Honey fungus - description of where it grows, the toxicity of the mushroom. Edible and poisonous meadow mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are a group of mushrooms popular due to their gastronomic qualities. Honey fungus belongs to different families. These mushrooms grow in large colonies, which means that it will not be difficult to find them in the forest, but they also have false doubles. They feed on dead organic remains of stumps. The collection of honey mushrooms takes a long time and ends with the close of the autumn mushroom season.

The name honey fungus comes from the word “stump”. It’s not surprising, since the main places where mushrooms grow are stumps and logs. The only exception is meadow honey fungus, which hides in the grass. Each type of honey mushroom has its own characteristics, and accordingly, their appearance is different. Let's look at what the different types of mushrooms in the table can be.

Main types of mushrooms

What does honey fungus look like? The appearance and characteristics of honey mushrooms are completely different among its different species. Let's look at them using the example table

Name of the honey agaric	general description	Taste qualities	Place of growth
Lugovoy (field honey mushrooms, nets)	Small cap - up to 7 cm, first bell-shaped, then flat, light brown, yellowish flesh	Excellent almond taste and aroma	Edges, meadows, fields, country roads
Spring	The cap is hemispherical, color from yellow to brown	It acquires a good taste only after digestion, has a pleasant smell, false spring mushrooms smell like sour cabbage	In coniferous forests
	Cap up to 7 cm, convex, sticky after rain, yellowish in color, honey mushrooms of this type are similar to meadow mushrooms	Delicious and aromatic	Meadows, fields, edges, near roads
	Cap up to 15 cm, yellowish-brown in color, legs up to 10 cm long	Pleasant taste and aroma, great for soups	In gardens and forests, on stumps and windbreaks
	The leg is velvety, the cap is up to 6 cm	The taste is mild, the aroma is barely perceptible, perfect for stews	Found on willows and poplars
	Powder with greenish, reddish or purple spores, dangerous mushrooms	Not suitable for food, poor taste	On stumps in the forests

Why are honey mushrooms useful?

Honey mushrooms are used not only in cooking. They also have medicinal properties. The main beneficial properties of mushrooms are as follows:

improve performance;
have a beneficial effect on metabolism;
improve the functioning of the thyroid gland;
can relieve intestinal infections;
help people with diabetes feel better;
calm the nerves;
normalize blood circulation;
relieve inflammation;
remove cholesterol;
promote the resorption of blood clots;
have a general strengthening effect on the body;
increase immunity;
improve cardiac activity.

The presented mushrooms have other useful qualities; we have considered only the most important ones. That is, Honey fungus is not only a very tasty, but also a healthy mushroom.

Where to collect honey mushrooms (video)

How to collect honey mushrooms correctly

Often edible and false honey mushrooms grow in the same place. Therefore, it is important to learn how to determine which mushrooms are real and which are poisonous. As a rule, false mushrooms are brighter because they are trying to attract the attention of the mushroom picker.

Let's take a closer look at the features of collecting honey mushrooms. The size of the cap of this mushroom is on average up to 5 cm, but you may be lucky and you can find a true giant with a cap size of up to 20 cm. The thickness of the stem can be up to 2 cm. The lower part of the mushroom cap has a lighter shade. The pulp of the real honey mushroom is thin, and the smell is pleasant with fruity notes. Young mushrooms have a more convex cap than older ones, which have a smoother cap.

A dish of honey mushrooms can quickly and easily fill you up, as they are quite nutritious. Due to their small size, they fit compactly into a mushroom basket. Also Honey fungus grows very quickly: after a good rain in the forest they can be found in larger numbers in the same place. But in order for mushrooms to grow in the same place every time, it is necessary to collect them correctly. To do this, it is recommended to carefully cut the mushrooms.

Real experienced mushroom pickers advise collecting all the honey mushrooms you come across, and not stopping only at the big ones. This advice is argued by the fact that in a large mushroom, and therefore an old one, only the cap is valuable in gastronomic terms. After all, over time, its leg becomes harder and harder and loses its taste value.
By eating honey mushrooms, you can enrich your body with a number of useful microelements. This mushroom is prepared in different ways: salted, pickled, dried, fried, boiled. But Be sure to boil it and drain the moisture before using it.

How to grow honey mushrooms yourself

It is best to grow winter honey fungus yourself. You can grow the mushroom at home or at your dacha in a greenhouse. A glass balcony would also be suitable. When growing honey mushrooms at home, additional lighting is required. The growing process itself takes place on special substrate blocks consisting of:

0.2 kg of dry sawdust;
0.07 kg oats;
teaspoon of chalk.

