Giant golovach (Giant puffball): photo and description, medicinal properties, recipes

The giant golovach or gigantic puffball is rightfully considered a heavyweight record holder in the world of mushrooms due to its size. This mushroom, which has a characteristic appearance, has excellent gastronomic properties, and is therefore very popular among mushroom pickers. Puffball is an edible mushroom, and you can eat it immediately after heat treatment, and you can also store it for future use: dry, freeze or can. However, the bighead has dangerous counterparts that are poisonous, so it is important to know their main signs to avoid food poisoning.

What does a giant loggerhead look like?

The giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) is a member of the Champignon family and belongs to the genus Golovach. This mushroom is listed in the Red Book of Tatarstan, the Altai Republic and the Altai Territory.

The mushroom got its name due to the characteristic shape of the cap, which resembles a head. Description of the distinctive features of the giant bighead:

• spherical, oval or ovoid shape of the fruiting body;
• the cap is 10-50 cm in diameter, in young mushrooms it is white and smooth, in old ones it becomes yellowish-brown in color and is covered with cracks, spines and scales;
• the leg is white, often thickened or narrowed closer to the ground, and has a cylindrical shape;
• the flesh is elastic, white, becomes loose as it ripens and changes color to pale green or brown;
• spores are brown, spherical in shape with an uneven surface.

Since the flesh of the bighead is dense, it is quite heavy; individual specimens weigh up to 7 kg.

Doubles and their differences

The giant bighead has counterparts that can be easily distinguished by their characteristic features:

1. False puffball warty – has a tuberous fruit body, up to 5 cm in diameter. The dense white pulp has yellow veins, and as it ripens it becomes brown or olive in color. A ripe false puffball, unlike a giant bighead, does not generate dust.
   
2. Common puffball – has a tuberous fruit body, up to 6 cm in diameter, covered with brown or gray-yellow scaly, thick (2-4 mm) skin. The young flesh is white, becoming dark purple as it ripens.
   
3. Spotted puffball – has a pear-shaped fruit body, olive-yellow in color, with a skin covered with spines. The flesh of young specimens is whitish, while that of ripe ones is purple.
   

All counterparts of the giant bighead are not suitable for food, since they are inedible mushrooms.

Where and how does it grow

The gigantic raincoat can be found throughout Russia, both in mixed forests and in fields and meadows. Often the giant bighead is found even within the city, in public gardens and parks. Raincoats grow in groups or singly. Prefers moist, nutritious soils.

Is the giant bighead mushroom edible or not?

The giant golovach is an edible mushroom. Only young specimens with white and elastic flesh are used in cooking. Fruiting bodies that are darkened, with a burst shell and visible spores are not suitable for food. The pulp has an extraordinary, refined taste, and in terms of protein content, the bighead is superior even to the porcini mushroom. Therefore, the gastronomic qualities of the gigantic raincoat are very much appreciated by both gourmets and simply mushroom lovers.

Can you get poisoned by giant raincoats?

Poisoning from giant puffballs is only possible if you eat old, darkened fruits.Poisonous toxins accumulate in their pulp, causing severe poisoning, even death.

The danger lies in the fact that symptoms of poisoning appear only a day after eating a low-quality product. By this time, the kidneys and liver are already affected and, without medical help, can stop working at any time.

How to make giant raincoats

The puffball has a huge cap, so the use of the giant bighead in cooking is very diverse. After all, having prepared it for dinner, housewives are faced with the problem of where to put the rest of the fresh pulp. Since the bighead has a dense structure, it can be pickled, salted, dried and even frozen for future use.

Cleaning and preparing mushrooms

Before cooking giant bigheads, they must be prepared as follows:

• clean from adhering debris and lumps of soil;
• rinse off sand under running water;
• Using a knife, remove the thin skin from the cap.

The pulp of the raincoat is cut into cubes or slices, depending on the chosen cooking method.

How to fry

The fruiting body of the giant bighead is cut into thin strips, rolled in flour and fried with finely chopped onion in a heated frying pan, adding vegetable oil. Served with a vegetable side dish or as a main course. Fried golovach also goes well with meat.

How to marinate

Pickled giant salmon can be used as an appetizer, a pie filling, or a leading ingredient in a variety of salads.

You will need:

• 1 kg of main product;
• 25 g sugar;
• 30 g rock salt;
• 5 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 2 clove inflorescences;
• 2 umbrellas of dry dill;
• 3 cloves of garlic.

