When to collect morels

When to collect morels

Beginner mushroom pickers believe that it is not worth going for mushrooms before May. Like, only feet stomp.

But in fact, mushrooms appear even earlier.

Mycelium begins to wake up everywhere in different ways - depending on climatic conditions. For example, winter is still in the northern latitudes in March, and field work is in full swing in the southern. It was at this time that the first mushrooms appeared there. It is morel. No wonder morel called scout fungi and mushroom snowdrops. They seem to see off the winter: there is still snow in the ravines, and shriveled caps of morels adorn the hills.

Many mushrooms, these mushrooms are not taken seriously, considering them almost poisonous. In fact, these marsupials are conditionally edible. The fact is that morels contain Helwellic acid, which, once in the human body, can cause severe poisoning. But when boiling this acid is completely destroyed and the fungus can be eaten safely. Therefore, morels before the main cooking are cut in half, boil for about 10 minutes, the resulting broth is poured. Then the mushrooms are washed. And only after this morels can you boil or fry.

Useful properties of morels

  • Morels contain 3, 28% of proteins, 0, 79% of carbohydrates and 0, 43% of fats.
  • Morels have vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, D, as well as useful trace elements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, sodium ...
  • Morels are used to treat eye diseases and to improve vision.
  • Morels improve the performance of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Tincture of morels is used externally in the treatment of rheumatism and joints.

What do morels look like?

  • Morels have wrinkled caps that look like dented honeycombs.
  • The morel present hat has a rounded, yellow-brown color. The leg is also hollow, furrowed.
  • A conic morel hat is elongated.
  • In the giant morel, the cap is almost round, cellular. The color of the cap is dirty gray. This name he received for his gigantic growth. The height of some morels reaches 35 cm, and the hat in the straightened form is larger than the dining plate.

Where morels grow

Morels grow wherever there are forests.

The morel conic is most often found in pine forests, sometimes in deciduous. It grows in forest clearings, in willow trees, among shrubs, in gardens and fields.

Morel gray gray giant is less picky about the landscape and soil composition. It is found in clay deserts, along canals, in thickets of bushes. Likes poplar plantings and shelter belts.

If the weather is warm and wet, morels appear in the open desert.

While the earth is filled with moisture, morels can be found in gardens, orchards and vineyards. But most often, for morels, mushroom pickers go to a mixed forest. In the sunny meadows or on the old burnt areas, as well as near the stumps, you can find a morel present.

But in coniferous forests grows morel conic.

In warm, rainy weather, the morel harvest is simply huge, but more than half of the mushrooms remain unclaimed. Again, because of the presence of gelwell acid in them. By the way, it is destroyed not only during boiling (it was mentioned above), but also during drying.

Compared with other mushrooms that can be harvested two or three months in a row, morels appear for a short time - as long as there is moisture in the soil and there is no intense heat. Sometimes this period lasts only two or three weeks. And then morels disappear to appear only next year.

Helpful information

The morel has a twin similar to them - an inedible fungus fungus. Veselka is very similar to a morel, but it has a longer leg and a small cap, which is sometimes covered with greenish mucus. This mushroom appears in July-September. Distinctive feature - an unpleasant, persistent smell.

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