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Talker mushrooms are a common type of mushroom, including both edible and poisonous specimens. They are used to prepare many dishes, so they should be collected with great care. Photos and descriptions of talker mushrooms will help you avoid making mistakes when collecting.
Where do talkers grow?
Talker mushrooms can be found in almost all countries with a temperate climate - Eastern and Western Europe, China, Turkey, the USA, etc. They live in coniferous forests, as well as fields and meadows, but optimal conditions are surrounded by deciduous trees.
This type of mushroom grows in clumps, forming a so-called “witch circle”, where the mushrooms are placed along the diameter of a circle with an empty space in the middle.
What talkers look like
The cap of this mushroom is modest in size - its diameter is 4-8 cm, in rare specimens it grows to 15-20 cm. In young ones it has the appearance of a hemisphere, over time it becomes flat, and in old ones it may have a funnel in the center.
The surface of the cap is dry and smooth, has a brown-gray, ocher, beige or brownish-pinkish color.Color saturation decreases from the middle to the edges. Sometimes on the surface you can notice the remains of mycelium, reminiscent of mold spots.
The plates located on the inside of the cap are usually white. The older the mushroom, the closer to yellow their shade is.
The leg of various types of talkers can have a height from 4 to 10 cm and a diameter of 1-3 cm.
The pulp of young specimens is quite dense and white; as the mushroom ages, it becomes drier.
Spore powder is white or cream in color.
Types of talkers
The genus includes more than 250 species of mushroom. About 60 different talkers are known and studied in our country. Among them you can find both quite edible and very poisonous ones. Therefore, it is necessary to have a good understanding of what a particular species looks like and whether it is safe to collect. Photos of edible talkers and their poisonous counterparts will help with this.
The most common types of talkers:
- The talker is bent - an edible species with a wide cap, the size of which can reach 18 cm, gray-yellow in color. Young mushrooms have a slightly convex cap, while older mushrooms have a funnel-shaped cap with a raised area in the middle. The plates are frequent and white. The stem is strong, the same color as the cap, 12-20 cm high and up to 3 cm thick. The flesh is white, in older mushrooms it is brownish. In the upper part it is strong and elastic, and on the stem it is more porous and dry. Such a talker can grow either as individual fungi or in groups in the form of large circles. It can be found in deciduous forests and forest edges. The harvest period is from late summer to October. It has a poisonous counterpart - entoloma, but unlike the folded talker, the cap of entoloma is flat, and the flesh has an unpleasant rancid odor.
- Talker gray or smoky - edible mushroom. The cap, like that of other varieties, is initially dome-shaped, and over time it becomes smooth with a small depression. The color of the cap is light gray or brownish. The plates are frequent, white or yellow with a grayish tint. The lower part of the fruit body is strong, low, 3-4 cm thick, white-gray in color. The flesh of the cap is strong and juicy, while the stems are drier and have a sharp soapy smell. It lives in deciduous or coniferous forests, often in large groups. The fruiting period is from August to the end of autumn.Attention! Despite the fact that the smoky talker is an edible mushroom, consuming it without first boiling it for half an hour can cause an eating disorder.
- Goblet talker - edible mushroom. Its cap is shaped like a cup or glass with the edges bent outward. The cap size is 5-8 cm, the color is brown or brown-gray. The plates are sparse and brown. The stem is hollow, 9-12 cm high. The flesh of the mushroom is watery, off-white in color. Grows in forests among fallen leaves or pine needles. The period of active growth is August-September.
- Orange talker (aka false chanterelle) is an edible mushroom with a funnel-shaped cap with curved edges of a bright orange color. The leg is also orange, smooth, 5-8 cm high. They grow singly or in small groups in mixed or coniferous forests among moss and fallen leaves. The fruiting period is from August to October.
- Club-footed talker - conditionally edible mushroom. The cap in young specimens is spherical, and in more mature ones it is in the form of a funnel, brown or gray-brown in color, 6-8 cm in size. The plates are sparse, cream-colored.The leg is club-shaped, which gave the name to the species, fibrous grayish-brown, no more than 7-8 cm high. The pulp is thin, moist, with a slight smell of flour. Lives in coniferous or mixed forests, in single specimens or in groups. The fruiting period is from August to October.Attention! The mushroom is classified as edible, so before cooking it must first be boiled and the broth drained. In combination with alcohol it becomes poisonous.
- Funnel-shaped or funnel-shaped talker – a conditionally edible mushroom, the most common variety. The cap is initially flat with a rise in the center, and as it grows it takes the form of a funnel. The size of the cap does not exceed 7-8 cm. The color is yellowish-brown. The plates of this variety are frequent, descending along the stem. The lower part of the fruiting body is thin, hard, 8-10 cm high. The mushroom grows singly or in groups in forests on a litter of fallen leaves or pine needles. The fruiting period is from August until the start of frost. Only young specimens can be used for food, after first boiling them for at least an hour.
- Aniseed or fragrant talker – edible, rarely found mushroom. The hat, like that of other “relatives”, is slightly curved at first, and as it grows it becomes cup-shaped. The color is grey-green. The plates are white or pale green, adherent to the base. The leg is gray-yellow, the size does not exceed 6 cm. The pulp is pale green, watery, with a pronounced anise smell. Grows in mixed forests in groups of several. The fruiting period is from late summer to October.
