Menthol brittlegillRussula albonigra

Yes, young mushrooms with white flesh, after boiling for 10-15 min. Skip old specimens. Culinary value is moderate — the flesh blackens during cooking.

By how the flesh reacts when cut. In the menthol brittlegill (R. albonigra) — it blackens IMMEDIATELY to gray-black, with no red stage. In the blackening brittlegill (R. nigricans) — it first reddens to wine-red, then blackens. A second feature: the menthol brittlegill has crowded gills, the blackening one — distant, thick ones. Both are edible, so a mistake isn't critical.

None serious. All white-fleshed brittlegills in our flora are edible. The only key distinction is from young amanitas (white gills + ring + volva) — but amanitas don't darken so noticeably when damaged.

In deciduous and mixed forests — mostly under beech, oak and hornbeam, less often in mixed forests with spruce. It likes damp, mossy forest edges.

Mostly in the forest zone: the Carpathians, Prykarpattia, Polissia. Less common than the blackening brittlegill, but reliably present.

July — October, peaking in August–September.

Most often — with the blackening brittlegill (R. nigricans) (see above). With the milk-white brittlegill (R. delica) — also white and also edible, but they don't blacken when cut. With milk caps (Lactarius) — those ooze milky latex when cut.

Pickling young mushrooms is the best approach. Boil for 10-15 min before pickling. Stewing with potatoes. Frying — fine, but the dish will be dark gray.