Not only tasty, but also healthy!
Although this species belongs to the fourth category in nutritional value, which is why many Europeans consider them inedible, the Slavs happily use scales in their diet.
This type of mushroom will not only be a tasty addition to a meal, but also very useful. Golden flakes, first of all, are low in calories - 20 kilocalories per 100 grams. And secondly, these mushrooms contain so many vitamins that they can easily compete in usefulness with such a product as fish. They contain many essential amino acids for the human body, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium.
Royal mushrooms help with anemia, supplementing the body with minerals, diabetes, thrombophlebitis, regulate the functioning of the thyroid gland, and also increase hemoglobin.
Scale golden
Although willow has many positive qualities, only a few experienced mushroom pickers know about it. The most common golden flake in China, but this species can also be found in Japan, Russia, North America and some European countries.
As for the dishes made from these wonderful mushrooms, they can be used in soups, salads, sauces, used as an addition to a side dish, or simply marinated. Some housewives even add some mushrooms to the jam for a rich taste.
I would like to note that you can eat royal mushrooms only after twenty minutes of boiling, having previously cleared the mushrooms from forest debris. The water must be discarded after cooking. The taste of golden flakes practically does not differ from the taste of everyone's favorite ordinary honey agarics.
Royal honey mushroom is an amazing mushroom that has rightfully earned a resounding name.
Such a representative of the natural kingdom is a welcome delicacy for mushroom pickers, but it is important to be able to distinguish it from other species. An informative article will tell you about where to find fruiting bodies and how to cook them.
Royal honey mushroom is an amazing mushroom that has rightfully earned a resounding name.
The golden scales reach impressive sizes, the broad-bell-shaped cap of the described fungus reaches more than 15 cm in diameter, the color of the fruit bodies varies from rusty yellow to olive. A distinctive feature of the species are flaky brown scales, and the flesh of the mushroom is yellowish. The leg is always long, it raises the fruiting body by an average of 8 cm above the surface of the wood. Young specimens have a fibrous ring; with age, this part of the fungus disappears.
Young mushrooms of golden color are suitable for collection, their caps are smooth and slimy to the touch. The darker the fruiting body, the more its age.
Common scaly mushroom and its photo
Category: edible.
Scale cap (Pholiota squarrosa) (diameter 5-11 cm): speckled with ocher, brown or brown pointed scales, which are much darker than the skin. In young mushrooms, hemispherical, becomes convex-outstretched over time.
Leg (height 7-13 cm): dense, solid, cylindrical, with scales along its entire length and a scaly ring. Usually the same color as the skin of the cap.
Plates: yellow or brown, turn brown with age.
Pay attention to the photo of common scaly: frequent and thin plates grow tightly to the leg. Flesh: thick and fleshy, white or yellowish, red-pink in the stem
Flesh: thick and fleshy, white or yellowish, red-pink in the stem.
Doubles: none.
When it grows: from late July to early October.
Where to find it: On rotten stumps, diseased or dead trees of all kinds.
Eating: fried, salted or pickled.
It may taste a little bitter before boiling, therefore precooking is recommended. In adult mushrooms, it is best to use only caps, and in young ones, both caps and legs.
Application in traditional medicine: not applicable.
Other names: fleecy flake, dry flake.
Useful properties of flakes
The pulp of mushrooms, after proper processing, can serve as a source of almost all essential amino acids, and in terms of the content of calcium and phosphorus, flake competes with fish fillets.
Even mucus that envelops the fruit bodies of some types of mushrooms has beneficial properties. Golden scales and a hint of a jelly-like substance exhibit the following properties:
- enhance the body's immune defenses;
- normalize cerebral circulation;
- tone up, relieve fatigue.
Due to the presence of potassium, magnesium, iron, hematopoiesis improves, the work of the heart muscle is enhanced, the passage of impulses along the nerve endings is normalized. Low calorie content allows the use of mushrooms in dietary nutrition for patients with diabetes mellitus. A large amount of fiber in the product prevents constipation and has a beneficial effect on bowel function.
What harm can mushrooms do
Only a few of the described species can harm the human body, others are rejected due to their low taste. But even edible flake has its own limitations for admission.
Absolute contraindications and risk factors:
- Childhood, pregnancy or lactation completely exclude the intake of flakes inside.
- Simultaneous use with alcoholic beverages of any strength causes severe intoxication (disulfiram-like syndrome).
