True, mushrooms also have their own exceptional fans - mainly due to the “ability” of these mushrooms, like a sponge, to absorb the taste of all kinds of marinades and spices. They also have one more pleasant property - ease of collection. Honey mushrooms, as a rule, bear fruit en masse and tend to grow in numerous clusters - so that from one place you can cut an entire basket in five minutes - this is also popular with foragers.

There are several species of honey mushrooms (of which three are not honey mushrooms at all), but some of them are very similar in appearance and grow at the same time, which is why the lion's share of mushroom pickers consider them to be one mushroom (honey mushroom is also a honey mushroom in Africa). This article is intended to fill this gap, at the same time I will describe in detail - in which forests and when, each of the honey mushrooms bears fruit. I’ll start, of course, with the most real, most often collected, autumn honey mushrooms.

Autumn honey fungus, also known as real honey fungus

If in the fall you happen to see a basket of freshly picked honey mushrooms at the market or at a mushroom picker you know, then most likely this is the autumn honey fungus (see photo at the beginning of the article). This mushroom is very widespread throughout the temperate zone of our continent (by the way - in North America too), and in certain years - when there is a wet and more or less warm autumn - it bears fruit so en masse that half a ton of it is collected from one hectare.

The autumn honey fungus is very recognizable, therefore it is recognized quite quickly even by novice mushroom pickers. Its fruiting bodies usually have a pleasant-looking yellowish color - the color of honey (for which it is called “honey mushroom” in Latin), or not very intensely orange, or light brown. Some experts associate the shade with the wood on which the honey fungus grows.

Still young, but edible honey mushrooms grow in dense clusters, have small - 3-5 cm in diameter, convex caps with slightly turned up edges on thin but strong legs - up to 10 cm long, often merging at the base. Both the caps and legs are usually covered with dark scales, which disappear with age (in the center of the cap these scales form a kind of dark spot). A mandatory attribute (one of the signs by which autumn honey fungus can be distinguished from poisonous false honey mushrooms) is a ring on a stalk almost at the very base of the cap, left over from the bedspread. And the younger the mushroom, the more likely it is that it will be a membrane - full or partial, covering the plates on the inside of the cap.

Photo 2. Young fruiting bodies of honey fungus on the roots of an old tree.

With age, the cap of the honey mushroom unfolds, expands and flattens. Its flesh becomes coarse, making it virtually unfit for food. Perhaps such mushrooms can be used for decoction (and then thrown away), or they can be fried, stewed and finely rolled into caviar. But, as practice has shown, with age the honey fungus not only becomes stiff, but also somewhat loses its taste, which is why more or less picky mushroom pickers categorically neglect it.

Photo 3. A decent “plantation” of ripened fruiting bodies of the autumn honey fungus on old, almost rotten woody remains.

The autumn honey fungus begins to bear fruit in August- closer to the end of the month, it appears most en masse in our forests in September, despite all this, it continues to throw out fruiting bodies to October- until the very beginning of real winter (in other years, when the autumn is warm, it can be collected till December).

Seasoned mushroom pickers claim that honey mushrooms come in “three layers,” and you can also hear a story from them that mushrooms can appear in July, but such a statement is due to ignorance of scientific subtleties. For at the height of summer, slightly different types of honey mushrooms appear.

Northern honey fungus

He is also the northern autumn honey fungus. In many ways it is similar to the previous mushroom, except that it differs in color - it is more often light brown than yellow, at least in our area. It also sometimes looks a little stronger.

Photo 5. Mature fruiting bodies of the northern honey fungus.

In terms of other characteristics - from the preferred forests to the timing of fruiting - this mushroom fully corresponds to the autumn honey fungus.

Autumn thick-legged honey fungus

It differs from the usual autumn honey fungus in having a thicker leg at the base, its color is almost identical, but at times it is somewhat lighter and paler, and sometimes with light scales instead of dark ones. In addition, this mushroom looks stronger and does not grow in large clusters, but throws out fruiting bodies in groups of no more than a dozen. Not seen on living trees; it feeds on rotting plant debris, so it can more often be found on windbreaks and forest floors.

Bears fruit from August to October- evenly, without “layers”. In particularly warm years, fruiting bodies may appear as early as July. It is edible and is not inferior in taste to ordinary autumn honey fungus.

Autumn bulbous honey fungus

It is very similar to the previous mushroom (as well as to other autumn mushrooms), especially with a stalk, which has a characteristic tuberous swelling at the very base - but usually those mushrooms that grow on trees, those that appear on the ground, have a “standard” stalk ", thin. However, the cap of the bulbous honey fungus is usually noticeably darker than the stem, and the color of the entire fruiting body is often quite bright, varying from brown to outright yellow tones.

The bulbous honey fungus bears fruit from August to September(the peak of fruiting occurs in the second month), usually appears in deciduous forests in a friendly layer on dead wood, old stumps and fairly rotten woody debris.

Photo 8. Young fruiting bodies of the bulbous honey fungus on mossy dead wood.

In terms of edibility, it is somewhat inferior to real honey fungus (this is especially true for frail fruiting bodies growing on the soil). Mushroom pickers who know a lot about honey mushrooms note that it is better to throw away the very bottom part of the stem - it is, as a rule, especially hard and has completely unsightly nutritional qualities.

Honey fungus shrinking

He is also an oak honey fungus, a ringless honey fungus. Another species from the genus of true honey mushrooms, preferring broad-leaved species to other trees. It is most often collected from oak trees, which is why it received one of its alternative names. It is also not called ringless for nothing - the fruiting bodies of the honey mushroom do not have a drying cover, so its stem is always without a ring, which greatly increases the chances of confusing this mushroom with false honey mushrooms, so only experienced mushroom pickers collect it.

