedible mushrooms - a row of sultry and sulfur-yellow, and a deadly poisonous pale grebe.
How to distinguish edible greenfinch?
You can distinguish edible greenfinch from its poisonous or simply inedible counterparts. You just need to know the subtleties of appearance and the distinctive features of each mushroom:
- Ryadovka sulfur-yellow. It can be distinguished from greenfinch by the color of the fruiting body. She has it painted in yellow. Its pulp does not have a pleasant aroma; it has a strong unpleasant tar tar and a bitter taste. But they appear with greenfinches at the same time, and prefer to settle in the same places.
- Ryadovka sultry or spruce. The mushroom has a smaller size, burning taste and an unpleasant odor. It often grows in the same forests as greenfinch. It is worth considering the hat carefully. Although they are similar in color - in the spruce row, it is light yellow with olive inclusions, the shape is significantly different. In an inedible representative, it resembles a bell with a depression in the middle.
- Death cap. The pale toadstool on the leg has a ring and a Volvo - a veil that protects the young body of the fungus. The plates and legs are painted white, and the edges of the hat are flat.
- Spider Web. Inexperienced mushroom pickers can confuse greenfinch with a cobweb. They are really similar in appearance, but the cobweb grows in very different places - it does not occur in a pine forest or spruce. Also, a lot of mucus accumulates on the cobweb on the underside of the cap.
The mushroom is similar to the conditionally edible Russula green. She will not be able to poison herself, but their cooking technology is different.
The benefits and harms of the fungus
The beneficial properties of greenfinch are easily explained by the impressive composition of nutrients. But when eating mushrooms, moderation must be observed. Mushrooms contain substances that suppress pathogenic microflora, in particular, staphylococci, thin the blood and purify it, normalize the work of the cardiovascular system. Greenfinchs affect bone tissue, strengthening it, and the digestive system, improving intestinal motility.
Despite the edible mushroom, several cases of fatal poisoning have been recorded. The reason was overeating greenfinches. Do not forget that they have a toxin that destroys muscle tissue. Prolonged use of mushrooms negatively affects health:
- muscle weakness is observed, which is expressed in a quick involuntary contraction of the limbs;
- disorders of the cardiovascular system occur;
- liver cells are destroyed;
- kidney failure occurs.
The main ghost of toxin poisoning is a discoloration of urine. It is painted in a dark brown color. Urgently seek medical help and exclude the product from the diet.
Also, greenfinch is often found near highways or in industrial areas. Mushrooms absorb toxic substances, heavy metals from the environment. After eating such mushrooms, severe poisoning does not pass the gourmet. Signs of poisoning are impaired renal function, renal failure, irritation of the bladder mucosa. Therefore, any mushrooms should be collected in ecologically clean areas.
How to collect?
Zelenushka is not so easy to find. And all because they hide well in the soil. The leg goes completely into it, and greenish sticky hats mask natural litter and grains of sand. Therefore, in order to find them, the mushroom picker has to carefully dig sand.
It is better to go for mushrooms in dry weather. With prolonged rains, the hats are covered with mucus, which mixes with the sand, and finding the greenfinch becomes problematic. Strong young mushrooms are collected, older ones are better left, since their flesh is hard and tasteless.
Is it possible to grow this type of mushroom yourself?
Greenfinch is usually not cultivated at home, as:
- in yield they are inferior to oyster mushrooms;
- they are difficult to clean, not every housewife wants to mess with them;
- the presence of toxin in their composition does not make them more popular among mushroom growers.
But there are admirers of this type of mushroom, who grow them on their site. Seed material is purchased in a store, but it is not common.
Before sowing, the mycelium is mixed with sand or dry soil. Under the tree, loosen the soil, and make holes 5-15 cm deep, depending on how the roots of the trees are located on the surface of the soil. The mycelium is evenly scattered and covered with forest soil, to which humus is added (1: 1). Well watered with water from a watering can, and sprinkled with earth, which remained after digging holes.
Planting is carried out in spring or summer under coniferous trees, preferably under young pine or spruce. In hot weather, water the plantation regularly. The mushroom picker is a long-liver, it will grow until the tree dies.
So, although greenfinch is not very popular with mushroom pickers, it is used in cooking. Before processing, they should be well cleaned of debris and sand, and then boiled. Mushrooms are used for conservation. In the pickle, the mushroom caps turn brown or olive. When boiling, the color saturation of the pulp increases, they become more green.