The benefits of fungi for the human body is indisputable, as is nutrition, because it is no wonder that they are sometimes called forest meat. However, it is important to know which species can be consumed, and which should be treated with caution. Today we will talk about one of the most common mushrooms - the line. From the article you will learn how to identify the line, where to find it, it is harmful or useful to humans and much more.
Squabble and morel: different types
Beginner mushroom can be difficult to distinguish morel and autumn stitch. In fact, they are similar to each other only by consonant names. They even grow at different times. Ordinary line appears in the spring, as well as morel. 
The autumnal line, as you might guess from the name, can be found in the forests only in autumn.
Important! Confusion with mushrooms can be dangerous to your health, because the morel is edible, while the line refers to the group of poisonous mushrooms. Your life may depend on this, so take responsibility for what you collect in your basket.
The appearance of mushrooms is completely different, so we advise you to carefully look at the forest find. Morel is easy to recognize: it is quite high, on a white stem of medium thickness and with an unusual elongated hat of brown color. Morel hat resembles uneven, curved honeycombs.
Familiarize yourself with the types of popular edible mushrooms, especially such as flakefish, cheesy, shiitake, russula, poplar rowing, boletus mushrooms, chanterelles, black truffle, redhead, aspen, white mushrooms, honey agaric.
Autumn mushroom line: how it looks
Autumn line - marsupial mushroom of the genus Strochok (Gyromitra), which is quite widespread. 
This mushroom has a rather wide cap, up to 10 cm in diameter, of a brown color. An adult mushroom can have a brown-black hat that looks like velvet, and the young one has a light brown, peanut-colored color.
The shape of the cap of the autumn line is called the hornlike saddle, because it looks like three horns intergrown together.
Visually, the cap looks unusual: instead of a straight, smooth surface, wrinkled bends, which makes it resemble a walnut (this feature is more pronounced in other types of stitching, ordinary and gigantic).
If the morel surface of the cap still has a certain structure, then the line bends on the cap look chaotic. 
The peculiarity of the cap is also in the fact that it literally grows from the leg, and does not cost an “umbrella”. The leg is about 1.5 cm wide, its length can vary from 3 to 10 cm. The color also varies: from white, similar to wax, to light gray.
It looks like a cylinder oblate on its sides, slightly widened closer to the ground. Inside the stitch line is empty.
The fungus does not have a specific smell, but its flesh is fragile and similar to cartilaginous tissue.
Where lines grow
You can meet the autumn line both in the deciduous forest and in the coniferous. The preferred habitat is rotting wood and the soil next to it. Less often you can see a mushroom just on the ground. 
The lines grow as families, in small groups, and one by one.
As we have said, his active growth begins at the end of summer, closer to September, and therefore the mushroom got its name. Other members of this genus appear in the spring months.
The distribution area of the line is autumn - North America and Eurasia, countries with moderate climatic conditions.
Did you know? In Britain, the line is often called "elephant's ears" or "mushroom-brain."
Mushroom toxicity
A characteristic feature of the autumn line is that the amount of poisonous substances that it contains is several times higher than in the ordinary line. Out of the whole family of these mushrooms, autumn is the most dangerous for the human body. 
The lines that have not undergone any processing contain five to six times more hemolytic poison. This poison carries an extraordinary threat, because its amount of 50 mg per 1 kg of product weight can be fatal.
The mushroom in its raw form contains 300 mg of such poison per 1 kg, which will certainly cause a person to die.
Nevertheless, mushroom pickers from different regions relate differently to this type of mushroom. What is the reason for such a diversity of opinions, we will understand later.
It will be useful for you to learn how to freeze mushrooms correctly: white, oyster mushrooms, wild mushrooms, champignons, how to marinate, how to dry mushrooms.
Foreign sources
Any of the country's mushroom pickers with a warm, mild climate will say that eating the autumn line as food is strictly prohibited in any form. And it will be right, because the mushrooms growing in such climatic conditions are really not suitable for both humans and animals. 
In European countries, both autumn lines and ordinary ones are toxic. This is due to the fact that the amount of poison in the lines is influenced not only by the ambient temperature, but also by the temperature of the soil on which they grow.
Mushrooms growing on warm ground absorb a greater amount of toxic carcinogens and other dangerous substances. The warmer the ground - the more toxic and more toxic the line. Thus, to collect lines in the forests of Europe in any case impossible.
Russian sources
As for Russia, the situation is somewhat different. You can hear that a mushroom like an autumn line can be edible if you learn how to process it properly with high temperatures.
However, in reality everything is as follows: since the lines are the general name of a genus, it cannot be assumed that all its representatives are safe. 
Only the string mushroom that matures in March-April is suitable for cooking. At this time, the soil is still cold, not thawed out, which is quite usual for the space of Russia, and if poisonous substances enter the body of the fungus, then in smaller quantities.
The appearance of the autumn line occurs in the autumn - at this time of year the ground is still quite warm, which is why we conclude that only the spring line will fit for food.
