_Helvella crispa_
[Sidenote: =Specific characters=]
One of the most strikingly individual of all the mushrooms, and one
which could not possibly be confounded with any other kind, is the
example pictured in Plate 33. With this mere portrait as our guide,
we might safely classify our specimen--at least, as to its genus;
and inasmuch as no one of the group is poisonous, and all are edible
with varying degrees of esculence, we can make no mistake even in our
ventures as amateur mycophagists. When, therefore, we find a fungus
with such a peculiar, irregularly fluted and hollowed stem, itself
hollow within, or tubular, and surmounted with a rather thin, flexible,
wavy cap, resembling our illustration, we may know that we have a
specimen of Helvella. If this example happens to be creamy above and
ochre-colored beneath, it is the _Helvella crispa_ of our Plate. The
specimen here shown is somewhat larger than in nature. Other species
are differently formed and colored, one of them having the cap dark
ash-colored or even black. There are three species occasionally met
with, of which the first, _H. crispa_, is the most common and perhaps
the most delectable.
[Sidenote: =Dried mushrooms=]
The peculiar texture of these mushrooms permits of their ready
desiccation, and in Britain and on the Continent they are commonly
strung on strings and dried for future use, in which condition they
have been compared to dried "wash-leather" in texture. The famous
aristocratic Morel (_Morchella esculenta_), already described, so
prized as food in Europe, and to which the Helvella is closely allied,
has a similar irregular, pitted, hollowed, and netted surface over
its entire conical or globular gray cap, and the same texture. Most
competent judges claim that the delicious Morel possesses no advantages
over the more plebeian Helvella as a delicacy for the table. The flavor
is identical, and the other qualities of the two mushrooms make them
equally desirable.
The readiness with which they may be dried, and thus kept indefinitely,
is another distinct advantage which the Morels and Helvellas possess
over the ordinary gilled Agarics, many of which must be gathered in
their young prime and immediately eaten.
There are numerous ways of serving these fungi, among which is the
common method of frying with butter or oil, and variously seasoning
with onion, garlic, herbs, etc., according to taste, and serving on
toast, or with crisped bread-crumbs. Our chapter on recipes will
suggest other more elaborate methods.
[Illustration: _Helvella crispa_]
_PLATE XXXIII_