Photo 0. Fruiting bodies of the shriveling honey fungus close-up.

However, the typical “honeycomb” hairiness of the fruiting body and the presence of scales on the cap are eloquent signs that make it clear that we are dealing with a representative of true honey mushrooms.

This mushroom bears fruit from July to October. In warm summers, fruiting bodies may appear earlier - as early as June.

In terms of taste, the shrinking honey mushroom corresponds to other real honey mushrooms.

Summer honey fungus

This mushroom, despite its considerable similarity, has nothing to do with real honey mushrooms. This is a representative of fungi with the unpronounceable name “Kyneromyces”. However, it is quite edible and is collected just as actively.

It grows on damaged living trees, but prefers rotten wood, and not just any wood, but deciduous wood (although sometimes this fungus is also observed on coniferous trees).

Photo 10. The lower surface of the cap of the summer honey fungus.

The summer honey fungus bears fruit virtually throughout the warm season - from April to November(and in countries with mild climates - all year round).

The size of the fruiting bodies of the summer honey fungus is slightly different than that of the autumn one - the cap does not grow more than 6 cm in diameter, the leg is also three centimeters shorter. The color is somewhat lighter, more yellowish. The main difference is a wide tubercle on the cap, very noticeable - usually light, but sometimes dark. In addition, the caps of summer honey mushrooms are often smooth, and if they have scales, they are light-colored.

This mushroom has a poisonous “double” (which will be discussed below in the chapter on the distinctive features of edible mushrooms from false and poisonous ones), so only experienced mushroom pickers collect it.

Winter honey fungus

This mushroom - despite the name, as well as some external resemblance to true honey mushrooms and the “habit” of growing on stumps and trees - is by no means a honey mushroom. To be honest, this is the most natural row.

Photo 12. Winter honey mushrooms - the lower surface of the caps.

But it is called “winter” for a reason - it is one of the few mushrooms of our latitudes that can develop at very low temperatures, close to zero.

Fruiting season of winter honey fungus - from late autumn to early spring.

It’s clear that in 40-degree frosts you won’t get a harvest from it - at this moment it will be in a state of suspended animation. But as soon as the thaw sets in, the mushroom instantly comes to life and throws out fruiting bodies, which can be seen even in the city - peeking out from under the snow - on ancient, well-worn poplars, or stumps - left over from them.

In addition to poplars, this fungus “occupies” willows, less often - other deciduous trees, mainly old or damaged ones, as well as everything that remains from their felling or windfall. It grows everywhere, from forests to parks and gardens, but it is especially abundant along the banks of small rivers and streams.

In warm winters, I often observe winter mushrooms in the yard of my house - on old poplars. Mushrooms look very unusual, dusted with snow.

Winter honey fungus is edible and has a very good taste, for which it is cultivated in Japan and Korea, and recently in some other countries. It is known throughout the world under the trade name “enokitake”; the youngest fruiting bodies, grown in the dark and devoid of pigment, similar to bunches of light “pins”, are sold.

Photo 14. Winter honey mushrooms grown on an artificial substrate - “enokitake”.

However, in our country it is not collected by all mushroom pickers: winter honey fungus is very similar to false honey mushrooms - it does not have a ring on the stem, and its color is just as bright. In addition, there is information that this mushroom may contain a small amount of toxins that cause digestive upset (for which it is always recommended to boil it first).

The cap is from 2 to 10 cm in diameter, convex in young fruiting bodies, flat in old ones, usually has a yellowish or orange-brown color, richer in the center, paler at the edges. The leg is up to 7 cm long, up to 1 cm in diameter, hollow inside, velvety, brownish-yellowish, lighter in the upper part.

Experienced mushroom pickers recognize and distinguish it without difficulty. The main feature is the time of growth. In winter, by definition, no false honey mushrooms can bear fruit, especially on trees, and winter honey mushrooms sometimes “climb” very high.

Honey fungus

Another fake honey fungus, which is directly related to non-rotting mushrooms. It is named honey mushroom only for its partial external resemblance to true honey mushrooms, but otherwise it is not at all similar to them.

Fresh fruiting bodies of the meadow honey fungus are usually small: the cap is on average 5 cm in diameter, the stem is 6 cm long, occasionally there are specimens with an 8-cm cap and a stem up to 10 cm. The color is ocher-brownish, depending on the weather: in the heat it is paler than at high humidity (in this case the cap also becomes sticky). The mushroom does not have a ring on the stem - which is why it is similar in appearance to some “toadstools”, so only experienced mushroom pickers collect it. However, in some places the meadow honey fungus is quite popular.

This mushroom avoids forests, preferring open spaces overgrown with grass, especially those where cows and other herbivores often graze, and the ground is well fertilized. The honey fungus is a typical saprophyte that feeds on organic debris.

Fruits almost the entire warm season - from the end of May to the end of October.

"Royal honey fungus" (hairy scale)

This example of the mushroom kingdom also has nothing to do with honey mushrooms. Nevertheless, among the people the nickname “royal honey fungus” has stuck to it, so I will still mention it.

It was called “royal” primarily for its appearance - the mushroom looks very impressive and photogenic, has a beautifully shaped bell-shaped cap and is completely covered with large scales, the pattern of which vaguely resembles a royal mantle.

As for the taste, the opinions of mushroom pickers are divided. Some consider this mushroom to be tasteless, while others, on the contrary, praise it and value it higher than the usual autumn mushroom. The fleecy scale has a distinct “rare” taste and smell.

“Royal honey fungus” grows in any forest - on stumps and trunks of old trees on rotting wood. Bears fruit from mid-August to late autumn.

