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Edible chanterelles are among the most popular and useful fruiting bodies. They perfectly cleanse the liver, strengthen the immune system, remove radionuclides and nourish the human body with vitamins. But there are times when, instead of real chanterelles, mushroom pickers collect their inedible "brothers". How to distinguish chanterelle mushrooms from false chanterelles, so as not to expose your health and the health of your loved ones to unnecessary risk? In this case, you cannot rely on intuition, but it is better to listen to the advice and recommendations of experts and experienced amateurs of "quiet" hunting.

In this article, the conversation will focus on how to distinguish chanterelles from poisonous mushrooms, what signs exist for this.

How can you tell a chanterelle from a false talker?

Although false chanterelles do not have useful substances and good taste, they cannot be called poisonous. In their composition, false mushrooms do not have harmful toxins, therefore they are classified as conditionally edible species. After soaking and heat treatment, these twin mushrooms can be pickled, salted, fried, stewed.

As mentioned above, the false chanterelle does not pose a danger to life, however, people with an increased sensitivity to eating these mushrooms may experience a digestive system disorder.

One of the false "brothers" of edible chanterelles is the talker mushroom. How can you tell a chanterelle from a false fox, and what will happen if such mushrooms are in the basket? Talkers are not poisonous mushrooms, and there will be no poisoning from them. But you will not feel the taste that is inherent in real red-haired beauties. So, talkers after 3 days of soaking (with frequent water changes) boil for 30-35 minutes and then proceed to preservation or cooking.

How to distinguish an edible chanterelle from a false one, a detailed acquaintance with each of these species will help. For example, real species never rot during long rains, and during a drought they never dry up, they simply stop growing. Mushroom pickers with experience know how to distinguish chanterelles, therefore they love them for their excellent taste, as well as for their ability to keep fresh and juicy under any weather conditions. In addition, edible chanterelles are never wormy and do not break during transportation. Even in the most fruitful years, they are harvested in bags, while the fruit bodies do not lose their attractiveness and do not break.

Let's consider in detail how to distinguish false chanterelles from real ones thanks to the photo:

Chanterelle or common chanterelle belongs to the chanterelle family. Forms a symbiosis with pine, spruce, oak, beech or birch. Most of all, chanterelles prefer territories with a temperate climate. They definitely enjoy settling in mixed and coniferous woodlands. They grow in wet moss, grass or litter. Chanterelle harvesting season begins in early August and lasts until October.

False chanterelles always grow on old fallen trees or rotten tree stumps. Unlike real species, which grow in large colonies, occupying entire glades, inedible representatives grow as single specimens. Therefore, if you met one chanterelle in the forest, it is better to go around it.

The following photo shows how to distinguish a false chanterelle from an edible one:

The hat is the first to have an orange or golden yellow color with a funnel shape. The real chanterelle is red in color with characteristic wavy, irregularly shaped edges. The surface is smooth, matte, the skin is very difficult to separate from the pulp.

Novice mushroom pickers often confuse false chanterelles with real ones, because both "relatives" in the mushroom kingdom grow in coniferous forests in the middle of moss or on dead wood.

How to distinguish edible and inedible chanterelles by their legs?

How can you distinguish edible and inedible chanterelles by their legs? Experienced mushroom pickers always pay attention to this part of the fruiting body when collecting chanterelles. If the leg of the mushroom is strong and thick, it means that you have a real specimen of a chanterelle in your hands. In addition, in edible species, the stem smoothly passes into the cap and has a uniform color throughout the mushroom. The shape of the leg has a conical shape, which tapers slightly downward.

The false chanterelle has a slender leg with a bright orange coloration, which is much darker at the bottom. In adult specimens, the leg is hollow inside and sharply separated from the cap.

It is also worth paying attention to the fact that in edible and inedible chanterelles in the initial stages of growth, the center of the cap is slightly raised. With further maturation, it bends and becomes like a funnel. However, on this basis, it is better not to determine the edibility of mushrooms.

How else can you tell chanterelles from toadstools and other poisonous mushrooms?

Is it possible to distinguish a false chanterelle from an edible mushroom by the pulp, and how to do it? Note that the flesh of the false chanterelle has a loose, porous and completely tasteless structure. It has an unpleasant, pungent odor, and if you press the pulp with your fingers, the color does not change.

When cut, a real chanterelle has a white center and yellow edges. It has a pleasant fruity aroma and sour taste. When pressed on the pulp, traces of a reddish tint are immediately left.

How can you distinguish chanterelles from toadstools or false mushrooms by the plates? Real species of chanterelles have dense and thick plates that smoothly pass onto the leg. Plates of false species are thin and frequent, bright orange in color. They never go to the leg, but only slightly reach it. The cap and leg of inedible chanterelles has a clear outline, which cannot be said about the real species, in which the cap and leg practically merge.

But still, the main difference between a real chanterelle and an inedible species is the defeat of the fruiting body by parasites. If the pulp is eaten by worms and there are prominent paths on the mushroom, then you have a false chanterelle in front of you. It turns out that parasites do not like real chanterelles because they contain a substance called chitinmannose. It releases toxins that are harmless to humans, but destructive to insect larvae.

Note that it is not necessary to remember all the differences between false and edible chanterelles, 2-3 main features are enough.

We suggest watching a video showing how to distinguish false chanterelles from real ones, which will explain everything in detail: