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In Russian forests, mushrooms with the affectionate name chanterelles are very common, emphasizing the original bright yellow color of the fox fur coat. They are especially generously scattered in damp, shaded places where there is a lot of moss. These gifts of the forest are very tasty, and an avid mushroom picker will not pass by the bright “fox” clearing indifferently. The common chanterelle has several similar species. One of them is the clavate chanterelle, or gomphus clavate. These mushrooms are not only similar in appearance, but have the same places of growth and a similar composition of microelements.Despite their similarities, eukaryotes are not directly related. Gomphus clavaceae belongs to the Gomphaceae family. Recent studies have shown that in terms of molecular composition this species is closer to the vesel and lattice.
Where do chanterelles grow?
The habitat of the club-shaped chanterelle is coniferous and mixed forests of the temperate climate zone. These are Central Russia, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. It is also found in the forests of Canada and North America. Mushrooms grow in large colonies, which are arranged in the shape of circles or stripes.
What do club-shaped chanterelles look like?
The appearance of gomphus is very interesting. These are representatives of the hat-footed type. Young mushrooms are uniformly purple in color, and with age they acquire a yellow-brown tint. Adult specimens are quite large. Their cap, reaching a diameter of 14 cm, has a rounded shape with a wavy, uneven edge and a depressed funnel-shaped center. When broken, it is white or fawn, with a pleasant mushroom taste and smell.
The club-shaped chanterelle has dense, fleshy flesh. The underside of its cap, the hymenophore, consists of large branched folds - pseudoplates, smoothly transitioning to the stalk.
The leg of the gomphus has an original shape, reflecting the name. It is dense, hollow from the inside and resembles a mace. The fruiting bodies often grow together to form large bunches.
In former times, the club-shaped foxtail was very common. She was valued for her high culinary qualities. It was collected with pleasure and used for cooking. Today, many mushroom pickers do not even know about the club-shaped chanterelle. Meanwhile, its population is rapidly decreasing.If measures are not taken to protect it, then it may soon disappear completely.
Is it possible to eat club chanterelles?
According to the modern mushroom classifier (section “edibility”), the club-shaped chanterelle is classified as “edible mushrooms”. It can be collected, subjected to any kind of culinary processing and enjoy a pleasant taste and aroma.
When classifying mushrooms by nutritional value, they look at their taste and nutritional qualities, calorie content, digestibility, and whether the content of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is high. In this section, gomphus is assigned the second category, which contains edible mushrooms with good taste.
Taste qualities
The club-shaped chanterelle, like representatives of similar species, is famous for its very pleasant taste with soft nutty notes. There are a large number of recipes for mushroom dishes with chanterelles. By preparing and tasting them, you can experience the full variety of flavor nuances. During the cooking process, it is recommended to thoroughly chop the mushrooms so that they are more easily absorbed by the body.
The pulp of the clavate gomphus differs significantly in consistency and taste from the pulp of its tubular or lamellar compatriots. Mushroom pickers claim that they taste like coral mushrooms, but their culinary properties are much higher.
Benefits and harms
The club chanterelle has a rich microelementary composition, which determines its numerous medicinal properties. The greatest value in its composition are:
- polysaccharides – quinomannosis (anthelmintic effect), ergosterol (hepatoprotective effect);
- several types of amino acids, including trametonolinic acid (indispensable in the treatment of hepatitis and other liver diseases);
- copper and zinc (have a beneficial effect on the condition of the eyes).
The vitamin composition of chanterelles is also varied. This is a whole complex of vital elements, such as vitamins A (142 mg per 100 g of product), B1 (001 mg), B2 (0.35 mg), C (34 mg), E (0.5 mg), PP (5 mg ), beta-carotene (0.85 mg).
Thanks to this chemical composition, chanterelles have a number of actions: anthelmintic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antituberculosis, immunostimulating and even antitumor. Chanterelle extract has long been used to treat colds, furunculosis, tuberculosis, and pustular inflammation.
The energy value of gomphus clavaceae is low and amounts to approximately 19 kcal, so it can be consumed by those who care about their figure.
There are also contraindications to eating chanterelle. Their list is small:
- allergic reaction to mushrooms;
- infancy up to 3 years;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding period.
Careful adherence to the rules for collecting and cooking mushrooms will help preserve the maximum useful elements.
Collection rules
The fruiting period of the club-shaped chanterelle begins in June and continues throughout the summer and autumn, until frost. You need to look for it on sandy soils, in swampy places, in open glades, among grass. The chanterelle loves proximity to conifers, birch and oak trees, and grows well in aspen and pine forests.These unpretentious eukaryotes are adapted to survive in any climate: during periods of heavy rain, rotting processes do not begin in them, and during drought they only stop growing, remaining outwardly just as fresh and attractive.
During the growing season, chanterelles have two active phases of fruiting:
- from mid-June to late July;
- from mid-August to early October.
The time for collecting gomphus also depends on the local climate, weather, and soil composition. Abundant growth of mycelium is ensured by moderate humidity, warmth, and a large number of sunny days. 6 days after the summer rain, you can harvest the most abundant harvest of chanterelles.
To eliminate the risk of poisoning, mushrooms should be collected only in ecologically clean areas, away from industrial enterprises and highways. You should not take overripe fruiting bodies. They contain the highest percentage of heavy metals.
False look-alikes of the club-shaped chanterelles
Club chanterelles have many similar species, some of which are inedible and poisonous. The most famous are false chanterelle and olive omphalot. They can be recognized by their appearance and some growth characteristics.
False fox
False chanterelle belongs to the conditionally edible mushrooms and belongs to the Hygrophoropsis family. It is often confused with the common chanterelle, despite the fact that the mushroom has many differences:
- the false representative is much brighter colored;
- the skin on the cap is well separated from the pulp;
- has a thin and long leg;
- occurs not in colonies, but in single specimens;
- does not grow on the ground, but on rotten trunks or forest floor;
- its pulp is often wormy;
- has a lamellar hymenophore, the plates of which differ from the cap in a brighter color.
Omphalote olive
Olive omphalote is a poisonous counterpart of the chanterelle. Its homeland is the subtropics of the Mediterranean. It is also found in Russia, mainly in the Crimean forests. It grows on stumps and fallen trunks. This mushroom belongs to the Negniumaceae family. It has a bright, fleshy, flat or concave-spread cap. The mushroom is lamellar, its plates descend low on a short stalk. In the dark, a phosphorescence effect is observed. Due to the high content of the alkaloid muscarine, the mushroom is poisonous to people and animals.
Use of chanterelles
Chanterelle club is a mushroom delicacy that is very tasty fried or boiled. It makes excellent mushroom soups. It lends itself to any type of canning: pickling, salting, drying, freezing. It can be stored fresh for a long time - on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, retaining its aroma and wonderful nutty taste.
The club-shaped chanterelle is widely used in folk medicine. For medicinal purposes, it is dried, and then the pulp is ground into powder. In this form, it does not lose all its beneficial properties and can be stored for a year (at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C). This remedy is used to treat the following pathologies:
- infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- tuberculosis;
- pancteatitis and liver diseases;
- helmitoses;
- eye diseases;
- excess weight.
Conclusion
Until recently, the club-shaped chanterelle enjoyed great popularity and was valued for its taste and medicinal qualities. Today it has joined the list of endangered plants and animals. This is due to habitat disturbance, deforestation, and unfavorable environmental conditions. If measures are not taken to restore the population in the near future, then one more species may soon be missing, which is necessary for the full development of animals and humans and is an integral part of all aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
