Blushing wood mushroomAgaricus silvaticus

Yes, provided it is reliably identified. The most important protective feature: the flesh turns red when cut, while in amanitas it does not change color. Young mushrooms are best: in old ones the flesh blackens and the dish looks unappetizing.

Three critical features. (1) Gills: in the amanita they are WHITE at every stage. In the blushing wood mushroom they are pink when young, dark brown when mature. (2) Volva: the amanita has a sac-like volva, an "eggshell" at the base of the stem. The Agaricus has no volva. Always dig up the stem rather than cutting it. (3) Flesh when cut: in the Agaricus it quickly turns red; in the amanita it stays white. Any doubt at all: do NOT pick it.

The yellow stainer (A. xanthodermus) smells of ink, phenol, medicinal ointment, and the flesh in the lower stem turns bright yellow when damaged (often within seconds). The blushing wood mushroom smells pleasant, with a hint of almond, and when cut its flesh turns wine-red. If it smells of medicine or turns yellow, leave it.

This is a natural oxidation reaction of Agaricus pigments on contact with air. Not spoilage, not poison, not a sign of ripeness. On the contrary, pink or red flesh is the most reliable diagnostic feature of a true Agaricus as opposed to the deadly poisonous white amanitas. Some of the color stays in the pan, especially in the stem; that is a normal part of the dish.

In coniferous and mixed forests, mostly spruce and pine, with some beech or birch. It loves needle litter, mossy patches and shady slopes. A saprotroph, not tied to any particular tree. It often grows in groups or fairy rings.

Throughout the forest zone: the Carpathians (especially abundant in spruce forests), Prykarpattia, Polissia (pine woodlands), and in places the forest-steppe in pine plantations. In the steppe, in planted pine forests.

June to November, peaking in August-September. It loves moderately damp, cool weather after summer rains.

With Agaricus squamuliferus: also scaly, but with finer scales. With the field mushroom (A. campestris): no scales, grows in meadows. With the yellow stainer (A. xanthodermus): poisonous, smells of medicine. The most dangerous mistake is confusing it with young destroying angels (Amanita virosa), which are deadly! Check the gills and the flesh when cut.

Fry it with onion and sour cream: the best dish of all. Pickle it after boiling for 10 min. Stew it with potatoes and meat. Dry it: string young caps on a thread in the shade. Freeze it, but always boil it first. It goes very well with porcini, boletes and slippery jacks in a mushroom mix.