About the places where honey mushrooms grow

It would seem that it is easier to find honey mushrooms than steamed turnips: purely logically, they should be in any forest in which their potential host plants grow. But in reality, everything turns out to be more complicated: we are surrounded by giant forests, but no matter where honey mushrooms are found in them, but only in special places - which are “registered” with seasoned mushroom pickers and are strictly classified.

If suddenly the bark is damaged, then a second means of defense comes into play - chemical substances that suppress the development of fungi (garden fungicides are a kind of analogue of these substances). Any plant secretes especially a lot of these substances at a young age - when it develops intensively.

Therefore, in places where the trees are young and healthy, honey mushrooms are unlikely to bear fruit; it most likely makes no sense to look for these mushrooms there.

But where the trees are old or damaged, where there are stumps, fallen trunks or dead wood, honey mushrooms, as a rule, develop with a bang and throw out their fruiting bodies quite quickly. If you want to find them, go to some old forest, for example, with huge birch trees, whose trunks are 80 centimeters in diameter. And pay attention to the butt and roots of these same trunks - if they are quite overgrown with moss and lichen, it means that all the necessary conditions for mushrooms have been met. Here honey mushrooms grow not only on the bark of old trees (sometimes “climbing” very high), but also on their roots, so they can often be seen not on the trunk, but right on the ground.

The next places where you can successfully collect honey mushrooms are clearings, and it doesn’t matter at all whether they are fresh or old. Although it has been noted that in ancient clearings honey mushrooms grow more intensively, the fact that the first fruiting bodies appear on stumps a little more than six months after logging is known for certain.

In places where tree felling occurred for natural reasons - from the wind, for example, honey mushrooms also appear quite quickly. Therefore, any areas of the forest littered with windfall also need to be inspected during collection.

From my own experience, I can also add the following: honey mushrooms (at least ours - the Ural ones) do not particularly like places well warmed by the sun. They definitely prefer shade and some coolness, so you should look for them on the northern slopes of the mountains, in logs or ravines, as well as in spruce forests mixed with other trees.

In such places, I often observed breathtaking accumulations of mushrooms that covered everything with an orange carpet - stumps, the base of trees, fallen trunks, and the forest floor. From one average stump it was possible to easily cut a whole basket of honey mushrooms.

The main thing is to be in such a place on time - when the fruiting bodies are still small, tender, and have not developed into “burdocks”, having become tough and inedible.

Important: how to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible and poisonous ones

With the autumn honey fungus (as with its other varieties) everything is simple: it has a ring on the stem, is most often decorated with a dark spot in the center of the cap, and almost always its fruiting body, especially the cap, is covered with dark scales. It also has a characteristic pleasant smell. Even if you want to, you can’t confuse it with the well-known false honey mushrooms.

However, another mushroom is somewhat similar to it - galerina fringed, containing dangerous toxins that are not inferior in power to the poison of the toadstool. It grows in almost the same places where edible honey mushrooms grow. It has a noticeable ring on the stem, however, it can be quickly distinguished by its absolutely monochromatic, smooth, often shiny cap.

A slightly different matter is the summer honey fungus. It is also difficult to confuse it with false honey mushrooms - thanks to the ring on the stalk, but it has a fair resemblance to the above-described galerina, especially with its young fruiting bodies.

Photo 17. Galerina fringed is a poisonous “double” of the summer honey fungus, the strength of its poison is not inferior to the pale grebe.

However, a very noticeable light tubercle on the cap of the summer honey fungus is the very first sign of its difference from the poisonous galerina. Also, seasoned mushroom pickers claim that no one has ever seen it in deciduous forests. That’s right - the galerina prefers to eat rotten coniferous wood.

Experts advise novice mushroom pickers not to collect summer honey mushrooms in coniferous forests or mixed with coniferous species.

The winter honey fungus does not have a ring on its leg, so it is virtually impossible to confuse it with the galerina, but it is easy to confuse it with false honey mushrooms. To identify him, you need some experience. Also, do not forget about the time of growth - when the winter honey fungus begins to bear fruit, the false honey mushrooms usually have already finished bearing fruit, and of course - in the middle of the cold season, especially in the spring, the winter honey fungus is the only mushroom found in our forests.

From all of the above, the only conclusion follows: Honey mushrooms should be collected only if you are absolutely sure that they are edible(and accordingly - in the presence of all the necessary signs of difference). If you have the slightest doubt, it is better to avoid them.

Autumn honey mushrooms begin to appear in forests towards the end of August. You can collect them throughout the first half of September. Autumn honey mushrooms grow in waves. Depending on weather conditions, there may be 2-3 waves of these mushrooms each year, with the first one usually being the most abundant. Another feature of the growth of autumn honey mushrooms is that they appear quickly and abundantly, and then just as abruptly disappear. Therefore, it is important for lovers of “silent hunting” not to miss the moment when the collection begins.

In what forests is this species found?

Autumn can be considered a cosmopolitan of our latitudes. It can be found in almost any forest that is more than 30 years old. Honey mushrooms grow on more than 200 species of trees. As a rule, these fungi appear in colonies on dry trunks, dead wood, stumps, roots and trunks of living plants. Most often, honey mushrooms are found on spruce and birch trees, a little less often they can be found on pines, aspens and oaks. - moderate strip. When they settle on dead wood, they destroy it. At the same time, the valuable elements from which it consists are returned to the biological one. In the same place, autumn honey mushrooms can be collected for up to 15 years in a row. After this period, the wood is completely destroyed by mycelium.

Autumn honey mushroom colonies grow very abundantly. From one stump you can collect several liters of these valuable mushrooms. Young honey mushrooms with an unopened cap are collected together with the stem. Only the caps of grown mushrooms are cut off. Their legs have no nutritional value.

