Honey mushrooms grow throughout Russia, suitable for human consumption. Harvesting season is all year round, including winter. Most species of this family have a number of features in common: these are parasitic fungi that grow on trees, stumps, and large groups. Virtually no worms and have excellent taste.
Types of honey mushrooms
On the territory of our country, you can find 4 edible species of these mushrooms:
- real, autumn;
- meadow;
- summer;
- winter.
Between themselves, they differ in appearance, growth season, places of growth.
Meadow mushrooms (negniunik, meadow)
These mushrooms appear very early in the early spring.
Harvest season: from May to July.
They grow in the clearings and roadsides of forest roads in circles. Like many of their families, meadow mushrooms glow slightly in the dark. Because of which, many superstitions were born. So, our ancestors believed that these mushrooms grow in places where witches danced and that with their light they are able to lead and enchant the traveler.
Appearance: dense thin leg up to 10 cm long, yellow-brown hat, darker towards the center; The plates are adjacent to the hat. The mushrooms themselves are very small, weighing about 1 gram.
Unlike their other relatives, meadows love free space and do not grow on stumps and trees.
Read more in the article on meadow mushrooms.
Summer (lime, govorushka)
Summer mushrooms can be found in mixed or deciduous forests, in the northern latitude with a temperate climate. However, in the highlands talkers settle on firs and pines.
Harvest season: April-November.
With a favorable climate they can bear fruit all year round. They grow in large families on rotten wood, stumps. Appearance: leg up to 7 cm high, dark brown hat with a lighter tubercle in the center, frequent plates.
In young mushrooms, the membranous narrow veil located in the ring is clearly visible, but with age it can disappear. The absence of a ring is also characteristic of similar poisonous mushrooms.
Also read an article about summer mushrooms.
Autumn (real)
The most common type of hemp mushrooms, grow in any climate, except for permafrost areas. Prefer tree trunks, stumps. Like most of their relatives, they are parasites, but this species affects not only trees, but also herbaceous plants, including potatoes. They grow in large groups, preferring moist places.
Harvest season: from the month of August until the first frost.
Appearance: a larger hat (average size 9-10 cm, sometimes grows up to 17 cm) can be of different shades of yellow (from greenish yellow to brownish), a dense leg up to 10 cm high is covered with scales, a clearly visible ring under the hat.
The color of the hat depends on the tree where the honey mushrooms grow: browns grow on conifers, oaks; lighter - on deciduous, yellow grow on poplar. The hat is inseparable from the leg.
More details in the article about autumn mushrooms on the portal Mr. Dachnik.
Winter (winter mushroom)
Winter mushrooms are the only mushrooms that cannot be confused with toxic analogues. Unlike all other mushrooms, winter ones tolerate frosts very well, just stopping their growth during the cold season.
With the advent of heat, they "wake up" and continue to grow. For growth, tree trunks and stumps are also taken. Most often they can be found on poplar, maple. The habitat is the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere.
Harvest season: November-March.
They grow higher in the trunk, so for "hunting" you will need a long stick with a hook. In appearance, they are similar to summer ones, but they have a bright, orange-red hat and do not have a "skirt". Experts advise to subject this type to longer thermal treatment as they are capable to accumulate toxins.
Winter mushrooms are very popular in the East (in Japan, Korea), grown in industrial volumes up to 100 tons per year.
Be sure to read the article on how to grow mushrooms at home.
Mr. Summer resident advises: rules for collecting mushrooms
The most important thing during the collection is to be able to distinguish edible from inedible. In the forest you can find many false mushrooms, dangerous to humans, but outwardly similar to mushrooms.
Important: If the mushroom raises the slightest doubt about its edibility, you can not take it. Read about false honeymooners.
Signs that the mushroom is inedible:
- The lack of "skirts".
- Unpleasant or earthy odor (real ones have a pleasant mushroom aroma, with light woody notes).
- A bright hat has a winter appearance, a smooth hat has a false hat, and edible ones have small scales. Old honey mushrooms can also be smooth, but inexperienced mushroom pickers should not risk it.
- The plates are yellow or green in color (edible mushroom with plates of a light color, sometimes yellowish).
- The taste is bitter. But this method of checking for the most extreme case.
Dangerous doubles mushroomsFor confidence, it is better to consult with an experienced person.
Also, do not collect honey mushrooms near industrial enterprises. They, like many other mushrooms, are able to accumulate heavy metals in themselves.
It’s better to go after mushrooms after a rainy season, when it’s clarified. Usually an abundance of mushrooms occurs 3-4 days after rain.
Having harvested, it is worth remembering the place. These mushrooms do not like to change their place of residence, preferring the same thing from year to year.
It will depend only on the weather when mushrooms go to the Moscow Region, but traditionally autumn can be harvested from September. When collecting, you should be very careful, since brick red mushrooms that are not suitable for food are often found in the forests near Moscow. Distinctive features are the same.
In addition to their remarkable taste, honey mushrooms have traditionally been used in cosmetology and medicine. In the East, they are still used to treat joints, cramps, and muscle relaxation.
Contraindications to the use of honey mushrooms
It should be taken with caution:
- people susceptible to diseases of the intestines and stomach;
- children under 7 years old;
- women during pregnancy and lactation.
Honey mushrooms are tasty and healthy mushrooms, rich in vitamins and minerals. But, like any other product, they require moderation in use. In this case, they will bring only health benefits.
