Pusher mushrooms, commonly known as white floats, are theoretically edible, but do not have any particular nutritional value. A closely related species of the white pusher is the orange float mushroom; the descriptions of the varieties are very close.

Description of the mushroom

The diameter of the leg of an adult specimen of the white pusher, Amanitopsis alba, is 8-20 mm with a length ranging from 5-15 cm. The leg has a white or off-white color and is hollow inside. The saffron float (Amanita crocea) differs from the gray float (Amanita vaginata) in the coloring of the surface of the cap. This conditionally edible mushroom has good taste and quality characteristics and is close in basic indicators of nutritional value to the dark brown floater (Amanitaumbrinolutea). It has a fairly pronounced mushroom aroma.

The hat has distinct scars on the edges. The surface of the fruiting body can have different colors, including gray, yellow-gray, gray-brown, and orange shades. The diameter of the cap of an adult specimen of pusher does not exceed 4-9 cm. Young mushrooms have a bell-shaped cap, while adults may have a flat-convex or completely flat cap.

The plates are white in color, quite wide and often located, of a free type. Spore powder is white. The spores have a relatively even, rounded shape, quite often spherical, with a smooth surface. There is no coloring. The spores are always non-amyloid.

The species well known to most mushroom pickers are classified as conditionally edible, have relatively good taste characteristics, but are collected extremely rarely, due to the presence of a very fragile cap, which makes the mushrooms unsuitable for transportation or processing. In addition, many mushroom pickers are put off by the dangerous resemblance of mushroom pushers to poisonous fly agaric mushrooms.

Mushroom pushers: description (video)

Biological features

This species is most often found in deciduous forests, under birch trees. The mushroom grows best in acidic or neutral soils. Pushers contain betaine, which plays a very important role in basic metabolic processes. In addition to the white pusher, var. alba, the following varieties are most common in the forest belt of our country:

• var. vaginata or gray, with an ash-gray cap on a whitish stem with a white volva;
• var. plumbea or pusher is lead-gray, with a cap of a very characteristic lead-gray color and a bluish tint to the stem;
• var. olivaceoviridis or olive green pusher;
• submembranacea or membranous float.

Inexperienced mushroom pickers often confuse edible mushroom mushrooms with poisonous representatives of the genus Amanita. A distinctive feature of edible mushrooms is the loose, sac-like volva and well-defined ribbed edges of the cap. Peak fruiting of Amanitopsis occurs in the first ten days of July and most often continues until the last days of September.

Use in cooking

The small conditionally edible pusher mushroom, according to most mushroom pickers, has very mediocre taste. Used in cooking after a short boiling, well suited for drying. Amanitopsis are used for preparing first and second courses, as well as a variety of snacks.

The process of preparing pushers is no different from using other types of mushrooms in cooking. They should be very carefully cleaned of dirt and rinsed thoroughly. It is recommended to boil the pushers for 40-50 minutes. Amanitopsis can be salted and pickled without prior soaking or scalding.

Boiled mushrooms should be washed and refilled with water, add chopped potatoes, carrots and seasonings. It is recommended to serve the dish with sour cream and chopped herbs. Potatoes baked with Amanitopsis alba mushrooms and cheese have a good taste. Before baking, the pushers must be boiled.

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Pushers are very fragile and delicate mushrooms that require especially careful handling. When collecting them, you should be very careful: in recent years, the use of false pushers, which includes about ten related varieties of mushrooms from the Amanita family, is very often cited as a cause of severe poisoning.

A lot of mushrooms grow in our latitudes, but few take it seriously to collect them. This is a delicate matter, requiring experience and certain knowledge. After all, even in an ecologically clean forest wilderness you can see a “dubious” mushroom, which seems to be similar to the inedible one, but at the same time differs from it. One of these types is pushers, which deserve a separate description.

General information

Pushers, they are floats- this is a whole section of mushrooms from the genus Amanita. Because of this “kinship” they are classified as conditionally edible.

