What early mushrooms look like. Honey mushrooms: description of edible and inedible species, place of growth. Is it possible to grow summer mushrooms on a personal plot

Honey mushroom Is an edible forest mushroom that is often found in deciduous forests.

Honey mushrooms many mushroom pickers fell in love: it is pleasant to collect them, because they grow in large groups; from honey agarics prepare aromatic and tasty dishes, pickle for the winter.

Let's consider in detail: types of honey agarics description and photo, the benefits and harms of mushrooms, when to collect and how to cook mushrooms.

Its name honey fungus(translated from Latin "bracelet") received because of the peculiar form of mushroom growth - in the form of a ring.

Most often honey agarics can be found on stumps in whole families, in coniferous and deciduous forests. Mushrooms prefer to grow on any rotten wood and rotten stumps.

Honey mushrooms can be found not only under trees, but also in meadows, forest edges and under bushes.

Honey mushrooms are easy to recognize, they have a long, thin leg up to 12-15 cm long. The color varies from light yellow to dark brown, depending on the place of growth and age.

Most honey agarics have "Skirt"... The hat is round in shape, rounded down, the lower side with pronounced plates.

The color of the cap ranges from light cream to reddish brown. Hat of young honey agarics covered with small scales, becomes smoother with age.

Each species of honey agaric has its own specific differences, it all depends on the place of growth and age.

Honey mushrooms are useful in food, they are considered a low-calorie product. The honey agaric contains not only minerals and vitamins, but also thiamine, which is responsible for the nervous system and reproductive function.

Of the useful substances that make up honey agaric, the following can be distinguished: trace elements(potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and others); vitamins groups B, C, PP and E; amino acids; cellulose; proteins.

In folk medicine, honey mushrooms are known for their antiviral and anticancer action on the human body, is often used in the treatment of the thyroid gland and liver pathologies. Honey mushrooms are excellent remove toxins and toxins from the body, have a positive effect on the processes of hematopoiesis.

100 g of honey agaric contains the daily norm of trace elements to maintain normal hemoglobin. Regular use of honey mushrooms will prevent development cardiovascular disease.

Honey mushrooms will not bring any harm to a person if they have undergone preliminary training before cooking.

Contraindications to the use of honey agarics

Remember that mushrooms are hard food to digest, so do not gorge on mushrooms at night... Excessive consumption of honey agaric can lead to diarrhea. You should not give honey agarics to children younger. 12 years.

Types of honey agarics

From a large number of edible species of honey agarics. 4 main ones can be distinguished, most often collected by mushroom pickers.

An edible mushroom that grows in large colonies, mainly on rotten and damaged wood in deciduous forests. The hat of this species is brown honey agaric, after the rain it becomes transparent.

Honey agarics have caps with a diameter of 3-8 mm, the center is lighter than the edges. Honey mushroom up to 9 cm high, the leg is light with a ringlet, over time only a strip remains from it. Below the ring is a leg with scales.

The first mushrooms can be found from June and they bear fruit until the end of August.

These mushrooms have a high leg up to 10 cm, yellowish with white bloom, dense in length, slightly widened downwards. Over time, the leg thickens.

The size of the cap is from 3 to 7 mm in diameter, light yellow in color, in damp weather it becomes yellowish brown. The edges of the cap are lighter than the center. Below are light, rare plates.

They begin to bear fruit from June to autumn frosts.

You can find mushrooms in meadows, fields, summer cottages, ravines and forest edges. Honey mushrooms grow in arched rows.

A popular type of honey agaric, it is large in size. Mushroom on a stem 8-10 cm long with a slight thickening at the very bottom. The leg thickness is up to 2 cm. You can see a pronounced ring under the cap itself.

The hats are large, on average 3-10 cm (sometimes up to 15-17 cm). Light yellow plates, rare.

Young mushrooms are covered with scales on the surface. The color of the cap depends on the type of trees on which the mushrooms grow - from light to brown colors.

Honey mushrooms begin to bear fruit from the end of August and finish in October.

Honey mushrooms can be found on damaged and old deciduous trees, mainly poplars and willows.

The leg is 2-7 cm high, up to 1 cm thick, velvety brown.

There is no ring under the cap on the leg. The cap reaches a diameter of up to 10 cm, from yellow to brownish-orange color. The plates are white, rare. The pulp is white or yellowish.

Honey mushrooms can be found in thawed patches and even under the snow, from autumn to spring.

If you are an inexperienced mushroom picker, always follow the rule: "Not sure - don't take it", it is better not to risk the health of your own and loved ones.

The main differences are: the caps of inedible mushrooms are brighter, they can be brick red, rusty brown or orange, while edible mushrooms are light beige or brownish in color.

The most dangerous are false mushrooms of sulfur-yellow color.

Also the surface of the cap of edible mushrooms scaly, a darker color than the color of the cap.

False mushrooms always have a smooth surface of the cap, most often damp, and after the passage of rain, the surface becomes sticky.

Lovers of overgrown honey agaric should take into account the moment that the scales disappear as the mushrooms grow.

Edible mushrooms always have white, cream, pink plates on the underside of the cap, and in false honey agarics they quickly darken, have green, olive-black shades.

There are edible mushrooms on the leg "Skirt" made of film located under the hat, false agarics do not have it - the main difference which should always be guided by.

Real mushrooms have mushroom aroma, poisonous mushrooms give off mold, earth.

Small mushrooms with round caps appear in friendly groups on green meadows or stumps. Fragrant honey mushrooms, generous for the harvest, 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 spice up potato soup or pasta, making the simplest dish original, hearty and healthy.

Types of honey agarics

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

Autumn mushrooms (real) (Armillaria mellea)

Groups of autumn or real 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 species.

