Honey mushrooms feeding on dead organic remains of stumps are

Interesting facts about thick-legged honey

In the 1990s, an oak forest was found in the state of Michigan, in which all the trees were affected by honey agarics. The oaks were cut down and they left rotting stumps. Over time, pines were planted at the site of this felling, but all the seedlings in the same year were destroyed by honey agarics.

Molecular genetic studies were carried out, which showed that the mycelium is located in the soil, the area of ​​which is 15 hectares.

Presumably, the mass of this mycelium was 10 tons, and its age was at least 1500 years.

DNA analysis of various fruiting bodies of fungi showed that this whole mycelium is one organism. In conclusion, the authors of the work noted that studies to determine the age of the fungal organism make it possible to assert that the largest living organism that ever existed on Earth was discovered in Michigan.

After this information was published by the "Nature Paper" newspaper, the thick-legged mushroom became world famous, it was called "incredible mushroom" or "humongous fungus". Today in American textbooks it is noted that the largest living organisms on the planet, along with the blue whale and the giant sequoia, is the thick-legged honey fungus.

Thick-legged honey agaric: the cap reaches up to 10 cm in diameter

The tolstopod honey fungus belongs to the family of Physalacry honey agarics. It is an edible variety that is well known to many - it is often prepared at home and harvested in industrial plants. This is a popular and tasty product that is common among mushroom lovers.

What does it look like

The young fungus has a hemispherical cap with curled edges. As he gets older, the hat opens and looks like it is almost completely open. Diameter - 3-8 cm.

The color of the cap cannot be accurately determined. It usually has a grayish yellow tint. The color may differ - it all depends on the area. There are almost white or almost dark mushrooms.

A characteristic feature of the honey fungus is small small scales on the cap. As the mushroom matures, they are located in the center, and disappear along the edges, making the surface smooth. The pulp is easy to recognize by its pleasant smell, white color and dense consistency.

Plates are private, arranged in descending order. In young types, they are yellowish or completely white; during aging, they acquire an ocher tint. The whitish color has a spore sac. If you see a thick-legged honey fungus covered with brown spots, it means that it is overripe.

The leg is 4-8 cm long, 0.5-2 cm in diameter. It is easily recognizable by its cylindrical shape and tuberous swelling at the bottom. The leg is lighter in color than the cap. Above, the remnants of the rim are clearly visible - a light, cobweb, with a delicate tone. This part is almost never eaten - it is quite fibrous, very tough.

Where grow

The active growth process begins in August. Collecting mushroom tolstonogii mushroom is possible until mid-November. Favorite places - rotten wood, earth, mushrooms are often found in coniferous forests, on a kind of bedding made of spruce needles. This species never appears on completely healthy and living trees. Likes to grow in groups, but relatively small. In bunches, unlike other varieties, it is not going.

This type is notable for the fact that it does not have poisonous and false counterparts. Experienced mushroom pickers often mistake it for an ordinary autumn honeydew, and do not distinguish between species. In the forest, they represent a continuous "mushroom" litter. The peak of collection is October-early November. This is how this variety differs from the classic autumn one - you should go for the latter a month earlier.

Cooking use

Culinary experts highly value thick-legged honey mushrooms for their excellent taste. They are often grown at home or in factories.They lend themselves to any heat treatment. Suitable for cooking:

For quick pickling, it is better to use the classic recipe. Choose only whole, strong fruiting bodies, without damage or rot. You need to prepare the rest of the ingredients. For a liter of water you will need:

• 2 kg of mushrooms;
• 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar;
• 50 ml vinegar 9%;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• allspice and black pepper, cloves.

A quick pickle recipe involves using the hot method. The technology is as follows:

The thick-legged mushroom must be well cleaned from the remnants of the earth and leaves. The bottom of the leg is cut off. Then the product is washed.
To prepare, mix all the ingredients, except vinegar, boil for a maximum of 5 minutes.
After the marinade has boiled, the mushrooms are placed. Reduce heat, boil for 40 minutes. It is necessary to periodically remove the foam

Then vinegar is added - carefully, slowly, to avoid the formation of new foam. Then cook for 15 minutes.
Mushrooms are taken out separately, placed in washed, sterilized jars.
The marinade is re-boiled and then poured hot

You need to fill containers to the brim.
Cover with lids (tight will do), wrap it up, leave to infuse.

The finished product can be stored in the refrigerator or any dark room - most importantly, in the cold.

Armillaria recipe

The bodies of dark mushrooms contain a little water, they are great for frying, but the legs are often not used for food, as they are very tough, especially in older specimens. Because of the love for conifers, honey mushrooms may taste a little bitter, but boiling relieves them of this. These mushrooms are salted, pickled, dried and frozen - they are suitable for any processing.

