Flake mushroom: description of types and cooking features
Scale is a special type of mushroom, common in the temperate climate zone of Russia. Belongs to the Strophariev family and has other names - fleecy, dry, scaly scale.
Scale is a special type of mushroom, common in the temperate climate zone of Russia
This mushroom has a golden cap that can grow to large sizes - about twenty centimeters in diameter. Young fruits can be bright, rich in color, but more mature ones sometimes acquire a reddish tint. Small dark-colored scales form on the surface of the cap, which is why the fruit got its name.
The stalk of the scale is thin - about two centimeters in diameter. It also has scales. It can reach about fifteen centimeters in length.
The flesh of the mushroom is light and elastic, and does not change color when damaged. It may be a little darker at the base.
The fruiting season of the mushroom begins in mid-summer and can last until the onset of the first cold weather. Where and when do flake mushrooms grow?
The fruiting season of the mushroom begins in mid-summer and can last until the onset of the first cold weather. In October you can still find scales, which are most often confused with honey mushrooms due to their corresponding color.
Most often found in deciduous or mixed forests. The mycelium is designed so that the fruits are located solitary on the surface - they cannot be found in groups.
How to collect flakes (video)
Useful properties and taste of flakes
The flake contains a unique substance that has a positive effect on the human body - squarrosidine. In medicine, it is used to treat gout and other diseases associated with the crystallization of uric acid in the joints.
The mushroom extract has bactericidal properties, but there are not enough clinical studies to support the widespread use of the fruit for medicinal purposes.
As for its use in cooking, the mushroom is boiled in a small amount of water before cooking. In general, the flake has a pleasant taste and is used for frying, as well as pickling, marinating, and preparing first courses. It is noteworthy that for consumption, the entire fruit of young mushrooms is cut off, and only the cap of mature mushrooms.
Gallery: scaly mushroom (40 photos)
Botanical description of flake species
The most popular and widespread species in the CIS countries are edible flake, golden flake, common flake, cinder flake, and alder flake. Each of the presented species has individual characteristics that make them impossible to confuse with other mushrooms.
Edible scale
Edible flake has other names - nameko, honey fungus nameko, foliota nameko. The fruit body consists of a thin, low stalk and a small, rounded orange cap. Its surface is covered with mucus.
It grows both in the wild and under artificially created conditions. Widely used in Japanese cuisine.
Golden scale
This type of mushroom has a large cap 20 centimeters in diameter, which in young fruits has slightly curved edges. In the center it has a tubercle. Dense in structure, the color can vary from yellow to reddish or brown. With high air humidity, the cap becomes slimy, and in dry weather it dries out and has a shiny surface.
Mature fruits have a yellow-colored pulp, dense in structure. The leg reaches 15 centimeters in height, dense.
Golden scale Common scalyfoot
Refers to conditionally edible mushrooms. It is the most common and popular type of mushroom among all flakes. Successfully cultivated by Japanese farmers and grown for sale, it grows wild in temperate climates.
Needs light for normal growth, appears on the surface as soon as the snow melts. The season continues until mid-autumn. It grows in sparse forests with a large number of clearings (woodlands), as well as small parks. Distributed in Siberia, the Urals, in Western and Eastern Europe.
Hairy scale
The mushroom belongs to the fourth category and is generally edible, but is not used in cooking due to its bitter taste.
Hairy scale Poplar scale
Grows from early August to late September for growth prefers poplar, aspen, birch. Inedible.
Fire scale
The fire flake has a cap diameter of about 10 centimeters and is bright yellow or lemon in color. In the center the color is slightly darker, and along the edges there are large scales to match the fruit. The plates are brown, in young fruits they are covered with a small cobweb. The pulp has a pleasant aroma, slightly bitter.
It grows throughout the temperate zone of Russia at the base of deciduous trees, as well as stumps and moss.
In folk medicine, the mushroom is used as a laxative, but is not used in cooking due to its bitter taste.
Fire scale Alder scale
It grows in groups, adapting near tree trunks or stumps of alder and birch. The fruiting season begins in August and lasts until the end of September. The cap is small - about 5 centimeters in diameter, has brown scales with a yellow color to the cap. The plates are beige with a yellow tint. The mushroom is inedible and can cause intoxication.
Cinder flake
In young fruits, the cap has the shape of a hemisphere, and with ripening it opens up slightly. It reaches from two to six centimeters in diameter and has a red-brown color. The surface of the fungus is slimy, with small fibrous scales.
The pulp is dense, light yellow in color. It has neither taste nor smell. The plates are frequent and adherent. The fruiting season begins in May and lasts until September. It grows mainly in places where fires are made.
Cinder flake Recipes with flakes
Flakes are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms and that is why they must first be soaked in water for a long time, or boiled in water with added salt. Suitable for marinating and frying.
Fried mushrooms in sour cream
Peel the flakes and pour boiling water over them. Boil for twenty minutes at medium heat. Then place in a frying pan heated with butter and simmer along with sour cream and herbs for twenty minutes.
The fruits are fleshy and porous, but do not have a strong taste.
Pickled flakes
In this form, mushrooms can be consumed no later than three months later. They need to be stored in sterilized jars. For cooking you will need:
- wine vinegar - 3 tablespoons;
- flakes - 400 g;
- sunflower oil - 3 tablespoons;
- spices (allspice, cloves, bay) - to taste;
- granulated sugar - 1 teaspoon;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- salt - to taste.
Features of flakes (video)
Wash the mushrooms and cut into small slices. Crush the garlic between the blades of the knives and pass through a garlic press. Finely chop the greens with a knife. Place the mushrooms in a deep container, add vinegar, spices, and vegetable oil. Heat on the middle window, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, sprinkle with herbs and stir. Pepper to taste.
Store in a glass container in a cool place.
Scales are mushrooms that are amazing in structure and use. They can be prepared in different ways, but must be collected following all the rules for collecting mushrooms.
Let's talk about secrets...
Have you ever experienced joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:
- inability to move comfortably and easily;
- pain during or after exercise;
- discomfort when going up and down stairs;