There are many recipes for preparing these mushrooms. Honey mushrooms can be boiled, pickled, dried and salted, as well as fried. When picking mushrooms, you do not need to pull out their stems from the wood “by the roots”, so as not to damage the mycelium, which will delight you with a bountiful harvest next year.

Precautionary measures

However, when going into the forest, it is important to remember about precautions. Many have poisonous counterparts, so not a single year passes without poisoning. Before going into the forest, it is important to study the signs of not only the species that you plan to collect, but also similar ones that are better to skip. If you are not sure that this particular mushroom is definitely edible, there is no need to risk your health, it is better to leave it in the forest!

Myths about edible and poisonous mushrooms

You should not listen to “grandmother’s” advice on how to distinguish a poisonous mushroom from an edible one. For example, some people seriously believe that poisonous species are not eaten by forest animals or snails. You can see for yourself that this statement is wrong - even the pale grebe, which is fatal to humans, is eaten by slugs and insects without any problems for their lives. Another “sure-fire” way to make sure that forest products are edible is to heat a silver spoon (or onion) with them when cooking them.

They say that if they do not darken, this means that there is not a single poisonous mushroom among them. Of course, this is not true. Silver may darken, for example, from boletus, but will not change its color when heated with the same pale toadstool. You can check this yourself, but it’s still better not to conduct such experiments. There are also popular myths that mushrooms become poisonous if they grow near rusty iron or snake nests. Such stories should be treated as folklore, interesting as folk legends, but without practical value.

Do you need to know the signs of poisonous mushrooms?

No less ridiculous and dangerous are the beliefs of some optimistic people who believe that poisonous mushrooms are rare, so you shouldn’t bother yourself with their distinctive features. In fact, about 90 of these species can be found in our forests, and about 10 of them are fatal to us.

Of course, this does not mean that in order to avoid mushroom poisoning, you need to buy them only in grocery stores. The purpose of this article is to show the reader the importance of knowing not only tasty and edible species, but also the signs by which they can be distinguished from their poisonous counterparts.

Twin mushrooms of autumn honey fungus

In some ways, edible species may resemble poisonous ones. Moreover, there are quite a lot of similar cases. Among mushroom pickers, the pair “autumn honey fungus - a dangerous double” is known. The name of the inedible relative is false honey fungus. This is a generalized name for several species that have some similarities with autumn honey fungus. These mushrooms belong to the genera Hyfoloma and Psalitrella. Some of them are considered simply inedible, some are considered poisonous. Regarding certain species, there is still debate about whether they can be considered conditionally edible. But there is no clear evidence that a person who eats them will not harm himself. Therefore, it is better not to risk it and limit yourself to collecting only autumn honey mushrooms. Moreover, there are a lot of them in the forest during the season.

Where do inedible and poisonous look-alikes grow?

They grow in the same places as edible ones - on stumps, dead wood and living trees, so a novice mushroom picker can make a mistake. In order to be sure that the forest gifts you collect can be eaten, you need to know the signs of edible mushrooms and their dangerous counterparts.

Differences between false honey fungus and autumn honey fungus

The dangerous double can be easily distinguished from its edible relative.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the color of the cap. In the edible honey mushroom, it has a color from beige to yellowish-dark brown. Moreover, old mushrooms are usually darker than young ones. The parts of the caps that are protected from the sun are usually much lighter. The dangerous twin of the autumn honey fungus often has a bright, provocative color.

The second distinguishing feature is the color of the spores. In edible mushrooms they are white, so you can see a white coating on the caps of old mushrooms. This is what controversy is about. With their help, honey mushrooms disperse. The third thing to check is the presence of a membranous “skirt” on the leg of the honey mushroom. The autumn false honey fungus does not have it. This sign is the most important difference to pay attention to. The “skirt” of the autumn honey mushroom is the remnant of a protective blanket enveloping the young mushroom. The dangerous double of the autumn honey mushroom does not have such a cover.

The fourth difference that helps highlight the dangerous double of the autumn honey fungus is the color of the plates on the inside of the mushroom cap. In edible species, which are best not to deal with, the plates are yellow if the mushroom is young, and greenish-olive in old ones. Autumn mushrooms are characterized by cream, beige or light yellow coloration of the plates.

The fifth difference is the surface of the mushroom cap. In autumn mushrooms it is covered with small scales. Moreover, their color is usually darker than the cap itself. But old mushrooms lose their scales and become smooth. True, such overgrown mushrooms no longer have any nutritional value, so mushroom pickers are not interested in them.

The sixth sign that will help you distinguish an edible mushroom is its smell. Autumn honey mushrooms smell pleasant, but the smell of false honey mushrooms smells like mold.

Conclusion

Knowledge of these signs will be enough to be able to distinguish the autumn honey fungus. A photo of a mushroom will help you avoid mistakes. But it’s even better to take with you an experienced expert who will show you what autumn honey mushrooms look like. Once you see them with your own eyes, it will be difficult to confuse them with any other species. But even an old woman can get screwed, so don’t forget the main rule of mushroom pickers: “If you’re not sure, don’t take it.”

For many mushroom pickers, the favorite subject of hunting is the autumn honey fungus. But there may also be some dangers for newcomers to this business. The thing is that there are a huge number of species of honey mushrooms. Some of them are so inconspicuous that they are most often mistaken for toadstools. But dangerous false mushrooms look very nice, so an inexperienced mushroom picker may end up in a basket, and then on the table. Therefore, before you go mushroom hunting, you need to collect as much information as possible. This will allow you to take tasty and healthy mushrooms, and leave dangerous ones in the forest.

What does a mushroom look like?

