A large family of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus) belongs to lamellar mushrooms, that is, they have a leg (or stump) and a hat, and they prefer to settle on the ground at the roots of trees. Read more about the mushroom, its features and growing at home - more.
Appearance
Oyster mushroom hats are smooth and have a varied color. In diameter, they often reach 5-8 cm, but there are specimens with a 15-centimeter head. Below it is covered with rare and thick plates, in which a pinkish spore powder matures.
The legs of the mushrooms are short, narrowing to the base, asymmetrical. In some species, it may be absent. Near the base, the leg is covered with fluff. The pulp of the fungus is white; it does not darken at the cut and has no smell.
Nutritional value
By nutritional value, they belong to 4 categories. All representatives of this family are edible, but only 5 species are used for food, the rest has hard and fibrous flesh.
100 g of raw mushrooms contain:
- protein - 3.31 g;
- fats - 0.41 g;
- carbohydrates - 4.17 g;
- dietary fiber - 2.3 g;
- ash - 1.01 g;
- water - 88.8 g.
The energy value of 100 g of the product is 34 kcal.
Oyster mushrooms are rich in vitamins of groups B, PP, C and D and macro-, microelements: potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc and selenium. Due to its rich composition, it is often used for medicinal purposes.
In addition, oyster mushrooms, unlike other representatives of the mushroom kingdom, do not accumulate toxins in themselves, therefore they are safe for humans. It is contraindicated for people with an allergic reaction to them, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gall bladder, since mushrooms are heavy food.
Where to find oyster mushrooms?
Oyster mushrooms are undemanding to climatic conditions, the main thing for them is heat and high humidity. Usually they grow in deciduous forests of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Mushrooms settle on stumps, dead woods and trunks of weakened trees - birches, aspen, linden and poplar trees. In the southern regions they can be found on maples, elm or hornbeam. On healthy trees, they usually do not grow. Collecting oyster mushrooms is a pleasure, as they grow in large groups, and the basket is filled quickly.
Varieties of oyster mushrooms
There are 9 main varieties of the fungus:
- Oyster mushroom - an oyster mushroom, popularly known as a suspension, a side tree or a bun, of all members of the family - this is the most valuable and useful species. The cap of the oyster mushroom is painted in a grayish-yellow or brown color, and in appearance resembles ears.
In young oyster mushrooms, the edge is bent down. The size of the cap can vary from 5 to 25 cm, the presence of mycelial plaque on a smooth surface is allowed. The leg is whitish, in shape resembles a cylinder, length can reach 5 cm, and diameter - 0.8-3 cm. The flesh is quite dense and elastic, but in overripe specimens it can be stiff, with fibers.
They go hunting for them in June and are harvested before frost. Find them easily on the stumps and trunks of deciduous trees. You can find common oyster mushroom on diseased trunks of birch, oak, aspen and even mountain ash. - Oyster mushroom autumn (willow willow) replaces the oyster mushroom. Mushroom pickers leave for her in September - October. Look for colonies on the stumps of maples, elms, poplars, lindens, less often aspen. The pig has a one-sided, elongated hat, which changes color depending on the age of the fungus. At first it is gray-white, later dirty yellow. The leg, if any, is very short and does not exceed 2.5 cm in length.
- Oyster mushroom oak - A less common, but edible species that settles only on the trunks and stumps of oaks. They appear in July - August. The round hat does not exceed 10 cm in diameter.
This species is easily recognizable by the wrapped edge of the hat, on which the remains of a white blanket hang. The surface of the legs and hats are covered with scales. The hat has a yellowish or cream tint. The leg is velvety, grows up to 10 cm in size, has the shape of a cylinder. The leg can be attached to the cap both in the center and on the side. The pulp of the mushroom is slightly harsh, but has a pleasant aroma. - Oyster mushroom carob or abundant - record holder for productivity. This species has the largest colonies, which is why it is called "plentiful", and acquired the name "carob" due to its similarity to the shepherd’s horn. The hat has a funnel shape and is painted white, which eventually darkens to a light brown tone, its diameter is from 3 to 12 cm.
It is noteworthy that in young mushrooms, the hat bends down at the edges, but eventually straightens and even turns up. The cap is attached to the leg on the side.
They are sent for them at the end of May and collected until mid-August. But they will have to be searched, because they like to settle in inaccessible places, windbreaks and fallen forests. They grow more often on the stumps of maples and elms. - Pulmonary (spring, beech or oyster mushroom whitish) — refers to the most common edible representatives of the genus, growing in natural conditions.
The hat is round in shape, can be linguistic or fan-shaped, the size is on average about 6 cm, but there are also some mushrooms with a hat size of 15 cm, color - white or cream, but mature mushrooms can be yellow in color. The edges are slightly cracked and twisted, and the edges are much thinner than the central part. The leg is white or with a grayish tint, barely reaches 2 cm in length. It is covered with small villi at the base.It grows on decaying trunks of fallen deciduous trees. Seasonality - from the beginning of May to the end of September. Mostly bear fruit in groups that have fused at the base of the stem, fewer individuals are found.
