Deer antler mushrooms. Deer horn mushrooms: description of appearance and cooking features Deer horn mushrooms, edible and inedible

Mushrooms deer horns amaze with their unusual appearance. They grow on trees and resemble either deer antlers or corals. From them you can cook dishes for every taste. The main thing is to collect them with care, because there are inedible and poisonous mushrooms that look similar.

Deer horn mushrooms grow on trees

• Servings: 3
• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes

How to cook a deer horn mushroom appetizer

A light mushroom salad for a snack is a great start to a festive dinner. It is especially interesting if such a salad is not made from the usual chanterelles or champignons, but from rare and unusual mushrooms.

Before preparing the salad, boil the antlers in salted water until tender. This will take no more than 30 minutes. Then follow the instructions:

1. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces, chop the carrots into small strips, chop the garlic. Mix these ingredients. Add salt, pepper, vegetable oil and half the vinegar. Let it brew for 30 minutes.
2. Cut the onion into thin half rings, fill it with the remaining vinegar and let it marinate to remove excess bitterness.
3. Mix salad with onions.

Garnish the salad with sprigs of greens or sprinkle it with chopped herbs.

Soup with deer horns mushrooms

Mushroom soup - good decision for everyday lunch. If you find antlers on the trees in the forest, add them to the first dish. It will turn out tasty and fragrant. You will need:

• 0.5 kg deer horns;
• 3 liters of water;
• 200 g carrots;
• 0.5 kg of potatoes;
• 100 g onion;
• 200 g green canned or fresh peas;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 100 g butter;
• 100 g of hard cheese of any kind;
• salt, herbs, black pepper to your taste.

How to cook soup:

1. Put the mushrooms in boiling salted water and cook for 30 minutes. Throw them in a colander, cool slightly and divide into thin strips.
2. Cut potatoes, onions, carrots into small cubes. Boil water, salt it, dip vegetables in it and cook them until tender.
3. Add mushrooms and green peas to the pot. Pepper the soup and add salt if necessary. Reduce heat to low and simmer soup for 15 more minutes.
4. Cheese grate on a fine grater. Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese, butter, chopped dill or parsley.

Before serving, you can add a little sour cream or cream to each serving, if desired. This will only enhance the taste of the first dish.

Add your favorite ingredients to the described soup and salad, do not be afraid to experiment. Reindeer horns go well with many other foods.

Other names:

• yellow horn

• bear paw

• deer horns

• coral yellow

Description

The fruit body of Ramaria yellow reaches a height of 15-20 cm, a diameter of 10-15 cm. Numerous branched dense bushy branches that have a cylindrical shape grow from a thick white "stump". Often they have two blunt tops and incorrectly truncated ends. The fruiting body has all shades yellow color. Under the branches and near the "stump" the color is sulfur-yellow. When pressed, the color changes to wine-brown. The flesh is moist, off-white, in the "stump" - marble, color does not change. Outside, the base is white, with a yellowish tinge and reddish spots of various sizes, most of which are found in fruiting bodies growing under coniferous trees. The smell is pleasant, slightly grassy, ​​the taste is weak. Tops of old mushrooms are bitter.

Spore powder is ocher-yellow.

Habitat and growth time

Deer horns grows on the ground in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests in August - September, in groups and singly. Especially abundant in the forests of Karelia. It is found in the mountains of the Caucasus, as well as in the countries of Central Europe.

Doubles

Antlers mushroom is very similar to golden yellow coral, the differences are visible only under a microscope, as well as to Ramaria aurea, which is also edible and has the same properties. At an early age, it is similar in appearance and color to Ramaria obtusissima, Ramaria flavobrunnescens is smaller in size.

Note

The word flava in the mushroom's name means "yellow". Coral fungi are considered basidiomycetes. They form spores on the fruit layer, on outside knots, everywhere. For the most part coral are good, edible mushrooms, but poisonous ones are also found among them.

This ramaria is considered an edible mushroom, but certain precautions must be taken when eating it. First of all, only young specimens should be collected and the base should be used, as the branches are bitter. Mature mushrooms are not edible at all due to bitterness.

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Botanical description

A complete description of Hericium coralloides can be found in the Red Book of Russia, where the coral-like urchin is listed as a rare species. "Deer horns" have a very beautiful exotic appearance. It is difficult to distinguish a hat and a leg in a coral-like blackberry, therefore, when characterizing and describing this species, one can only speak of the fruiting body as a whole. The fruit bodies of Hericium coralloides are a bit like coral branches.