- With cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis, the reception of flakes, most often, provokes an exacerbation.
- It is forbidden to use overripe, wormy specimens or mushrooms collected in places with a dubious ecological situation (including soil pollution with household waste, the proximity of cattle burial grounds, chemical industries) for food.
- All edible types of flakes must be boiled before use. The meconic acid in raw mushrooms can cause mental health problems.
Sometimes there is an individual intolerance or an allergic reaction to edible types of flakes.
Boron flakes
The common scaly mushroom has many similar species. Almost all of them are classified as edible. Boron flake is one of the most common species. It has a smaller cap, which rarely exceeds 10 cm. Its average size is about 5-7 cm.
The hat has a yellow tint. It can also be orange or even brown. Young mushrooms have a hemispherical cap. Over time, it becomes flatter. The surface is quite sticky to the touch.
The leg of this mushroom is also smaller than that of the common variety. It does not grow more than 9 cm. Its average size is about 7 cm. The shade of the stem is reddish or even rusty. Inside, the leg of this type of scale is necessarily hollow.
This mushroom is most often found in pine forests. It is eaten. You will need to pre-heat the mushroom. It is not dried. In this form, the mushroom is bitter. In terms of taste, this species is inferior to the previous variety.
It is upland scaly that mushroom pickers are most often confused with honey agaric in the summer. These varieties differ in their place of growth. Also, the plates under the cap have a different color.
Description of the mushroom
When heading to the forest for mushrooms, it is imperative to consider the description of common flake. It differs (in addition to the characteristics listed above) in a large, high leg. It is yellow in color and cylindrical in shape. The height of the leg reaches 16 cm, while the diameter can be about 1.8-2 cm.
The stem also has dark scales on the surface. At the base, it has a dark brown color. A somewhat sagging fibrous ring can be seen on it.The leg above it has a light shade of the surface, and below it is dark. It can be hollow inside.
The flesh of the mushroom is quite tough. It has a light yellow color. The smell is not pronounced, it is rather difficult to determine it. It resembles a little radish aroma. The taste of the pulp is also not pronounced. The flavor of this variety can differ significantly from other types of flakes.
Where they grow, in what forests and how to collect
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Scales grow mainly in deciduous forests (less often in conifers) in small groups. They can also be found in park areas within the city. You need to look for mushrooms near the roots of deciduous trees, on stumps and trunks of dying plants, etc. Sometimes flakes can be found under pine or spruce trees, but these mushrooms will be bitter, so you should not collect them.
In our area, these mushrooms are quite common and are found everywhere. There are especially many of them in the forests of Siberia and the Far East. They also grow in the Krasnodar Territory, Primorye and the Caucasus. Abroad, flakes are common in Europe, America and Asia.
Going to pick mushrooms, you must take a sharp knife with you
It is important to cut off the found fruit bodies as carefully as possible so as not to damage the rhizome. You need to collect all the fruits in the family at once, since small specimens will not survive on their own
Types of scales
The genus of flakes has about 150 species, of which about 30 grow in the forests of Russia. The most common types are foliots: ordinary, golden, fiery, cinder, alder, gum-bearing, destructive, edible (hint).
Common scaly
This is the most common type. Mushrooms of this type are also called fleecy, scaly, dry. They grow in colonies on the wood of living and rotten deciduous trees. The hats have a diameter of 6-10 cm, in young ones they are hemispherical, in mature ones they are flat. The surface of the caps is pale yellow with pronounced orange-brown scales.
The leg is cylindrical, dense, rusty. Young specimens have a private veil that breaks when ripe, forming a ring on their stem and flakes around the edges of the cap.
The flesh of this species is fleshy, white or yellow, although edible, but tastes bitter.
Scale golden (royal honey mushrooms)
The golden species is one of the largest representatives of the foliot: the diameter of the cap can reach 18 cm. Their fruit bodies are painted in bright yellow, golden color. The surface of the cap is covered with mucus and small dark brown scales. In young specimens, the cap has a hemispherical shape with tucked edges; in adulthood, it is a saucer shape with a convex center.
Flame scale
This is an inedible type of foliot. Mushrooms of this species are smaller than ordinary or golden ones: the diameter of the caps does not exceed 7 cm. The caps are painted in reddish tones and are covered with thick curled scales of a lighter color than the cap. The scales on the cap form a pattern of ovals. The pulp is fleshy, hard, yellow in color, when broken, it becomes brown, has an astringent bitter taste and an unpleasant odor, therefore it is not eaten. Fruiting from mid-July to late September.