Cooking method:

1. Clean and wash the fruiting body of the giant bighead, and then cut it into pieces.
2. Soak for 15 minutes in cold water.
3. Boil water and place the chopped mushrooms so that the water completely covers them. Cook until they settle to the bottom (about 20 minutes), then drain in a colander.
4. Place the boiled puffball pulp in a deep, enamel pan and pour in 300 ml of cold water. Place on fire and bring to a boil.
5. As soon as the water boils, add salt, sugar, spices and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. After this, set the pan aside and add vinegar.
7. Place in prepared, sterilized jars and seal.

Pickled giant bighead can be stored for 8-12 months in a cellar or basement.

How to freeze

Freezing fresh food significantly saves the labor costs of any housewife. In order to make a mushroom preparation that will always be at hand, no special effort is required. In the future, if guests suddenly arrive, this will help you prepare a fragrant and tasty dinner in literally a matter of minutes.

For freezing, the cap and leg of the giant bighead are cut into thin (up to 0.5 cm thick) slices. It is better to do this on a board covered with cling film - this will eliminate unnecessary kitchen odors. After this, the slices, laid out in one layer, are sent to the freezer for 4 hours (the temperature should be 18-20 °C). Next, the semi-finished product can be packaged in portions.

How to dry

You can dry the pulp of the giant bighead either in the fresh air or in the oven.

To dry in the fresh air, the fruiting body of the raincoat is cut into slices and laid out on clean paper or a tray in one layer. It is important that the mushrooms are exposed to direct sunlight; a window sill or glazed balcony is suitable for this purpose. After 4 hours, the dried slices are strung on a thread and hung in a dry room until completely dry, after which they are laid out in jars or paper bags.

To dry in the oven, the chopped flesh of the golovach is laid out on a baking sheet and placed in the oven. The temperature should be 60-70 °C. Since mushrooms release a lot of moisture during the drying process, the door is left open. The finished slices should be light and bend a little when tested, and break with a little force.

Pickling

The fruiting body of the giant bighead is prepared for the winter not only by drying or freezing, but also by pickling.

You will need:

• 1 kg of main product;
• 2 onions;
• 75 g salt;
• 2 tsp. mustard seeds;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 5 black peppercorns.

Cooking method:

1. Wash and cut the body of the giant bighead into several parts.
2. Place in a saucepan, add water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
3. Cook for 7-10 minutes, drain in a colander.
4. Place onion, spices and salt cut into half rings at the bottom of sterilized jars. Place boiled mushrooms on top.
5. Pour boiling water over the jars, roll up, shake and turn over.

After cooling completely at room temperature, transfer the jars to a cool, dark place.

Canning for the winter

Preserving giant bighead for the winter is an excellent opportunity to diversify the menu, as well as process the huge fruiting body.

You will need:

• 1 kg of bighead pulp;
• 1 liter of water;
• 20 g sugar;
• 25 g salt;
• 1 tbsp. l.table vinegar (9%);
• 1 tbsp. l. sunflower oil;
• 4 buds of cloves;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 1 tbsp. l. mustard seeds.

Cooking method:

1. Wash and cut into pieces the cap of the giant bighead.
2. To prepare the marinade, pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, add salt, sugar and spices. Boil.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 7 minutes. After this, turn off and pour in vinegar and vegetable oil.
4. Place the mushrooms in jars and pour in the marinade. Roll up and turn over.

After 24 hours, the jars should be put into the cellar.

Other recipes for giant bigheads

The most popular recipes for preparing giant raincoat (except for preparations for the winter) are schnitzel, mushroom soup, and the flesh of the golovach is fried in batter and stewed in cream or sour cream.

Raincoat schnitzel

It is important to mix the batter well and achieve medium thickness - if it is too liquid, it will drain from the mushroom slices, and if it is too thick, it will become hard after frying.

You will need:

• 1 kg of golovach pulp, cut into flat slices;
• 200-250 g breadcrumbs;
• 2 large or 3 small chicken eggs;
• vegetable oil for frying, salt and pepper.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the puffball pulp so that the thickness of the slice does not exceed 0.5 cm.
2. Prepare the batter by beating eggs with salt and seasonings.
3. Heat the frying pan, pour in the oil and wait until it starts to sizzle, lay out the slices of mushrooms, first dipping them into the batter on both sides.
4. Fry until golden brown and serve hot.

