Mushrooms: The best tips for mushroom collectors and cooks

In addition, you are not allowed to cut mushrooms in nature reserves or national parks.

In damp weather mushrooms are booming again. Now you can find not only mushrooms in the supermarket, but also wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, chestnuts and porcini mushrooms. The mushrooms can also be spoiled in the supermarket. This was recently discovered by the Bavarian Consumer Center during test purchases of chanterelles. But how do you recognize rotten mushrooms and how do you properly clean them? Andrea Danitschek, nutritionist at the Bavarian Consumer Center, answers the most important questions about mushrooms, chanterelles and co.

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The mushrooms swell under water

Regardless of whether it is cultivated or wild mushrooms: You shouldn’t wash mushrooms under water, because they absorb the water. When you boil them, they give off the water and with it the taste. "It’s best to take a piece of kitchen roll and wipe the mushrooms clean" says Danitschek. If you see stubborn dirt on the surface, you can moisten the kitchen roll a little and remove the dirt. After that, it is better to rub the mushroom dry immediately. Many also use small brushes to clean mushrooms, but the expert advises against that. Because many brushes are too rough and attack the sensitive surface of the mushrooms when cleaning. If you want to use a brush, you should use one with soft bristles and not press too hard when cleaning.

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How do you recognize rotten mushrooms?

In general, mushrooms have a short shelf life. They spoil just a few days after the harvest. However, since mushrooms are treated like any other vegetable in the supermarket, no best-before date is required. As a consumer, you don’t know when the mushroom came into the store or when it was harvested. In order to be sure that the mushroom is still edible, a simple test is enough, as the expert reveals: "When the head of the mushroom is closed, it is still fresh. In the case of a white mushroom, the lamellae are also light. If they have turned brown or black, it is better not to eat the mushroom any more." Because if you eat rotten mushrooms, you risk just as bad mushroom poisoning as if you eat a poisonous mushroom.

Cultivated mushrooms are safer for the consumer

However, mushroom poisoning from cultivated mushrooms is relatively rare. Different with wild mushrooms: "Wild mushrooms often come from Eastern Europe. The consumer does not know when the mushroom picker collected the mushrooms, when he sold them to the mushroom dealer and when he sent the mushrooms. By the time the mushrooms reach us, they are often already spoiled and only then come to the supermarket" so Danitschek. Therefore, cultivated mushrooms are in most cases safer than wild mushrooms for the consumer. Because cultivated mushrooms have a much shorter way to the customer because they can be grown in the greenhouse around the corner.

The oyster mushroom is enjoying increasing popularity, especially in winter. Because when the actual mushroom season is over, this mushroom only begins to sprout. As soon as the first frost has passed, the fruiting body of the oyster mushroom will gradually develop. The special appearance as well as the extraordinarily aromatic taste and the ingredients make it so unique.

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Distinguishing features of the oyster mushroom

The upper skin of the hat is smooth, shiny turkish mailorder wives and bald. The mushroom reaches a size between five and twenty centimeters, the color can be very different. So the hat can be silver gray, dark gray, but also brownish or black-purple. The stem is creamy white, short and usually attached to the side of the oyster mushroom. In addition, it is usually fused with other oyster mushrooms. The meat is particularly tasty with young mushrooms because it is still very fine.

The taste and also the aromatic smell develop only at the beginning of winter. This can easily be confused with the yellow-styled oyster mushroom. However, this is more yellowish on the stem and the lamellae and has a bitter taste. Oyster mushrooms are also called oyster mushrooms.

Storing the oyster mushroom

When collecting, you should use a wicker basket or cloth sack, as the oyster mushroom tends to sweat easily. In addition, it is advisable to only collect the young mushrooms and only touch them very carefully, as they are very sensitive to pressure.

Good for the intestines

As the "Green media house" reported on his website, oyster mushrooms are considered to promote the bacterial flora, which is important for the intestines and health. The cell walls of the mushrooms consist mainly of indigestible chitin. The intestine itself cannot use this, but the intestinal bacteria can. The number of intestinal bacteria increases after the mushrooms are consumed as they can process the polysaccharides that make up chitin.

In addition to this positive effect, the mushrooms also reduce the risk of developing gallstones, lower the cholesterol level and keep the blood sugar level more stable. The risk of developing colon cancer also decreases.