This, the most delicious and fragrant species, is rather large and is characterized by a rounded hat 5–12 cm in diameter, initially convex, and then wide, which becomes smooth, open, and brown 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, light cream at the top, darker at the base. The plates are white, the pulp has a pleasant sourish, slightly tart taste.

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

Mushrooms grow together in a colony, sit tightly on damaged deciduous wood. The plates are creamy brown, the flesh is brownish-red, fragile, with a delicate 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 hat is small, about 3 cm in diameter, with a slight elevation in the center, and a beige-orange skin. The leg is thin, up to 7 cm high. The plates are creamy, rare, the flesh is yellowish, with a pleasant sweetish taste.

Colonies often form in circles, leaving an empty patch in the center. In the old days, this phenomenon was called witch's circles. In fact, the explanation is simple - ripe spores throw out long thin cobweb-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, dries up, forming small round wastelands.

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

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

Distribution locations and collection times

In mid-May, a slender mushroom dance begins summer mushrooms, they are sometimes called spring. The species occurs up to 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 some of the caps, since the hollow thin stem is tough, fibrous, and does not represent nutritional value.

At the end of May, singly, or even in groups, appear meadow mushrooms that burst into warm yellow-brown color among the grass in forest glades, pastures, along paths and ravines. The crops can be harvested before the beginning of autumn.

The end of August and the time of the first drizzling rain is the time to collect real or autumn honey agarics... It is easier to find them on the wood of birches and aspens - on stumps and old trees. These perky mushrooms are harvested until late autumn. Frost can already silver the grass, but they are still visible on the stumps.

In mid-September, the first winter mushrooms, appearing as accrete groups on the 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, artificial plantations. Fruit bodies are harvested not only throughout the autumn until the onset of winter and severe frosts, but also during the winter thaws, until the arrival of the real May heat.

False mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are good for everyone - fruitful, tasty, fragrant mushrooms that can be harvested for a whole year. 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 twins 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. Thinned hat, up to 6 cm in diameter, mustard yellow, reminiscent of the color of sulfur, with a darkening center - brown or burgundy. In young mushrooms, the cap is convex, in old ones it is widely spread. The plates are fused with the stem, yellow-brown, later brown. The leg is hollow, curved, greenish, below the dark shade. The pulp is poisonous and bitter, with a disgusting odor, yellowish in color. It is this bitter wormwood taste that prevents serious poisoning.

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

A noticeable difference between real honey agarics is the presence of a ring or "skirt" - the remains of a discarded veil, which is not present in false species.

Appears in small colonies on decaying wood in late summer and early autumn. A cap with 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 off-white, grayish, with age they turn purple. Legs are thin, brittle, yellow at the top, brown at the bottom, grow together at the base. The species is classified as conditionally edible.

The bright fungus forms large colonies, visible from afar for its red tones. The caps are shiny, reddish-red in color, the light edges are strewn with grayish flakes. The pulp is mustard yellow, bitter. Appears in late autumn on hardwood stumps, more often oak and beech.

Fruiting bodies are suitable for human consumption, but because of the bitter taste, it requires boiling twice with a change of water.

Another name is psatirella watery, and there is no consensus about its use - sometimes the mushroom is considered inedible, and in other cases it is conditionally edible. The hat is 3-5 cm in diameter, slightly convex or outstretched, with cracked thinned edges. The skin is glossy, brown, with aging it brightens from a cent and becomes creamy, on the edges there are flocculent residues of the bedspread. The spores are brownish-purple.

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

Appears in the autumn months in damp places near trees or on stumps, the remains of both deciduous and coniferous wood. 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 outstretched, up to 8 cm in diameter, with wrinkles running radially from the center to the edges, when it dries, it becomes white or creamy. The skin is brownish, in young mushrooms it is covered with scales, which disappear with age. The pulp is thin, brittle, tasteless with a light mushroom aroma. Spores are brownish purple.

Psatirella Candolla grows from late spring to early autumn, in groups on the wood of deciduous trees and near stumps. Food use is controversial - the mushroom is considered conditionally edible or inedible. Connoisseurs find it quite tasty by steeping, boiling, and then using for marinades and frying.

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

Beneficial features

Honey mushrooms are recognized as tasty, aromatic mushrooms and, being fruitful and affordable, are eagerly collected by mushroom pickers. The structure of fruit bodies includes 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 for weight loss.

Honey mushrooms are rich in trace elements useful for the hematopoietic system - zinc and copper, only 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 the nervous system.

In the composition of winter mushrooms, the anti-cancer substance flammulin was found, which has a depressing effect on the development of sarcoma.

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

Contraindications to use

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

Yet eating is associated with risks for people with stomach and pancreatic inflammation.

Contraindications to use - diseases of the liver and gallbladder, including its resection.

Improperly cooked, undercooked mushroom dishes without sufficient heat treatment can cause indigestion and allergic reactions.

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

Recipes for dishes and preparations

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

Pickles from autumn mushrooms

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

The mushrooms are poured with boiling salted water and boiled for 20 minutes, and after cooking they are thrown into a colander. A thin layer of a mixture of dill, pepper and salt is poured into the previously 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.

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

Frozen mushrooms

Freezing is one of the best ways to preserve the nutritional value of mushrooms. This is a simple and not labor-intensive method that allows you to postpone the cooking process for a winter free from work. Before freezing, the 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 next harvest. Having taken out a portion from the freezer, they immediately start cooking, without waiting for complete defrosting.

