Puffball mushrooms, what to do with them. Raincoat mushroom: how to cook delicious dishes from it. Raincoats with sour cream

06.02.2024

This year we didn’t get out to go mushroom picking. My husband is a hunter and the hunting season always coincides with the mushroom season. Guess what is more important to my husband. But we still collected some mushrooms, although we didn’t go anywhere specially.

We have a dacha outside the city, there are both pine and deciduous plantations, we drive past fields, but for some reason there are never mushrooms there.

And so, returning from the dacha, we suddenly see people walking across the field and picking mushrooms. Of course, we were surprised and stopped. People collected champignons and practically didn’t leave any for us, but we still picked mushrooms. And these were raincoats.

For some reason, people didn’t collect them; apparently they didn’t know that it was a puffball mushroom and that it was edible. We are not great experts in mushrooms, but we know some species for sure and collect them with confidence. And we have no doubts about the puffball mushroom - edible or not, we know 100% that it is edible.

And I decided to talk about this mushroom; it’s a pity that people, sometimes out of ignorance, trample them and kick them. And this is not only edible, but also a very tasty and healthy mushroom. By the way, in Italy they consider the puffball to be the most delicious mushroom.

Mushroom raincoat - photo and description

The puffball mushroom belongs to the champignon family.

There are varieties that are round, and there are slightly elongated, pear-shaped ones, as if with a stem, as they also say - “false stem”.

Some raincoats are smooth, and some have small spikes.

We quite rarely come across raincoats and they were always round and smooth.

There is another variety - these are giant raincoats and they weigh up to 10 kg. Our son found such a mushroom the only time, it weighed 1 kg and even then it seemed big to us, but 10 kg is hard to even imagine. Watch the video about the giant raincoat.

Important! This mushroom differs from other species in that it does not have a pronounced stem and cap with plates.

This must be remembered so as not to be confused with a young fly agaric, the spiny puffballs are especially similar, but looking at the photo, it seems to me that the difference is obvious, the fly agaric has a leg and a cap.

Puffball mushroom - edible or not

As I already said, this is an edible mushroom, but it has a feature that important know and collect taking into account these features.

! Raincoat ages very quickly and becomes unsuitable for collection, so only young mushrooms should be collected.

! The pulp when cut should be pure white, dense, elastic and homogeneous. If the flesh is yellowish or greenish, then such a mushroom is not suitable for collection.

Over time, the insides of the puffball mushroom become flabby, and then generally turn into a powdery spore mass, which is pushed out through the hole formed in the upper part of the mushroom. Because of these features, it is often popularly called “flutter”, “dust tobacco”, “grandfather’s tobacco”. Maybe this influences the opinion that the puffball mushroom is inedible.

There is a false mushroom and it is distinguished by the fact that it has a hard, leathery shell, the flesh of young mushrooms is also white, but it ripens very quickly and becomes dark purple in color, the main distinguishing feature is the smell, in false ones it is unpleasant. The raincoats we collected have a smell very reminiscent of champignons.

Raincoat mushroom - how to cook

The puffball mushroom is a versatile mushroom; it can be fried, boiled, or pickled. For long-term storage, both freezing and drying are suitable. True, it should not be dried in the fresh air, but in an oven or a fruit and vegetable dryer.

You can cook puffball mushroom without pre-treatment (boiling or soaking).

And although it belongs to the fourth category, this does not affect the taste. This is a delicious mushroom, and by the way, the dried puffball mushroom is not inferior in taste and smell to the famous boletus mushroom.

Puffball mushroom - beneficial and medicinal properties

Puffball mushroom, included in your diet, will have a beneficial effect on the body:

it helps eliminate toxins, as well as chlorine and fluorine-containing compounds, cleanses the gastrointestinal tract, improves the composition of blood and lymph;
its antiseptic, hemostatic and wound-healing properties are known; they say it can be used right in the forest to treat wounds and cuts by applying the pulp of a freshly cut mushroom to the wound;
This mushroom contains a substance called calvacin, which has antitumor properties.
It is believed that puffball mushroom broth is healthier than chicken broth and is widely used to quickly restore the patient’s vitality, in the treatment of bronchitis, laryngitis, tuberculosis, and to enhance health.

Traditional healers make a tincture from the puffball mushroom and use it to treat various diseases.

Chop clean mushrooms and pack tightly into 0.5 liters. jar, fill the remaining space with vodka diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio. Infuse in the refrigerator for 15 days, then strain and keep the tincture in the refrigerator.

Take the tincture orally once a day, 30 ml half an hour before meals, with water or natural juice for diseases such as viral hepatitis, diseases of the genitourinary system, helps dissolve sand, kidney stones, and eliminates dysbacteriosis.

This tincture can also be used externally in the form of lotions for acne, purulent formations, and for the treatment of burns.

Even in folk medicine, powder from the puffball mushroom is used; it helps normalize blood pressure and hormonal balance, strengthens the immune system, when taken regularly.

How to prepare: grind dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder, pour into a dry container with a lid.

Add to dishes every day, but in order not to destroy the beneficial effect of the powder, the dishes should not be hot, no more than 50 degrees.

But not only traditional healers know about the beneficial and healing properties of raincoats. Based on this mushroom, various drugs and dietary supplements have been created in pharmacology; this mushroom is also used for the manufacture of cosmetic products, since the puffball mushroom helps improve the structure of the skin and eliminate sagging.