As for mushrooms such as honey mushrooms, the description allows you to recognize these gifts of the forest without much difficulty. They grow on flexible and thin legs, which often reach a height of 15 cm. The color can be light brown, honey, brown or dark. It all depends on how old the honey fungus is and where it grows.

Some species have a skirt on the leg. But this sign does not at all mean that there is a normal mushroom in the basket. Some edible honey mushrooms may not have such decoration, but toadstools sometimes have skirts.

The mushroom cap is round and may look like half a ball. It is covered with small scales. Old mushrooms often open like umbrellas. And the surface of the cap becomes smooth. The color can range from light to dark brown. Sometimes reddish mushrooms are found. It all depends on where honey mushrooms grow and their age.

Where to look?

When experienced mushroom pickers go hunting for honey mushrooms, they always know what area they need to look for first. It is worth noting that if you are lucky enough to find one area with honey mushrooms, then you must definitely look nearby. They are capable of “capturing” considerable territories. Sometimes a whole basket is collected from one stump.

Without leaving the spot...

Honey mushrooms feel good in lowlands, and most often they can be found near old trees, on stumps and even on broken branches that lie around on their own. However, these are far from the only habitats of these fungi. Some species prefer open clearings with a few bushes, meadows and forest edges.

Hemp mushrooms delight mushroom pickers almost all over the world. They are found in the subtropics and throughout the Northern Hemisphere, except for areas with permafrost.

It is worth noting that there are a huge number of species of honey mushrooms. Many of them are edible, but there are also some that should not be eaten. Each species differs in appearance and place of growth.

Types and varieties

One of the most popular varieties of honey mushrooms, which are found among hobbyists in baskets, are summer ones, which are sometimes called linden. These are edible mushrooms that grow in huge colonies on old deciduous trees. They love rotten and damaged wood. Mushrooms are small; as a rule, they do not grow more than 7 cm in height. The diameter of the leg can reach 1 cm. A young summer honey fungus will have a semicircular cap, but as it grows it opens. The color of the upper part is dark brown, and the diameter reaches 6 cm.

Summer mushrooms can be found mainly in deciduous forests with high humidity. They begin to appear in April and grow throughout the summer and fall. But in regions with warm climates they can be found all year round. When collecting these mushrooms you need to be careful, as they are very similar to the poisonous Galerina fringe.

The height of the leg reaches 10 cm with a diameter of 2 cm. There is a slight expansion in the lower part. The color of the stem changes from light honey to dark brown. The mushroom cap is large. In an old mushroom, it can be opened up to 17 cm. In addition, there is a white skirt, which is located directly under the plates. The color of the upper part very much depends on the location of the mushroom. Light honey mushrooms live on poplars, dark brown ones live on oaks, and reddish ones live on coniferous trees.

The appearance of the first autumn species can be expected at the end of August. They are found in places with high humidity. Autumn honey mushrooms grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The only exception is areas with permafrost.

There are also winter mushrooms. They grow on old and fallen trees. Most often they can be found on poplar or willow. The stem of the winter mushroom is small, so it rarely reaches a height of 7 cm and a diameter of 1 cm. This species has a dense texture of light-colored pulp. The cap opens up to 10 cm, and its color is yellow, brown or orange. A distinctive feature of winter species is the rare arrangement of the plates. These mushrooms do not have skirts.

Winter mushrooms are found in forests in the Northern Hemisphere. They grow in late autumn and stop bearing fruit only in the spring. Often mushrooms can be found in the form of fused groups. It is difficult to find winter mushrooms under the snow, so experienced mushroom pickers go hunting for them during thaws. The preparation of this product should be as careful as possible. It is believed that winter species contain a small dose of toxins, but with careful heat treatment the fungus can be completely neutralized.

Meadow mushrooms, also called meadow mushrooms and clove mushrooms, are an edible product that can be found in meadows, forest edges and other open places. Beginners rarely pay attention to them, although they occur very often. They can even be found in gardens and cottages. Honey mushrooms grow on the ground and form even rows or semicircles. A distinctive feature of meadow grass is its curved leg. These mushrooms are short and very thin. They can be identified by the presence of a small tubercle on the cap.

The color of meadow grasses changes frequently. In good weather, the mushrooms are light in color, but after rain they can turn dark brown with a reddish tint. They don't have skirts.

As for taste, such mushrooms can give off spices. That's why they are often called cloves. Meadows grow all summer. They can be found in the territory from Spain to Japan. Even during severe drought, these mushrooms are able to survive. After they get moisture again, they recover and grow further.

When collecting these mushrooms you need to be very careful. Beginning mushroom pickers often confuse meadow mushrooms with wood-loving collibia. It is not recommended to eat it, as this mushroom contains toxins. A distinctive feature of collibia is its hollow leg, which is much thicker than that of the meadow honey fungus. Meadows can be confused with the furrowed talker. This is a poisonous mushroom, which is distinguished by the presence of a powdery coating on the plates.

This type of mushroom always has a skirt. It is light and located directly under the cap. The diameter of the upper part can reach 10 cm. Young mushrooms most often have a cone-shaped cap, which is tucked towards the bottom. Old honey mushrooms have a flat top covered with a small amount of brown scales. A distinctive feature of thick-legged mushrooms is the frequent arrangement of plates. Initially they are light, but darken over time.

There are several other types of similar mushrooms. Some of them are edible and very tasty, for example the spruce honey fungus. But they are quite rare and only on certain types of wood. For example, it is quite difficult to find the mucous honey fungus, which grows only on fallen beeches. In addition, there are species that grow exclusively on coniferous trees.

In the forest you can also find completely unusual species. As an example, we can take mushrooms, which have a persistent smell of garlic. That’s what they call them – garlic mushrooms. They come in several types that differ in size.