Primary processing

Preliminary preparation for further preparation consists in cleaning the fruits from forest debris, they should also be rinsed under running water and boiled for 20 minutes, draining the water after that.

Cooking

To boil the mushrooms, you only need the fruits themselves, water and salt to taste. It is enough to boil mushrooms in salted water twice for 20 minutes, changing the water between processes to a new one. Then they can be cooked further or added to the soup.

Pickling

For pickling, boiled mushrooms are used, you will need:

• mushrooms - 1 kg;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
• vinegar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• carnation - 2 buds.

Cooking process:

1. Pour 1 liter of water into a saucepan, add salt and sugar, bring to a boil.
2. Pour in vinegar and cloves.
3. After 2 minutes, add the mushrooms.
4. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. Put fruits in prepared jars, pour marinade over them.

The jars should be cooled, covered with lids and placed on the lower shelf in the refrigerator.

Freezing

Boiled mushrooms are subjected to freezing. They should cool completely, and all the water should drain. After that, the fruits are distributed in portioned containers or packages and sent to the freezer.

Important! If you freeze a large number of mushrooms in one container, then it will be difficult to separate them and get the required amount for cooking

Frying

To make delicious mushrooms with sour cream, you will need:

• boiled mushrooms - 0.5 kg;
• sour cream - 5 tbsp. l .;
• onions - 300 g;
• fresh dill - 100 g;
• butter - 50 g;
• salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking process:

1. Chop the onion finely, fry until soft in a pan.
2. Add mushrooms, butter, stir, salt and pepper.
3. After 5 minutes, add sour cream.
4. After boiling, add finely chopped dill.
5. Remove from heat after 2 minutes.

These mushrooms are best served with boiled potatoes.

Salting

For salting, you will need previously prepared dark mushrooms, boiled in salted water:

• mushrooms - 2 kg;
• salt - 100 g;
• garlic - 6 cloves;
• black allspice - 10 peas;
• dill - 2 umbrellas.

Cooking process:

1. Prepare a deep enameled dish, line the bottom with salt, a layer of mushrooms on top, continue alternating.
2. Sprinkle each layer with garlic, pepper and dill.
3. Cover everything on top with gauze in two layers, press down with a plate and set the load on top.
4. After 10 days, you can try ready-made mushrooms.

During this time, the gauze should be periodically washed or replaced with a new one, this will save the crop and prevent it from becoming moldy during the salting process. At the end, the mushrooms are stacked in jars and closed with lids. You can store it in the refrigerator or basement.

Drying

In order to dry mushrooms, you should not wash and boil them. It is enough to clean the debris with a soft brush, remove the rotten and wormy specimens. The mushrooms should be cut in such a way that they are all the same size, this will allow them to dry equally intensely.

Then string all the pieces on a string and hang in a sunny place, in a well-ventilated room or on the balcony, in the garden. From above, it is better to cover the fruits with several layers of gauze, so it will turn out to avoid insect infestation and dust settling. A week later, in sunny weather, the mushrooms will be completely dried. They can be stored in a dry place, away from foreign odors.

Canning for the winter

In order for the mushrooms to be preserved for a longer period, you will need:

• dark boiled mushrooms - 1 kg;
• vinegar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
• laurel leaves - 3 pcs.;
• garlic - 5 cloves;
• black peppercorns - 10 pcs.

Cooking process:

1. Add salt, sugar to 1 liter of water and bring to a boil.
2. Then add bay leaves, garlic, pepper and boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms, boil for 5 minutes.
4. Add vinegar, cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Put the fruits in sterilized jars and pour the marinade to the top.
6. Sterilize the cans for 20 minutes, then roll up.

Such mushrooms will be stored for a long time and will delight the whole long winter.

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, after the rain it becomes transparent.

Honey mushrooms 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 ringlet 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 wet 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 leg 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.

Large hats, 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.

Description of the edible mushroom

This species represents the genus of the Fizalakryevye family, it is also called the bulbous or autumn honeydew, including the cylindrical Armillaria.In Latin, his name sounds like Armillaria lutea, Armillaria gallica or Armillaria bulbosa.

The hat of the autumn mushroom reaches 10 cm in diameter, has a wide conical shape, the edge is tucked inward. With age, the surface becomes flat, the edges descend. The color of young specimens is brown or pinkish, from the sides it can be white. The center is decorated with scales, there are many of them, they have a conical shape, fibrous in texture, brown with a gray tint. Along the perimeter, their number decreases, the color approaches the tone of the cap.

The hymenophore is lamellar (bottom of the cap), the plates are located often, descending to the leg. At first, it is white, and with age, they acquire a brown tint. Disputes are whitish.

The pulp is very light, has an unpleasant cheesy odor, but rather weak, astringent taste. On the cut, the color does not change.