Canned mushrooms

Freshly harvested caps are suitable for preservation. They are washed and poured with cold water at the rate of 200 g of water per 1 kg of mushrooms. Then they boil over low heat until the juice starts to evolve, after which they continue cooking for another half hour, removing the foam and stirring often. Salt the workpiece to taste, add a little citric acid - 1 g per 1 kg of mushrooms.

Bay leaves, black and allspice pepper are placed on the bottom of the cans. Boiling hats are laid out in jars and poured with mushroom broth. Preservation is sterilized for at least 40 minutes.

Video about mushrooms

Various mushrooms, compactly growing near stumps and among lush meadow grass, are useful, nutritious and tasty. They are suitable for preparations, first and second courses, contain valuable antibacterial substances, vitamins and minerals. A knowledgeable mushroom picker will not ignore these small fragrant mushrooms, and there is always a place for them in the basket, near the noble boletus and bright mushrooms.

How to recognize edible mushrooms and what types of honey agarics exist.

Edible and inedible mushrooms - how not to be mistaken, what places "prefer for habitation" and how to grow a mushroom crop in a summer cottage? Read about this in the article.

Varieties of edible honey agaric mushrooms: description, photo, when they appear, on which stumps they grow

The name of the mushrooms "honey agaric" means "bracelet" in Latin. Colonies of forest dwellers really resemble decoration on old wood due to the peculiar form of growth.

• The mushroom pickers, who go on a quiet hunt in the forests of central Russia, often find mushrooms in their baskets. They are loved by mushroom pickers because mushrooms can diversify the summer menu: mushrooms are one of the ingredients in soups, they are salted, dried mushrooms are harvested for the winter, and fried.
• You can find a bunch of honey agarics in the summer on stumps, in damp places in the forest. Mushrooms sprout on the bark of trees. Mushrooms like deciduous and coniferous trees. Spores of the fungus can also be chosen by dead woods - areas of the forest that are difficult for a person to reach.
• The thickets of honey agaric will provide the hunter for the forest delicacy with a plentiful meal, because mushrooms grow in colonies. One expanded family of honey agarics can replenish the stocks of a lover of quiet hunting for 10 kg of product, and in a week a new crop of mushrooms will grow in the same place. You can collect honey mushrooms before winter.
• Since the legs have no nutritional value, only the caps are cut when harvesting. So that the dish does not taste bitter, honey mushrooms are preliminarily slightly boiled.

You can find a bunch of honey agarics in the summer on stumps, in damp places in the forest.

How not to confuse summer mushrooms with poisonous mushrooms and protect your family from health problems? After all, not everyone has a lot of experience in hunting for mushrooms.

Summer honey agarics, which you can safely diversify the menu with:

• a thin-walled yellowish-brown cap (at the initial stage of growth, its outer edges may curl inward)
• caps grow up to 8 cm in diameter
• below under the cap you can see a cobweb cover
• the cap of a young mushroom is not flat on top, but has a bulge in the center (the older the mushroom, the less the bulge)
• the surface of the cap is covered with water circles
• if you turn over the cap of an edible mushroom, then you can see the plates of white or rusty brown color
• the older the mushroom, the darker and more contrasting the shade of the plates appears (the intensity of the color depends on the degree of maturation of the spore powder inside the plates, which is red-brown in its mature state)
• the length of the leg of the mushroom can be 8 cm, but the diameter is invariably thin - up to 0.5 cm
• the leg is brown, the ring on it is also brown
• there are scales under the ring

What is the difference between good mushrooms and their inedible counterparts?

• In order not to worry and not to risk your well-being, you need to know the signs of honey agarics that are not suitable for eating. After all, poisonous brothers have an excellent disguise.
  For example, while hunting for mushrooms, a sulfur-yellow false honey fungus may be encountered. The body of the fungus is bright yellow and without scales.
• The plates inside the cap of the seroplateous pseudo-foam turn from whitish at a young age to bluish-gray. This is not typical of edible honey mushrooms. The mushroom is not included in the group of poisonous species, but it should be boiled beforehand.

The mushroom family includes the following mushrooms:

• gray
• pine mushrooms
• honey mushrooms
• mushrooms are dark
• honey mushrooms with pimples
• meadow
• Uspensky
• Chinese
• winter
• autumn
• summer
• spring mushrooms
• fat-legged mushrooms
• slimy mushrooms
• garlic mushroom

Thick-legged honey agaric

Honey mushroom brick-red

The common name "honey agaric" we call different families and genera of mushrooms, of which there are 34 species. Of these, only 22 species have been classified. Some of the representatives of these mushrooms "settle" in open areas, in the grass, confusing inexperienced mushroom pickers.

Since edible representatives of honey agarics are of interest, there is more information about them.

Let's consider the most common forms:

• A representative of this species takes root on damaged deciduous trees. The honey agaric colonies grow on the dead parts of the wood, choosing willow or poplar for settlement. You can find these mushrooms on the bank of the stream, in the garden. Inhabited by forest dwellers and the city park.
• A good harvest can be harvested in the fall. Sometimes the winter honey agaric adapts to germinating under the snow. Mushroom cap, 10 cm in diameter, flat yellow or orange-brown. Young mushrooms have a flat cap, at the edges it has a lighter shade, and the middle is darker.

Autumn mushroom

• Many types of trees are suitable for germination of the spore of this mushroom. there are about 200 of them. Sometimes the mushroom even grows on potatoes. An interesting sight can be observed at night: due to the fact that a large "mushroom family" is often located on stumps, they are beautifully illuminated.
• The ideal conditions for the growth of the fungus in damp forests are birch, aspen stumps, dead elm and alder wood.
• Mushrooms can be harvested from the last month of summer until the cold winter months, unless the air temperature drops below 10 degrees. Autumn mushroom has an impressive size compared to its counterparts.
• The diameter of the cap is 17 cm, and the legs are 10 cm. The cap is greenish-olive or dark brown. Wavy edges can be seen in adult members of the mushroom family. The surface of an immature fungus is covered with scales. But there are very few of them. As the fungus grows, these scales disappear.