Floats are considered medium-sized mushrooms. Here they are Key Features:

1. hat grows to a maximum of 10-12 cm in diameter and can have a bell-shaped or rounded-conical shape. As it grows, it becomes flat, and a characteristic tubercle is visible in the center.
2. The most meaty central part, while the edges are thinner.
3. Cap color may be white, gray, brown, brown or orange. Either way, the top is smooth and shiny.
4. Thin and brittle pulp when cut, it practically does not change color, remaining white (although a creamy tint is sometimes noticeable near the edges of the cap).
5. Leg 6-15 cm high and up to 2 cm in diameter - smooth, or covered with ornaments (fine plaque). In the lower part it expands a little, but without the swelling usual with other mushrooms. Colors: white, gray or to match the hat.
6. H thick convex plates. In places of expansion, small plates are visible. In “young animals” they are white, while in older specimens they have a yellow tint.
7. Film residues(volva) are immersed in the soil and visible at the base of the mushroom. Their wide bag-like shape catches the eye.

Experienced mushroom pickers know that edible pushers have another characteristic feature, namely the absence of a ring on the stem. Many are misled by the film or warty flakes on the cap - they are quite rare and can be easily removed.

The nutritional value

Due to their nutritional qualities and degree of absorption by the body, floats are classified as mushrooms, rarely eat(the so-called IV category). That is, they are not of particular value.

On the other hand, they still contain basic proteins, fats in the form of polyunsaturated acids and carbohydrates. There are B vitamins, as well as relatively large amounts of phosphorus and potassium.

Like all mushrooms, they are considered low-calorie (20-30 kcal per 100 g, depending on the type and processing).

Where can I meet

In regions with a temperate climate, pushers grow in light forests of various types (coniferous, mixed, deciduous). They are also found on well-lit edges or simply in tall grass.

Did you know? In the forests of North America, black floats grow, which are called royal floats for their size: the diameter of the cap is 15 cm (and this is with a stem length of 25-27 cm).

Some species grow alone, while others tend to grow in groups. The floater mushroom can often be seen in peat bogs and acidic soils. Another favorite location for some species is closer to the trunks of coniferous trees or birch trees.

Types of mushroom

The most common edible species is grey pusher

It can be recognized by the gray or ocher color of its small (4-8 cm) and fragile cap. Closer to the center the shade darkens. The shape is ovoid-bell-shaped, less often flat, but always with ribbed edges.

The leg (on average 5-12 cm) is placed in a white volva and has no ring at all. Variations of its color are white, beige, gray. The plates are free and white in color.

The best time for collection is from July to October. They grow singly, which is compensated by large numbers.

In the forests there are also specimens of other lines with similar sizes, namely:

1. Yellow-brown, which is interesting with its hat. White at the edges, it gradually changes color to brown, and a little higher orange tones are added, which become dark in the center. The volva is brownish at the base, and there is never a ring on the leg.


2. More rare saffron. The main difference is the saffron-orange cap with a darkening in the center. The same color is inherent in the leg (as well as white). The plates are often yellow in color. It is found less frequently, mainly near swamps (both singly and in groups).


3. Umber yellow(aka Battarra's fly agaric) with a dark center and a yellow-olive or gray-brown “border”. To match the cap and the leg with small scales, immersed in a light gray volva.


4. White. An ovoid or flat cap with a tubercle in the center (sometimes up to 10 cm in diameter) rests on a stalk with pale scales. The whitish pulp is brittle and crumbles well. A rare species, it grows in mixed and deciduous forests, near birches (with which it forms mycorrhiza).


5. Snow-white. This is the smallest species - with a stem of 7-10 cm, the size of the cap ranges from 3-7. Young mushrooms have characteristic flakes. With age, they disappear, and the color of the leg also changes: from white it turns into dirty gray. This line has been little studied, and even experienced mushroom pickers usually avoid it.



Rarer varieties are presented membranous, olive green And lead gray copies. The names indicate the main differences between the mushrooms. True, due to inexperience, they can easily be confused with poisonous species.

Important! If the mushroom is in doubt, do not eat it under any circumstances.

How to distinguish from inedible and poisonous mushrooms

One of the reasons for the low popularity of pushers is their resemblance to inedible lines(especially with fly agarics and toadstools).

