Quiet Hunting In "little Constantinople"

Kaluga

For a long time, and not only in a pandemic, I practice walking with a camera near the garden. In a pandemic, I must immediately make a reservation that ruined my family's travel plans, such walks have become the only possible alternative to other travel. Slightly saddened by the prospect of contemplating overseas countries, I set off on fascinating journeys, in which I literally walked on foot in the vicinity of the right bank of the Oka, the city of Kaluga.

Kaluga

"Silent hunting" - so often called mushroom picking. Photographing is no more, if not less loud "hunting". In my case, these "hunts" were combined. My wife and I picked mushrooms, I often walked alone with a camera, so the conditions of self-isolation were not violated.

In places where trees do not interfere with the view, beautiful views of the historical left-bank part of Kaluga open up. According to the testimony of indigenous Kaluga residents and literary sources, it is known that for a long time the right bank of the Oka, opposite Kaluga, was used as a place to listen to the ringing of the bells of numerous Kaluga churches.

Kaluga. Left bank of the Oka

Gogol called Kaluga "little Constantinople", most likely impressed by the local views. Now these places are included in one of the city districts. Scattered with very picturesque ravines, the right bank is not very suitable for the construction of a modern, multi-storey city, nevertheless, it has long been used for agricultural activities - fields were sown between the ravines, cattle grazed, and hay was prepared in the floodplain and damp places of ravines.

Since the mid-1950s, the first summer cottages in Kaluga have appeared here. Nowadays, in the intervals between several ravines, there are quite numerous dacha cooperatives. For the sake of truth, it is worth noting that several modern micro-districts have already appeared on the right bank of the Oka. The slopes of the floodplain, ravines, the floodplain itself are covered with thickets and fields of wild plants.

The decline in agricultural activity contributed to the overgrowth of both floodplain slopes and ravines, especially with shrubs. From mid-April in the local ravines you can look for the first mushrooms of the season - lines. It is not easy to find these spring and early summer mushrooms of a discreet appearance, they grow in rather large groups, but these groups are not located close to each other.

Stitching

I would like to present to the readers of Greeninfo.ru the photo-results of my walks. Yes, this is not a trip to foreign, exotic countries. Nevertheless, walking in the vicinity of the garden is not just exercise, but new impressions of observing nature, admiring landscapes so changeable depending on the season, time of day, and weather. Observing even the most simple, common birds and animals distracts from momentary worries, helps to put thoughts in order.

By the way, the line mushrooms I mentioned are the closest relatives of the European gourmet truffle mushroom. They will not go for dry seasoning, but, properly prepared, they have a specific, pleasant smell. The recipe from my wife Lyovochkina Victoria Yurievna:

Julienne in pita bread

Lines - 500 g (or how many you will find in the forest)

Onions - 1-2 heads.

Hard cheese (parmesan) - 300 g

Dill - 1 bunch

Lavash - 1 sheet

Stitching

Collect the stitches in the forest, bring home and fill with plenty of water. Sand and earth can remain in the folds of the stitches, so we wash very carefully. Cut the mushrooms into strips (about 1 cm in width, in length, as it turns out, on the size of the mushroom), fill with water and bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute and drain the water. We wash the mushrooms under running water in a colander. Fill with clean water and cook until tender (about an hour). After that we drain the water. We take a frying pan, add vegetable oil and fry the onion until golden brown, add the mushrooms and fry everything together.

Cut the pita bread into strips (I get 6 servings from one sheet). Separately three cheese, finely chop the dill.

In each piece of lavash we put fried lines with onions, sprinkle with cheese and dill. We roll up the rolls and fry in a pan until golden brown. You can eat it both hot and cold.

Enjoy your meal!