- Steppe (eringi, royal oyster mushroom). Valuable edible mushroom. The mushroom cap has an oval or round shape in young representatives of the species, but with age it becomes flat and even funnel-shaped. The surface is red-brown in color, covered with small scales. The size of the hat can reach 13 cm. The leg is cylindrical in shape, white in color, from 2 to 5 cm. The flesh is white, a brownish or pinkish shade is allowed.
Distributed in countries of Central Europe and Western Asia. Fruits exclusively in the spring months. - Pink (Flamingo). Edible mushroom. Hats of young representatives of this species are painted in a beautiful pink, powdery or grayish pink color. The hat turns pale with age. Its dimensions can reach 5 cm. The leg has a whitish-pink hue, short, slightly curved, small, not more than 2 cm. The flesh has a pleasant aroma, buttery taste, has a whitish-pink hue. Distributed in countries with subtropical and tropical climates.
- Sheathed or coated. Due to its hard flesh, it belongs to inedible mushrooms. This name was received because of the peculiar film that covers the plates of the hymenophore.
In young representatives of the species, the cap looks like a kidney, but as it grows, it begins to encircle the trunk of the tree and takes the form of an open fan. The surface of the cap is smooth and slightly sticky with moist radial stripes. The fruit body has a taupe. The leg is almost invisible. The pulp has a whitish hue, smells similar to the aroma of raw potatoes in the context, differs in rubber consistency.Mushrooms grow alone, begin to bear fruit from the end of April to the end of June. You can meet them on dried fallen aspen trees in mixed and deciduous forests. Distribution area - Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Ireland and other countries of Central and Northern Europe.
- Cap (ilmak, golden). A rare edible mushroom, has an original aroma and pleasant taste. The cap is of a corymbose shape, sizes can reach up to 10 cm, yellow-lemon color is characteristic of young representatives, it fades in mature mushrooms and may even turn completely white. The leg has a creamy tint, height - up to 9 cm. Grows in clusters, some groups can reach 80 pieces, settles on the dry branches of elms.
Fruiting occurs from May to October. Distributed in Asia and the North American continent, in Russia it can be found in the forests of Eastern Siberia, the Far East and the Primorsky Territory.
Similarity of oyster mushrooms with other mushrooms
There are no poisonous mushrooms that are similar in appearance to oyster mushrooms in our country. However, there are mushrooms that are inedible, and they are very easy to confuse just with oyster mushroom.
So, for example, inexperienced mushroom pickers can confuse oyster mushroom with wolf oyster. It is a bitter mushroom that is completely inedible due to its palatability. His hat is small with a pronounced yellow-red tint. The legs are fused at the base and resemble in appearance a roof tile. The smell of rotten cabbage is characteristic.
Mushroom benefits
Oyster mushrooms are a healthy mushroom. No wonder in folk medicine you can find prescriptions for drugs based on them. The fungus helps with iron deficiency anemia, cardiovascular diseases. It increases the body's immune forces, and the optimal content of vitamins D and E in it has a good effect on the development of bone tissue.
Mushrooms remove radioactive elements and some antibiotics from the body, they are recommended for use by people with benign and malignant neoplasms. Those wishing to lose weight should also pay attention to this product. It is rich in protein, and its fats and carbohydrates do not harm the figure.
Harm to mushrooms
Despite the many advantages, mushrooms should not be eaten by children under 5 years old and the elderly. In pickled and salted form, they are contraindicated in people with a history of kidney disease.
Fried oyster mushrooms should be discarded by patients with diseases of the liver and gall bladder. Other mushroom lovers should remember that the benefit of the product is in moderation of its consumption.
How to collect oyster mushrooms?
Going on a “hunt” for oyster mushrooms, be sure to take a knife with you. Cut off immediately with their whole group. No need to regret and leave young mushrooms in place, without older comrades they will still die.
It is better to use mushrooms for food, whose hats do not exceed 10 cm in diameter, the old legs are unsuitable for cooking. They are tasteless and tough.
Is it possible to grow this type of mushroom yourself?
Oyster mushrooms are capricious mushrooms, so they are cultivated around the world. They do not require sky-high costs to create optimal conditions for growth and generously endow the harvest. From 1 kg of mycelium, up to 4 kg of mushrooms are obtained. Grow them indoors or in open ground.
Mycelium is bought in a specialty store. Qualitative seed material has white color and orange, red blotches. The temperature of the package with mycelium should not be higher than +20 ° C. After purchase, it is placed in a cold place (+ 3 ... + 4 ° C).
As a rule, adhere to the following rules for the storage of mycelium:
- not more than a month stored at an average temperature of from 0 ° C to -2 ° C;
- no more than 2 weeks at an average temperature from 0 ° C to + 2 ° C;
- no more than 3 days at an average temperature of + 15 ° С to + 18 ° С;
- no more than one day at an average temperature of + 20 ° С to + 24 ° С.
Methods for growing mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms can be grown in 2 main farming methods: intensive and extensive.
Intensive bag growing method
This is a method of growing in artificial conditions.
