Volnushki mushrooms are popular among mushroom pickers as one of the best for pickling and pickling. They belong to the genus Mlechnik; when broken at the site of damage, they emit juice of a burning and bitter taste. There are several types of edible waves. However, there is also a false wave mushroom, which cannot be eaten.
Description of false waves
Description and types
Volnushka is the second of the 4 categories of edible mushrooms. There are 2 types of them, which are considered the most popular and have good taste:
- The flower is pink or Volzhanka: it is larger in comparison with other mushrooms. Its cap reaches 15 cm in diameter and has a pleasant pinkish color, as well as a pattern in the form of rings. In young mushrooms, the shape of the cap is slightly convex; as it grows, it becomes funnel-shaped, with curved edges that have a small peculiar edge, somewhat reminiscent of cotton wool. The pulp is white and dense, practically does not break during long-term transportation. The leg is also pink, hollow inside.
- White wave or white woman: the sizes are slightly smaller than pink. The hat reaches 10 cm in diameter, white with a funnel in the center, and also has a fringe. The leg is the same color as the hat. In a young mushroom, it is solid inside, then it becomes hollow.
White and pink waves grow where there are many birches, forming mycorrhiza with the roots of these trees. They love lit places, so they are more often found on the edges or small forest clearings.
These mushrooms prefer warm, humid weather. A feature of growth is the group growth that forms a circle, the so-called "witch's rings". They are explained by the circular placement and growth along the entire perimeter of the mycelium underground.
Yellow marsh and gray waves prefer more humid, marshy places.
The collection season depends on the weather conditions. Early warmth and high humidity contribute to their collection from June. Usually the period of mass gathering is from August to October.
False waves
Inexperienced mushroom pickers, in appearance, confuse a pink wave with a mushroom. But the habitat of the latter is coniferous forests, when damaged, it secretes juice of a bright red-orange color, its cap is smooth, without signs of hairiness.
Some species are unfit for consumption
When collecting, you need to pay attention to all the details of the external structure of the mushroom.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The wave can only be confused with other representatives of the Mlechnik genus. Those species that are owners of pinkish hats in color, beginner mushroom pickers can mistake pink for a little wave. In order not to suffer from ignorance, pay attention to the size (usually the false waves are smaller than the true ones and the pubescence of the edge - they may not be so "hairy" or even be without it. This is important. Despite the differences - conditionally edible twins of the waves are not dangerous for a person after soaking and boiling.
Poisonous twins are absent in the waves, but two groups of such twins are distinguished: conditionally edible false waves and inedible ones. Conditionally edibles include:
- The flower is yellow or wave: this mushroom belongs to the same genus Mlechnik, but its exact name is yellow mushroom. This name - "wave", most likely the mushroom received for the shape of the edge of the cap. The color of the cap and legs is yellowish. It has a larger size compared to the described species. There are specimens up to 25 cm in diameter. It is characterized by features: pubescent and curled down edges of the caps.
- Marsh wolf, or sluggish milkman or faded milkman: it has a small cap, slightly depressed, grayish-lilac in color, with a smooth and sticky skin. The pulp is thin and brittle. The juice released during damage becomes greenish over time. The pubescence is absent along the edge of the cap.
- The wave is gray or gray milky (popularly - serushka): the cap of this species is light gray, and sometimes gray-purple in color with circles of a darker shade towards the center, thin, with a smooth surface. The stem is slightly lighter, dense and long, with grooves along its entire length.
The use of these mushrooms is allowed only in salted form and subject to long-term pre-processing.
The following species from the genus Mlechnik are referred to inedible false waves:
- Miller sticky: the cap is grayish-green, darkening towards the center, interspersed with dark spots, as well as a lighter sticky leg. The pulp is white, the taste is burning and bitter, with a weak smell. The juice released during the break is thick and sticky, with time it acquires a green-olive tint.
- Thorny milky: the color of the cap is from pink to burgundy-brown, with small red scales. The pulp is dull, light in color, there is practically no smell, the taste is extremely pungent. When broken, a thick milky sap is released, which slowly changes its color from white to dark green.
- Liver miller: the cap, smooth in the form of a funnel, is characterized by a brown with an olive tint. The flesh of this species is brittle, light brown and extremely pungent in taste. The white milky juice turns yellow on contact with air.
Differences between a real mushroom and a false one
Differences between edible real waves and inedible false ones:
- the obligatory presence of the edge along the edge of the mushroom;
- pronounced pink color of the cap with rings on the surface;
- curved edge shape;
- white color of the juice when broken and a characteristic acrid odor.
You should be careful when collecting these mushrooms, carefully review them, rejecting unsuitable and questionable, but at the same time similar to edible specimens. Also, the rules of correct processing before use cannot be neglected.
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The White Wave is the sister of the Pink Wave.
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Conclusion
"Silent hunting" for waves rarely disappoint the mushroom picker. Chances are good to fill the basket without “winding” kilometers through the forest. Correctly prepared salted and pickled waves will bring true pleasure even to the most sophisticated connoisseur. The main thing is to be able to distinguish them from false representatives.