• Most often, summer mushrooms fall into the basket. They begin to collect it from the end of March. You can bring home the harvest of these mushrooms until the last winter month.
• Summer agaric grows in the woods. A dense family grows on rotten stumps. Trees with obvious damage are suitable for the growth of the fungus.
• The dimensions of the summer mushroom are more modest: the hat is 6 cm in diameter, the leg is 7 cm.
• Adult mushrooms are distinguished by the presence of a wide tubercle on the surface of the cap. The caps of honey agarics growing on damp areas are brown, translucent. Mushrooms growing in a dry place have honey-yellow, matte caps. There are grooves along the edges of the caps. Mushrooms can be harvested all year round.

Video: Summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)

The specifics of cooking honey mushrooms

• Boil the mushrooms before cooking. Boiling will relieve the toxicity inherent in mushrooms, the duration of which can vary from 30 minutes to an hour.
• The cooking time is determined by the size of the fruit bodies of the mushrooms.
• The larger the mushrooms, the longer the heat treatment takes.

How to properly pre-boil mushrooms:

• mushrooms are put on fire and when the water boils, it must be drained
• then you need to cook in a pre-boiled new portion of water

Video: How do mushrooms differ from each other? Comparison with each other

False mushrooms: description, photo

For a good mushroom, you can take its counterpart. These are the so-called false mushrooms.

For a good mushroom, you can take its double

Signs of an inedible mushroom:

• a bright-colored cap (a good mushroom has a muted shade of cap and has scales on it from young mushrooms)
• the plates of the bad fungus are yellow, greenish, olive-black
• the double of the edible mushroom has only the remnants of the ring on the leg

Video: inedible mushrooms - false honey fungus

• Brick-red false froth is especially dangerous. It can be found on dead wood, on a rotten stump, and can grow on flat terrain. The mushroom has a spherical head, by which it is easy to "figure out" during the mushroom harvest. The cap has flakes hanging around the edges of the bedspread. The mushroom is odorless.
• All false mushrooms are distinguished by the shades of the inner plates located under the cap. They can range from dark to sulfur yellow or black olive. Plates of good cream-colored mushrooms. False mushrooms grow in large groups.

How to determine, distinguish edible mushrooms from false mushrooms?

• A bad mushroom, unlike a good mushroom, does not have a ring - a lamellar skirt that is under the cap. On the leg you can see the remains of the bedspread.
• If the mushroom is in doubt, then it is better to throw it away immediately. Send mushrooms to the basket only if you are sure that they are edible, and if in doubt or found one of the signs of a poisonous mushroom, then give up the idea of ​​replenishing your "mushroom catch" with it.

What other differences exist:

• a good mushroom has a pleasant mushroom aroma, and a false one oozes an unpleasant earthy or odorless
• the cap of a bad mushroom is bright and loudly colored, the cap of a good mushroom is an unsightly light brown color
• on the caps of good mushrooms there are small scales, while poisonous mushrooms have a smooth cap (however, the scales disappear over time and the caps of edible mushrooms also become smooth)
• turning the cap of an inedible mushroom over, you can see that its plates are yellow, if the mushroom is young, or greenish, olive-black, if the mushroom is old (the plates of good mushrooms are cream-colored or yellowish-white)
• false mushrooms with a bitter aftertaste, but you should not start evaluating the taste of the mushroom in which you doubt (there are enough other, more obvious signs)

It will not be difficult for an experienced mushroom picker to distinguish a good mushroom from a bad one. But if you are a beginner mushroom picker, then it is better to look for a skirt on the mushroom leg.

How to tell the difference between edible mushrooms and toadstools?

• The white and greenish tinge of the mushroom body is the main sign of the toadstool. The appearance of a forest dweller may well correspond to the description of an edible mushroom. An experienced mushroom picker will immediately recognize such a disguise.
• The onion should be thrown into the container in which the mushrooms are boiled. If it quickly turned blue, then all forest production is not suitable for food.
• A mushroom with an olive or pearlescent sheen can be poisonous. It is better not to risk it and immediately give up the intention to replenish your catch in the basket.

Could there be mushroom mushroom poisoning, and what are the symptoms?

• Poisoning occurs mainly due to ignorance of the species of forest guests or due to improper preparation of edible mushrooms. The degree of intoxication also depends on which mushrooms were eaten.
• Those who collect mushrooms and prepare them on their own need to know how to determine the poisoning and what kind of medical assistance should be provided to the victim.

Mushrooms are divided into several groups:

• Edible: These mushrooms can be eaten without boiling (champignons)
  partially safe mushrooms require special processing before cooking to remove toxic substances: soaking, boiling, drying, additional boiling (if this step is ignored, then poisoning cannot be avoided) (false mushrooms)
• Inedible mushrooms can be poisonous or have an unpleasant taste, smell (gall fungus)

False honey mushrooms contain a white liquid in the pulp. It is called pungent juice. In addition, a bad mushroom differs from an edible mushroom with a brighter orange cap and a thinner hemp.

Video: How to recognize mushroom poisoning?

Signs of poisoning:

• intoxication manifests itself after 1 hour or within 6 hours
• the malaise resembles food poisoning: a person begins to feel bad, he develops nausea, vomiting may begin, diarrhea
• possible unpleasant or painful sensations in the abdomen
• if the poisoning is mild, then after a few days, recovery occurs

From poisoning with false mushrooms, death does not occur, however, serious problems are possible due to dehydration, gastroenteritis.