Giant bighead schnitzel goes well with a salad of fresh herbs and seasonal vegetables.

Mushroom soup

This soup will turn out to be very nutritious and rich, and in taste and aroma it is in no way inferior to porcini mushroom dishes.

You will need:

• 2 liters of chicken broth (you can use clean water);
• 500 g of fresh golovach pulp;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 3-4 tbsp. l. canned peas;
• 1 tbsp. l. sour cream;
• fresh herbs and oil for frying.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the pulp into thin slices, like potatoes for frying. Then fry in vegetable oil, adding salt and pepper.
2. Boil pre-prepared chicken broth (water), add mushrooms and cook for 12-15 minutes.
3. At this time, peel the onions and carrots, fry and add to the broth. Let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
4. 1.5-2 minutes before removing from heat, add green peas and fresh chopped herbs.

Serve hot, seasoned with sour cream, with bread or croutons grated with garlic.

Golovach in batter

To ensure that the mushrooms are well fried and do not remain raw in the middle, the thickness of the slices should not exceed 0.5-0.7 cm.

You will need:

• 1 kg of chopped puffball pulp;
• 2-3 raw eggs;
• 3 tbsp. l. flour;
• 7 tbsp. l. vegetable oil (2 for batter and 5 for frying);
• a pinch of salt and pepper (you can add your favorite herbs).

Cooking method:

1. Cut the fruit body into flat strips and add a little salt.
2. Using a fork, make a batter from flour, eggs, vegetable oil and spices.
3. Pour vegetable oil into a heated frying pan. After waiting for it to warm up well, carefully lay out the mushroom slices, first dipping them into the batter on both sides.
4. Fry until golden brown and serve hot, sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Bighead fried in batter has an unusual taste, slightly reminiscent of fish.

Raincoat in cream

This dish can be safely served with a side dish of potatoes or cereals as a complete replacement for meat. It will be very tasty!

You will need:

• 500 g of main product;
• 1 medium onion;
• 250-300 ml cream (10-15%);
• 40-60 g butter;
• salt and pepper (preferably a mixture of different ones) to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the body of the bighead into thin strips, and cut the onion into half rings.
2. Heat a clean frying pan and sauté the onion in butter.
3. As soon as the onion becomes translucent (after about 5 minutes), add the main product and stir until the liquid has evaporated.
4. After the mushrooms acquire a golden color, add cream and spices, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Mushrooms are considered ready as soon as the original volume is reduced by half.

Golovach stewed in sour cream

This is perhaps the most common recipe for preparing giant bighead, which does not require any special culinary skills.

You will need:

• 0.7 kg of bighead pulp;
• 0.5 kg of potatoes;
• 250-300 ml full-fat sour cream;
• 2 onions;
• spices, salt and vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

1. Peel the golovach, chop, fry and place in a ceramic bowl.
2. Fry finely chopped onion in a frying pan and add to the mushrooms.
3. Boil the potatoes (preferably in their skins), then cut into rings and fry a little.
4. In a ceramic bowl (the oil from frying the onions will drain to the bottom), lightly fry all the ingredients, stirring occasionally. Add sour cream and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve the dish by placing it on potatoes and sprinkling with fresh herbs.

Medicinal properties of giant bigheads

Raincoat not only has an unusual taste, but is also considered very useful.Giant loggerhead is widely used in folk medicine because it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anesthetic and anticancer properties. Calvacin contained in the pulp is a natural antibiotic, so thin slices of the fruiting body are used in the treatment of smallpox, urticaria and laryngitis. Spore powder is sprinkled on wounds to stop bleeding and speed up healing.

How to Grow Giant Puffballs at Home

You can grow giant golovach on your plot with your own hands. To do this, you need to purchase spores with mycelium in a specialized store. Planting technology is no different from growing champignons:

• choose a shady area and loosen the soil;
• Sprinkle with a layer of compost (5-7 cm) and water.

After 4-5 months, the mycelium will begin to bear fruit. There is no need to insulate the beds for the winter, and under favorable conditions, fruiting bodies can be collected for 4-6 years.

Conclusion

The giant golovach is an incredibly tasty and healthy mushroom, the size of which allows you to prepare several dishes from just one or two copies, as well as make preparations for the winter. However, only young specimens can be used in cooking, since old ones accumulate toxins and harmful substances that can harm health.

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