How to check if mushrooms are worm-eaten? A forester told me a trick. You don’t need a knife

Summer mushroom picking is often disappointing. Drought and high temperatures make fly larvae very active and eager to feed on the forest floor. However, this does not eliminate the chances of collecting healthy mushrooms. There are a few things you should pay attention to so as not to bring home maggots.

How to tell if a mushroom is worm-infested? It’s not a difficult task

When picking mushrooms, we often take a cursory look at our collection. Although mushrooms seem healthy at first glance, at home we can be quite surprised. Tunnels carved in the stem and larvae in the cap are not the most pleasant sight. How to avoid this? Just pay attention to a few things before you put the mushrooms in your basket.

1. Look carefully at the cap and stem.If you notice small holes or tunnels, the larvae have definitely taken over the fungus.
2. Wormy mushrooms often have unpleasant smell. If you notice a sour aroma, refrain from taking the item home.
3. Healthy mushrooms are firm to the touch. If you feel any hardness in some places softnessthis may indicate the presence of squatters.
4. Wormy mushrooms are lighter, so sometimes you can check by the weight alone whether the center has not been eaten.

TIP! Before you remove the mushroom from the substrate, tap its cap. A healthy and young mushroom produces a quiet, characteristic sound. When we tap a worm or an old specimen, we will not hear anything.

You can use a damp cloth to clean the mushrooms, but a better solution is to clean the mushrooms with a special brush with soft bristles. illustrative photo, iStock

Can You Eat Mushrooms With Worms? Give Them a Quick Bath

It is not recommended to eat mushrooms in which the activity of larvae is visible. Sometimes, however, we may not notice small intruders, because they have only just “moved in”, or their number is small. It is worth giving the mushrooms a bath after coming home, which will drive out all the creatures from inside them. Pour 2 liters of water into a bowl and add a spoonful of spirit vinegar and table salt.. Mix thoroughly and add the mushrooms to the resulting solution. Leave for 15 minutes and rinse thoroughly under running water. If you’d like, please vote in our poll below.