Useful properties of honey mushrooms

These gifts of the forest are highly valued by real mushroom pickers. Honey mushrooms are not only easy to collect, but also simple to cook. They do not require special cleaning and have excellent taste. Honey mushrooms are great for frying and pickling.

But it is worth noting the high nutritional value of these mushrooms. First of all, this product is recommended for those who watch their figure. Honey mushrooms are considered low-calorie, but at the same time contain a considerable amount of useful elements.

The pulp of mushrooms contains vitamins C, E, B and PP. In addition, honey mushrooms are rich in potassium, zinc, phosphorus and iron. They contain fiber, protein and natural sugar, which does not harm the body.

Honey mushrooms are a low-calorie product

Nutritionists note that in terms of the number of useful elements, honey mushrooms can compete with many well-known products that have always been considered leaders. For example, they contain the same amount of potassium and phosphorus as river fish. That is why this product is recommended for people who do not eat meat. Mushrooms will help the body get all the necessary elements in sufficient quantities, but at the same time not deviate from its principles.

In addition, honey mushrooms contain magnesium, zinc and iron. Therefore, the use of this product has a positive effect on the process of hematopoiesis. Honey mushrooms are recommended for those who suffer from anemia.

Just 100 g of this useful product per day makes it possible to fully provide the adult body with all the necessary substances and vitamins to keep hemoglobin at a normal level. But different types of honey mushrooms can differ significantly in nutritional value. Some mushrooms are good for hair and nails, while others have a beneficial effect on hormonal levels and thyroid function. It is believed that consuming honey mushrooms will be a good prevention of cancer.

There are no significant contraindications to the use of these mushrooms. However, children under 12 years of age should not eat honey mushrooms, like any other products of this type.

Small mushrooms with round caps appear in friendly groups on green meadows or stumps. Fragrant and generous in harvest, honey mushrooms have a delicate taste and are suitable for a variety of mushroom dishes. They are successfully salted, pickled, boiled and roasted. A few small fragrant mushrooms will flavor potato soup or pasta, making the simplest dish original, satisfying and healthy.

Types of mushrooms

There are several species that differ in time and place of growth, as well as taste and appearance.

Autumn honey mushrooms (real) (Armillaria mellea)

Groups of autumn or true honey mushrooms can be found in late summer and early autumn on stumps and living trees, most often on birch, less often on aspens, maples and other deciduous trees.

This most delicious and aromatic species is quite large and is characterized by a rounded cap with a diameter of 5–12 cm, initially convex and then wide, which becomes smooth, prostrate, and brown in color with age. The young skin is light brown and as if sprinkled with dark scaly crumbs.

The leg is slender, up to 10 cm high, with a typical white ring, the color is light cream at the top and darker at the base. The plates are white, the flesh has a pleasant sourish, slightly tart taste.

Early small mushrooms with an orange-brown cap and a noticeable watery area in the center appear on trees from the end of May until late autumn. The cap, up to 5 cm in diameter, opens over time and sheds the lower cover. The leg is thin, hollow, up to 6 cm high with a dark ring.

Mushrooms grow together in colonies and sit tightly on damaged wood of deciduous trees. The plates are creamy-brown, the flesh is brownish-red, fragile, with a subtle smell of fresh wood. The fruit body is slightly bitter and can only be used boiled.

Flocks of sunny meadow mushrooms appear among meadow grass, on the edges and along forest clearings, starting in May, and disappear by the end of summer. The cap is small, about 3 cm in diameter, with a slight elevation in the center, and the skin is beige-orange. The leg is thin, up to 7 cm high. The plates are creamy, sparse, the flesh is yellowish, with a pleasant sweetish taste.

Colonies often form in the form of circles, leaving an empty bald spot in the center. In the old days, this phenomenon was called witch circles. In fact, the explanation is simple - ripe spores throw out long thin web-like threads in all directions, at the ends of which fruiting bodies rise along the entire circumference. There are few nutrients left in the center of the mushroom clearing, so the grass does not grow there and dries out, forming small round wastelands.

Even during winter thaws, under the snow on old poplars or willows, you can find beautiful, even caps of winter mushrooms. They are medium in size, up to 8 cm in diameter, the skin color is ocher-brown, slippery and smooth in damp weather, and glossy in dry weather. The leg is hollow, velvety, about 6 cm high, noticeably darkening towards the base, changing color from light brown at the top to dark brown or burgundy at the bottom. Thin pulp of cream color, neutral taste, with a subtle mushroom aroma, creamy plates, frequent.

Winter mushrooms are good boiled, pickled and in pickles. It’s amazingly pleasant to collect these gifts of nature from under the snow in the cold season. The species is cultivated on an industrial scale and is known under the names "inoki" and "enokitake".

Places of distribution and time of collection

In mid-May, a harmonious mushroom dance begins summer honey mushrooms, they are sometimes called spring ones. The species is found until the beginning of September, quite often among humid forests, appearing in large colonies on deciduous wood. It is advisable to collect them by cutting off the caps alone, since the hollow thin stem is hard, fibrous, and has no nutritional value.

At the end of May they appear singly or even in groups. meadow mushrooms, which flash a warm yellow-brown color among the grass in forest clearings, pastures, along paths and ravines. Harvests can be harvested before the beginning of autumn.

The end of August and the time of the first drizzling rains is the time to collect real or autumn mushrooms. It is easier to find them on birch and aspen wood - on stumps and old trees. These perky mushrooms are collected until late autumn. The frost can already silver the grass, but they are still visible on the stumps.