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Important: only collect what you are sure to know

The German Society for Mycology (DGfM) expressly warns on its homepage: "Only pick mushrooms that you know for sure. You definitely don’t eat mushrooms that you choose! Only when you are sure of the knowledge after repeated determination do you think of the frying pan." If you don’t want to do without fresh mushrooms from the forest, you should definitely observe the following notice from the DGfM: "Have your mushrooms checked for edibility only by certified mushroom experts DGfM and ask him for his ID from the DGfM". Basically, when in doubt, leave a mushroom standing and don’t take any risks.

A particularly valued edible mushroom is the may mushroom. This is also often called May knight. This mushroom begins to sprout especially in the period when there is little mushroom growth, and the May mushroom is said to usher in the mushroom season. But caution is advised – the may mushroom has a poisonous doppelganger.

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The general rule is: it is best not to go mushroom picking on your own, it is better to join a guided tour – otherwise it can be life-threatening. When in doubt, always consult an expert or simply do not harvest the mushroom. After all, there are numerous mushrooms that look very similar and can be poisonous. For example, there is a high risk of confusion with the may mushroom with the poisonous brick-red crack fungus. Another poisonous doppelganger is the giant red blouse.

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The fatal thing is that the brick-red crack fungus grows in similar locations and at the same time as the may mushroom. In addition, the two look very similar. However, if the flesh of the brick-red cracked fungus is pressed with the thumb, it turns red. A sign to keep away from this fungus.

Properties of the may mushroom

Nevertheless, the may mushroom attracts many collectors every year. The mushroom is characterized by its fleshy, creamy white to ocher yellow or brownish hat. This can be up to 10 cm wide. The surface of the hat is dry and matt, while the meat is white and firm and has a very intense and flour-like taste. The smell is also particularly intense. These mushrooms grow during the season, especially in deciduous forests, on forest meadows, but also in gardens and parks. With other may mushrooms it often forms the so-called witch rings. These are particularly characteristic of the corn mushrooms.

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Important: only collect what you are sure to know

The German Society for Mycology (DGfM) expressly warns on its homepage: "Only pick mushrooms that you know for sure. You definitely don’t eat mushrooms that you choose! Only when you are sure of the knowledge after repeated determination do you think of the frying pan." If you don’t want to do without fresh mushrooms from the forest, you should definitely observe the following notice from the DGfM: "Have your mushrooms checked for edibility only by certified mushroom experts DGfM and ask him for his ID from the DGfM". Basically, when in doubt, leave a mushroom standing and don’t take any risks.

Keep your eyes open when collecting mushrooms: laypeople often choose the wrong plants out of ignorance. After eating poisonous specimens, there is a risk of stomach pain or severe poisoning. Mushroom advisors can help to avoid such fatal mistakes.

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Caution, risk of confusion!

Mushroom pickers should do their research before eating their finds. Poisonous and non-poisonous varieties are so similar that they can easily be mixed up, says Hans Halbwachs from the Bavarian Mycological Society in Amorbach. The 2013 mushroom season has already started. "Due to the weather, it can be assumed that everything is growing at the moment" including porcini mushrooms and chanterelles.

Mushroom advisors help distinguish

There is "several thousand types of mushrooms that develop a fruiting body that can be seen". There are no formulas to differentiate poisonous from non-poisonous plants. "You have to know them" says Halbwachs. If you don’t do that or don’t want to deal with it, you can go to a mushroom advisor with your find. The German Society for Mycology has compiled an address list for all of Germany.

Never pull out mushrooms

In general, collectors should only go into the forest for personal use. "The environmental conditions have not improved in the last few decades" says Halbwachs. Collecting too much is therefore harmful to the mushroom population. The crowd should be one "Handle basket as you use it for shopping" do not exceed. The right technique: cut mushrooms, don’t tear them out. "If you throw it out, you damage the fungal network in the ground" explains Halbwachs.

Eat mushrooms on picking day

It is best to eat the mushrooms on the same day – fried in a pan with a little egg and parsley. But they could also be frozen. "To do this, remove the dirt with a brush, cut off badly soiled areas and cut the mushrooms into small pieces" recommends half wax. Mushrooms can be placed in the freezer straight away, there is no need to blanch them.