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Meadow puffball (Lycoperdon pratense) is a conditionally edible mushroom belonging to the Champignon family. People called him the bee sponge and the pearl raincoat. The mushroom has an atypical appearance. It is missing a cap and a stem.The raincoat has a spherical shape of a closed structure. Another name is vascellum arvensis.
Description of the meadow raincoat
Meadow puffball is considered a conditionally edible mushroom. But it is customary to eat only young fruits. Their surface is covered with a smooth milky peridium. As the mushroom grows, it darkens, and the pulp becomes less elastic and fills with spore powder. Very old meadow raincoats can be completely black on the inside. In diameter, the size of the mushroom can vary from 2 to 5 cm. It grows in height above 3.5 cm. Meadow puffballs are found mainly in park areas. Peak harvest occurs from June to October. Due to its unpretentiousness to environmental conditions, bee sponge is often grown purposefully in garden plots.
In appearance, the meadow raincoat resembles a champignon. The difference lies in its voluminous cap. Over time, the color of the mushroom may change to yellowish. Spikes form on the surface of the top. But heavy rains contribute to their disappearance.
Doubles and their differences
The meadow raincoat has doubles that are completely unsuitable for consumption. These include the common and spotted varieties of the fungus. They are extremely rare. To distinguish an edible mushroom from a false one, just look at its structure. The meadow raincoat has a partition separating the stem and cap.
Common puffball considered the most common. It is often found in sparse grass and areas of moss accumulation. The mushroom has a lemon or orange color. The fruiting body reaches a length of 6 cm. The stem is missing, and the cap is shaped like an egg.The surface of the common puffball has dark scales. Over time, the top of the cap cracks. At the site of cracks, the fruit body has a red tint. A distinctive feature of this type of raincoat is its repulsive smell, reminiscent of raw potatoes. Eating false puffballs may cause an allergic reaction and digestive upset. The most common side symptoms include conjunctivitis and rhinitis.
Spotted Puffball got its name due to its characteristic color. It is also called leopard scleroderma. The diameter of the mushroom cap does not exceed 5 cm. It has a pear-shaped shape, slightly tilted to one side. The smell of this type of mushroom is sweetish, but weakly expressed. The color of the flesh is white, but over time it can turn purple. You can meet the spotted puffball in almost any forest. It requires plenty of light and moist soil to grow. If you accidentally consume a false raincoat, a clinical picture of poisoning will occur. It manifests itself in severe nausea and vomiting.
Where and how does it grow
Meadow raincoat can be found in Central Asia, Ireland, Great Britain and Russia. It grows primarily in deciduous and coniferous forests in temperate climates. The most favorable conditions for its growth on the territory of the Russian Federation are presented in Siberia and the Far East. In search of meadow raincoats, mushroom pickers go to wastelands, wet meadows and forest areas. There are about seven species in Russia. Some of them are inedible.
Is the meadow puffball edible or not?
In terms of its taste, meadow raincoat belongs to the fourth category. Despite this, it is not prohibited to eat it. Gourmets often compare this species with boletus mushrooms. Before eating, you must make sure that the crop was not harvested near industrial facilities or highways. The fact is that mushrooms have the ability to absorb toxic substances. In this case, eating the product can be extremely dangerous.
How to prepare meadow raincoats
Experts recommend eating only young specimens. Before cooking, you should carefully inspect each mushroom. The pulp should be completely white. Any deformations or deviations in color indicate that the product is dangerous to eat. Meadow raincoat can be prepared in any way. Most often it is stewed, boiled, fried and baked.
Cleaning and preparing mushrooms
Before cooking, it is necessary to thoroughly process the product. Use a sharp knife for cleaning. Use it to carefully pry the skin of the bee sponge and remove it. You should also cut off the place where the meadow raincoat is attached to the root part. It is not necessary to wash the mushrooms. You just need to clear them of forest debris. It is strictly contraindicated to use brushes for these purposes. They will ruin the structure of the fruit. No need to soak. Before placing in a pot or frying pan, they are cut into small slices.
How to fry
Fried meadow puffballs are extremely popular in cooking. Most often they are cooked in batter. Even when exposed to high temperatures, the mushroom retains its size and structure. A vegetable salad would be an excellent addition to a breaded dish.
Components:
- 2 chicken eggs;
- 500 g mushrooms;
- 1 onion;
- 2 tbsp. l. mayonnaise;
- 100 ml sunflower oil;
- 3 tbsp. l. flour;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Cooking process:
- This recipe requires large fruits. They are thoroughly cleaned and cut into equal slices. Sprinkle them on top with a small amount of salt.
- Beat eggs in a separate container. Mayonnaise and spices are added to the resulting mass. Then you need to add flour, mixing the mixture thoroughly.