In mid-September the first winter mushrooms, appearing in fused groups on fallen trees and stumps of poplars, willows and maples. Their appearance is a sign of a weakened or old tree. You can find them in forests, parks, old orchards, and artificial plantings. Fruiting bodies are collected not only throughout the fall before the onset of winter and severe frosts, but also during winter thaws, until the arrival of the real May warmth.

False honey mushrooms

Everyone enjoys honey mushrooms - productive, tasty, fragrant mushrooms that can be collected all year round. But there is one significant drawback - the presence of similar species, which at best are classified as conditionally edible, and at worst, poisonous. The danger is aggravated by the fact that some look-alikes are not only very similar, but also grow next to edible mushrooms, literally on the same stump.

The most dangerous of the doubles, a very poisonous species. The cap is thin, up to 6 cm in diameter, mustard-yellow in color, reminiscent of sulfur, with a darkening center - brown or burgundy. Young mushrooms have a convex cap, while old mushrooms have a wide-spread cap. The plates are fused with the stalk, yellow-brown, later brown. The leg is hollow, curved, greenish, dark underneath. The pulp is poisonous-bitter, with a disgusting odor, yellowish in color. It is this bitter wormwood taste that prevents serious poisoning.

You can find groups of these mushrooms from the end of June until September, in places where edible species grow. In addition to their poisonous color, bitterness and unpleasant odor, false mushrooms can be distinguished by the color of the spores: the sulfur-yellow false mushroom has greenish spores, the summer mushrooms have brown spores, and the autumn mushrooms have white spores. However, twins grown on coniferous wood may not have spores at all.

A noticeable difference between real honey mushrooms is the presence of a ring or “skirt” - the remnants of a discarded cover, which is not present in false species.

Appears in small colonies on rotting wood in late summer and early autumn. The cap has a large tubercle in the center, light yellow or cream, up to 6 cm in diameter, covered with whitish flakes along the edge.

The pulp is fragile, thin, whitish-yellow, at first the plates are dirty white, grayish, and become purple with age. The legs are thin, brittle, yellow at the top, brown at the bottom, fused at the base. The species is classified as conditionally edible.

The bright mushroom forms large colonies, visible from afar with its red tones. The caps are shiny, reddish-red in color, the light edges are sprinkled with grayish flakes. The pulp is mustard yellow and bitter. Appears in late autumn on the stumps of deciduous trees, most often oak and beech.

The fruit bodies are suitable for consumption, but due to the bitter taste they require boiling twice with changing water.

Another name is watery psatirella, and there is no consensus on its use - sometimes the mushroom is considered inedible, and in other cases conditionally edible. The cap is 3–5 cm in diameter, slightly convex or prostrate, with cracked, thinned edges. The skin is glossy, brown, with aging it lightens from the center and becomes creamy; there are flaky remains of a blanket on the edges. The spores are brown-violet.

The pulp is brown in color and has a characteristic watery consistency, neutral taste, sometimes with a slight bitterness, and odorless. The stem is up to 8 cm tall, hollow, often curved, covered in the upper part with a weak powdery coating.

Appears in the autumn months in damp places near trees or on stumps, remains of wood, both deciduous and coniferous. Sometimes it develops in the form of large colonies.

This mushroom is a close relative of the previous species and is also known as Psatirella Candolla. The cap is slightly convex, then spread, up to 8 cm in diameter, with wrinkles running radially from the center to the edges, drying, becoming white or cream. The skin is brownish in color; in young mushrooms it is covered with scales, which disappear with age. The pulp is thin, brittle, tasteless with a slight mushroom aroma. The spores are brownish-purple.

Psatirella Kandolla grows from late spring to early autumn, in groups on the wood of deciduous trees and near stumps. Its use as food is controversial - the mushroom is considered conditionally edible or inedible. Connoisseurs find it quite tasty when soaked, boiled, and then used for marinades and frying.

All of the listed conditionally edible species are boiled for a long time before consumption, changing the water several times, and only then used for food.

Beneficial features

Honey mushrooms are recognized as tasty, aromatic mushrooms and, being productive and affordable, are readily collected by mushroom pickers. The fruiting bodies contain easily digestible proteins, including valuable amino acids. At the same time, they have a low calorie content - only 18–20 kcal per 100 g of finished product and can be successfully used as a source of valuable nutrients when losing weight.

Honey mushrooms are rich in microelements useful for the hematopoietic system - zinc and copper; just 100 g of these mushrooms will satisfy the daily need for these elements. They contain B vitamins, especially a lot of thiamine, and ascorbic acid, which have a positive effect on the immune system and nervous system.

The anti-cancer substance flammulin, which has an inhibitory effect on the development of sarcoma, was discovered in winter mushrooms.

In the tissues of honey fungus, researchers found antibacterial compounds that slow down the development of Staphylococcus aureus and other virulent microorganisms.

Contraindications for use

Honey mushrooms of various types are grown on an industrial scale on wood waste or straw, considered a healthy food product, and in some countries a delicacy.

And yet, consumption is associated with risks for people suffering from inflammatory processes of the stomach and pancreas.

Contraindications for use are diseases of the liver and gallbladder, including its resection.

Improperly prepared, undercooked mushroom dishes without sufficient heat treatment can cause digestive upset and allergic reactions.

Mushroom products should not be included in the diet of children under three years of age, pregnant or lactating women.

Recipes for dishes and preparations

Before processing, mushrooms are thoroughly washed and cleaned. In most cases, the legs have no nutritional value (except for autumn mushrooms) and are therefore removed. To successfully wash fragile caps, they are immersed in a colander and repeatedly dipped into a basin of clean water, which is changed as they become dirty.

Pickled autumn mushrooms

For 1 kg of autumn mushrooms take 50 g of salt, 20 g of dill - herbs and seeds, 20 g of onion, allspice and bay leaf to taste.

