Content
Veselka vulgaris is a mushroom with a recognizable appearance and numerous valuable properties. Although the food consumption of fruiting bodies is limited, if properly collected and used, they can be of great benefit.
Where does the common veselka grow?
You can meet the common veselka, which is also called the stinking morel, the immodest phallus and the asshole, throughout Russia. The fungus is very widespread.It usually grows in mixed and coniferous forests on rich nutrient soils, and is found both singly and in groups. Maximum fruiting of the mushroom occurs in July and until mid-autumn.
In Russia, the common veselka is found everywhere
What does the common veselka look like?
The stinking morel is an unusual mushroom that can be found in two stages of growth, and the fruiting bodies will be very different in appearance. Young common mushrooms have an ovoid outline, rise no more than 6 cm in height, and reach about 5 cm in width. The color of a young mushroom is yellowish or off-white, its ovoid cap is covered with a dense skin, under which there is mucus, and under the mucus a more rigid fruiting body can be felt.
An adult common veselka looks completely different. After the egg cracks during the ripening process, the mushroom very quickly grows to 10-15 cm in height and acquires a small adjacent bell-shaped cap of brown-olive color. The stem of the mushroom is white and cellular, hollow inside. The cap is abundantly covered with mucus; in mature mushrooms, the mucus dries out or is eaten by insects, and then it becomes noticeable that it is strongly wrinkled and also has a cellular structure.
You can easily recognize a stinky morel by its characteristic outlines.
The flesh of the stinking morel is white and spongy. At a young age, it emits a relatively neutral smell of radish, but as it matures, the morel begins to smell unpleasantly of rot and carrion.
An interesting feature of the common veselka is its very rapid growth. The fungus can remain at the egg stage for a very long time - up to several weeks. But at some point, the fruiting body begins to add literally 5 mm per minute and grows to its maximum size in just a few hours.
Is it possible to eat common veselka?
Stinky morel belongs to the 4th category of edible mushrooms. You can eat it, but this applies only to very young mushrooms that have not yet left the egg stage. As soon as the common moth matures and grows, it acquires an unpleasant smell and taste and becomes unsuitable for culinary use.
Taste qualities of mushroom
The young common moth is not only allowed for consumption. In some countries, such as France, it is considered a delicacy. It tastes like raw potatoes or radishes, so it is often added to salads to give the dish a fresh and bright flavor.
Veselka has not only beneficial properties, but also a pleasant taste.
Benefits and harm to the body
When consumed, young stinky morel not only delights with its pleasant taste, but also brings health benefits. The composition includes the following components:
- minerals and vitamins responsible for the healthy functioning of the metabolic and digestive system, for the body’s ability to recover;
- phytoncides that strengthen immune resistance and help fight viruses;
- amino acids and protein compounds necessary for building muscle fibers;
- polysaccharides, important for energy production and healthy functioning of the immune system;
- phytosteroids, which are natural analogues of sex hormones - consuming ordinary veselka is especially useful for men;
- alkaloids, due to their presence, the stinking morel has mild analgesic properties.
When consumed in reasonable quantities, common veselka protects the body from viral diseases and normalizes digestion, improves blood composition and promotes muscle growth.
At the same time, it is necessary to remember about the possible harm from using ordinary funnel. It is recommended to remove it from the diet:
- in the presence of individual allergies;
- during pregnancy and during breastfeeding;
- with a tendency to frequent constipation;
- for children under 12 years of age.
When using ordinary veselka, it is important to maintain small dosages. In excess quantities, the mushroom can cause discomfort in the intestines, and for men, an overdose is dangerous due to an increase in testosterone levels. An excess of the sex hormone negatively affects the functioning of the reproductive system and can lead to baldness.
Fruiting bodies that have not left the egg stage are consumed as food.
False doubles
In appearance, the common veselka can be confused with related species. Among them there are not only edible, but also unsuitable look-alikes, so distinguishing mushrooms is especially important.
Edible morel
The most harmless of the common moth's doubles is very similar to it in size and structure.At the egg stage, the mushroom has a whitish tint; in adulthood, its leg becomes yellowish or creamy, and its cap becomes reddish or yellow-brown, which makes it possible to distinguish it from the greenish or brown-brown common fungus.
Also, unlike the stinky morel, the edible type has a spongy, wrinkled cap and is not covered in mucus. The edible morel is suitable for consumption even in adulthood.