The peduncle has a clavate thickening at the bottom, it is cylindrical. Above the ring is white, under it is brown, near the ground often with a gray tint. The remains of the bedspread are under the ring, in most cases there is a yellowish tone. The ring itself is white, scaly, broken star-like. The texture is fibrous or filmy, the scales look like brown blotches.

The first mention belongs to Claude-Casimir Gillet, French by birth, who devoted himself to the study of mycology and biology.

Growing autumn thick-legged honey agarics at home

Honey mushrooms on a thick leg can also be grown at home. But some nuances must be taken into account - the mushroom is a wood-destroying species. Mycelium is purchased in specialized stores.

Mushrooms are grown in two ways:

1. On a rotten tree - the method is simple, it can be used even in an apartment. The substrate is placed in a container and filled with boiling water. Hay, straw, or sawdust will do. When the mixture has cooled, it is decanted, the excess moisture is squeezed out and the substrate is mixed with the mycelium. Each manufacturer indicates the exact proportions on the packaging. The resulting composition is placed in a plastic bag, tied and cuts are made on the surface. For germination, it is placed in a convenient place or simply suspended. No lighting is required; it takes about a month to wait for germination. But when the rudiments of fruiting bodies appear, it is necessary to remove the bag from the darkness. On the film, more cuts are made in the places of germination. Fruiting lasts up to 3 weeks, but the largest harvest is harvested in the first two.
2. On rotten plant residues - this option is more difficult, but more long-term in terms of the harvest period. Bars 35 cm long and 20 cm in diameter are soaked for a week. Then holes are drilled in the tree and the mycelium is laid there. The top is fixed with tape and covered with paper, straw or cotton wool. The mycelium will germinate within 6 months. The bars should be kept in a cool room at this time. The temperature in which the mycelium survives is from + 7 ° C to + 27 ° C. The crop is harvested up to 3 times a year.

Attention! The most useful are very young specimens, the older, the less the healing effect. Young mushrooms with a thick leg are presented in the photo:

Young mushrooms with a thick leg are presented in the photo:

Fatfoot honey fungus (Armillaria gallica)

• Armillaria bulbosa
• Armillaria lutea
• Bulbous mushroom

Armillaria gallica is a species of fungi included in the genus Armillaria of the Physalacriaceae family.

Hat: The diameter of the cap of the thick-legged honey fungus is 3-8 cm, the shape of young mushrooms is hemispherical, with a curled edge, with age it opens to almost open; the color is indefinite, on average rather light, grayish-yellow. Depending on the place of growth and the characteristics of the population, there are both almost white and rather dark specimens. The cap is covered with small dark scales; as they grow older, the scales migrate to the center, leaving the edges almost smooth. The flesh of the cap is white, dense, with a pleasant "mushroom" smell.

Blades: Slightly descending, frequent, yellowish at first, almost white, acquiring an ocher color with age. In overripe mushrooms, characteristic brown spots are visible on the plates.

Spore powder: White.

Stem: The length of the leg of the thick-legged honey fungus is 4-8 cm, diameter is 0.5-2 cm, cylindrical, usually with a tuberous swelling at the bottom, lighter than the cap. In the upper part there are the remains of the ring. The ring is white, cobweb, delicate. The pulp of the leg is fibrous, tough.

Distribution: Fatfoot honey agaric grows from August to October (sometimes also in July) on rotting tree debris, as well as on the soil (especially on the spruce litter). Unlike the dominant species Armillaria mellea, this variety, as a rule, does not infect living trees, and it bears fruit not in layers, but constantly (though not so abundantly). It grows on the soil in large groups, but, as a rule, does not grow together in large bunches.

Similar species: This variety differs from the "basic model" called Armillaria mellea, firstly, by the place of growth (mainly forest litter, including coniferous, less often stumps and dead roots, never living trees), and secondly - the shape of the leg (often, but not always the characteristic swelling in the lower part, for which this species was also called Armillaria bulbosa), and thirdly, a special "spider-web" private veil. You can also notice that the thick-legged honey agaric is, as a rule, smaller and lower than the Autumn honey agaric, but this sign can hardly be called reliable.

In general, the classification of species previously united under the name Armillaria mellea is an extremely confusing matter. (They would have combined further, but genetic studies have inexorably shown that fungi, which have very similar and, what is most unpleasant, very flexible morphological characters, are still completely different species.) A certain Wolf, an American researcher, called the genus Armillaria a curse and disgrace of modern mycology, with which it is difficult to disagree. Each professional mycologist, seriously dealing with mushrooms of this genus, has his own view of its species composition. And there are many professionals in this row - as you know, Armillaria is the most dangerous parasite of the forest, and they do not spare money for its research.

Edible: One of the most popular commercially harvested mushrooms.

Pickers are generally reluctant to distinguish between autumn mushroom varieties and are easy to understand.

Thick-legged honey fungus is a mushroom with an interesting history. You can cook many dishes with it, which is why it often ends up in baskets. The main thing is to be able to distinguish it from similar species.