The above-ground part of hericia is very decorative, many times branched, snow-white in color. Relatively long spines 10-20 mm high, thin and rather brittle, cover the branches of the fungus almost to the very base, most often located on the lateral side. The average diameter of the fruiting body does not exceed 25-30 cm.

pulp initially white color, but as the fungus grows and develops, it acquires a characteristic yellowish color. Elastic in its raw form, after cooking it becomes harsh. There is no pronounced mushroom aroma. Fruiting occurs from June to October.

Deer horn mushrooms: description (video)

Where does it grow

Most often, the fungus grows on trunks, branches and in hollows. deciduous trees, as well as on stumps. Most often it can be found on aspen, elm, oak or birch. On the territory of the southern regions, the blackberry prefers to populate the wood of elm, oak and linden. In temperate latitudes, it is most often found on birch and aspen. In our country, "deer horns" can be found in almost any forest zone, except for the forests of the northernmost regions.

Poisonous or edible

The fungus of the species Hericium coralloides belongs to the category of edible mushrooms. Fruiting bodies have such an unusual appearance that they are inedible and toxic doppelgangers gericia are absent. nutritional and chemical composition, as well as pharmacological value Hericium coralloides has a high similarity with the relatively common Hericium comb.

100 g of raw pulp contains:

• potassium - 254 mg;
• phosphates - 109 mg;
• sodium - 8 mg;
• calcium - 6.7 mg.

In addition, the composition of mushroom pulp is enriched with all free amino acids, except for such as methionine and tryptophan, and also includes a significant amount of ketones, lipid substances, phytoagglutinin and sterols.

Hericium coralloides are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, where they are used in the treatment of gastric and gastrointestinal diseases, as well as to improve the function respiratory system. Pronounced antitumor and immunostimulatory effects are noted, as well as antigeriatric effects and hypoglycemic activity of mushroom pulp.

Cooking methods

The vast forests of our country abound with all kinds of mushrooms. However, not every lover of quiet hunting is lucky enough to meet a coral-like hedgehog. From "Deer horns" you can cook very a large number of very tasty and incredibly healthy dishes.

You can cook perfectly different ways. Dried hedgehog can be soaked and then boiled or fried in batter. A very tasty and fragrant mushroom dish is obtained if the fruiting bodies of “deer horns” are marinated in a sauce made from oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, as well as salt and lemon juice.

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Description of the appearance of deer horn mushrooms

One glance is enough to understand why "forest bread" has such strange name. Mushroom grows vertically in width grows due to numerous branched processes. from the side, they surprisingly resemble deer antlers or sea coral. Thanks to this, the fungus has other folk names: coral lancet, hornbill or coral. The color also adds similarity: light yellow, light brown, beige, rich orange or even purple. Pigmentation depends on the place of growth, features environment and age.

It is enough to make a little effort to separate the tender flesh into several pieces. A fresh cut begins to quickly acquire a burgundy hue, so the horns should be collected as quickly as possible.

Places of growth, timing and features of the collection

It is listed in the Red Book, so you can meet deer horns only in some regions. These are the Far East, Western and Eastern Siberia, and also Karelia and the Caucasus. Due to the characteristics of growth, blackberry is unpopular in the Central part of Russia, most do not even know about this type of "forest bread".

But, despite the rarity, mushroom pickers often find places where the coral-shaped blackberry forms large rows or space rings. Prefers damp and dark places in deciduous or pine forests, It is there that the most delicious specimens grow. It can also be seen on the stumps or roots of any trees, regardless of their species.

Corals are collected in summer and autumn, and in the Caucasus, even in winter months. You should choose small mushrooms of light colors. The older the horned, the more inedible it is, as it acquires a characteristic bitterness and rigidity. You can judge the age by the shade of the fungus: they show more orange pigment. It is rarely affected by worms, but the horns must be carefully inspected during collection to detect their presence.

What does deer horn mushroom look like (video)

On the edibility of deer horns

Interestingly, because of these taste differences in adults, some consider the mushroom to be poisonous, but this is not so. Properly cooked antlers are quite unusual, but harmless and tasty. They belong to the fourth category of mushrooms (and inedible ones are not included in the classification at all).