Preparation for landing
The main rule when working with mushrooms is sterility. The room is pre-disinfected with chlorine-containing substances, tools are treated with alcohol. The mushroom grower carries out all work with gloves.
The mycelium is removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm to room temperature, and then chopped.
For 1 kg of mycelium, you need to take 10 kg of soil. For it, barley or wheat straw, sawdust of hardwood or parts of corn are harvested (shredded stems, leaves and ears are used). The material should be of high quality without signs of rotting and mold.
Having decided on the basis of the substrate, they begin to disinfect it. A wet or dry substrate is steamed, but the most popular method of heat treatment is digesting it in water for 2 hours. Over time, the substrate is placed under oppression and cooled to +25 C °. The pressed mass is cut into pieces of 4-5 cm.
Mycelium is planted only in moist soil. It is possible to determine whether the substrate is suitable or not by moisture: squeeze it into a lump, if it springs and water does not flow from it, then it has the right amount of moisture.
Mushroom planting
To plant the mycelium, bags are required. You can buy bags that hold 10 l or 5 l of soil. Fill them in two ways:
- Substrate and mycelium are laid on a sterile surface and mixed thoroughly. Immediately fill the bags with it.
- Or lay components in layers. First, 6 cm of soil is poured, then 0.5 cm of mycelium and continue to alternate in the same sequence until the bag is full.
The bags are tied and cut (1-2 cm) on them over the entire surface of the bag in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 15 cm from each other.
The bags are suspended or placed in such a way that air can freely penetrate them from all sides.
Now the main task of the mushroom grower is to create optimal conditions for the development of mycelium in the room. Humidity is maintained in the range of 70-80%, the air temperature should not exceed +25 C, and inside the bag +30 C, otherwise the mycelium will die. They lower the temperature with the help of fans, airing at this stage is prohibited. Wet cleaning is carried out daily.
After 3-4 days, in incisions you can see white, thin strings of mycelium, which in 20 days will grow inside the whole bag, a mushroom aroma will appear in the room.
Next comes the fruiting phase. Bags are moved to another room, away from living rooms, as the spores of the fungus are the strongest allergen, and create new conditions for the growth of oyster mushrooms. Increase air humidity to 90-95%, and lower the temperature to 10-15 C. Provide mushrooms daylight for 10-12 hours. To maintain high humidity, use humidifiers and spray walls and floors, but so that water does not get on the bags.
When hats appear, they are sprayed daily from above. At this stage, much attention is paid to airing the room, it must be provided every 6-8 hours. Otherwise, the mushrooms will begin to rot.
The first oyster mushroom crop is removed after 1.5 months. Mushrooms are completely turned out of the ground, making sure that no part of the leg is left in it. It can become a breeding ground for pathogenic microorganisms, which cannot be allowed. The mushroom picker gives a crop up to 4 times in a row. The second wave of mushroom growth begins 2-3 weeks after harvesting the first crop.
After the mycelium fertilizes, it is disposed of or used as fertilizer.
The productivity of oyster mushrooms in the open ground depends on weather conditions and is significantly inferior to the productivity of mushrooms grown indoors. But the mycelium in one place bears fruit up to 5 years.
Extensive Growing Method
This method of growing mushrooms in a natural environment.
Mycelium is grafted onto logs of aspen, birch, linden, willow or poplar. To do this, they are well moistened with water and several deep cuts are made on the surface, where they put oyster mushroom mycelium and cover them with moss or tree bark.
Prepared logs are carefully dug on a site in a designated place. It should be a shady, well-blown wind and should not be exposed to sunlight.
"Planted" logs are well watered with water and covered with a film. If the weather is hot, they are watered daily. The first harvest will please in 1.5-2 months.The mycelium also bears fruit up to 4 times per season, if they do not forget to water it.
At the end of fruiting, the logs are left in place and kept moist. With this care, mushrooms will appear next year.
At what temperature do oyster mushrooms grow?
Artificially cultivated species of fungal strains are conventionally divided by the ripening dates of fruiting bodies:
- Winter variety of oyster mushrooms was bred from frost-resistant species, such species are able to bear fruit at a temperature of 4-15 ° C. They are recognizable by hats painted in gray or blue.
- Summer variety was imported from Florida. They bear fruit at a temperature of 15-25 ° C. The fruit body is distinguished by tenderness and fragility.
- All season strains were removed from pulmonary oyster mushroom. Bear fruit at temperatures of 6-28 ° C. Recognizable by various variations of the gray color in which the hat is painted.
Why grow oyster mushrooms?
Oyster mushrooms are used primarily in cooking. Hats and legs are prepared separately, since it takes a different time to cook them.
In folk medicine, the mushroom is used to make a variety of decoctions, infusions and extracts, which have anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties.
Oyster mushrooms are also used in cosmetology, making facial masks based on them. They have a beneficial effect on the skin, relieve irritation and signs of fatigue, nourish it.
Oyster mushrooms, despite the 4th category, are useful and tasty mushrooms, and the minimum cost of their cultivation in artificial conditions makes the product accessible to all segments of the population.