When going on a “silent hunt” in order to collect floats, it is worth remembering main characteristics of species edible:

1. No ring on the leg. The edible mushroom does not even have it in the form of barely noticeable outlines.
2. The same applies to bearded belts.
3. Remains of the film-cover that protects the cap during the growth period.
4. Pronounced scars on its edges (in poisonous fly agarics they are barely visible).
5. Fragility of the stem and cap. This is a disadvantage during transportation, but a sure way to determine what kind of mushroom you have in your hands. An edible specimen is easily damaged - both the cap and the thin stem crumble.

Did you know? Mushrooms are extremely tenacious: they are not afraid of either radiation or high (up to 8 atm) pressure. Moreover, experiments in low-Earth orbit have shown that they survive at altitudes of up to 30 thousand m.

You can also distinguish a toadstool from a toadstool by smell - in the latter it often acquires sharp, sweet-sweet notes (while an edible mushroom does not give a noticeable aroma).

Video: how to distinguish pushers from inedible and poisonous mushrooms

Use in cooking

Gourmets are not particularly fond of these mushrooms: taste qualities they are very mediocre, without much “zest” (the only exception is the white type with a more subtle taste).

There is a reason for this: during growth, resin-like compounds accumulate in the fruiting body, which, if improperly prepared, are harmful to the stomach.

To avoid such difficulties, it is imperative Preliminary processing mushrooms in several stages:

1. Cleaning up damage.
2. Thorough rinsing to remove loose flakes and fallen pieces.
3. Cook for 45-50 minutes (but it’s better to wait an hour).

Saffron float belongs to the Amanitaceae family. This mushroom is also called the saffron pusher. This is a conditionally edible type of mushroom.

The Latin name of the mushroom is Amanita crocea.

The shape of the cap of the saffron float is ovoid, and when the mushroom matures, it becomes prostrate. Its diameter is 5-10 centimeters. The surface of the cap is smooth; in wet weather it becomes shiny. The edges of the cap are most often ribbed due to protruding plates, but at a young age this sign is not always noticeable. The color of the cap can be yellow-saffron or yellow-orange, with the central part being darker than the edges.

The pulp is thin and brittle. It does not have a special taste or smell. The color of the pulp is whitish or yellowish.

Free plates are placed under the cap. They are located frequently. The color of the plates at a young age is white, and later a yellowish or creamy tint appears. The color of the spore powder is white.

The leg is thick at the base and can bend in the middle part. Its length is 7-15 centimeters, and its girth is 1-1.5 centimeters. The leg is hollow inside. The color of the legs is whitish or yellowish. There is a pronounced volva, which can sometimes hide underground. There is no ring on the leg, but there are peculiar scaly belts.

Places of growth of saffron pushers.

Saffron pushers bear fruit from July to the end of September; no pronounced peak of fruiting is observed. Their habitats are mixed and deciduous forests. They prefer open forests, edges and bright places. Saffron floats are often found near swamps.

Evaluating the edibility of saffron floaters.

Saffron floats are considered edible, but they are low-value mushrooms. They have very low culinary value, as they crumble easily and are practically tasteless. But it is worth noting that the other floats are even worse. Before cooking, they need preliminary heat treatment.

Similar species.

When collecting saffron floats, care should be taken as they can be confused with poisonous mushrooms - toadstools. A float can be recognized due to the fact that, unlike a toadstool, it does not have a ring on its stem.

It is difficult to find differences between floats, since the color of their caps is very variable, and they also grow in similar places. The saffron float has the greatest similarity with the gray float and with the Caesar mushroom.

The gray float is meatier and larger. The shape of its cap is ovoid, bell-shaped or prostrate. The color of the cap is light gray or dark gray. Sometimes there are flaky large remnants of the bedspread on it. The pulp is soft, brittle, white, odorless with a pleasant taste. The stem is cylindrical, hollow inside, lighter than the cap, and has a flaky coating on it. Volva is free, big.

Gray floats grow everywhere. They can be found in mixed, deciduous forests and coniferous forests. They bear fruit from July to September.