The fourth category is assigned to rarer mushrooms, inferior in taste to varieties from higher levels. They are preferred by gourmets or experienced mushroom pickers. But this does not mean that the horns should be avoided, you just need to better study the features of this fungus.

Taste qualities of deer horns

There are only two very opposite opinions about the taste of the mushroom - either very bad or great. As already noted, it depends on the place of growth and age of the coral. Due to the heat treatment, the texture of the hornbeam becomes denser, stiffer and less stretchy and at the same time a little loose. Adult specimens are unpleasant to chew, and their taste is incomprehensible: sour-bitter and spicy.

But connoisseurs know that young antlers are unique. Depending on the method of preparation, they may resemble tender chicken breast or shrimp meat. Of course, this adds a special exoticism to the dish. A pleasant aroma can whet the appetite, so the mushroom is recommended for those who suffer from its absence.

How to cook delicious reindeer horns

Rules for successful meals:

1. Rogatic is not used in pickling and canning. Its positive qualities are rapidly deteriorating, it is advisable to use them in the first 3-5 days after collection.
2. The only storage method that is acceptable is in the form of pickles.
3. The most delicious mushrooms are only harvested. It is enough just to fry them or boil them, and then add them to the main dish as a side dish.
4. Don't add too many seasonings. They will choke on the gorgeous natural flavor of the mushrooms.
5. Due to the nature of the structure, deer horns are considered one of the dirtiest mushrooms. They should be washed at least 3 times in running water, carefully monitoring the appearance. But even this is often not enough, so you should boil the mushrooms for 5 to 30 minutes, and then drain the broth. So you can be sure of the purity of the product.

How to collect deer horns mushrooms (video)

Soup

Any hostess can cook it, even one who has never encountered these mushrooms before.

• Water - 3-4 l;
• deer horns - 300-350 g;
• potatoes - 200 g;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• butter - 30 g;
• bay leaf - 1 pc.;
• greens, onion, salt, sour cream, garlic - to taste.

1. Prepare your horns. After pre-cooking, be sure to rinse them again.
2. Cut the potatoes into strips, and carrots into thin circles.
3. Put the vegetables to simmer over medium heat along with the bay leaf.
4. When the food is half soft, add the deer horns and butter.
5. After 15 minutes, if desired, greens, onions and garlic are added.
6. Wait for the water to boil again, salt the soup and turn off the gas.

The dish is especially tasty with sour cream. This is a light and nutritious soup that is often eaten cold in summer.

cream soup

Delicate texture and rich taste - that's what distinguishes this dish.

• Chicken broth - 1 l;
• chicken meat - optional;
• potatoes - 0.5 kg;
• boiled mushrooms - 300 g;
• butter - 40-50 g;
• vegetable oil - 1 tbsp;
• cream 10% fat - 0.5 cups;
• starch - 1 tsp;
• seasonings, salt - to taste.

1. We're making a roast. We heat half the butter and a whole spoonful of vegetable oil in a frying pan with a thick bottom.
2. Add the onion, cut into thin rings. Sprinkle starch on top.
3. The finished onion should be golden brown. We take it out on a plate.
4. Put the chopped horns into the pan with the remaining oil. After 5-10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the onion.
5. boiled potatoes in chicken broth you need to grind in a blender along with meat and butter.
6. Pour the broth and a little warmed cream into the finished puree.
7. Heat cream soup, but do not bring to a boil!
8. Sprinkle spices.
9. Pour a dish into a plate, put onions and mushrooms in the middle, sprinkle with herbs on top.

Potatoes with mushrooms

Mushrooms go well with any potato, especially horns. You will need any number of ingredients of your choice.

1. Washed hedgehogs are boiled in gently boiling water for no more than 5 minutes.
2. After the product is filtered and put to dry.
3. After the chopped deer horns, fry in butter along with onions and black pepper (or garlic).

We add the finished side dish to the potatoes - in their skins, boiled in tubers, mashed or fried.

Gravy

Improves the taste of salads, eggs and cereals.

• Boiled corals - 300 g;
• butter - 3 tablespoons;
• flour - 3 tablespoons;
• milk - 1.5 tbsp.
• broth (any, better mushroom) - 1 tbsp.;
• yolks - 2 pcs.;
• spices, salt - to taste.

