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The green-red Russula mushroom is a characteristic representative of the extensive Russula family. Another name for the mushroom is Russula Laika. Its distinctive feature is stable yields from season to season, since this mushroom practically does not react to changes in humidity.
Where do green-red russulas grow?
The range of green-red russula is very extensive: the mushroom is found everywhere in the temperate climates of Asia, Europe and North America.
Prefers deciduous forests; in coniferous forests it is problematic to find the green-red variety.Large single mushrooms or their small colonies of 5-6 copies can most often be found near oak, birch or maple, with which it enters into a symbiotic relationship during the formation of mycorrhiza.
What do green-red russulas look like?
Green-red russula is a very noticeable mushroom. Thanks to the large caps pressed inwards (more than 15 cm in diameter), they are clearly visible from long distances. Due to the relatively high stem, the fruiting body always rises above the level of the cover vegetation.
Coloring also plays an important role. The red cap is clearly visible against the background of forest grass.
Description of russula
Young mushrooms have spherical caps. As they grow, they first become flat and then generally become pressed inward. Moreover, the edges of the cap can be bent to such an extent that the hymenophore layer is clearly visible from the side and above. The diameter of the caps of some specimens can reach up to 20 cm. The cap has smooth edges.
The color of the upper part of the cap can have various shades of red: from red-brown to red-violet. You can find representatives with a gradient color.
The flesh of the mushroom is dense and white. Near the skin of the cap, the color of the flesh is slightly yellowish.
The hymenophore occupies the entire space from the bottom of the cap - from the stem to its edge. It consists of thick radial plates that can branch. The color of the hymenophore is creamy, changing to dark yellow closer to autumn. The hymenophore plates are very tightly fused with the mushroom stalk. The spore powder is dark yellow in color.
The powerful stem of the mushroom can reach up to 11 cm in height, and its diameter sometimes reaches 3 cm. It always has a cylindrical shape. The color of the leg is white, in rare cases white-pink or white-yellow.
The leg of the green-red russula is solid, it does not have an internal cavity. Near the surface the flesh is dense and elastic, in the center it is a little loose.
Is it possible to eat green-red russula?
Green-red russulas belong to the third category of edible mushrooms. They can be salted without prior heat treatment, but other cooking methods involve boiling the mushrooms for at least 15 minutes.
Taste qualities of russula
In terms of taste, green-red russulas are slightly inferior to food or wonderful varieties, but in this matter it is not so much the taste and smell that plays a role, but the consistency of the pulp. In green-red mushrooms it is a little tougher.
Benefits and harms
The benefit of russula, like all mushrooms, lies in the large amount of protein contained in the fruiting bodies. In terms of the ratio of protein mass to the total mass of the fruiting body, green-red russula are significantly ahead of legumes and are almost close to white meat.
Representatives of the Russula family do not contain poisonous mushrooms, so you don’t have to fear for your life when consuming them. However, we should not forget that in large quantities, mushrooms are not very healthy food, since the body spends a lot of effort and time processing them.
It is not recommended to consume mushrooms for children under 5 years of age, as well as for pregnant and lactating women.
False doubles of Russula Laika
The Russula Laika has an external resemblance to many of its relatives from the Russula family.And although there are no poisonous mushrooms among them, there are many conditionally edible ones. Their consumption will not lead to death or even poisoning, however, their taste will be very mediocre or even unpleasant.
These mushrooms include, first of all, Russula stinging. Outwardly, it resembles russula, however, even after prolonged heat treatment it has a very bitter taste, superior even to chili pepper.
Unlike green-red, stinging russula is found equally in both deciduous and coniferous forests, since it can form mycosis with the roots of almost any tree. It is very difficult to distinguish it externally from the green-red one, so a tasting method is used to identify it.
It is necessary to taste the pulp of the mushroom where it is cut with your tongue. This will not cause poisoning, but the bitter taste will immediately make it clear the species of the mushroom
Another representative of the family, Russula Meira, has similar properties.
Its external differences from the green-red one are also insignificant. The cap of this species is rarely more than 14 cm in diameter. You can also distinguish it from kid's milk by the taste of the cut.
The next false mushroom is the brown russula. Here the differences are already clearly visible visually, but in different conditions they can manifest themselves differently. The cap of this species is usually covered with a thin layer of mucus, which is not immediately noticeable. This variety is characterized by an unpleasant odor, which cannot always be neutralized by heat treatment.
You can distinguish browning russula by the already mentioned mucus, as well as by the color of the cut. Some time after cutting, its color changes to pink.
Russula azureum can also be classified as false twins. It has many shades (from blue-green to red-violet), some of which may coincide with the colors of green-red russula.
This species is characterized by an unpleasant odor and taste. They can also be distinguished by a change in the color of the cut. Unlike the green-red ones that do not change color, the tuberculate azure ones change the cut color to shades that are completely uncharacteristic for other species - from gray to bluish.
Application of green-red russula
Mushrooms are collected from the beginning of July and last until the first frost. Russula laki are universal mushrooms: they can be used both for pickling and for preparing first and second courses.
However, it is recommended, taking into account their characteristics, to use them only in the following forms:
- salty;
- dried;
- fried.
In the latter case, before frying the mushrooms, it is necessary to remove the skin from the cap and cook for 20 minutes after boiling.
Conclusion
Green-red russula, although it belongs to the third category, has a good taste and can be used for pickling or drying without pre-treatment. The fungus is found mainly in deciduous forests, since it enters into symbiosis with only a few species of trees. This species has a large number of doubles, so when collecting it you must be careful not to spoil the taste of the dishes prepared from it.