Mushrooms are poured with boiling salted water and boiled for 20 minutes, and after cooking, drained in a colander. First, pour a thin layer of a mixture of dill with pepper and salt into the prepared container. After cooling, the workpiece is placed in a container in rows 5–6 cm thick, sprinkling each layer with a mixture of salt and spices, as well as finely chopped onions.

The pickles are covered with a piece of cloth on top, pressed down with a circle and a weight, and taken out to a cool place, making sure that the brine completely covers them, which should happen in a few days. The food is ready in two weeks, after which it is stored in the refrigerator.

Frozen honey mushrooms

One of the best ways to preserve the nutritional value of mushrooms for a long time is to freeze them. This is a simple and labor-intensive method that allows you to postpone the cooking process until the winter period, which is free from work. Before freezing, mushrooms are cleaned, washed and dried. Then the workpiece is placed in portioned plastic bags or plastic containers and placed in the freezer.

This frozen product can be stored deep frozen at -18°C until the next harvest. Having taken a portion out of the freezer, they immediately begin cooking without waiting for complete defrosting.

Canned honey mushrooms

Freshly collected caps are suitable for preservation. They are washed and filled with cold water at the rate of 200 g of water per 1 kg of mushrooms. Then cook over low heat until the juice begins to release, after which continue cooking for another half hour, skimming off the foam and stirring frequently. Salt the preparation to taste, add a little citric acid - 1 g per 1 kg of mushrooms.

Bay leaves, black pepper and allspice are placed at the bottom of the jars. The boiling caps are placed in jars and filled with mushroom broth. Preservation is sterilized for at least 40 minutes.

Video about honey mushrooms

A variety of honey mushrooms, growing compactly near stumps and among lush meadow grass, are healthy, nutritious and tasty. They are suitable for preparations, first and second courses, and contain valuable antibacterial substances, vitamins and minerals. A knowledgeable mushroom picker will not ignore these small fragrant mushrooms, and there will always be a place for them in the basket, next to the noble boletuses and bright saffron milk caps.

However, if you confuse the summer honey fungus with the autumn one, this will not have unpleasant consequences, since the summer honey fungus is an edible mushroom. True, in terms of taste and nutritional qualities it is classified only in the IV category, and the autumn honey fungus - in the III category.

How to distinguish summer honey fungus from autumn one?

1 season

If autumn honey mushrooms appear only during the cooling period - at the end of August (usually in two or three waves with intervals of 15-20 days), then summer ones can be found already at the beginning of summer - in June. Both summer and autumn honey mushrooms bear fruit until October.

2. Ecology

Summer honey fungus grows on rotten wood and damaged trees. Rarely found on living tree trunks. He prefers deciduous trees, especially birch. Almost never found on coniferous trees.

Thus, as you have already noticed, neither the time nor the place of growth can be clear signs by which summer mushrooms can be distinguished from autumn ones: both of them can be found in the fall in the same places.

So, maybe they can be easily distinguished by their appearance? Not always, especially when it comes to old mushrooms. It is not for nothing that the summer honey fungus is called Kuehneromyces mutabilis - Kuehneromyces changeable. In dry weather, it loses many of its characteristics, and then it can be confused with literally all mushrooms growing in similar conditions. So, for example, it is advised to distinguish between summer and autumn honey mushrooms by the cap: in the summer honey mushroom it is two-colored and as if saturated with water, with a darker “wet” stripe along the outer edge of the cap; in young mushrooms it is yellowish-brown, in old ones it is rusty-brown. However, in dry weather, the caps of summer honey mushrooms will be dry.

In autumn honey mushrooms, the color is never aggressive. They are painted in delicate, pastel colors: they vary from light brown and beige to dark brown with a yellowish tint.

Summer honey mushrooms (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)

Autumn honey mushrooms are larger in size than summer ones: the diameter of the cap of an autumn honey mushroom varies from 5 to 10 cm, but can reach the size of a saucer - 15 cm. The caps of summer honey mushrooms have a diameter of 2 to 8 cm. In young autumn honey mushrooms, the surface of the caps and legs is completely covered flocculent scales.

Autumn honey mushrooms (Armillariella mellea)

Summer and autumn honey mushrooms differ in the color of their spores. The autumn honey fungus has white spores, and therefore the caps of old honey mushrooms are covered with white “mold” - this is a spore coating. The summer honey fungus has brown spores. There are so many of them that the surface under old summer honey mushrooms becomes covered with a brown coating. It also happens that the caps of honey mushrooms of the “lower tier” are covered with a brown layer of spore powder from the upper mushrooms, and it seems as if they are rotten. However, the color of spores can only be determined in old mushrooms.

Finally, there is an important warning regarding the summer honey fungus: due to its extreme variability, it can be similar to a number of poisonous mushrooms. Moreover, there are no universal signs by which one could accurately distinguish summer honey fungus from these mushrooms. One of the most dangerous doubles of the summer honey fungus is the marginata (Galerina marginata), as poisonous as the pale grebe. It grows only on coniferous trees. Therefore, to avoid accidents, do not collect honey mushrooms in coniferous forests and on the stumps of coniferous trees and never forget about the rule “If you’re not sure, don’t take it!”

Galerina bordered (Galerina marginata)

And in dry weather, summer honey fungus can easily be confused with false honey mushrooms - sulfur-yellow (Hypholoma fasciculare), brick-red (Hypholoma osublateium) and gray-plated (Hypholoma capnoides). True, unlike edible ones, false mushrooms do not have a pleasant mushroom smell, but only an experienced mushroom picker can distinguish mushrooms by this characteristic. To reduce the likelihood of mistakes, do not collect old summer mushrooms that no longer look like themselves!