Intoxication appears after 1 hour or within 6 hours

• If signs of poisoning are found, you can not hesitate to call an ambulance. After all, it is necessary to avoid the penetration of harmful toxic substances into the blood.
• After the milk juice of the mushrooms enters the liver, the patient's condition is aggravated.

Video: Mushroom poisoning! Symptoms and first aid!

First aid is as follows:

• it is necessary to avoid dehydration and help relieve symptoms of poisoning
  induce vomiting after drinking large amounts of warm boiled water and pressing on the root of the tongue
• it is also necessary to rinse the stomach for those who ate the same mushrooms, but there are no signs of poisoning until the symptoms became noticeable
• dehydration can be detected by a change in the color of urine: it becomes darker, as well as by fewer or no trips to the toilet
• the patient should be provided with plenty of drink, it is better if it is water
• if diarrhea or vomiting has already begun, then sports drinks (not energy) will help here
• the patient can eat vegetable, chicken broths, which will provide the necessary nutrition with water and nutrients
• you can not drink drugs for diarrhea (with diarrhea, toxins are removed from the body)
• it is better for the patient to reduce physical activity, sleep more, so that the body will recover sooner

Remember that first aid is not a substitute for treatment. If you are dehydrated, which you cannot cope with on your own, you need to see a doctor.

Video: ALL ABOUT MUSHROOM POISONING

When do autumn, winter, spring and summer mushrooms appear in the forest and how much do they grow?

See below in the picture a calendar of picking different mushrooms by month.

How to grow mushrooms in the country?

• Contrary to popular belief that mushrooms grow better in the forest, growing them in the country is not a fantastic idea.
• From the fertile soil brought to the site, humus extracted somewhere in the forest, mushroom spores fall into the ground. However, the annual digging of the site violates the mycelium, and it eventually dies, never having time to germinate.

How to get a harvest of mushrooms in the country?

• select an area for mushrooms (wet, with a shadow)
• prepare the mycelium of mushrooms (in our case - honey agarics) and "settle" the mushrooms on the future mushroom plantation.

First stage: site preparation:

• for sprouting honey agarics, a stump is needed, therefore we stock up on old, rotten birch wood (suitable trees: beech, hornbeam, alder, aspen, oak)
• choose wood (hemp length - 20-30 cm) with chips and cracks to facilitate the process of spore rooting on the stump
• if there are no chips, then we make longitudinal notches using an ax
• the selected hemp is immersed in water for 1-2 hours
• we dig in hemp on the future mushroom plantation (completely or only part of the hemp, we bury the wood vertically or lying on its side)

Cooking the mycelium:

• we find overgrown mushrooms in the forest, which have large and wet caps
• immerse the mushrooms in soft ground water
• leave for a couple of hours
• mix the mixture well
• stumps and logs dug in on the site, we treat the liquid with the mycelium of the fungus
• we do not throw away the hats, but lay them on top of the treated areas of wood
• cover the hats with a piece of hemp (you can use moss from the forest or rotted sawdust for this)
• when it's hot outside, we moisten the area so that it always remains damp
• waiting for the first harvest. usually it is possible to pick mushrooms from the prepared area only 2-3 years after planting.

Video: Garden head - How to grow mushrooms in a summer cottage

One of the most popular varieties of autumn mushrooms are honey agarics: in Russian forests, in especially fruitful years, they ripen so much that in one collection you can take a whole car trunk out of the forest. However, going in the fall for mushrooms, be careful: along with edible species, their dangerous counterparts appear at this time, tasting which you can get food poisoning.

If August is characterized by the peak of collecting tubular mushrooms, then September is the peak of collecting lamellar mushrooms and, above all, autumn mushrooms. There is a whole army of mushroom pickers looking forward to the season of harvesting autumn mushrooms. It is known that it is these mushrooms that give the maximum mushroom yield by weight. Autumn mushrooms can appear first in separate places on stumps and fallen trees, or they can grow immediately in huge forest areas.

In the first two to three days, they are about the size of a match and a pinhead. On the fourth day, they can already be the size of a ruble, and after a week - in full force, depending on the subspecies - from one and a half to seven centimeters in diameter of the cap.

About what kinds of autumn mushrooms there are, and where they grow, is described in detail in this material.

Edible varieties of autumn mushrooms

Autumn honey fungus, or real (Armillaria mellea).

Habitat: coniferous and mixed forests, on coniferous wood, stumps, fallen trees, grow in huge groups. Favorite mushrooms among the population.

Season: August-November.

The cap is 3-10 cm in diameter, at first round-convex, later prostrate, sometimes with a tubercle in the middle. A distinctive feature of the species is a yellow-brown or brown-reddish cap with numerous small brown scales. The edges of the cap are first rolled inward, later flattened, striped. In young specimens, the cap is connected to the stem by a white film, which later hangs in a ring around the stem.

Stem 4-12 cm high and 6-15 mm thick, dense, cylindrical, at first flaky-scaly, later almost glabrous, slightly widened near the base.

Look at the photo - these autumn mushrooms have a well-defined ring with a fringed edge in the upper part of the leg:

Photo gallery

The leg usually has exactly the same color as the bonnet.

The plates are sparse, adherent, slightly descending along the stem, thin, frequent, whitish-yellowish in young specimens, brownish at maturity, often covered with rusty spots.

Variability. The cap can be light yellow-brown in dry weather, in damp and cold weather the color of the cap darkens to dark brown.

Similarity with other species. This edible autumn mushroom is similar to the inedible mushroom gray lamellae (Hypholoma capnoides), which is distinguished by very frequent plates of a grayish or gray-brown color, and also similar to the brick-red pseudofoam (Hypholoma sublateritium), which is distinguished by frequent plates of olive-brown color with a purple-violet color.