Cinder flakes
Cinder flakes are also called coal-loving ones. The caps of this type of mushroom are often stained with soot and dirt, since burnt trees and places of fire are their favorite places of growth. Soot, dust and dirt adhere to the mucous surface of the caps, so the mushrooms quickly turn dirty yellow or dirty brown. In young foliots, the caps are covered with a private veil; in mature foliots, the remains of this veil are preserved in the form of a ring on the stem and along the edges of the cap. The legs are covered with small reddish scales.The pulp of these foliots is dense, tough, light yellow, and has no specific taste or smell. There is no information on the edibility of these mushrooms in the literature. They grow from August to October.
Alder flakes
These foliots are also called the alder moth. They are often found on stumps and wood of alder or birch. The size of the caps of the moth is small: it does not exceed 5-6 cm. The color of the caps is yellow-orange, along their edge there are flaky remnants of a private bedspread. The legs are curved, have a pronounced ring. Below the rings are fibrous, above the rings are smooth.
The pulp of the mushrooms is yellowish, dirty yellow, inedible. When eaten, moths can cause poisoning. Fruiting in August-September.
Scaly gummy
These mushrooms are also called yellow-green because their fruiting bodies, covered with scales, are light yellow to yellow-green in color. The diameter of the caps of gum-bearing foliots is 3-6 cm. The pulp is edible, since it does not have a rare taste and odor specific to scales.
Destructive scales
These mushrooms are often found on old and dry poplars, so their second name is poplar or poplar foliot. These mushrooms, in the process of their growth, actively destroy the wood of the tree. Caps can reach 20 cm, are light brown or yellowish, covered with white scales. Legs are thinned towards the top, have bulges at the base. The legs are the same color as the caps and are also covered with scales.
Edible flakes
This type of foliot is industrial. Mushrooms of this species are cultivated on a large scale in Japan and China. Their second name is foliot or hint of honey. Grown in rooms with high humidity - 90-95%. They grow in groups. The sizes of these mushrooms are small - no more than 2 cm in diameter. The color of the fruit bodies is orange-brown, the surface is covered with thick dense jelly-like mucus.
They have soft pulp, similar in taste and smell to real honey mushrooms. On the shelves of our stores, you can often find pickled edible flakes of Chinese production. Only the inscription on the bank says that it is mushrooms (the second name for edible scales). Pickled foliots differ from real honey mushrooms in a slimy marinade, which is due to the jelly-like coating of the caps of the latter.
Similar types and differences from them
The scales related to it are similar to the ordinary one:
- scaly - smaller and lighter, with a sticky whitish cap, conditionally edible;
- golden or herbal - colored golden yellow, the cap is granular without scales, there is a large filmy ring hanging down on the stem, has the smell and taste of bitter almonds, is considered conditionally edible, grows in abandoned settlements, on rich soils, in thickets of nettles ;
- fiery - bright yellow, with lemon-colored scales and yellow-orange flesh, often has a bitter taste, especially if it grows near spruce trees, and is also conditionally edible.
Autumn mushroom (Armillaria mellea) is also similar, but it does not have large scales.
Ordinary flake, whose properties are known only to connoisseurs, forest healers and mushroom gourmets, requires mandatory culinary processing with preliminary boiling. Due to its wide distribution and the absence of poisonous properties, even in similar species, it is not only easy to collect, but also safe.
Description of golden scales
The diameter of the cap of these mushrooms reaches really king size - from 5 to 20 centimeters. The shape of the cap is initially broadly bell-shaped, but with age it changes to a flat-round one. The color of the cap is rusty yellow or dirty golden.
Flaky reddish scales are scattered over the entire surface of the cap. The plates of golden scales are wide, adherent to the stem with teeth, the color of the plates is at first light straw, but as it ripens, it becomes olive brown. The flesh is whitish-yellow.
The leg is 7-10 centimeters long and 1-1.5 centimeters in diameter. The leg is dense, yellow-brown in color with rusty-brown scales.There is a fibrous ring on the leg, which disappears with age.
Places of growth and fruiting period of golden scales
These mushrooms grow in large groups. They settle on tree trunks or next to them. Golden scales bear fruit from August to September. In the Primorsky Territory, they are harvested from May to September.
