Champignon season is in full swing. Supermarket, store shelves are full, and how many are in the markets. But some do not like to buy mushrooms, but want to collect. Mushroom pickers stock up with baskets, patience and get ready to go in search of this wonderful mushroom. It's nice to collect a whole basket of mushrooms and not lose a day in vain. The only thing you need to know for a good harvest is where the mushrooms grow.

Types of Champignon

Champignons evolved over millions of years, and many species of these mushrooms appeared. The most popular of them:

1. Ordinary (meadow, pechilnika). The hat is 8–15 cm wide; in young mushrooms it looks like a ball; During the growth period, it becomes flattened, the base is embossed, the appearance of a milky color. The inside of the milky mushroom, if broken, the inside turns red. The leg is 4–9 cm high and up to 2 cm wide, without curvature, is slender, a voluminous ring of milky color is visible on the center of the leg.
2. Field. The cap of the mushroom is thick, oval in young animals, the edges are wrapped, during growth it becomes embossed, with a bulge, if pressed, a yellow tint will remain; velvety or porous to the touch. The inside of the mushroom is massive, milky or yellowish in color, tastes sweetish and the aroma of almonds is felt. At the incision site, the body color turns yellow. The height of the legs is 5–10 cm, the width is about 1 cm, elongated, slender, with a voluminous ring of a milky hue.
3. August. The hat is serpentine, orange-brown, in the center of the hat the color becomes brighter. In young animals, it looks like a ball, with the growth of the body it can become flatter, up to 15 cm wide. Inside the mushroom there is a white and massive pulp. Leg height 6–10 cm, thickness up to 2 cm, becomes thicker to the base.
4. Bernard. The hat is 7-15 cm wide, massive inside, may look embossed and slightly flattened, the appearance is flaky, the edges are smooth. The skin is milky or grayish in color, has cracks. Inside the mushroom, the flesh is fleshy, at the beginning of the growth of a milky color, but gradually becomes pinkish. It has an unpleasant odor. The mushroom leg is up to about 10 cm long and up to 4 cm thick.
5. Sidewalk. The hat is 3-15 cm wide, the structure is fleshy, similar in color to lime, and the appearance is smooth. The pulp is friable, on the cut it becomes pinkish. Leg height - up to 10 cm, up to 4 cm thick, smooth, milky color. There is a double ring on the leg. If you smell or taste, you will feel acidity.
6. Dark red. The width of the hat is 8–12 cm, protruding in appearance, gradually becoming more flattened. The surface is reddish-brown, has cracks. The flesh is milky, on the cut it becomes reddish, the taste is soft, the aroma is mushroom, it gives off acid. Leg height - up to 10 cm, thickness up to 2 cm, beige color, there is a ring.
7. Big forest. The hat is convex in appearance, milky color, 25 cm wide. Leg milk color. At the base it gets thicker. There is a ring on the leg. The flesh of milk color, loose, turns red on the cut, if you smell it, you can smell the aroma of almonds.
8. Forest. The hat is oval, 7-10 cm wide, in adult mushrooms it becomes flattened, with swelling, of a woody hue, the surface is porous. The flesh is milky, on the cut it turns red. Leg height - up to 15 cm, 1.5 cm in thickness, elongated, on the leg - a ring.
9. Stocky. A cylinder 5–8 cm wide, in a young fungus swollen, becomes flattened over time. The surface is calcareous, not rough, the edge is twisted. The flesh is milky, thick, if cut, becomes reddish, has a bright aroma of almonds. Leg cone-shaped in appearance.

Where do they grow?

Champignons grow in places where the ground is well fertilized with humus or manure. They begin to appear soon after the rains. They grow in small families on compost-fed soils of vegetable gardens and gardens, in glades, in fields and meadows, along roads. These mushrooms love to grow in places where grazing cows. They love swamps. The Sverdlovsk region is very popular with mushroom pickers. Sverdlovsk forests with their wetlands seem to be created by nature for the growth of mushrooms. They specially come here to collect full baskets of mushrooms. Champignons are found in urban environments, grow along sidewalks and tracks.

But forest champignons also love. Some species can be found in spruce and mixed forests. Mixed forests are located in the regions of the Russian Plain, West Siberian Plain, Amur Region and Primorye.

Here live such species as:

• coppice;
• yellow skin;
• reddish;
• pink plate.

Before picking mushrooms in the vicinity of the city, you need to remember that heavy metals or other unsafe substances can accumulate in them.

When do they grow up?

Champignons can be found all summer and autumn. Start to grow in May. Some species, for example, field champignon, can be found even at the end of October, when frosts already begin. The peculiarity of mushrooms is that they germinate every two weeks, so there is no shortage of yield.

Important! You need to be careful so as not to confuse with a pale grebe!

How much do they grow after rain?

Rain provides good moisture for the mycelium. In representatives of this species, the vegetative body is located on the surface of the earth, not dropping below 10-15 cm, which makes it an excellent opportunity to quickly moisten the strings of the mycelium. Within a few days, the mycelium will replenish with new mushrooms. But we must not forget that mushrooms love prolonged moderate rains. After a downpour or light drizzling rain, one cannot expect rapid growth of mushrooms.

When can I collect?

You can start looking for mushrooms after rain after 3-5 days. But the vital activity of the fungus is short-lived, therefore it is better not to collect mushrooms on the 13-15th day after the rain, since the fruiting body is already filled with toxins.

Food quality

The demand for mushrooms is consistently high, thanks not only to the excellent taste, but also to the benefits that this mushroom brings to the human body, because it contains a large set of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and amino acids.

Features of the composition:

• the presence of water in 100 g of the product totals 87–90%, which equates them to some vegetables, such as cucumbers and cabbage;
• dried mushrooms contain more than 25% protein (our body can process 70–80% of this protein);
• the presence of fat - 2-3%, the lack of cholesterol is a bonus;
• the presence of carbohydrates is approximately 30% of the total weight. More carbohydrates are found in sucrose, fructose, and glucose;
• fiber - up to 2%;
• mineral substances - up to 1.5%, they also contain manganese, tin, iodine.

Knowing the place, growth time and appearance of champignon, you can enrich your diet and winter stocks with a useful and tasty product, from which many culinary masterpieces are prepared. The collection of champignons is not only tasty and healthy, but also informative. Going to pick mushrooms, we get closer to nature and better understand it.