Autumn honey agaric, northern form (Armillaria mellea, f. Borealis).

Habitat: these autumn mushrooms grow in coniferous and mixed forests, on coniferous wood, grow in huge groups.

Season: August-November.

The cap is 2-7 cm in diameter, at first round-convex, later prostrate, sometimes with a tubercle in the middle. A distinctive feature of the species is a creamy yellow or yellow-brown cap with numerous small brown scales that look like brownish dots. The cap has 2-3 concentric zones. Each zone has a predominant color: cream, light brown, yellow-brown, mustard. The edges of the cap are first rolled inward, later flattened, striped. In young specimens, the cap is connected to the stem by a white film, which later hangs in a ring around the stem.

Leg 4-10 cm high and 5-10 mm thick, dense, cylindrical along its entire length, at first flaky-scaly, later almost glabrous. A well-defined ring with a fringed edge is located in the upper part of the leg. The leg usually has exactly the same color as the bonnet. The second distinctive feature of the species is the crowded growth, mushrooms grow in "clusters" of many pieces together. In this case, the legs often grow together at the rhizome.

The pulp is dense, thin-fleshy, white, does not change color at the break, with a pleasant smell and taste.

Variability. The areas of the cap can be light yellow-brown or bright mustard in dry weather, in damp and cold weather the color of the cap darkens to dark brown.

Similarity to inedible species. This honey fungus is similar to a seroplate lamellar (Hypholoma capnoides), which is distinguished by much more frequent plates of gray or gray-brown color with an unpleasant odor.

Cooking methods: frying, marinating, boiling.

Autumn honey agaric, mustard form (Armillaria mellea, f. Sinapina).

Habitat: these mushrooms grow in coniferous and mixed forests, on coniferous wood, grow in huge groups.

Season: August-October.

The cap is 3-8 cm in diameter, at first round-convex, later prostrate, sometimes with a tubercle in the middle. A distinctive feature of the species is a mustard-colored cap with numerous small brownish scales. The edges of the cap are first rolled inward, later flattened, striped. In young specimens, the cap is connected to the stem by a white film, which later hangs in a ring around the stem.

Stem 4-10 cm high and 5-12 mm thick, dense, cylindrical, slightly widening at the base. The second distinctive feature of the species is the color of the leg - it is mustard, but not as even as on the cap, but has lighter zones on top, and denser and darker zones at the base. A well-defined whitish ring with a fringed edge is located in the upper part of the leg.

The pulp is dense, thin-fleshy, white, does not change color at the break, with a pleasant smell and taste.

The plates are adherent, slightly descending along the stem, thin, of medium frequency, whitish-yellowish in young specimens, brownish at maturity, often covered with rusty spots.

Variability. The cap can be bright mustard, but it can also be light yellow-brown in dry weather, in damp and cold weather the color of the cap darkens to mustard brown.

Similarity to inedible species. According to the description, this autumn honey agaric resembles a gray-lamellar pseudo-froth (Hypholoma capnoides), which is distinguished by significantly more frequent plates of gray or gray-brown color with an unpleasant odor.

Cooking methods: drying, boiling, pickling, salting.

Here you can see photos of autumn mushrooms, the description of which is given above:

Photo gallery

The healing properties of autumn honey agarics

It should be noted that honey mushrooms have extremely useful and healing properties, especially against cancer. It should be borne in mind that the healing properties of mushrooms are manifested in the absence of their heat treatment, for example, when salting or drying.

The healing properties of autumn honey agarics:

• They contain minerals based on zinc and copper, which are essential in the process of hematopoiesis.
• Traditional medicine uses the ability of honey agaric to relax the stomach.
• In ancient times, warts were removed with the help of honey agaric juice.
• It was revealed that in honey agarics proteins are endowed with the most effective properties of fighting tumors. In 81% of cases, these proteins inhibit the growth of sarcoma, carcinoma, breast cancer, tumors of the nervous system, as well as the development of leukemia. In patients, in most cases, after the use of honey agarics, the tumors ceased to progress and metastasize. The active component of winter honey agaric is polysaccharides in the form of a white powder.
• They sharply activate the immune system, restoring the level of protection.
• They kill pathogenic microflora in places of inflammation.
• Honey mushrooms also have another remarkable property - they stimulate the formation of thrombocyte-dissolving enzymes. As a result, in some cases, complex operations can be avoided.
• Tincture or decoction of honey agarics has long been used as a medicine for liver disease and diabetes, as well as as an impurity for the preparation of drugs to enhance their effect.
• The substances contained in mushrooms also fight against simple influenza viruses. Acceptance of honey agaric tincture, safe for humans, during a flu epidemic in many cases can save you from this disease.

In general, autumn and winter mushrooms have a number of beneficial healing properties:

• activation of the immune system; destruction of pathogenic microflora in areas of inflammation;
• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• restoration of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract;
• lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels;
• improving the condition of the blood vessels; activation of the brain and creativity;
• anticancer and anticancer action;
• antiviral effect.

Autumn mushrooms are amazingly tasty mushrooms in any form: in soup, fried with onions and potatoes, pickled and even salted. After the peak of growth of these fungi on trees and stumps, a second wave of their growth appears on the roots of trees. From the outside, you might think that they grow on the ground, in fact - necessarily on the roots or forest floor.