1. Fry flour in oil until golden brown.
2. Add milk (constantly stirring!).
3. When the mass becomes homogeneous, pour in the broth mixed with the yolk. Salt and pepper the mixture.
4. After boiling, the fire should be reduced to a minimum.
5. Add mushrooms and simmer for another 15 minutes.

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Description

Deer horns (Ramaria flava), a branchy yellowish conditionally edible mushroom, also has the names bear's foot and coral yellow.

It is characterized by the following distinguishing features:

• the total height of the fruiting body reaches 20 cm, the maximum diameter is also 20 cm. The color, initially creamy, yellowish, lemon or sulfur yellow, eventually becomes ocher to orange. Flattened "branches" repeatedly split in a U- or V-shape, have equal length, somewhat blunt ends;
• the stem grows up to 8 cm long and 5 cm thick. It is painted in shades of yellow characteristic of the whole fungus, brightens towards the base. In places of pressure it becomes reddish-brown;
• spores are pale ocher, formed on the outer surface of the fruiting body;
• the fragile pulp of a watery consistency is light, yellowish, with a slight pleasant smell. As it matures, it becomes bitter, especially in the "twigs".

Distribution and fruiting period

Deer horn mushrooms grow in the temperate zone. They settle on the soil in coniferous forests, deciduous groves and mixed forests. Branching fruiting bodies grow singly and do not large groups in August-September.

Similar species

Deer horns have a significant similarity with the mushroom, other yellowish horns:

• inedible blunt (Ramaria obtusissima), having rounded ends of the "twigs" and a bitter taste. It is found in Siberian mixed forests with the presence of fir and Far Eastern oak forests;
• conditionally edible yellow-brown (Ramaria flavobrunnescens), the height of which does not exceed 10 cm. With age, brown spots appear on the mushrooms of this species;
• conditionally edible golden (Ramaria aurea), painted in a brighter ocher-yellow color, brighter towards the base;
• conditionally edible golden yellow (Ramaria lutea), smaller (up to 15 cm in height), found in Primorsky Krai.

In addition, the inedible sticky calocera (Calocera viscosa), which grows on stumps and deadwood, is often confused with deer horns. This mushroom has a bright egg-yellow color and dense gelatinous flesh.

Primary processing and preparation

Horned yellow belongs to conditionally edible mushrooms, has a 4 taste category. Since the yellow hornbeam develops a bitter taste with age, only young fruiting bodies should be collected.

To ensure the absence of bitterness, deer horns are pre-boiled for 15-20 minutes, draining the broth, or the ends of the branches are removed. Forest "corals" treated in this way can be cooked like other edible mushrooms - boil until fully prepared, fry and stew. Some lovers of mushroom exotic pickle and salt them.

Abundantly branching "bushes" of conditionally edible deer horns attract attention with their extraordinary appearance. Properly harvested and cooked young mushrooms have a taste reminiscent of lean meats.

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Biological description

Deer horns (golden ramaria, yellow ramaria), belonging to the gomphaceae family, have a rather specific and beautiful tree-like shape, really resembling branched antlers or a bizarre sea coral. Apparently for this in the people they are also called horned mushrooms or coral mushrooms. Their body consists of dense, thickened matte twigs with forked tips and small, brittle spines. On the substrate, they are attached with a dense and short white leg, narrowed to the bottom. Its height ranges from 2 to 10 cm, and its diameter is from 5 to 10 cm.

The outer surface of young specimens may have a beige, milky or yellow color of various shades, while in old specimens it changes to bright orange. Initially, the growth of mushrooms goes, as a rule, vertically, and over time they begin to bush, their branches break up and fall somewhat. Their the size can reach twenty centimeters in diameter and the same in height, and the weight of three kilograms.

But at the same time it is recommended to collect small, young mushrooms that have a pleasant taste and sweetish aroma, as well as tender, dense, fragile white flesh, which becomes brown in color when cut or broken. Old and large specimens become bitter, tough and completely unsuitable for eating. The bitterness of them does not go away either in the process of soaking, or during cooking and further processing.

Location

On the territory of our country, deer horns are most often found on Far East, in Western and Eastern Siberia, foothills of the Caucasus, as well as in Karelia. They can be found in both deciduous and coniferous forests, especially pine. They grow on rotten stumps, trees, less often on soil covered with various types moss. But it is believed that the most delicious are specimens found in moist, shady places in oak, aspen and birch groves.

