Content
Horny mushroom is an edible and very tasty mushroom, but it is difficult to distinguish it from its poisonous counterparts. This is an endangered species, so collecting valuable specimens is not recommended.
Where do horned grapes grow?
Rogatik boniform belongs to the department Basidiomycota, family Gomphaceae, genus Ramaria.
Has a number of other names:
- Ramaria grape;
- chicken feet;
- Clavaria or Corallium botrytis.
This is a very rare species, growing singly or in colonies. For active development, the cluster-shaped fungus requires special environmental conditions: air temperature not lower than +15 °C, soil heated to +18 °C.
In favorable conditions, the grapevine grows in deciduous, pine or mixed forests and bears fruit from July to October. Most often, the mushroom can be found next to beeches, oaks and birches.
Spotted in the forests of Karelia, the Far East and the Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia, and Crimea. Loves moist, shaded, hilly and mountainous terrain, and calcareous soils.
What do horned grapes look like?
The cluster-shaped specimens look like underwater coral or a head of cauliflower: they consist of a large number of shoots with pointed tips emerging from a single base - a wide and dense stalk of light beige color.
They grow up to 20 cm in height and up to 15 cm in girth. The thickness of each branch reaches 1 cm. The color of the branches at a young age is pale yellow, turning into brownish-yellow over time; in the old age, the color is ocher or reddish-pink. The tips of the processes are always darker than the base. The flesh of the hornwort is light yellow, the mushroom is fragile and slightly watery. Has a pleasant herbal or fruity scent.
Ocher-colored oval oily spores are located on the entire surface, giving the roughness of the cattail.
The height of the leg is no more than 4 cm, diameter up to 7 cm.
Is it possible to eat horned grapes?
The cluster-shaped horned mushroom is classified in the fourth class in terms of nutritional value, and oyster mushrooms and honey mushrooms are also included there.
It is not recommended to pre-boil the grape-like hornets due to the appearance of bitterness, therefore they are fried, for example, as in Italy - whole deep-fried.
Taste qualities of the horned mushroom mushroom
According to mushroom pickers, the horned grape is the most delicious of its family, with a pleasant aroma. Does not require heat treatment.It is added to salads, side dishes, soups, and consumed fried.
It will not be possible to prepare it for the winter - the horned mushroom loses its taste and becomes a bitter and rubbery mass after only 4-5 days.
Only young mushrooms are eaten; old ones are also bitter. After roasting, the horned mushrooms become elastic and taste like honey mushrooms. Mushrooms do not worm.
Benefits and harm to the body
In natural conditions, it is very rare to find a horned cattail. But mushrooms are grown on an industrial scale in Japan, Korea and Nepal.
Korean scientists have found that, thanks to some substances in its composition, horned grass can restore damaged liver. Doctors in Nepal use the grape mushroom for muscle pain.
In addition to its high nutritional value, cornflower has powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and is a strong antioxidant. An extract from it can stop the growth of tumors: Ehrlich carcinoma and sarcoma-180 (Crocker).
The harm from eating grapes lies in individual intolerance to the constituent substances; consumption can cause mild digestive upset. No cases of severe poisoning by these mushrooms have been recorded.
False doubles
Adult horned hornbills are similar in appearance to the following species:
- Beautiful (Beautiful) Romaria, not edible, up to 20 cm high with a thick pink stem and yellow shoots with pinkish-yellow tips. The flesh turns red when pressed. With age it turns brown. When ingested, the fungus causes intestinal upset.
- Clavulina coral (comb), inedible, bitter in taste.It comes in white or yellow. It grows up to 10 cm in height.
- Ramaria yellow (Rogatik yellow, Deer horns). It grows up to 20 cm in height, light yellow at the base and bright sunny at the tips. When you press on the mushroom it darkens. The variety is edible, but is used for food only after soaking and heat treatment.
There are no poisonous counterparts among other mushrooms.
Collection rules
Only young specimens of the hornwort are collected. Old mushrooms are very bitter and the taste does not improve after soaking and cooking.
You should not pick mushrooms near industrial and military facilities, railways and highways, because they are capable of accumulating radionuclides and heavy metals. It is prohibited to collect cattails in the territories of nature reserves and parks.
If there is any doubt about the edibility of a grape-shaped specimen, it is better not to take it.
Use
The mushroom has a complex structure; the shoots need to be thoroughly cleaned of branches and debris; this is done under running water. If the slingshots are pre-boiled (15 minutes with salt), the liquid must be drained and not used anywhere.
Typically, grapefruit is fried with various vegetables or used for sauces, soups, salads and side dishes.
For mushroom soup you will need:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 1 large carrot;
- 1 medium onion;
- 1/2 large bell pepper;
- 15 g butter;
- salt to taste;
- 200 g of horned grapes.
Cooking process:
- Peel and chop all vegetables.
- Pour water over the potatoes and cook until half cooked.
- Fry the onion until golden brown, add carrots and peppers, fry for 10 minutes.
- Add mushrooms to onions and vegetables, fry for 10 minutes.
- Add mushrooms with vegetables and butter to the pan with potatoes.
- After boiling, add salt to taste and cook for another 15 minutes.
When serving, add fresh dill and a spoonful of sour cream to the finished soup.
You can fry the mushrooms on their own or with vegetables and serve as an addition to mashed potatoes or porridge.
In order for mushroom dishes to be tasty, you need to cook them immediately after harvesting, do not marinate or preserve them, and do not season the dishes with seasonings.
Conclusion
The horned mushroom may seem poisonous to an inexperienced mushroom picker due to its unusual appearance, which is why it is not popular. Considering that the mushroom is on the verge of extinction, then it is better to refuse to collect it.