Honey mushrooms are the favorite mushrooms for many mushroom pickers. If porcini mushrooms are attractive for first and second courses, then honey mushrooms are the most desirable for mass harvesting. The reason for this lies in the huge amounts of autumn honey agarics, which in the "mushroom" years grow everywhere throughout the forest, especially on tree stumps. The harvest of autumn mushrooms from one place can be from 0.5 to 10 kg! These mushrooms are so beautiful, clean, strong and at the same time have a mild smell and wonderful taste. Therefore, it is understandable why, at the end of August and in autumn, huge armies of mushroom pickers go out into the forest "after mushrooms." It is necessary to be very careful when collecting a large number of mushrooms, since inedible mycenae, false mushrooms (sulfur-yellow false foam - Hypholoma fasciculare, brick-red false foam - Hypholoma sublateritium) or other poisonous mushrooms can grow on one stump next to the mushrooms.

Dangerous autumn mushrooms brick-red

Dangerous false mushrooms appear at the same time as autumn mushrooms. You should be especially careful when collecting autumn mushrooms, as there are a lot of them, and people begin to tear or cut them without looking around. As a result, inedible and even poisonous mushrooms can be plucked at the same time. We will not consider the cases described on the Internet about the edibility of certain types of false mushrooms, but we will adhere to the generally accepted Sanitary Rules of the Joint Venture 2.3.4. 009-93, where they are definitely not edible. The fact is that a one-time use of mushrooms is not an indicator of the use of the species as a whole. Scientists mycologists have an understanding of the long-term use of mushrooms and the absence of the accumulation of harmful substances for repeated use. Certain types of false agarics mentioned on the Internet did not pass this parameter.

Brick-red false froth (Hypholoma sublateritium).

Habitat: these mushrooms grow in autumn in deciduous and mixed forests, more often on decaying birch and oak wood, in large groups.

Season: July-November.

Medicinal properties:

• Brick red false honey is used to treat the gastrointestinal tract.
• Used as a laxative.
• Used as an emetic.

The cap has a diameter of 3-10 cm, at first it is spherical, later it is convexly prostrate. A distinctive feature of the species is a red-brown or yellow-orange, smooth convex cap with a lighter yellowish edge. On the edges there are light flakes from the remainder of the bedspread. The center is darker, sometimes with a reddish-brown spot.

The leg has a height of 4-10 cm, a thickness of 4-13 mm, even or slightly narrowed near the base, it is curved, dense, fibrous, at first solid, later hollow, at the top it is pale yellowish, at the bottom it is brownish.

Pulp: thick, dense, yellowish, odorless, but with a bitter taste.

The plates are frequent, adherent, at first whitish-gray, then yellowish-brown or olive-brown, later olive-brown, sometimes with a purple tint.

Variability. The cap color ranges from brick red to reddish brown, tan and pinkish orange.

Similar species. The pseudo-froth is brick-red in size and shape, similar to Psathyrella velutina, which has a velvety texture on the surface of the cap.

With the arrival of autumn, thousands of fans of “quiet” hunting are rapidly leaving their homes and going into the forest. In search of their favorite trophies, mushroom pickers walk tens of kilometers per day, but the result is worth it. And if you highlight the list of the most popular mushrooms, honey mushrooms will occupy one of the leading places.

Gathering these small and beautiful forest dwellers is a very exciting experience, and an incredibly large harvest can be reaped in one trip.

Description of mushrooms

Honey mushrooms (honey mushrooms, honey mushrooms) is a common popular name for a large group of mushrooms that belong to different families and genera. The name is explained by the characteristic growth on stumps or stumps, both living and dead. However, other species that grow in meadows are also found in nature.

Mushrooms have a characteristic hemispherical shape, which, as it grows, takes on an umbrella-shaped appearance - a tubercle appears in the upper part, then there is a plane and rounding on the sides. The diameter of the umbrella reaches 2-10 centimeters. Edible mushrooms have small scales, which practically disappear as the fungus ages. Often the cap is covered with thick mucus, and its color varies from cream and light yellow to reddish with darker tones. The legs can grow up to 2-18 centimeters long and up to 2.5 centimeters wide.

Growing places

Honey mushrooms are found in many regions near weakened or damaged trees, as well as rotten or dead wood, usually deciduous trees (beech, oak, birch, alder, aspen, elm, poplar, ash).

At the same time, some species, such as meadow mushroom, grow in open space, giving preference to fields, gardens, roadsides and forest clearings.

The distribution area falls on the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, from the subtropical zone to the Far North, with the exception of the coldest regions of permafrost. The maximum amount of mushrooms is concentrated in places with high humidity, so humid forests are a favorite place for honey agarics. However, they are also found in damp ravines.

A feature of these mushrooms, which very much attracts mushroom pickers, is group growth. These forest dwellers prefer to grow in large families (tubers), but in rare cases, single specimens can also be found. The myceliums themselves are connected by long cord-like mycelium, which are placed under the bark of the affected plant.

The exact time of collection is determined by the type of mushroom and the climatic conditions of a particular region. For example, the autumn species begins to grow from August to the very winter, and the summer species - from April to November. Nevertheless, September-October is considered the most successful time for harvesting.

Currently, there are several ways to prepare honey mushrooms. They can be:

1. Stew.
2. Fry.
3. Cook.
4. Pickle.
5. Salt.
6. Make caviar.
7. Dry.

Fried and pickled mushrooms are considered especially tasty.

They start collecting real honey mushrooms at the end of August, while the mushrooms continue to grow until the beginning of winter. The peak yield falls in September, when the temperature indicators are provided that the average temperature is at least 10 degrees Celsius.

The description mentions the presence of a beautiful hat with a diameter of 2-17 centimeters, which is convex at first, and then becomes flat, in frequent cases with wavy edges. The color of the skin is different and depends on the living conditions. The most common colors are honey-brown and greenish-olive on the sides and darker in the center. On the surface there are rare light scales, which disappear altogether with age. Young caps have a dense flesh with a whitish tint and a small thickness.