Royal mushrooms settle on the trunks of deciduous trees, preferring alder, willow, less often birch stumps. And sometimes they are found in coniferous forests and swampy areas. Golden scales, like ordinary mushrooms, grow in families.
The first caps of golden scales appear in mid-July, and fruiting continues until mid-October. Due to the rare appearance of golden scales, they are confused with false agarics that grow in the same places.
The use of royal honey mushrooms in cooking
Ashy flakes are edible mushrooms. Before use, they should be pre-boiled for 20 minutes. They have excellent taste. These mushrooms are used in salads and main dishes. Scales go well with fried potatoes. In addition, they are used to make preparations for the winter.
Scales collected in coniferous forests differ from scales grown in deciduous forests, they have a bitter taste. Therefore, they are more suitable for pickling and salting. Also, these mushrooms are great for freezing and drying.
Golden scales are a source of vitamin C, E and PP. They also contain magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron and sodium. The calorie content of royal mushrooms is 22 calories per 100 grams.
But, despite the spread of golden scales and its good recognition, these mushrooms are harvested not so often. This is due to the fact that few people know these mushrooms. Only true connoisseurs and gourmets of mushroom delicacies put them on a par with autumn mushrooms.
Other mushrooms of this genus
Scaly mucosa is a conditionally edible mushroom. At a young age, the shape of the cap is bell-shaped, and as it grows, it becomes prostrate or slightly concave; in adulthood, the edges of the cap rise slightly. The color of the cap is yellowish or bright brown, the central part is usually darker. In rainy weather, the pulp becomes slimy-sticky. The diameter of the cylindrical leg is approximately 1 centimeter, and its length reaches 10 centimeters. At first, the leg is cotton-like, and over time it becomes almost hollow. There is a ring on the leg, but it quickly disappears.
Slimy scales grow on decayed wood. These mushrooms bear fruit from August to October.
Scale cinder or coal-loving has a cap from hemispherical to prostrate shape. The diameter of the cap ranges from 2 to 6 centimeters. The color is heterogeneous orange-brown. In wet weather, the cap becomes mucous. Often the edges of the cap are covered with scraps of bedspread. The lower part of the leg is covered with brown fibers, while the upper part is lighter.
The diameter of the leg is 1 centimeter and the height reaches 6 centimeters. The trace from the ring on the leg is almost invisible.
Cinder flakes begin to occur in May and bear fruit until October with variable frequency. These mushrooms settle on burnt wood and old fireplaces. Scaly scales are considered inedible.
Common scaly (fleecy, Pholiotasquarrosa): photo and description of how to cook
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Scale common (or fleecy) Pholiota squarrosa
This somewhat aggressive species of supposedly "honeydew" is sometimes called "royal honeydew". Although scaly has a very distant relation to mushrooms, fungi of different families are similar in the way of feeding: both parasites are semi-saprophytic.
Medium-sized mushroom, pale beige to dirty buffy color. At the beginning of growth, the shape of the hat is rounded, almost a ball. Then the cap is pulled out, a sharp tubercle is indicated in the center, the edges unfold to a diameter of 5-10 cm, less often more. It is densely covered with pointed “rags” a little darker than the cap itself (well, what kind of scales are there without them? The name obliges.)
A leg is from 5 to 15 cm, on it in young mushrooms you can see the remains of the bedspread, a kind of uneven "skirt". Below the skirt, the leg looks very disheveled, there are more than enough scales, and they do not fit, but stick out to the sides. However, it is impossible to inject with them, tk. soft. To the base, the leg darkens somewhat.
The plates, when the opened dome of the cap ceases to hide them, do not look very attractive: frequent and adherent, the color of the scales itself, but with a distinct gray tint, and become brown by the ripening of the spores.
Scale common grows in small colonies, low on trees or at their very base, on the roots. It can settle on deciduous and conifers, as well as on stumps. Naturally, Pholiota squarrosa damaging the forest, like a malicious destroyer of wood. And you certainly shouldn't be happy to find her in your garden.
