The fall and winter seasons create ideal conditions for harvesting lepista personata. Its common name is violet foot and it is one of the most appreciated mushrooms in gastronomy. Thanks to the rainfall and the cold that autumn and winter give us, this mushroom develops good conditions for its subsequent harvest. However, you have to take into account some special characteristics that this species has. And it is a species that is quite resistant to cold, so it can be found in the northern areas of Spain.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about lepista personata there where you can collect them.
Key features
This species of mushroom is highly valued in gastronomy. In order to enjoy it in all its splendor, specific handling conditions are needed in the kitchen so that it can preserve all its flavor. It is not just worth picking it up from the field and cooking it without further ado, but some aspects must be taken into account.
The common name of violet foot has its origin because, depending on the inclination of the sun's rays, you can look at its foot and it leaves bluish or purple tones. Although its foot is not purple, depending on the inclination of the sun it can appear so. It is not a mushroom that is too tall, although it has a robust appearance and a base that widens as it reaches the ground.
Within the Lepista group we can see that there are some species related to this one in particular and that they are easy to confuse when we are in the middle of the collection. Later we will focus on possible confusion.
The hat of the lepista personata it is usually about 10 centimeters in diameter. Its shape is flattened and convex although it has a rough texture. We can see that the meat of the hat is rough when the hand is passed over it and quite thick. This can help us in the identification of the species and not to be confused with another. The color of the hat is between beige and gray.
The blades are tight and with great resistance. It has small waves and is also attached to the foot. They are normally beige in color although it can offer different shades depending on the inclination of the sun's rays. It can come to offer pinkish or light brown colors.
As for the foot, it is purplish in color and fairly easy to identify. The body of the foot is quite thick and resistant. The main characteristic of this part of the mushroom is that it thickens in greater quantity as we get closer to the base. Finally, meat is quite appreciated in gastronomy. It is because it has a good and very smooth flavor with a great aroma highlighted by its strength. It has a pale flesh color and a whitish appearance.
Habitat of the lepista personata
This mushroom can be harvested during the coldest months of the year. As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, it takes enough rainfall and low temperatures to promote the growth and development of this species. During these months is when we find the largest amount of this species. Sometimes we can see some specimens in early winter since it is very resistant to low temperatures and even frost.
Normally it usually develops in mountain areas and in pine forests with alpine thickets. They grow spontaneously and can grow both alone and in groups. What most people do is collect the lepista personata during the month of November. This is because it is the month of the year where they have the greatest presence.
However, some earlier violet feet can start to grow in the month of October and even some later ones in December. Both the earliest and the latest specimens also depend on the temperatures, the area and the existing rainfall. For example, the earliest are developed thanks to the fact that there has been a greater amount of abundant rainfall during the month of September. On the other hand, those that are later are those that can be found in a scattered way in those areas that are less cold in the Mediterranean basin.
Possible confusions of the lepista personata
Within the genus of Lepista we find numerous species that can be confused with each other. These are some of the best known Lepista species:
- Sordid lepista
- Lepista nude
- lepista personata
- Flaccid lepista
- lepista irina
- lepista rickenii
- lepista luscina
- Glaucocan lepista
One of the main characteristics by which you can differentiate the violet foot is by its characteristic smell. And it is that this smell can offer a good distinction with respect to other mushrooms. There are few species that can cause confusion within this group. Most, as we have mentioned before, they are species of their own genus. This is where some confusion can arise when it comes to harvesting.
One of the main confusions is with the Lepista nude o Glaucocan lepista. Although these species have a slightly lighter hat, they also have a purple base. The most normal thing is that a person who goes collects the lepista personata is reached fix mainly on the color of the foot. If there are some species that also have this purple foot, it can be confused. The taste of these species that can be confusing is much more bitter than that of the Lepista personata.
La Lepista nude It presents more confusion since it has a greater abundance than what we are looking for. Being easier to find and having a purple foot causes some confusion.
The same is true of Sordid lepista. This species has the foot with some shades that vary between blue and violet. If we do not want to be confused with the lepista personata we must look at some technical details like those we have mentioned in the description.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the mushroom Lepista personata.