The Caesar mushroom is an edible relative of the saffron float. Its cap can be ovoid or convex-spread. Its color is fiery red or orange, and when the mushroom fades, the cap turns yellow. There are large white remains of the blanket on the surface. The leg is fleshy, club-shaped, light yellow in color. There is a volva that looks like an egg shell. The pulp is dense, with a pleasant taste, hazelnut smell, and white color.

Caesar mushrooms bear fruit from June to October. You can find them in forest clearings, on the border of meadows and forests. They live under chestnut and oak trees, and in more rare cases - under birch, beech and walnut trees.

Among the fly agarics, completely rejected by most collectors, there are still specimens that can be put in the basket. True, it is vitally important to correctly determine their species. Saffron float belongs to just such mushrooms - to safely collect it, you need to know it in person.

Saffron float (Amanita crocea), or saffron, or saffron pusher, is a conditionally edible mushroom of the class Agaricomycetes, family Amanitaceae, genus Amanita. Has the following characteristic features:

• the cap is from 5 to 12 cm in diameter, initially ovate-bell-shaped, then expanded to flat with a spherical tubercle in the center. Smooth, shiny in high humidity. It has pronounced radial grooves along the edge. It is painted in shades of orange, from light with yellow to brownish, the color is darker and more saturated towards the center. There are no remains of the spathe - flakes common to fly agarics;
• the plates are light, from white to creamy, free, quite frequent;
• whitish spores;
• the leg is yellowish, brittle, grows in height up to 20 cm with a diameter of up to 2 cm, covered with a powdery-scaly coating that forms belts, and does not have a membranous ring. At the base there is a thick white volva, on the inside it is light yellowish;
• the pulp is white, fragile, soft, without a pronounced taste and aroma. Under the influence of phenol it acquires a wine-red color.

Distribution and fruiting season

The habitat of saffron floaters is North American, European and Far Eastern forests. They are also found in the steppes, in groups and alone. These are mycorrhiza-formers, most often growing in symbiosis with the root system of birch trees. They are also found near spruce, oak and beech trees, on fertile soils. They bear fruit from early summer to autumn.

Similar types and differences from them

The saffron float is similar to its related floats, as well as a deadly poisonous variety of the fly agaric:

• Gray floater (Amanita vaginata) – conditionally edible. Just like saffron, it does not have a ring on the stem. This is the main feature that distinguishes all floats from other fly agarics. The color of fruiting bodies can be not only “fifty shades of gray”. The color varies over a wide range - from ashen and ocher-gray to olive-yellow and grayish-brown. Some variations of the gray float are classified as separate species.
• The bright yellow fly agaric (Amanita gemmata) is poisonous. Similar to the saffron float in the color of the cap in warm, ocher-yellow tones, more saturated in the center, in its shape with radial grooves along the edge. The yellowish leg of this dangerous double is also covered with a powdery coating, the plates turn yellow with age, and the spores are white. It would seem almost a complete twin. Fortunately, the bright yellow fly agaric is distinguished by more or less preserved flakes of the cap, a rare smell of the pulp and a ring on the stem. True, with age, the main feature - the membranous ring - often disappears, but it still leaves a noticeable mark on the stem.

Primary processing and preparation

There are connoisseurs and amateurs who praise the taste and consistency of saffron floats prepared without pre-processing (boiling). However, given that collecting these mushrooms is risky in itself, their fruiting bodies should be boiled - preferably in two waters, each time completely draining the broth. Then the fruiting bodies processed in this way are fried, soups are cooked, and stewed. They must be prepared immediately after collection - these mushrooms cannot be stored even for short periods.

Saffron floats, also known as pushers, are strict examiners for fans and connoisseurs of mushroom dishes. Their dangerous resemblance to the bright yellow fly agaric can lead to fatal consequences. Therefore, some experts do not recommend collecting these mushrooms at all, despite their conditional edibility and good taste.

Kira Stoletova

Floaters (pusher mushrooms) are a species considered theoretically edible. It does not have high nutritional value and belongs to the fly agaric genus. This is an unattractive individual both in appearance and in taste.