The substrate is thoroughly mixed and then soaked for 5 minutes. It is then boiled for 45 minutes. Afterwards, the excess water is drained and the substrate is dried. Then it is put into jars and cooled. The containers in which the mycelium was sown are kept at a temperature of about 20 degrees. The first bumps will appear after a month.

At the dacha, you can grow honey mushrooms in ordinary stumps. To do this, mycelium is poured into them into pre-drilled holes. In this case, mushrooms can be obtained within 3-6 years.

How to preserve honey mushrooms for the winter (video)

How to pickle honey mushrooms

Royal, autumn and other types of honey mushrooms have a useful composition. Eating them is absolutely safe, and if properly marinated, you can safely serve the dish even on a holiday table. All guests will be delighted.

Necessary components for marinating:

1.5 kg of mushrooms;
salt in the amount of 1.5 tablespoons;
sugar in the amount of 2 tablespoons;
2-3 bay leaves;
2-3 cloves;
1 whole cinnamon stick;
10 black peppercorns;
3 allspice peas;
citric acid in the amount of 0.3 g or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice;
vinegar essence (if desired, can be replaced with vodka) is taken at the rate of 1 dessert spoon per volume of a liter jar.

Direct preparation:

Select only whole and undamaged mushrooms, peel them and wash them thoroughly.
After the preparation is completed, pour boiling water into the mushrooms and bring to a boil on the stove. Continue cooking for several minutes and then drain in a colander. Wash under the tap with cold water.
Pour boiling water over the mushrooms again, add the entire prepared amount of spices, citric acid, and boil on the stove. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add sugar and salt. And cook again at low temperature for half an hour. If foam appears, be sure to remove it.
The readiness of the mushrooms is evident when they drop to the bottom. And the marinade itself becomes much lighter.
Pre-sterilize the jars and then place the mushrooms in them. Vinegar essence is added to each jar.
Pour the prepared marinade over the mushrooms and seal using a seamer. Lids must be sterilized.
Turn the jars upside down and do not touch them until they are completely cooled. Store in a cool and dark place.

How to pickle honey mushrooms (video)

Taxonomy:

Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
Family: Marasmiaceae
Genus: Marasmius (Negnyuchnik)
View: Marasmius oreades (Meadow honey fungus)

Other names for the mushroom:

Other names:

Meadow rotting grass
Marasmius meadow
Lugovik
clove mushroom
Agaricus oreades

External description

Hat:
The diameter of the cap of the meadow honey fungus is 2-5 cm (larger specimens are also found), conical in youth, then opens to almost prostrate with a blunt tubercle in the center (old dried specimens can also take a cup-shaped shape). The color under normal conditions is yellowish-brown, sometimes with faintly noticeable zoning; When dry, the cap often acquires a lighter, off-white color. The pulp is thin, pale yellow, with a pleasant taste and a strong, distinctive odor.

Records:
The meadow honey fungus has sparse plates, ranging from those attached at a young age to free ones, quite wide, whitish-cream.

Spore powder:
White.

Leg:
Height 3-6 cm, thin, fibrous, whole, in adult mushrooms very hard, cap-colored or lighter.

Spreading

Meadow honey fungus is found from early summer to mid or late October in meadows, gardens, clearings and forest edges, as well as along roads; Fruits abundantly, often forming characteristic rings.

Similar species

Meadow honey fungus is often confused with forest-loving collybia, Collybia dryophylla, although they are not very similar - collibia grows exclusively in forests, and its plates are not so rare. It would be dangerous to confuse the meadow honey fungus with the whitish honey fungus, Clitocybe dealbata - it develops under approximately the same conditions, but is indicated by fairly frequent descending plates.

Edibility

A universal edible mushroom, also suitable for drying and soups.

Notes

Perhaps in some places there is a real cult of meadow honey fungus. People specially take scissors with them and cut circles around the fields, picking out small fragrant mushrooms from the grass. I’m ready to believe it: it’s not for nothing that there are so many recommendations in the literature on methods for collecting and processing this inconspicuous fungus. In fact, meadow honey fungus is probably a tasty and in all respects pleasant mushroom.

My impression of this representative of a glorious family of gentlemen was simple and unambiguous. One day I picked a couple of these mushrooms and, for scientific purposes, put them on a leaf under a cup to see what kind of powder it was. A few hours later I open it and there is no trace left of the caps, just an ugly ball of worms swarming around.

This mushroom is one of the most common in central Russia. Honey fungus is a very valuable and healthy product; it contains useful microelements and vitamins, as well as fiber. In addition to its direct use in cooking, honey mushrooms are actively used in cosmetology (to prolong the youth of the skin) and folk medicine (used as decoctions, tinctures, etc.).

