Content
- 1 What blueberry row mushrooms look like
- 2 Where does the lilac-legged row grow?
- 3 When to collect purple-footed rows
- 4 Edible or not lilac-legged row
- 5 Taste qualities of the lilac-legged mushroom
- 6 Benefits and harms to the body of blue-legged mushrooms
- 7 False doubles of the blue stem mushroom
- 8 Rules for collecting blue-legged mushrooms
- 9 How to prepare lilac-legged row
- 10 Conclusion
Lilac-legged rower is a mushroom that can be eaten after pre-treatment. Its appearance is quite unusual, but it can still be confused with its doubles, so the features need to be carefully studied.
What blueberry row mushrooms look like
From the photo and description of the lilac-legged rower, or blueleg, it is obvious that the easiest way to recognize it is by its leg - grayish-purple or bluish. It stretches up to 10 cm in height, and reaches 3 cm in girth. In young fruiting bodies on the stalks, you can notice the remains of a covering, similar to uneven flakes, but as they grow older, the surface of the stalk smoothes out.
The cap is flattened with a slight convexity, cushion-shaped, on average up to 15 cm in diameter. At the top the cap is smooth to the touch, and at the bottom it is covered with thin wide plates of a yellowish or cream color. The color of the cap itself is usually yellowish with a slight purple tint; when cut, it is gray-violet, gray or gray-brown. The fruit body has dense pulp with a fruity aroma.
Where does the lilac-legged row grow?
The bluefoot mainly chooses the southern regions for growth, but sometimes it can be found in central Russia. Most often, purple-legged rower grows in pasture meadows and forest clearings, on fertile soils near farms or near compost pits. It is less common to find it in the forest zone.
When to collect purple-footed rows
Blueleg bears fruit throughout the warm period. It can be seen for the first time in April, and the purple-legged rowet continues to grow until mid-October.Therefore, you can collect it throughout the summer; it is best to go in search of it after rainy days, since during this period the fruiting bodies begin to grow most actively.
Edible or not lilac-legged row
Despite the unusual appearance of the blue leg, it is allowed to be eaten. However, the lilac-legged row belongs to the conditionally edible category, in other words, it requires careful processing before cooking.
Taste qualities of the lilac-legged mushroom
Bluefoot belongs to only 4 food categories and is inferior to many other mushrooms. However, experienced mushroom pickers claim that its taste is very pleasant in any form - fried, boiled or pickled. Some compare the taste of bluelegs to the taste of champignons.
An additional advantage can be considered that the purple-legged row retains its shape and elasticity well when processed, it is pleasant to eat, it does not fall apart or become loose.
Benefits and harms to the body of blue-legged mushrooms
The blue row mushroom has a very rich chemical composition. Its pulp contains:
- vitamins A, C, B and D;
- important minerals - manganese and potassium, phosphorus and iron, zinc and phosphorus;
- amino acids - mainly lysine, alanine and threonine;
- glutamic and stearic acids;
- protein;
- trehalazole;
- natural antibiotics - fomecin and clitocin;
- polysaccharides.
Thanks to this composition, lilac-legged row has pronounced benefits for the body, namely:
- saturates the body with all necessary microelements and vitamins;
- improves metabolism and strengthens the immune system;
- increases endurance due to the high amount of protein in the pulp;
- has a rejuvenating and anti-inflammatory effect;
- has a proven anti-cancer effect - clitocin and fomecin have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells.
Of course, with all the benefits, we should not forget about the harmful properties of the edible purple-footed row. It is not recommended to use it:
- for chronic intestinal diseases;
- with pancreatitis;
- with sluggish digestion and a tendency to constipation.
Since bluelegs is a protein food that is quite difficult to digest, it is important to maintain moderate dosages of the product. It is necessary to ensure that it is completely fresh and properly prepared, otherwise poisoning may develop with abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
False doubles of the blue stem mushroom
Although the purple-legged rower has very characteristic external features, it can still be confused with other mushrooms. Lookalikes exist both edible and inedible, so it is important to be able to distinguish them from each other in the conditions of the autumn forest.