It is often asked how to distinguish Pholiota squarrosa from autumn mushrooms Armillaria mellea or Armillaria gallica. In any of the autumn mushrooms, a smooth leg with barely noticeable adjoining dark scales does not reach the “shaggy” scaly leg, on which the epilator cries. Spore powder honey agaric, light Pholiota squarrosa - brown. And the main thing is the smell. The delicious, delicate honeydew aroma cannot be compared with the smell of a musty rag emanating from the pulp of the scales. Willy-nilly, the question arises: how is it eaten, and most importantly - why? A tough mushroom, smells like delight, and often tastes bitter. Where do these rave reviews for “tastes best in pickling and pickling”? Even small unopened mushrooms, after two boils, did not lose their smell. Alas. Probably, in our forest there are “wrong” trees and mushrooms that have grown on them are changing beyond recognition. I believe that under different conditions (collection area, wood species), ordinary flakes will be softer and tastier.
Conditionally edible Pholiota squarrosa poisoning, however, does not cause. Other similar scales (golden and fiery) are also not seen in such outrages.
But how beautiful and photogenic! Pleasing the eye from late August to early October, they, thornless “hedgehogs”, say to the mushroom picker “Autumn has come.”
Similar types and differences from them
You can confuse ordinary scaly with other representatives of the foliot - fiery scaly and golden scaly. They are really similar in appearance and scales and shape. In addition, they may have the same fruiting season. However, the fiery scales are orange, and the golden ones are yellow, while, like ordinary scales, they remain ocher throughout their life.
The taste of fiery scales is bitter, in contrast to golden and ordinary foliot. But even if you cannot deal with them, then you should not worry, none of these mushrooms contains poison and cannot be poisoned with them.
Also, often inexperienced mushroom pickers can mistake flakes for late honey agarics, especially adults, in which the scales are pressed to the surface of the cap.
Composition and calorie content of golden flakes
Royal mushrooms can be used in the diet of those who are losing weight, this helps to avoid breakdowns during the fasting period.
The calorie content of golden flakes is 22 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 2.2 g;
- Fat - 1.2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0.5 g;
- Dietary fiber - 5.1 g;
- Water - 89.1 g;
- Ash - 1 g.
Mono- and disaccharides per 100 g - 0.5 g.
The composition of the golden flake contains vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin B3 (PP) - 10.3 mg;
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.02 mg;
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.38 mg;
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - 11 mg;
- Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.1 mg
- Vitamin PP (Niacin Equivalent) - 10.7 mg.
Minerals per 100 g:
- Calcium - 5 mg;
- Magnesium - 20 mg;
- Sodium - 5 mg;
- Potassium - 400 mg;
- Phosphorus - 45 mg;
- Iron - 0.8 mg.
This is not all useful composition. The golden flake contains folic and nicotinic acid, a tocopherol complex, and many amino acids.
Amino acids per 100 g:
- Threonine - 0.107 g;
- Leucine - 0.12 g;
- Lysine - 0.107 g;
- Valine - 0.232 g;
- Alanine - 0.199 g;
- Aspartic acid - 0.195 g;
- Glutamic acid - 0.343 g.
The action of nutrients is as follows:
- Vitamin B3 lowers cholesterol levels, stimulates the production of sex hormones, neutralizes hazardous substances, lowers blood sugar levels, breaks down proteins from food, and promotes the absorption of nutrients.
Vitamin B2 stimulates the production of hemoglobin, accelerates metabolic processes at the intercellular and intracellular levels, normalizes the functioning of the central and peripheral systems, and improves the function of reproductive organs.
Vitamin C is involved in all oxidative and reduction processes, increases the protective functions of the body, protects the walls of blood vessels from cholesterol deposits and the nervous system from stress.
Vitamin P relieves vascular spasms, regulates cholesterol levels, eliminates intoxication, reduces the level of triglycerides in the blood, neutralizes viruses, and increases the protective functions of the thyroid gland.
Magnesium strengthens the structure of muscle and nervous tissue, stimulates the growth and restoration of soft tissues at the cellular level, prevents the deposition of calculi in the kidneys and bile ducts, improves the structure of bone tissue, and digestive functions.
Potassium regulates the water-electrolyte balance, normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system, is responsible for the absorption of magnesium, and controls the level of sodium chloride.
Phosphorus - a protein component - is responsible for the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, participates in biosynthesis.
Royal mushrooms are used for culinary purposes, they are used as an ingredient in fungotherapy preparations. The properties of a mushroom growing in different conditions do not change, but the taste may differ. The golden scales collected in coniferous forests may taste a little bitter, but in deciduous ones they taste pleasant, the pulp may even be sweetish.