Although deer horns are considered rare mushrooms, and even listed in the Red Book, sometimes you can find places where they grow in large groups in a row or in a ring. Their collection is usually carried out from mid-summer to early winter, depending on the region of growth. In places with a very warm climate, they are found even in winter period. What's interesting is that this species mushrooms are not damaged by worms.

Reindeer horns: collecting (video)

Cooking methods

Despite the fact that deer horns are classified as category 4 mushrooms due to their characteristic bitterness during growth, they are quite tasty when young and can be cooked in the same way as most other edible mushrooms.

Immediately after collection, they are divided into small parts, washed, boiled and a wide variety of dishes are prepared: fried, stewed, added to soups and salads. They are also used to make sauces, fillings for pies, dumplings and various preparations for the winter (salting, pickling, freezing). Cooked reindeer horns resemble the taste of chicken or shrimp. For example, for starters, you can cook those completely simple dishes, the recipes of which are given below.

mushroom salad

Ingredients:

• deer horns (boiled) - 200 grams;
• carrots - 200 grams;
• bulb of medium size;
• garlic - 2 teeth;
• apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons;
• vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
• salt, black pepper, herbs.

Cooking method:

1. Combine chopped mushrooms with carrots, cut into thin strips, chopped garlic, add salt, pepper, half the norm of vinegar, vegetable oil to them and let stand for about half an hour.
2. Cut the onion into half rings and marinate in the remaining vinegar.
3. Mix mushrooms with onions and chopped herbs.

Reindeer horn soup

Ingredients:

• deer horns - 500 grams;
• water - 3 liters;
• carrots - 200 grams;
• potatoes - 500 grams;
• onion - 100 grams;
• green pea(canned) - 200 grams;
• garlic - 3 teeth;
• butter - 100 grams;
• cheese - 100 grams;
• salt, black pepper, herbs.

Cooking method:

1. Boil the mushrooms for half an hour, cool and divide into small strips.
2. Cut potatoes, carrots and onions into small cubes, put in boiling water and cook until tender.
3. Add mushrooms, green peas, salt and pepper to the boiled vegetables and leave the soup to simmer for another fifteen minutes.
4. In the finished dish, put cheese, grated on a fine grater, butter and herbs. Before serving, you can add sour cream or cream to the soup.

Precautionary measures

You should know that there is a fairly large number of mushrooms that resemble deer horns in appearance. Many of them are inedible or even poisonous. Therefore, beginners need to start collecting them under the guidance of experienced mushroom pickers.

Also they should be well washed and processed, especially those that are harvested for future use, because even edible mushrooms, if improperly prepared and stored, can pose a serious danger. In addition, you should not collect them along roads and in other polluted places where they accumulate a large amount of toxic substances.

How to cook deer horns (video)

As you can see, deer horns are not only an exotic decoration of the forest, but also an excellent product that will allow you to cook many interesting and delicious meals, both for the daily menu and for the festive table. And for those for whom "mushroom hunting" is a hobby or outdoor activities, their search and collection will be a real pleasure.

In order not to lose the material, be sure to save it to your social network Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook by simply clicking on the button below.

Deer horns are a mushroom that is listed in the Red Book of Russia and belongs to basidiomycetes, a class of higher fungi. It got its name because of a peculiar exotic look. In the people, the mushroom is also called differently, for example, coral, horned man, coral-shaped blackberry, etc. Hericium coralloides is the full scientific name of the lower plant.

Botanical description

Deer horn mushrooms resemble coral branches or deer antlers in appearance. The photo shows a clear resemblance. The aerial part of the plant is very branched, decorative. Spines are snow-white, 10 to 20 mm high. The diameter of the body of the fungus is 16-30 cm, in nature there are specimens weighing up to 1 kg. It is worth noting that most often the height and width of an exotic mushroom is the same. The branches of the plant are thin and rather brittle. The coral hedgehog only affects the wireworm, it is indifferent to other worms.

The color of the fungus changes during growth, acquiring characteristic yellow hues. Outdated specimens may be bright orange. Grow horns and amethyst color. The time of active vegetation of basidiomycetes falls on the period from June to October. The biological culture does not have the usual mushroom aroma; in its raw form, the deer horns mushroom has an elastic texture, and during heat treatment, the fruiting body becomes harsh.