Purple row
The two varieties belong to the same genus and are therefore very similar to each other in size, cap and stem structure. However, the purple-legged bluefoot has a purple tint only on the leg, while the violet row is distinguished by a uniform purple color. Like the purple-legged rower itself, its counterpart also belongs to the conditionally edible category.
Weed row
The lilac-legged rower is very similar to another mushroom from the genus Lepista.But the weedy, or dirty, row has a couple of important differences - the entire fruiting body is colored purple, and besides, the dirty row is much smaller in size than the blueleg.
Lilac lacquer
The varnish slightly resembles the blueleg in shape and color, but it is quite difficult to confuse the mushrooms with each other. The lilac lacquer is much smaller in size, the diameter of its cap on average reaches only 5 cm. The shade of its cap is dark purple, but the leg is light, whitish.
The lilac-legged rower differs from the lilac lacquer in that the latter can often be seen not in open space, but in dense forests. It can be eaten, but only after processing.
Purple web spider
This edible mushroom has a bright purple stem and cap; when young, it is very similar in structure to the blueleg. You can distinguish the varieties from each other by color - in the spider plant it is uniform throughout the entire fruiting body, in addition, there are remains of a spathe on the stem, and adult rows have a smooth stem.
White and purple web spider
The inedible spider web and the harmless purple-legged rower are similar to each other in their flat-convex shape and the pale shade of the cap. But the leg of the cobweb is usually lighter than that of the row, and the flesh when cut is soft and loose. The main distinguishing feature of inedible spider webs is the presence of a distinct moldy odor.
Goat's web
This mushroom can be confused with blueleg due to its similar coloring. But the purple-legged rower has a leg darker in color than the cap, but the goat's webwort usually has a cap with a purple tint and a lighter leg.The mushroom is classified as inedible and smells unpleasant; according to mushroom pickers, its aroma is most reminiscent of acetylene.
Pure mycena
Inedible mycena with hallucinogenic properties has a flattened cap with a tubercle in the center, and its cap and stem are purple in color. But the stem of the mycena is lighter than the cap, and most importantly, the mycena is characterized by its miniature size. If it can rise 8 cm above the ground, then the diameter of the cap most often does not exceed 5 cm.
Rules for collecting blue-legged mushrooms
The main fruiting of bluelegs occurs in the summer, although you can meet it in the forest in the middle of spring, and it disappears closer to the first frost. It is best to go collecting at the end of summer, when the purple-legged rower is growing especially actively.
You should look for bluelegs in open places - in clearings, meadows and pastures. It can also be found in the forest, but much less often. The biggest harvest can be harvested if you go to the field after heavy rains.
Since the purple-legged rower is a conditionally edible mushroom with many look-alikes, it is necessary to carefully examine the find before putting it in the basket. It is forbidden to eat raw mushroom caps - this can lead to food poisoning, even if the type of mushroom is identified correctly.
How to prepare lilac-legged row
Before eating a natural product, it must be carefully processed:
- First of all, the purple-legged row is cut off, the plates with spores, that is, the lower part of the cap, are removed from it.In any case, the plates are not digested by the body and can cause poisoning.
- You also need to cut off the legs; they are usually not eaten as food, so you can remove the legs not only at home, but also in the field, at the collection stage. In addition, in this case more mushrooms will fit into the basket.
- Before cooking, soak the mushroom thoroughly in cold salted water for at least 40 minutes.
- After this, the row is washed twice under running water and boiled for about half an hour.
- When boiling, it is recommended to add a little citric acid - this allows you to preserve the unusual color of the mushroom and its aroma.
Processed bluelegs can be prepared in any basic way - recipes for purple-legged rowing suggest frying, marinating and salting the delicious mushroom. Properly cooked bluefish goes well with vegetables and soups, meat dishes and potatoes, and spaghetti.
Conclusion
The purple-legged rower is a tasty and quite healthy mushroom with a bright and recognizable color. To harvest a good harvest of bluelegs, you need to thoroughly study its appearance and features, and also look at photos of false doubles.
