Grifola frondosa (lat. Grifola frondosa) is a high-quality edible and medicinal mushroom from the Meipilaceae family. In nature, it grows on birch, elm or oak during summer and autumn. It is a saprophytic fungus and usually appears on the lower part of rotten or already dead tree trunks, as well as on stumps.
It is widespread in Europe, Asia and North America, and in addition to the trees already mentioned, it can also grow next to beech, maple, chestnut and linden. He can appear in the same places for several years. It works like a parasite on hardwoods and sometimes conifers and causes them to rot.
The fertile body of the rabbit is made up of a large number of caps which together can be 30 to 50 cm wide. Hats can be gray-green to gray-brown in color, with wavy and lighter edges. The white stem of the mushroom is short and highly branched, up to 4 cm in diameter. The tender flesh is white in color, has a pleasant taste and an intense smell similar to the smell of flour. Slow fungus mushrooms are smooth and oval and leave a white mark. Given that her hats grow densely compressed, in nature it can look like a bush.
The rabbit can grow up to 30 cm in height, and in nature it can be confused with the mushroom known as deer’s ear (Grifola umbellata). They differ only in that the deer’s ear has a smaller cap and its ear is located in the middle, while in the case of a real rabbit, the ear is located on the side.
Breeding and maintenance of rabbits
Like oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, rabbit mushrooms can also be grown on forms or stumps and on substrate. If it is grown on old stumps, they will rot faster and you will be able to get rid of them faster, thus achieving a double benefit. Rabbit can also grow well on already rotten tree stumps that have already been inhabited by some fungi, but more mycelium should be added to such tree stumps.
The process of growing a rabbit on the forms is the same as the process of growing oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, and trunks of willow, alder, poplar, oak and other trees can be used for this purpose.
A combination of oak, ash or poplar sawdust and ground corn cobs or waste can be used for growing rabbits on the substrate. The mass should be sterilized at a temperature of about 120 degrees, and then cooled so that the temperature of the substrate is 30 degrees, and the mycelium should be sown.
It is best to put the substrate in polypropylene bags that already have an installed air filter. If such bags are not available, the substrate can be placed in polyethylene bags, which should then be closed at the top with a small cotton plug, about 10 mm in diameter. The ratio of mycelium that is added is about 10 percent in relation to the weight of the moist substrate.
Incubation lasts 30 days and takes place in the dark, at a temperature of 22 degrees. When the incubation process ends, the germination phase follows, for which the temperature should be lowered to 10 – 16 degrees and only a smaller amount of light should be allowed. Air humidity at this stage should be around 90 percent.
Fruiting takes place at a temperature of 15 to 18 degrees, with a relative humidity of 70 to 80 percent. In this phase, it is necessary to provide a little more light, and since the need for air also increases, regular ventilation should be carried out.
In the phase when there is branching and lengthening of the stems (up to 5 cm), the room where fruiting takes place should be well ventilated in order to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide and to allow more light to reach. Air humidity should be maintained at 80%, but it is important not to overdo it. When the formation of fertile bodies occurs, the bags only need to be opened at the top, so they do not need to be removed from the substrate.
Harvesting the rabbit
Fruiting bodies of this mushroom usually appear 45 to 60 days after incubation, and harvesting can be done in two waves. It is possible to achieve a yield of 30 to 40 percent in relation to the weight of the wet substrate.
In nature, it is harvested in late summer and early autumn.
Bunny in the kitchen
Začarka is a conditionally edible mushroom, which means that it must be thermally processed before consumption. It can cause allergic reactions in some people, so you should be careful when eating. It is recommended to eat only young mushrooms that are still light in color, because the older ones are astringent, tough and hard, so they are not suitable for eating.
Žečarka are most often fried or cooked as a side dish to the main course. Soups and sauces can be made from them, and they can be marinated like meat. Stewed rabbit can be served as a side dish with meat.
Like shiitake and some other mushrooms, we can also dry or dehydrate the champignons. Ground into powder, they are an excellent addition to fish, meat and salads. In addition to all the usual ways in which they can be prepared like other mushrooms, we can also pickle mushrooms like peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables.
Medicinal properties of rabbit
In addition to being delicious to eat, young rabbit has undoubtedly great value when it comes to medicinal properties. By consuming this mushroom, it is possible to strengthen immunity, improve blood pressure and reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. It is especially recommended for diabetics, and since it has pronounced anti-cancer effects, it should be on everyone’s menu.
Hareka inhibits the growth of tumor cells and protects healthy cells from tumors, helps prevent the formation of metastases and helps alleviate side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea, pain and hair loss.
In 2009, a study was conducted that showed that the rabbit mushroom helps stimulate the immune system in patients with breast cancer. It has also been shown to be useful for chronic fatigue, hepatitis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar levels, as well as for high body temperature.
Rabbits should be consumed by people suffering from atherosclerosis and hepatitis B and C. Scientists in Croatia have proven that treatment with a combination of shiitake mushroom extract and rabbit significantly helps in reducing the loss of bone mass in the trabecular part of the spine. Rabbit can also be found on the market in the form of capsules. The main active substance it contains are polysaccharides, of which beta-glucan, heteropolysaccharide and proteoglycan stand out, which are carriers of potential immunoregulatory action.
History of the rabbit
The rabbit mushroom is a well-known and often cultivated mushroom in East Asian countries such as China and Japan, where it is equally valued for its nutritional and medicinal properties. In Croatia, it is also known as rabbit mushroom, but its value in relation to the countries mentioned above is still not sufficiently recognized in our country.
The scientific name of this mushroom comes from the Greek word gryphon – gryphon, that is, a beast from Greek mythology whose front part of the body was like an eagle, while the rest of the body resembled a lion. The species name frondosa means leafy. English names for the rabbit are Hen of the woods, Sheep’s head and Ram’s head.
In Japan, the name maitake is used, which translates as dancing mushroom. This name has nothing to do with the appearance of the mushroom, but originated in feudal Japan, at a time when this mushroom was very rare and could be exchanged for money. When they found this mushroom, people would dance for happiness, hence the name dancing mushroom. In the mid-eighties of the last century, the Japanese began mass-breeding the rabbit on a substrate in plastic bags, so it is no longer as rare as it once was.
Photo: Caroline Brodeur/Pexels