The most commonly mentioned mushrooms can be seen on tree trunks, on stumps. Like other woody lower plants, they are not difficult to spot on rotten wood of any kind. It is believed that among a certain variety of coral mushrooms there are no poisonous ones, while there are plants that are conditionally inedible and suitable for consumption. It is better to eat young types of deer horns. Large hedgehogs can disappoint in taste: they are bitter and have an unpleasant aftertaste.

The best collection period is August and September; in the southern regions of our country, hornbills are also harvested in winter. They grow more often in whole clusters; collecting such mushrooms is an endless pleasure. Knowing the description of edible horns, you can easily prepare the required amount of a forest product and cook wonderful dishes.

Cooking methods

The description of mushrooms says that these plants are used in traditional medicine, with their help they treat joints, expel worms, etc. It must be remembered that poisoning often occurs due to negligence or complete illiteracy. You can not eat those products in which there is doubt.

There is a separate opinion that convinces mushroom pickers that this type of plant is not suitable for classic cooking. Experts fundamentally disagree with this statement.

Edible horns are harvested for future use, fried, added to soups, dried, mushroom caviar and other dishes are prepared from them. Without a doubt, all existing recipes for forest "brothers" are suitable for corals. In winter, the dry prepared semi-finished product is soaked in water, then fried in batter. Many exotic lovers use these specimens as a filling for dumplings and pies. They are also good fried with potatoes and onions.

A fragrant and tasty mushroom dish can be created from mushrooms marinated in a special sauce. It is not difficult to prepare it, it is enough to collect the necessary components: oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and salt with sugar. Pickled urchins in a jar look like corals.

Mushrooms should be washed well before use, then lowered into a pot of water and boiled after boiling for at least 10-15 minutes. Ready-made semi-finished products are used at will. To prepare the filling, the lower plant is passed through a meat grinder, combined with other ingredients to taste, and the main course is prepared.

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Even an experienced mushroom picker, the “deer horns” mushroom can be bewildering. At first glance, you can’t even say that in front of you is the object of a “quiet hunt”. Rather, the structure resembles a coral that, by some quirk, has grown in the middle of a forest. Due to their exotic appearance, few people realize that deer horn mushrooms are edible. Meanwhile, not only will they not harm the body, but they will also give pleasure to the eater - however, if young specimens are collected. The old ones start to taste bitter, although this is fixable (if, of course, you know how to do it).

What are "horns"

This is the second name by which the mushroom "deer horns" is known. It is also often called coral, and it is clear why. He can grow up to a weight of a kilogram, so that he is able to feed the whole family alone. For some reason, worms avoid "horns", so you should not expect disappointments from this side. Their smell is quite attractive, with the exception of the very old “individuals”. There are no poisonous imitators of the fungus in nature, which is also nice. It is impossible to confuse them with something unsuitable for food - for this you need to thank the non-standard appearance that “deer horns” have. How to cook mushrooms is also easy to understand: all recipes relating to the bulk of forest counterparts are also suitable for "horns".

First: mushroom soup

So, suppose you brought "deer horn" mushrooms from the forest. Dinner preparation will begin with their preparation. The collected "corals" (a third of a kilo) are washed several times, always under running water, because due to the sinuous structure, dirt and debris are reluctant to leave them. After they are cooked for half an hour in a not too large saucepan. The broth is poured out, because, despite all efforts, it still contains a certain amount of dirt. Mushrooms are washed again, poured clean water, and cooking is repeated, but for only a third of an hour. We repeat all the manipulations, and, finally, the “deer horns” mushroom, as a first approximation, is ready for further processing. IN cold water bars of two potatoes are lowered, followed by circles of half a large carrot. Lavrushka leaf - and on the fire. When the vegetables are half cooked, mushrooms are poured into them and a small piece of butter is placed. After about ten minutes, chopped onion and a couple of garlic slices are added. After boiling, the soup is flavored with salt, pepper, herbs, and the fire is extinguished almost immediately. The soup, based on the deer horns mushroom, is good both hot and cold. And if you add a spoonful of sour cream to the plate - in general, you can swallow your tongue!

On the second: potatoes with mushrooms

Favorite tubers will go both fried and mashed. For both side dishes, the deer horns mushroom, washed as carefully as possible, is boiled for no more than five minutes in slightly gurgling water. If it boils strongly, just beats with a key, the “corals” will become lethargic and will spread. Strained "horns" are cut randomly and fried with onions in butter. Then you can go in different ways:

1. Almost until cooked, fry the potatoes in another frying pan, add the almost ready “deer horns” mushroom to it and simmer a little under the lid.
2. A traditional puree is made - with milk, with butter, airy. It is laid out on plates, and mushroom frying, brought to final readiness, is laid out on top.

