Lovers of "quiet hunting" are not so few amonginhabitants of villages and cities surrounded by forests. Many of them eventually become real professionals in this matter, foreseeing the location of the prey, no matter how it hid. However, few people have heard about the mushroom "rabbit ears": people tend to remember the appearance of what they are looking for, and ignore the uninteresting and unnecessary. Maybe someone also paid attention to the unusual creature, but only caught a glimpse of a strange shape and passed by indifferently.
"Hare's ear" is a fungus that has a scientific name"Hare's otideya." Outwardly, he really looks like an elongated ear. If a couple of copies have grown nearby, it really seems that the hare was buried in the ground at the very top. The fungi of this "ear-like" species are three: besides the hare there are also Judas (rounded) and donkey (very similar to the described) ears.
"Hare's ear" is a small mushroom, up to four centimeters high, and does not exceed three in diameter. The edges of the flat, thin and soft body are wrapped inside; color - from dark honey to brown.
Detect mushroom "rabbit ears" inFar Eastern and Siberian conifers, in the Caucasus, and the Russian middle belt is its habitat. Mixed forests are also suitable for growing otidei. It does not form large groups, so it would be rather difficult to collect it purposefully. However, there is no demand among mushroom pickers: the "hare's ear" - the fungus is conventionally edible, it has practically no taste, the smell is also, and the flesh is so small that even "one tooth" is not enough. And the edible part is quite elastic, leathery. However, if you want (or out of curiosity), you can collect it from July to mid-September.
Those rare mushroom pickers who know about otidia,they assure us that they ate the raw "hare's ear". Mushroom, they say, though tasteless, but quite satisfying. Other "quiet hunters" believe that, like any conditionally edible subspecies, otidia must be boiled. An additional argument of processing is the softening of the body of the fungus, which, in its raw form, resembles rubber in the case of drag. In addition, during the preparation, you can give the product at least some taste with the help of spices.
However, it is unlikely that any of the mushroom pickers will go toforests to collect "rabbit ear". Still, it does not represent a particular value: it is not salted for the winter, it dries up to a thin plate and dries up during drying, and it does not bring much pleasure in the fresh form. Is that admire ...