Winter mushroom Flammulina Velutipes

Winter mushroom Flammulina Velutipes

Edible mushroom from the genus Flammulina, family Fizalakrievye. She is Flammulina Velvety-leg, Flammulina Winter and Flammulina Velvety. A famous mushroom delicacy, especially popular in Asian countries, where it is known as enokitake. The latest of the honey agarics, the fruit bodies of which grow even at very low temperatures.

Honey mushrooms are a year-round gift of generous nature

The artificially grown fruit bodies of this species are very different in appearance from wild ones. You can read more about Openka Winter and its inedible counterpart here.

Honey mushroom Autumn or Honey mushroom Real Armillaria Mellea

Honey mushroom Autumn or Honey mushroom Real Armillaria Mellea

Conventionally - an edible mushroom from the genus Openok, family Fizalakrievye, also known as Osenniy Honey Osenok. One of the most popular plate mushrooms in Russia. This species has a twin brother Armillaria Borealis - Osenniy Severniy, practically indistinguishable from him.

Appearance

The cap is up to 10 cm in diameter, and sometimes as much as 17 cm. In young specimens it is convex, then becomes flat, sometimes with wavy edges. The surface of the cap is covered with light sparse scales that can disappear with age. The color of the cap is highly variable, it is assumed that it depends on the substrate on which the fruit body grows. Growing on poplar, white acacia, mulberry have a honey-yellow tint of the cap, on coniferous trees - reddish-brown, on oak - brown, and on elder - gray.

The hymenophore is lamellar, the plates are adherent to the stem, or weakly creeping along it, rare, in adolescence, pale pink, later becoming pinkish-brown, can be covered with brown spots. Spore powder is white.

Leg up to 10 in length and up to 2 cm in diameter, yellow-brown shade, darker in the lower part. In the upper part there is a light membranous ring. The surface of the leg is covered with flaky scales; there is often a slight expansion below. In addition, fruiting bodies often grow together with their legs below.

The flesh in the cap is light and dense, in young specimens it becomes thinner with age. In the stem, the pulp is fibrous, strongly coarse with age. Has a pleasant mushroom smell and taste.

Where and when it grows

Autumn honey fungus is a parasite fungus that lives on many plant species - trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. Usually bears fruit in large groups. It settles on weakened wood, causing white rot of the trunk. It can grow on already decaying wood, up to fallen branches and cuttings of fallen leaves. Osenny honeydew is famous for the fact that wood, impregnated with its mycelium, can glow in the dark with a faint white glow.

Armillaria Mellea is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, except in the permafrost region. Prefers damp forests, ravine slopes, places where deforestation was carried out.

Fruiting from late August to the very beginning of winter, especially active in the first half of September. It often appears in waves lasting 15 to 20 days. An attentive collector always determines whether these mushrooms have gone to bear fruit in the next wave.

Culinary Value

Armillaria Mellea is extremely popular in Russia, in contrast to European countries, where it is hardly harvested. It can cause eating disorders when eaten raw, so it is recommended to pre-boil it, although very many lovers never do this. The pulp of this mushroom is tasty, but very dense and difficult to digest, so boiling for 20 minutes will not hurt it anyway. The mushroom is suitable for any kind of culinary processing or harvesting for future use. The taste qualities of each particular specimen strongly depend on the place of growth, and on the age of the mushroom - how many variants of the area, so many variants of taste. In older specimens, the legs are too stiff, and, as a rule, they are not assembled. The property of this mushroom to grow in huge families allows a successful gatherer to fill their baskets to the top in one sitting.

If collected inattentively, Autumn Honey can be confused with

Characteristics and habitat

Edible mushrooms are different from other varieties. A small-diameter hat flaunts on a thin and long leg, under which the plates are located. The height of the leg does not exceed 15 cm. There is almost always a “skirt” ring adjacent to the leg.

Young mushrooms have small scales on the cap. Colored cream, honey or brown. Sometimes a reddish tinge is present. The diameter of the cap varies between 5-8 cm. The color of the leg matches the color of the cap, but differs in tone.

The color of the leg is more intense at the bottom than at the top. The color is influenced by the type of mushroom, its place of growth and age. They grow most often on stumps, due to which they are popularly called "hemp".

Habitat

Honey mushrooms grow in groups, on trees or tall shrubs.The exception is the royal (pimpled) honey agaric, which grows singly and looks like a prickly or needle ball. Most often they settle on weakened trees or on old stumps. They can also choose a fallen tree or a tree starting to fall. They are also found on the ground, not far from the tree, and feed on its root system.

They do not take root in cold conditions. Most often found in deciduous forests, less often grow in pine forests. Prefer forest clearings or ravines.

Tree mushrooms are especially well known to the inhabitants of the Far East.