With the rain, the forests will start to sprout mushrooms again, this time more autumnal ones. As Kęstutis Beržinis, a pharmacist from Telšiai, tells us, it is a good idea to choose which ones are good for food and which ones are not, already in the forest. And when preparing mushrooms, it is useful to know how to preserve the most useful substances in mushrooms.

„Mushroom foragers will certainly have their horizons broadened by the mushroom catalogue and the various apps available. Find an obscure mushroom, sponge or lichen, take a photo and you can see immediately whether you need it or not. It's best to make your selection in the woods – it's safer that way, – says the pharmacist.

As an avid mushroom hunter himself, K. Beržinis advises to be more careful with leaf mushrooms – those that have leaflets instead of holes at the bottom. All the most poisonous mushrooms growing in Lithuania are of this type – green muskmelon or others. Meanwhile, of the mushrooms with tubes under the cap, only the devil's-bit scabious is poisonous, but no one has seen it in Lithuania for a long time.

The decoction of some mushrooms is also poisonous

Except for the inedible mushrooms and the edible ones, the latter need to know how to prepare. And this is where the pharmacist and the mushroom preparer often have different approaches. They agree only on boletus carpaccio: you slice the whole heads, sprinkle salt and pepper on them, drizzle them with good oil, and – it's delicious!“, – says K. Beržinis.

As a pharmacist, he recommends boiling the mushrooms for a long time, then crushing them with a chopper, drying the resulting porridge, then grinding it again and taking a teaspoon with hot water three times a day. Mushrooms prepared in this way give off soluble and insoluble fibres, the most important of which are beta-glucans. Mushrooms also contain other beneficial substances: all nine essential amino acids, ergothioneine, the amino acid of youth, ergosterol, glutathione, serotonin, melatonin, vitamin E, B vitamins, micro- and macronutrients.

The pharmacist advised to pour out only water in which bitter or toxic mushrooms have been boiled. Once cooked, the other liquid should be used to make broths, soups, cocktails, sauces or other health-giving dishes.

The mushroom decoction is rich in soluble fibre, which modulates the work of our immune system through macrophages, granulocytes or even bone marrow. And the insoluble beta-glucans that remain in cooked mushrooms are particularly beneficial for the gut microbiota, which also determines the functioning of the immune system, and contributes to a better mood, a more restful sleep, and a happier tummy.

„Many cooks will sauté fresh porcini mushrooms in melted butter, fry the onions separately, then mix everything together, sprinkle with salt and spices and serve them on top of pizza, pasta, buckwheat or potatoes. Such dishes will tickle the sense of smell and taste and are tasty, but will have fewer health benefits because they contain less beta-glucans. So let's learn to balance pleasure with benefit," advises K. Beržinis.

There are several ways of drying

For those who can afford it, freeze-drying mushrooms is a good option, according to the pharmacist. However, mushrooms, which, like cucumbers, are up to 95% water, retain their beneficial substances when dried in more conventional ways.

True, a couple of pints of porcini mushrooms weighing around 10 kilograms will leave only 600 grams when dried. It will contain about 200 grams of protein and more than 300 grams of fibre. This amount of dried mushrooms would therefore only last a week for a daily requirement of 40-60 g of the latter.

„My favourite Christmas Eve dish – dumplings with dried porcini mushrooms. It's something in between cookery and medicine. And dried porcini powder is an excellent seasoning for soups, broths, mince pies and various fillings“, – the apothecary shares his experience.

Baked, overcooked or even raw mushrooms can be vacuum-packed and stored in the freezer. It is also a good idea to pickle them with vinegar, as this substance is particularly disliked by the clostridium botulinum bacterium, which can take up residence in mushrooms and cause the serious infectious disease botulism.

In addition to dried porcini mushrooms, it is also worth making some of the same ingredients from dried chanterelles. According to the pharmacist, large doses of such powders drive parasites out of the body, while chanterelles are also rich in vitamin D, which is the reason why worms avoid them. However, the cell walls of this spongy fungus are difficult to break down. Beržinis therefore recommends freezing them fresh to allow the ice crystals to break down the cell walls, and then cooking or frying them later.

However, the pharmacist warns that overeating mushrooms (as well as other hard-to-digest foods) can cause symptoms similar to those of mushroom poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen and diarrhoea. However, these usually disappear within 2-4 hours, whereas poisons take longer or deceptively later to take effect. 

Recipe for dumpling meatballs

The pharmacist's family is particularly fond of strawberry meatballs. In general, these mushrooms improve the oxygen supply to the organs if their extract or powder is properly prepared and consumed. Of course, meatballs alone will not be enough. But the latter, as the pharmacist assured us, are a real delicacy.

„After the stumps have been cooked, grind them in a meat grinder, beat in an egg, add fried onions, carrots, semolina, salt and spices, – says K. Beržinis. Then form the meatballs and fry them in melted butter. The heat releases the beneficial substances and the taste is excellent.