Autumn is the time to pick mushrooms, cook delicious dishes from them, and make preparations for the winter. In terms of nutritional value, mushrooms are not inferior to meat, vegetables and fruits. Due to their low calorie content and low percentage of fat, they can be included in dietary meals, and due to their high protein content, mushrooms are popular with vegetarians. Moreover, they are useful for the treatment of various medical conditions. However, news often appears that someone has poisoned them. This can be avoided by adhering to the following guidelines.
Instructions
Step 1
There are several reasons for mushroom poisoning: inability to distinguish edible from poisonous, collecting and eating "unknown mushrooms", purchasing them in places of unauthorized trade, improper preparation or storage of mushroom dishes. First of all, you need to know that all mushrooms are divided into edible, conditionally edible, inedible and poisonous. And the first thing a mushroom picker needs is to be able to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible and poisonous ones.
Step 2
Many species of mushrooms have false counterparts, which are problematic to distinguish from real ones. Poisonous mushrooms have very developed mimicry - the ability to disguise themselves as edible ones. Fakes are so skillful that even seasoned mushroom pickers cannot always distinguish them. Therefore, it is advisable to collect only those mushrooms that you know well and be able to recognize the appearance of the poisonous mushrooms found in your area. It is advisable for novice mushroom pickers to have a handbook with illustrations at hand, or even better - to go into the forest for the company with familiar experienced mushroom pickers.
Step 3
Poisonous mushrooms - pale toadstool, false mushrooms, panther champignon, satanic mushroom - are best avoided right away. In addition, edible mushrooms often grow alongside poisonous ones, so their spores can mix. Because of this, an initially edible mushroom can become poisonous.
Step 4
You should also know the peculiarities of local mushrooms, because in different places the same mushroom can have different properties. For example, in many reference books it is not advised to collect pigs, however, there are examples when locals have been eating these mushrooms for decades without any negative health effects.
Step 5
It should be remembered about the ability of fungi to absorb and accumulate salts of heavy metals and other toxic compounds from the environment. Therefore, they should not be collected near roads and railways, industrial enterprises, in city parks, squares and courtyards. Such mushrooms become unsuitable for food. It is also advisable to take this circumstance into account when buying mushrooms on the market.
Step 6
It is undesirable to pick mushrooms, the appearance of which does not inspire confidence: rotten, old, wormy, flabby, overgrown, damaged by mold, overdried and those that differ in color or shape from those familiar to you. Therefore, you should carefully examine them. If you have any doubts, do not regret, immediately throw away the suspicious mushroom. Mushrooms brought home on the same day need to be disassembled into individual types, carefully examined and made sure if there are any dubious ones among them.
Step 7
Remember that fresh mushrooms will only last for a few hours. For long-term storage, they need to be frozen, dried or canned. The mushrooms must be cooked on the day of harvest or no later than the next morning.
Step 8
Insufficiently cooked or fried mushrooms can provoke gastrointestinal upset. To avoid this, they must be properly boiled before cooking. The mushrooms should boil for at least 30 minutes or more. Only then can they be stewed, fried, etc.
Step 9
Mushrooms should be preserved slowly, observing the entire technology of this process. If after a while the lid on the can swells, it is better to throw them away. When buying canned mushrooms in the store, you should also take into account that they can go bad.
Step 10
Children, due to a fragile digestive system, find it difficult to digest mushroom protein. Therefore, it is undesirable for them to eat mushrooms in large quantities, it is better to use artificially grown mushrooms - oyster mushrooms or champignons, which are much safer than wild ones.
Step 11
Not all mushrooms are compatible with alcohol. There are those that, when consumed with alcohol, can cause severe reactions in the body, similar to severe poisoning. If the mushrooms turn out to be poisonous, alcohol will accelerate the absorption of poisons into the blood and worsen the condition in case of poisoning.