Attention! The mushroom requires mandatory boiling, as a result of which the characteristic anise aroma becomes weaker. - The talker is whitish - a small poisonous mushroom.The diameter of the cap does not exceed 5 cm. The shape is curved at first, but in mature mushrooms it is slightly depressed with drooping, uneven edges. The color is white with a grayish tint, the surface is smooth and dry. The plates are also white or grayish, adherent. The lower part of the fruit body is thin, cylindrical, 3-4 cm high, white or cream in color. It grows most often in meadows or forest edges. The mushroom is very poisonous due to the significant content of the alkaloid muscarine and is absolutely not suitable for food.
- Waxy talker - poisonous lamellar mushroom. The cap of young mushrooms is flat with a tubercle in the center. And over time it takes on a depressed shape. The surface is smooth, light gray in color, becoming darker in rainy weather. The plates are descending, cream colored. The leg is grayish-white in color, has an even cylindrical shape and a height of up to 4-6 cm, the flesh is dense with a pungent odor. This species grows in open forest areas singly or in groups. The growth period is from July to September. The mushroom is very poisonous and can cause severe food poisoning.
- Red-brown talker - a poisonous mushroom with a funnel-shaped cap of a reddish-brown or reddish hue with a diameter of 6-8 cm. The plates are frequent, descending, cream or yellowish in color. In the photo of the poisonous talker, you can see that its leg is dense, light reddish in color, 4-5 cm high. The flesh is thin and hard, with a sour odor. This species grows in coniferous or mixed forests from August to October.Attention! Previously, the mushroom belonged to a conditionally edible species, but later muscarine, which is a toxic substance, was discovered in its composition.
Is it possible to eat talkers?
The genus of talkers includes both edible and very poisonous subspecies.Due to the fact that it can be very difficult to distinguish inedible talker mushrooms from harmless ones, they are recommended to be collected only by experienced mushroom pickers. If there is even the slightest doubt about the edibility of a mushroom, it is better to refrain from collecting it.
Edible talkers are very nutritious and have a number of beneficial properties. The caps of young mushrooms are usually used for food. Before the main preparation, they must be boiled.
Taste qualities of the mushroom govorushka
Due to the high content of enzymes, fresh talkers have a bitter taste, so they are not consumed fresh. After cooking, the caps lose their bitterness, maintaining a pleasant taste and pronounced aroma. The legs of this species are usually tasteless and are not used for food.
Benefits and harm to the body
Edible talkers are a valuable source of protein and a number of vitamins and macro- and microelements (zinc, manganese, copper), thanks to which they have many beneficial properties:
- promote the removal of waste and toxins;
- prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques and blood clots;
- reduce the risk of tumors;
- have antibacterial properties;
- help in the treatment of respiratory diseases;
- improve the functioning of the digestive tract.
If we talk about the dangers of mushrooms, we should remember that they accumulate heavy metals, so you should not collect them near enterprises or highways. Talkers should not be given to children under 12 years of age or to pregnant or lactating women. Any mushrooms are a heavy product, so if you have gastrointestinal diseases, you need to eat them with great caution.
Collection rules
The highest yield of talkers falls from August to September.You need to look for them in places favorable for growth - in forests, where there is a lot of fallen leaves, needles and moss. They often grow in groups, which makes them much easier to collect.
How to cook talker mushrooms
There are a large number of recipes for making talkers. They are used for soups, sauces, main courses and preparations for the winter. The collected mushrooms must be washed, peeled and heat treated. You need to cook the talkers for at least 30 minutes. The resulting broth is poured out. After this, they can already be cooked.
Talker soup recipe:
- Potatoes must be peeled, cut into cubes or strips and placed in boiling water. Add bay leaf and a few black peppercorns. Boil the potatoes until half cooked.
- While the potatoes are boiling, you need to peel and chop the onions and carrots. Pour vegetable oil into a heated frying pan, add onions and fry a little, then add carrots and pre-boiled talkers. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, remembering to stir.
- Remove the bay leaf from the broth and add the mixture from the frying pan to the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Mix a little flour with cold water in a separate container and stir thoroughly. Pour the resulting mixture into the broth, stirring to avoid lumps. Add salt, spices and chopped herbs. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Govorushki baked with meat and potatoes:
- Cut the pre-boiled mushrooms and place them on a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil.
- Cut the meat into pieces and lightly beat it, place it on the mushrooms.
- Peel the potatoes, cut into slices and place on top of the meat.
- Each layer must be salted and spices added to taste, coated with sour cream.
- Place in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes at 180°C.
- 5 minutes before ready, sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Fried talkers:
- Pre-boiled and crushed talkers are placed in a heated frying pan greased with vegetable oil.
- Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.
- Fry over low heat for 20-25 minutes.
- Add sour cream and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
How to salt talkers for the winter
You can also salt or pickle talkers for the winter.
The most common hot salting method is:
- Wash the collected mushrooms, peel and boil for 30 minutes.
- Place the boiled talkers in a saucepan and add hot, clean water and put on fire.
- Add salt at the rate of 200 g per 1 liter of water.
- Cook for 40 minutes.
- Place the talkers into jars.
- Prepare the brine: for 1 liter of water, 1 tbsp. l. salt, a clove of garlic, dill and 2-3 black peppercorns. Boil the brine for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the resulting brine over the mushrooms so that they are completely covered.
- Close the jars and put them in a cool, dark place.
- After 10 days, the mushrooms are ready to eat.
Conclusion
Photos and descriptions of talker mushrooms will help distinguish edible specimens from their poisonous counterparts. These mushrooms have a number of beneficial properties and contain a large amount of vitamins and important micro- and macroelements. You can prepare many delicious dishes from them, including preparations for the winter.