Learn about edible and poisonous mushrooms growing on trees.
Is it possible to eat mushrooms
It is not necessary to completely avoid this fungus, you just need to treat the choice responsibly. It is best to collect mushrooms, which appeared in the spring. There is little poison in them, so it is quite possible to remove it with the help of high temperatures.
Collect line only in places with a cool climate. The colder, the, in this case, less likely to poison. 
So yes or no
The lines collected on the territory of Europe, boldly throw out - the poisonous substance in them is enough to kill several people. Simple poisoning after eating such mushrooms, you will not get off.
Also, in no case do not need to eat raw mushrooms. Regardless of the country in which you found a line. Collected in the fall is also not suitable for food.
Only spring lines are suitable for cooking, and the younger they are, the less toxic substances they have. But they are also unacceptable to eat raw. Only after careful heat treatment.
How to reduce toxic effects
To minimize the content of harmful substances in the line, you need to resort to exposure to high temperatures. 
We offer you three ways that are available to any hostess and do not require special costs or effort.
It is best to remove poisons using the oven. To do this, wash the mushrooms, spread on a baking sheet and place in the oven. The latter must be heated so that the temperature inside is above 60 ° C.
This is the minimum level, you can choose for yourself a high temperature regime. To dry the product in this way you need a few hours. The method is called aggressive drying, and only with its help you will be able to remove absolutely all toxins and carcinogens from the line.
The following method of removing toxic substances from the line is also quite effective, but it has some nuances. To rid the lines of most of the poisons, it is necessary to dry the mushrooms in the fresh air. 
The air masses will draw out liquid from them, and with it, toxins will be removed. The longer the lines dry, the safer they will become for eating.
And finally, the last way to process mushrooms is cooking. Take a saucepan, fill it with water so that the mushrooms are easily placed in a container, put it on the stove. It is necessary to carry out processing, at least, a quarter of hour.
Then drain the resulting mushroom broth, rinse the mushrooms thoroughly under running water and boil them one more time.
Important! It is impossible to use such broth, as carcinogens and other substances hazardous to health remain in it.
It is impossible to display all the poison contained in the lines in one procedure. Only after two boiling mushrooms can be used as an ingredient for various dishes.How to cook a line with sour cream
Having figured out how to choose the right lines for food, you can familiarize yourself with the recipe of their preparation. Follow the instructions clearly and you will see that even a mushroom as ambiguous as a line can be not only edible, but also tasty.
Required Ingredients
For cooking you will need the following ingredients:
- mushrooms - lines ordinary, 1 kg;
- onion - one medium onion;
- sour cream - any percentage of fat, two tablespoons;
- greens - dill;
- salt, black pepper;
- other spices to taste.
Step by step cooking process with photo
First you need to deal with mushrooms, because they - the main ingredient that requires special, careful processing.
Immediately after you have gathered the lines, rinse them under running water. Then type water into a large container and place lines for 10-12 hours, and best of all, overnight. 
Before you start the treatment with high temperature, pour out the water in which they stood, and wash the mushrooms thoroughly with water from the tap.
Type in the pan water. For 1 kg of lines you need at least 3 liters of liquid. Place the main product there and put the container on fire. It is necessary to boil the lines for 30 minutes. 
After half an hour, remove the pan with mushrooms from the heat, drain the water, type a new one. The lines need another treatment after cooking - rinsing under cold running water. Only after you have washed them can you put them back into the container and boil again, also for half an hour.
Did you know? The lines are reduced in size not during frying, but after they are well-cooked.
Take your main ingredient out of the pan and cut it. The size of the pieces can be any - based on your taste.
While the mushrooms are waiting for their turn, cut the onions. The size of the pieces can vary from medium to small, depending on the form in which you prefer to use fried onions.
Pour it into the pan and fry. 
After five to seven minutes, add lines to the bow, stir with a spatula. Fry foods for five minutes. After that, season with salt, pepper and other spices to your taste, mix thoroughly and fry for another five minutes. 
The next step - add sour cream to the mushrooms, mix well. Immediately pour greens into the pan and fry the mushrooms for another five minutes. 
At the end of this time, we remove the ready-made lines from the plate and we can eat them.
Who should not use the lines
Since the lines are not the safest mushrooms, women in the position, as well as children and those suffering from cardiovascular ailments in no way should not eat this product.
In case of cardiovascular diseases, it is recommended to use nettle, carrot, asparagus, hawthorn, chaga, white beans, raspberry leaves, linden honey.
Violation of contraindications can provoke, at best, intoxication of the body.
Be careful when choosing ingredients for the dish. Especially when one of them is a mushroom. Carefully study its properties, and before going to the forest for sweets, try to learn as much as possible about the type of forest meat that grows in the vicinity, because one such mistake can cost you your life. 
We advise you to be vigilant and wish that a hike in the forest for mushrooms would bring not only a lot of positive emotions, but also a tasty, and most importantly, safe catch.