The plates are rare, adherent to the legs. Sometimes they are weakly descending.

On the surface of the cap there are flaky scales, and the fruiting bodies often grow together with the bases of the legs.

Fatfoot honey fungus

It is an edible fungus, which, in most cases, belongs to the group of saprophytes. Prefers rotting stumps and decaying foliage. Often grows on dying trees, favoring beech, spruce, fir and ash.

The harvesting season is from August to November.

A hat with a diameter of 2-5 centimeters is broad-toned at first, with a characteristic tucked edge. Then it becomes flattened with a dropped edge. At a young age, the cap is colored dark brown, pale brown or pinkish. Whitish at the edges, and then yellowish-brown or brown. In the center of the cap there are many almost conical scales with a fibrous greyish-brown structure. In the central part, the scales are preserved in adult specimens.

The plates are frequent, descending to the pedicle. In young mushrooms, they are whitish or brownish. The stem may have a cylindrical shape with a clavate or bulbous thickening at the base. Above the ring, the skin is whitish, below it is brownish or brownish. It is often grayish at the base.

The pulp is whitish, has a faint or unpleasant cheesy odor and astringent taste. The spore powder is white.

Summer view

The people call it a gossip, changeable kyuneromyces, lime honeydew, etc. The fungus prefers places where rotten wood or damaged living trees are scattered, usually deciduous, occasionally pine.

It is customary to start harvesting in April, while honey mushrooms grow until late November. Representatives of the mild climate delight mushroom pickers with a good yield almost all year round.

Summer honey agarics have a slightly convex hat with a diameter of 3-6 centimeters, which becomes flat with aging and has a pronounced wide tubercle. Prolonged exposure to rainy weather makes this hat translucent and brownish, and when dry, matte and honey-yellow. Most often it is light in the central part and darker at the edges. The edges of the cap have characteristic grooves, and in damp weather, concentric zones and darker fields appear near the tubercle.

The skin is particularly smooth and slimy. The flesh is minimal, watery and pale yellow-brown in color. In the stem, it is darker, with a mild taste and a pleasant smell of fresh wood. The plates are 0.4-0.6 centimeters wide, accrete or weakly descending. They differ in increased frequency.

Winter honey

The harvest season starts in autumn and lasts until spring. The most productive crop can be harvested in winter with a rapid increase in the average daily temperature. Nevertheless, mushrooms of this group are often found under the snow. The species is also popular as an object of cultivation. In stores it is sold under the names "Enokitake" and "Inoki".

In the description of the variety, the presence of a fruiting cap of the lebital body, central or slightly eccentric, is mentioned. The hat is distinguished by a plane with a diameter of 2-10 centimeters and a yellow, honey-brown or orange-brown color. The edges of the cap are painted in light colors, which are much lighter than the middle. The very fine flesh can be white or light yellow in color, as well as a characteristic pleasant taste.

The length of the leg reaches 2-7 centimeters, and the width is 0.3-1 centimeters. The stem is tubular, dense and velvety brown. Above - yellowish brown. The plates are adherent, rare. There are also shortened plates. Their color ranges from white to ocher. Leftovers from the bedspread are not provided. The color of the spore powder is white.

Spring variety

It belongs to the group of edible mushrooms from the family of nonnium. Most often it grows by tuberous method and in large groups. The peak of growth activity begins in June and lasts until November.

The harvest season starts in May and lasts until October.

The diameter of the cap is 1-7 centimeters. It is hygrophilous, with a convex and then flat shape. The color of the cap is red-brown, which turns into orange-brown or yellow-brown. Old mushrooms have a curled edge. The pulp is colored in white or yellowish tones, does not have a characteristic taste or smell. The hymenophore is lamellar, the plates are adherent to the stem, and sometimes completely free. They are often white and sometimes pinkish or yellow.

The leg is very flexible, reaching 3-9 centimeters in length and 0.2-0.8 centimeters in thickness. It happens to be relatively flat, sometimes expanding to a bulbous-thickened base. The color of the spore powder is cream or white.

Yellow red mushroom

Is a conditionally edible mushroom, which is characterized by the following characteristics:

These honey agarics have a beautiful convex cap, which can grow to a flat shape and have a diameter of 5-15 centimeters. It is distinguished by a beautiful orange-yellow color, a velvety, dry, slightly fibrous scaly structure, as well as a purple or reddish brown color. The pulp has a smell of rotten wood, bitter or sour. The surface of the leg is the same color as the cap.

Spore powder is white.

Dangerous twin mushrooms

In addition to edible mushrooms, in nature there are many unsuitable x for food varieties. In addition, there are even poisonous species that are generally dangerous for consumption. They are called false fools.

The group of false mushrooms consists of several varieties of poisonous or inedible mushrooms, which outwardly resemble edible varieties.

Among them:

1. Representatives of the genus hypholoma.
2. Some representatives of the genus psatirella from the dung family.

Often, mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible, but of low quality. To prepare a dish based on these mushrooms, you need to know the special technology, and also follow the established instructions exactly. Otherwise, such negligence can cause irreparable consequences.

To distinguish false from edible species, it is enough to pay attention to a number of basic differences.

The main thing is the smell. Edible mushrooms have a pleasant smell, characteristic of other "good" mushrooms. False species give off an earthy smell, while the color of their cap is distinguished by brighter shades, while in real ones it is calm. But this principle is also guided when distinguishing between dangerous snakes and frogs, which have bright acid colors, indicating the toxicity of the animal.

Guided by these features, you can protect yourself from accidentally collecting dangerous inedible mushrooms that can harm your body.