- Mushroom slices are dipped in batter and placed on a hot frying pan.
- Each slice is fried on both sides until golden brown.
How to marinate
Due to the fact that there is little moisture in the meadow raincoat, the product practically does not change in size during cooking. For the winter, these forest fruits are often pickled. For these purposes, use your favorite seasonings and various herbs.
Components:
- 600 g meadow raincoat;
- 2 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
- 4 peas of allspice;
- 6 black peppercorns;
- 1 tbsp. l. dill seeds;
- 4 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 2 buds of cloves.
Cooking process:
- The main product is boiled in lightly salted water, periodically skimming off the foam. The total cooking time is 20 minutes.
- Once ready, the mushrooms are removed and placed in a separate container. All the seasonings are thrown into the mushroom broth, after which the pan is put back on the fire. After 10 minutes of boiling, pour in vinegar and remove the pan from the heat.
- Mushrooms are placed in sterilized jars. Garlic is placed on top. The contents are filled to the brim with marinade.
- The jars are rolled up with sterile lids and put away in a secluded place.
How to preserve meadow raincoats for the winter
Preparing a meadow raincoat for the winter allows you to get a universal dish for any occasion. It is advisable to roll the mushrooms into small jars so that it is convenient to take them out one at a time if necessary. The containers are pre-sterilized along with the lids. Almost any recipe can be used to preserve the product.
How to freeze
Freezing meadow raincoat allows you to extend the useful properties and pleasant taste of the product for up to one year. But for this you need to take into account a number of nuances. Before freezing, the product is peeled and cut into small slices. In this form, it is laid out on a cutting board and put in the freezer for a couple of hours. Frozen fruiting bodies are placed in a bag and put in the freezer. Before freezing, mushrooms can be boiled or lightly fried.
How to dry
Dried mushrooms are great for making soups. They become more fragrant and take up very little space. In this form, the product is suitable for use for 1-2 years. The drying process is carried out in several stages:
- Mushrooms are cleaned of debris without rinsing them with water.
- Meadow puffballs are cut into equal-sized slices and laid out in one layer on a baking sheet.
- The baking sheet is placed in the oven for an hour at a temperature of 45ºC.
- The second stage of drying is carried out with the oven door open at a temperature of 60ºC for four hours.
How to salt
Experts do not recommend salting meadow raincoats. As a result of the dry salting method, they lose their shape and lose the crunch characteristic of salted mushrooms. It is also believed that frying and stewing makes meadow puffballs more delicious.
The healing properties of meadow raincoats
Meadow puffball is common not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. Its pulp contains a number of substances that have a positive effect on health. Most often, the product is used to rid the body of toxins and waste. There is an opinion that a raincoat copes well with diseases of the respiratory system. Its beneficial properties include:
- normalization of blood composition indicators;
- acceleration of regenerative functions;
- strengthening the immune system;
- removal of radionuclides from the body;
- improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- cleansing of liver cells.
For diseases of the respiratory organs, use broth prepared from raincoat. Its benefits are comparable to the qualities of chicken broth.
Mushrooms are often used in the fight against diseases of the genitourinary system. A drink brewed with bee sponge powder does an excellent job of treating postpartum bleeding. Sometimes it is used to treat urolithiasis.
The benefits of tincture on meadow raincoats
For medicinal purposes, meadow raincoat is used in a wide variety of forms. Mushroom tincture has become especially popular. It is taken before meals three times a day. A single dosage is 40 drops. The benefits of tincture of meadow raincoat are as follows:
- elimination of disturbances in the functioning of the thyroid gland;
- restoration of liver cells during hepatitis;
- getting rid of dysbacteriosis;
- prevention of leukemia.
Tincture of meadow puffballs is often used for the prevention and treatment of multiple sclerosis.In this case, it is necessary to take the medicine four times a week. For diseases of the stomach, liver and kidneys, take 1 tsp of tincture. before going to bed. The total duration of treatment is 40 days.
For inflammatory processes on the skin surface, the tincture is used together with tea tree oil. Wipe the skin with the resulting mixture, instead of lotion, twice a day.
How to grow meadow raincoats in the country
Thanks to the unpretentiousness of the meadow raincoat, its cultivation at home is quite possible. To start production, you need to plant vascellum spores in moist soil. The most favorable conditions should be created at the meadow raincoat growing site. They consist of providing shade from trees and the presence of grass nearby. The first harvest can be used within a year. In order for meadow raincoats to grow on an ongoing basis, it is necessary to periodically sow spores in a specially designated area.
Conclusion
Meadow puffball is a tasty and healthy product that requires special preparation. To avoid food poisoning, you need to choose mushrooms responsibly. In this case, it will be possible to fully reveal their unique taste qualities.
