Mushrooms "kids" (goats): description and methods of preparation

Most often, the goat mushroom (Suillus bovinus) is referred to in the everyday speech of mushroom pickers as a kid. This tubular edible mushroom from the genus Oiler and the Boletaceae family grows almost everywhere in the forest strip of our country, and its description is known even to novice mushroom pickers.

Unlike many other types of mushrooms, the goat has no false representatives, which makes its collection very convenient.

Botanical Description

Kozlyak is also called a moss fly, a flywheel or a breeder. This fairly common mushroom has a convex or pillow-shaped, and sometimes flat-convex hat with a diameter of 3.5-11.5 cm. The surface of the hat is smooth, with little stickiness. Depending on the growing conditions, the hat may be glossy or have a relatively pronounced mucous membrane.

The color of the cap may vary. The most common options:

• reddish-brown staining;
• yellowish brown;
• light yellow with a brown tint;
• reddish brown;
• reddish ocher.

The cap has a characteristic peel that is difficult to remove from the surface.

Mushroom pulp is characterized by a dense and elastic consistency. In overripe specimens, some elasticity of the pulp may be observed. The main coloration of the fruiting body is pale yellow or light yellow. The pulp of the legs may have a reddish, brownish or brownish tint. A distinctive feature is the tendency of the pulp of the legs to redness on the cut. The smell is not too pronounced, mushroom.

Goat Mushrooms: picking

The relatively high leg has a diameter of not more than 20 mm. It is of a continuous type, cylindrical in shape, quite often curved or narrowing downward. The consistency of the legs is dense. The surface is smooth, without gloss. A distinctive feature is the possibility of deformation and cracking of the cap in overgrown specimens. The hymenophore on the inside of the cap is of a tubular type, similar in appearance to a sponge, represented by an abundance of tubes of yellowish or olive staining with angular and irregular pores.

Where the "kids" grow

Thanks to the tubular layer under the hat, the "kid" mushroom received another popular name - lattice. In some areas it is referred to as a cow mushroom, cow or swamp, as well as a dry oiler.

The most common "kid" is found in raw conifers and in a forest belt with swampy areas. Often a goat grows along the roads. This mushroom was widely distributed in almost all regions of our country, including the territory of Siberia and the Urals.

As a rule, "kids" grow like butterflies, in whole groups, but there are also single specimens. Peak fruiting occurs in mid-summer. Depending on weather conditions, mushroom picking may take place until the last decade of September or mid-October.

Benefit and harm

Kozlyak belongs to the number of edible mushrooms of the third category and in nutritional value, as well as in taste, is only slightly inferior to oils. For "kids" is not characterized by a very pronounced mushroom taste and aroma, so it is recommended to cook them together with other mushrooms.

Mushroom pulp contains a number of essential amino acids. Fruit bodies are rich in glycogen, lecithin and tryptophan, and also contain a significant amount of carotene, phosphates, vitamins from groups B, PP and D.

With proper heat treatment, the digestibility of amino acids is three-quarters of the total. Fats contained in fruiting bodies are absorbed almost completely. It should not be forgotten that the goat is a source of phosphorus, and is also capable of exerting antimicrobial effects. False mushrooms "kids" do not exist, and doubles of this species have too pronounced differences, therefore poisoning is extremely rare.

How to cook

Cooking a goat is not difficult. After heat treatment, the flesh becomes mauve, which must be taken into account during the preparation process. "Kids" rightfully belong to the category of universal mushrooms. They can be used not only for the preparation of first and second courses, but also prepared for the winter period by drying, pickling and salting.

According to mushroom pickers, the goat tastes like a butterdish, so it can be used in the preparation of similar dishes:

• for pickling and pickling, the youngest, with the strongest hat possible, are used;
• a dry hat "kids" does not allow vegetative forest debris to settle on it, therefore it is easy and quick to clean them;
• to make cleaning even easier, it is recommended to soak the mushrooms in water for several minutes;

• if mushrooms are supposed to be dried, then cleaning is carried out in a dry way, without preliminary soaking;
• drying of mushroom caps cut into plates can be carried out in a well-ventilated room or in the oven, at a temperature of 70 ° C;
• well-dried mushrooms of this species are excellent for preparing mushroom powder and then flavoring it with first and second courses;
• before cooking soups, for further stewing and frying it is recommended to boil the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes.

Edible Mushrooms: Varieties

Kozlyak is one of the most common representatives of tubular mushrooms in our forests, and most lovers of quiet hunting highly appreciate it for its good taste, as well as the possibility of universal use.