Happy Hadrian
Another mushroom similar to the common fungus has the same dimensions, a long stalk and a conical adjacent cap in adult fruiting bodies. You can distinguish varieties from each other by color. The mature Hadrian's merry has a violet-tinged leg, and the cap is much darker than that of the stinking morel. At the egg stage, Hadrian's merry is also not white, but purple.
The false double is suitable for food consumption. But you can eat it, like the ordinary veselka, only in the early stages of development, until it has passed the egg stage.
Mutinus canis
Inexperienced mushroom pickers may confuse the stinking morel with the dog mutinus - the latter is also characterized by a long stem and a narrow conical cap adjacent to the stem. But the differences between the species are obvious. The leg of the canine mutinus is not white, but light yellow. The cap of the canine mutinus is dark, almost black, with a bright red-orange “tip” located at the very top. In the egg stage, the mushroom also has a yellowish tint, and on this basis it is distinguished from the young common fungus.
Collection rules
It is recommended to go to the forest for the edible common fungus in mid-July, when young fruiting bodies begin to emerge from the ground en masse. It is necessary to look in the grass for small, not yet opened, egg-shaped fungi; they can delight you with a pleasant taste and bring considerable benefits to the body.
If the mushroom has already formed a stem and cap, and there is a strong smell of carrion nearby, then you should refuse to collect it. However, the stinking morel stays at the egg stage for quite a long time, so mushroom pickers have enough time to find it in the forest in its young form.
Fruit bodies collected from ecologically clean forests are suitable for consumption.
Use
In cooking, ordinary veselka is used in several ways - it is boiled and fried, dried and eaten fresh in salads. Canning and salting are rarely used. When stored for the winter, stinky morel loses its taste.
To use the common mushroom as part of a salad, you need to wash the young mushroom at the egg stage, remove mucus and dirt from it, and then add salt and add to other ingredients. The mushroom goes well with green onions and sour cream and gives the salad a slight radish flavor.
To cook an ordinary veselka, you need to wash it and clean the problem areas with a knife, and then put it in a pan of boiling water for literally 5 minutes.It is important not to overcook the smelly morel; with prolonged heat treatment it will lose its taste and beneficial properties:
Ordinary veselka can be fried. To do this, the fruiting bodies are cleaned of dirt, washed, chopped and kept in a frying pan for just 3 minutes along with oil and onions. To taste, you can add a little garlic to the morels; the mushroom dish goes well with mashed potatoes.
Before cooking, mucus and tough skin are removed from the fruiting bodies.
Dried ordinary veselki are especially popular. They can be stored for 2 years and do not lose their pleasant smell and taste. Before drying, the young mushroom must be washed, mucus and remaining shell removed. Then the fruiting body is cut in half, strung on a thin thread and hung in a cool place with a low level of humidity until the common veselka is completely dry. You can eat dried mushrooms with potatoes, in soups, or as a filling for baked goods.
Use in folk medicine
Not only the taste, but also the medicinal properties of the common veselka are highly valued. Many home remedies are prepared based on the mushroom, which are beneficial:
- for gastritis and ulcers;
- for cervical erosion and mastopathy in women;
- for gout, rheumatism and radiculitis;
- for skin ailments - dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema;
- for diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction;
- with varicose veins and thrombophlebitis;
- with heart failure;
- for nervous disorders and chronic fatigue.
The antitumor properties of the common veselka are widely known.It has been officially proven that substances in the mushroom can slow down and stop the development of both benign and malignant tumors. The mushroom also has antiviral properties and is beneficial in the fight against ARVI, influenza and other colds.
A medicinal tincture is prepared based on young fruiting bodies.
In folk medicine, stinking morel is most often consumed fresh or dried. Also, a medicinal tincture in alcohol is prepared from young fruiting bodies:
- the mushroom is cleaned of mucus and upper peel;
- cut into 2 parts and fill with alcohol;
- then keep for 2 weeks in a dark place.
The tincture is consumed only 20-30 drops on an empty stomach, but it brings significant benefits.
Conclusion
Veselka vulgaris is an easily recognizable mushroom with valuable medicinal and nutritional properties. It is not customary to eat adult specimens, but young fruiting bodies can become table decorations and help in the treatment of many acute and chronic diseases.