Both of these are amazingly delicious!

For a snack: salted mushrooms

Few will refuse salinity in the winter cold months. And mushrooms in this quality remain unsurpassed! You can easily salt the mushroom "deer horns". It is advisable not to wash it before salting, so as not to saturate it with excess moisture. Usually, brushing is enough to remove debris. After that, rather coarsely chopped horns are tightly packed into a fairly spacious container with layers of salt pouring (forty grams per kilogram of “corals”). Next, the bucket is covered with pure gauze or a thin cloth, and a weighty oppression is placed on top. Spices will be superfluous - they will kill a pleasant natural mushroom aroma. Store the pickling right away, in the refrigerator or, for the lucky ones, in the existing underground.

Let's add: mushroom sauce for all occasions

Sauces, sauces and ketchups can turn even the most wretched dish into a masterpiece. If you like offal, boiled meat, and prefer to supplement eggs with pleasant substances, you should like the sauce, which will be based on the deer horns mushroom. Grams of 200 horns are boiled according to the rules already described. In three tablespoons of melted butter, the same amount of flour is fried until golden. Further, with intensive stirring, milk is poured (one and a half glasses). After obtaining a rather thick, but homogeneous mass, another half a glass of milk is added, in which two yolks and a glass of broth (I would like it to be mushroom, but you can also take meat) plus spices and salt are loosened. After boiling, the sauce is removed from the heat, supplemented with half a cup of milk and chopped mushrooms. A quarter of an hour of stewing, an introduced spoonful of butter - and the sauce will conquer you forever.

Mushroom deer horns (coral, horned) is scientifically called golden ramaria or yellow ramaria. The point is that there are two different types, but so similar that only experienced biologists in the laboratory can distinguish them. Morphological data and taste qualities these varieties are almost identical. Deer horns mushroom can often be found in pine forests on white moss. Often there are very large specimens - weighing about 1 kg. Sometimes, in order to cook dinner for the whole family, just a few horned ones are enough. Worms do not infect this macromycete, with the exception of the wireworm. An interesting fact is that many "silent hunters" pass by these amazing mushrooms, not even suspecting that they are edible.

Edibility

Deer horn mushrooms, despite their exotic appearance, are edible. They belong to the fourth mushroom category. It is best to eat young specimens. Old mushrooms have an unpleasant aftertaste, and bitterness appears in them. Deer horn mushrooms are used in cooking to prepare various dishes. It can be salted, fried, boiled soup from it, but the horned one is best suited for cooking second courses. Reindeer horns taste like chicken or shrimp (depending on the cooking method). They have unusually tender flesh.

Description

Deer horns are mushrooms, the body of which grows vertically and resembles a branching sea coral, or for which they got their popular names. The average specimen reaches a width of 7-16 cm, however, there are mushrooms that exceed a width of 20 cm. An interesting fact is that their height, as a rule, coincides with the width. The color of the horn is yellow, golden yellow or light brown. In older specimens, it is bright orange.

The flesh is golden white, watery, very fragile and tender, with a pleasant smell. In the air, when broken or cut, it quickly changes color to brown (with overripe mushrooms, when pressed on the leg, the flesh acquires a red or blood-red hue. The fruiting body consists of many branches with blunt tips. Outwardly, the macromycete resembles coral. Its surface is dry, smooth and matte.

Spreading

The deer horns mushroom is common in the temperate and northern zones of Eurasia and North America. Grows in groups, prefers mossy and wet ground in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests. Sometimes forms large communities, can grow in rows or arcs, forming "witch rings". Especially the hornbeam loves pine forests, but does not disdain beech and hornbeam massifs. It occurs in the lower and middle belt of mountains. The optimal time for collection is August-October. In the southern regions, deer horns are harvested even in winter.

Peculiarities

Deer horns, or golden (yellow) ramaria, have a lot of twins - coral mushrooms similar to them. However, all of them are inedible, and some are poisonous. For an experienced person, it will not be difficult to distinguish a horned one from others. However, if the mushroom picker does not have too much experience or is generally a beginner, then it is better not to “hunt” deer horn mushrooms. Photos of them are in this article.