Appearance

The pusher (Amanitopsis alba), according to the description, has a leg 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter, its height is 5-15 cm. The color is white or gray. Saffron float mushrooms (Amanita crocea) differ from gray ones (Amanita vaginata) in the color of their cap.

The surface of the mushroom float has a variety of colors: gray, yellow, orange. The cap of an adult individual reaches 4-9 cm in diameter. In juveniles it is bell-shaped, in adults it is already flat, and occasionally flat-convex.

The float plates are white, loose and dense. The spore powder is also white. The spores are spherical, non-amyloid, the surface is smooth.

The float mushroom is similar to the fly agaric even in its chemical composition, but some scientists refuse to consider them related species.

Kinds

Gray float mushroom is an edible species. It is noticeable due to the gray color of the fragile cap, 4-8 cm in diameter. Its central part is a darker shade. It has an ovoid-bell-shaped shape, sometimes flat. The edge is ribbed all the way around. Leg height 5-12 cm. Colors - white, beige, gray. The plates are white and loose. These mushrooms grow in late summer and early autumn, singly or in large numbers at a short distance.

There is a possibility of encountering the following species:

• Yellow-brown pusher mushroom. It has an unusually colored cap. The edges are white, towards the center they change from brown, orange shades to dark, almost black in the central part.
• Saffron is distinguished by a saffron and orange cap, which has a dark color in the central part. This shade is also on the legs. The plates are often yellow. They grow rarely, preferentially in swampy areas (singly and in groups).
• Umber-yellow pusher mushrooms (also called Battarra's fly agarics) have a dark color in the central part of the cap, while their edges are yellow or brown. The leg also has this shade. There are small scales on it.
• The white float is a mushroom that has a stalk with pale scales, on which there is an ovoid or flat-shaped cap with a small bump in the central part. Its size reaches 10 cm in diameter. The flesh is white, but fragile and crumbles quickly. This species grows in mixed and deciduous forests, near birches.
• Snow-white pushers, according to the description, are the smallest species. Its leg is 7-10 cm high, and its cap is 3-7 cm in diameter. Young individuals have flakes. Over time, they disappear, and the shade of the leg also changes: white becomes gray.

Beneficial features

Pushers are nutritious. They have special biologically active components called betaines. Betaines are beneficial for humans because they affect the metabolic process in the body. The composition is similar to that characteristic of float and porcini mushroom.

Pusher contains many vitamins, especially group B, and other microelements, as do other edible types of fly agaric.

Contraindications

This species does not pose a threat to human life and health. According to the description, it looks similar to a toadstool, so there is a risk of confusing these mushrooms. In this case, intoxication of the body will occur. It is also possible to get poisoned from the float if it was collected near industrial areas or roads: it quickly absorbs bad substances from the environment.

You should not eat mushrooms if you have a number of diseases:

• diabetes;
• poor kidney and liver function;
• hypertension.

The variety is excluded from the diet if there are allergic reactions to this particular species.

Application

The float is unattractive in appearance, tastes fresh, with bitterness, so it is not particularly popular among mushroom pickers. Collecting, transporting, processing and cooking with this species is not easy: the structure of the mushroom is fragile and brittle. At the same time, it is extremely popular in dietary nutrition.

In cooking

The float is used in cooking after cooking. It's great for drying. Amanitopsis is used for preparing first and second courses and appetizers.

The process of preparing pushers is no different from other types of cooking. To begin with, they are delicately cleaned of dirt and washed with plenty of water. The next step is to cook for about an hour. It is possible to salt or marinate Amanitopsis without resorting to soaking or scalding in advance.

In medicine

This species of the fly agaric genus contains a lot of betaine. In medicine, this chemical compound is used to combat Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, prostate adenoma, liver, kidney and gall bladder diseases.

Mushroom picking. Saffron float and boletus.

Float - edible summer mushroom (Amanita fulva)

A relative of the fly agaric - the floater is yellow-brown.

Conclusion

Pushers, or floats, are fragile and brittle mushrooms that require delicate handling.