At home, you can make face masks; to do this, cut the mushroom into thin slices, apply to your face and hold for 15-20 minutes.

We collected such wonderful mushrooms, although not much, just a couple of kilograms, maybe a little more, but we also spent very little time on it, about half an hour. But we are happy about that too.

I hope the information was useful and even if you do not dare to collect puffball mushrooms, do not kick or trample them with your feet, remember that there are lovers of these mushrooms, for example, us.

Better yet, collect them in your baskets and use them both for preparing delicious dishes and for your health.

P.S. Just the other day I made cheese soup with raincoats, it turned out very tasty.

Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.

The puffball mushroom belongs to the Champignonaceae family. It has a pleasant mushroom smell and dense white flesh. You can meet it from August to November in coniferous forests, meadows and parks.

In our country, raincoats are not particularly popular. They belong to the fourth group of mushrooms. Many people unknowingly consider them inedible or even poisonous. But this is not so - raincoats are considered the real connoisseurs of them - the Italians, who know many ways to prepare a raincoat. This mushroom is not only tasty, but also healthy.

Raincoats retain their taste as long as the flesh remains white. They are not intended for long-term storage. Therefore, these mushrooms must be used immediately after collection. Those dishes that contain puffball mushroom have excellent taste and aroma. This article will tell you how to prepare such food.

You can make many dishes from a raincoat. It is very diverse and good in this regard. There are both classic methods of preparing dishes and non-standard options that have a special taste.

How to cook

It is not necessary to boil mushrooms, although many people prefer to heat them before cooking. Boiling will only increase the cooking time. Let's consider the simplest option for making raincoats.

Mushrooms must be washed in running water and peeled. Then cut into small pieces and fry in a frying pan in butter. To the mushrooms you need to add onions cut into half rings (some people also prefer various vegetables). Then close the pan with a lid and simmer until done.

Now let’s look at another recipe, borrowed from the Italians, where the puffball mushroom is present. How to cook in Italian?

Wash and peel the mushrooms, place in a dish or shallow pan and pour in white wine. Add ground black pepper and salt. Put on the fire and simmer under the lid for about 20 minutes. Chop the vegetables: carrots, onions, tomatoes, herbs. Mix all ingredients, add salt and a little vegetable oil. Add stewed mushrooms to vegetables, season with a drop of lemon juice. The resulting salad tastes amazing!

Of course, there are many different recipes in which the main ingredient is the puffball mushroom. How to prepare these dishes can be found in the Italian cookbook.

Beneficial features

But puffball mushrooms are valued not only for their taste. Their beneficial properties make it possible to use this natural product in folk medicine. Mushroom tincture is an excellent reliever of various types of inflammation and is used for dysbacteriosis. Due to their cleansing properties, raincoats are used to remove toxic substances from the body.

When collecting puffballs, it is important to remember that there is a look-alike to these mushrooms that is poisonous. False puffball has gray or yellowish flesh and a pungent odor of raw potatoes.

Fry the raincoats for 15 minutes, stirring constantly over medium heat.

How to fry raincoats

Products

Butter or vegetable oil - 40 milliliters
Salt - half a teaspoon
Pepper - to taste

How to fry raincoats

3. Cut each mushroom into pieces approximately 3 centimeters in size.
4. Place a dry frying pan over moderate heat, add butter or vegetable oil, and heat it up.
5. Place the mushrooms in a frying pan, add salt and pepper, and fry for 15 minutes, stirring until a golden crust appears.

Raincoats with sour cream

Products
Young raincoats - 500 grams
Vegetable oil - 50 milliliters
Onions - a couple of heads
Sour cream - glass
Salt - half a teaspoon
Black pepper - to taste

How to fry raincoats with sour cream
1. Clean the raincoats from forest debris, sort them out, and wash them.
2. Peel off the thick skin from the cap; to do this, you need to mash the mushroom a little in your hands, its shell will crack and peel off like an eggshell.
3. Cut the raincoats into pieces approximately 3 centimeters in size of any shape.
4. Cut the peeled onions into cubes.
5. Turn on the burner to moderate heat, place the frying pan, heat for 3 minutes, add oil.
6. Place puffballs in oil and fry for 10-15 minutes.
7. Add onion to the frying raincoats and continue frying for 5-7 minutes.
8. Add sour cream to the raincoats, stir, and keep on the stove for a couple of minutes.

Fkusnofacts

Raincoats can be found under different names: smoky, golovach, fluff, wolf tobacco, grandfather tobacco. The mushrooms received such names because when they ripen, they become receptacles for fine, lightweight dark dust.

Only young puffballs are eaten. To determine the age of a mushroom, you need to break or cut it. The white pulp is edible, the yellow pulp is not.

Description

Fried mushroom puffballs is a really tasty dish that you can prepare when you return with valuable “loot” from the forest. This dish is very simple and its preparation will not take you much time. All that is required is to prepare the mushrooms themselves by washing them and clearing them of hard skins, and then the raincoats can be sent to the frying pan.

In order for such a mushroom dish to turn out really tasty, you need to assemble the raincoats correctly. So you shouldn’t cut these mushrooms right after the rain. Once saturated with water, they will resemble jelly inside. In addition, it is better to collect young mushrooms, since old specimens are not as tasty. In addition, given the property of these mushrooms to attract heavy metals and radioactive elements, they should be collected in environmentally friendly regions and always away from highways.