Appearance and characteristics

Honey fungus is an edible mushroom that has several other names: meadow fungus, non-rot mushroom, meadow marasmius, clove mushroom. It belongs to the lamellar mushrooms from the Negniuchkov family. The mushroom is a typical representative of saprophytes.

There are two opinions why mushrooms have this name:

Translated from Latin, “honey agaric” means bracelet. Indeed, the places where honey mushrooms grow resemble a circle or an arc.
The name is associated with its habitat - on a stump, near a stump. Hence the derivative word “honey agaric”.

The mushroom is quite easy to identify. It has a round, regular-shaped cap with a low bulge in the center. The diameter of the cap is, on average, from 2 to 6 cm. The color can vary from reddish-brown to yellow, depending on the weather. During times of lack of moisture, for example during drought, the cap becomes paler. The edges of the cap are a little lighter than the middle part, and also seem to be a little torn. The cap of old mushrooms takes the shape of a bowl. The body of the honey fungus cap is always smooth. When it rains, the cap becomes covered with a watery sticky mass.

The stem of the mushroom is quite thin and elongated, it can reach 10 cm. The stem can be absolutely straight or slightly curved. At the junction with the cap, the leg thickens slightly. It may match the color of the hat or be slightly different.

The pulp of the meadow honey fungus is quite thin, milky-yellow in color. After cutting, the mushroom pulp does not change color.

The aroma of the mushroom has a spicy note, reminiscent of a mixture of almond and clove odors. The pulp has a sweetish taste.

Where do honey mushrooms grow?

The clove mushroom is very widespread throughout European territory, in some areas of the American continent and Africa. The mushroom grows well in open grassy areas. Basically, they can be found in meadows, forest edges, pastures, clearings, and ravines. Other types of honey mushrooms always grow on stumps and old trees, and the meadow honey fungus is an exception.

Meadow grasses always grow abundantly and are common. However, given the miniscule weight of the mushroom - 1 g, the mass of the harvested crop is small. They appear in warm, damp weather, forming “witch circles” and arcs. They form from the end of May to October.

Mushrooms are able to survive prolonged drought. They regain the ability to grow and reproduce with the first drops of rain.

Beneficial features

Meadow rotting herbs contain in large quantities:

Fiber, which contributes to the proper functioning of the digestive tract.
Amino acids that have a beneficial effect on memory and mental activity.
Vitamins B, C, E and PP. They have a positive effect on the immune and hormonal systems, promote hair strengthening and growth, improve skin, and maintain eye health.
Microelements. They help bones “not age” and maintain normal hemoglobin levels.
Squirrels. Nutritionists have nicknamed mushrooms “forest meat.” The protein content in them is 2 times higher than eggs, and meat – 3 times.

Areas of application of honey fungus

Cooking
Since the legs of the meadow rotten grass consist of hard, poorly digestible fibers, it is worth taking only the caps with pulp for cooking. In terms of satiety, they are comparable to meat, while being a low-calorie product.

Mushrooms are prepared in a variety of ways. They are fried, boiled, salted and pickled. Meadow mushrooms can also be dried - this makes them easier to store. After contact with water, they acquire the same qualities as before drying. In addition, marasmius meadows do not lose their taste during freezing, although they must be boiled before that.

The most appetizing mushroom broth is obtained from meadow mushrooms, superior in taste even to a decoction of noble porcini mushrooms. Having a spicy aroma, the dried mushroom is used as a specific seasoning. Marasmius meadows is very often included in sauces and dressings.

However, there are a number of contraindications to consuming this type of mushroom:

Children's age up to 12 years. Mushrooms are quite heavy foods and have a strong effect on the digestive tract. Also, with insufficient treatment of honey mushrooms, there is a greater likelihood of poisoning than in adults, due to the not fully strengthened immunity.
The presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Pickled mushrooms contain a bite in large quantities, which has a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

Medicine
Meadow rotting herbs are natural antiseptics, have anticancer and antimicrobial properties (due to the presence of skodonin and marasmic acid in them). Also helps cope with Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteria. Regular addition of meadow grass to the diet helps prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular abnormalities.

Polysaccharides obtained from honey mushrooms chemically normalize the functioning of the thyroid gland. And lecithin, extracted from rotten grass, has a beneficial effect on kidney function.

Meadowsweet is actively used in folk medicine, particularly in China. They are used as a remedy against cramps, to relax muscles and for leg pain.

Cosmetology
Now Marasmius meadow is actively used in cosmetology. Extracts from it are added to creams, masks, serums, etc. Scientists have noticed that extracts from the mushroom have a positive effect on skin cells, regenerate and rejuvenate tissue. There are many lines of “mushroom cosmetics”.

Previously, girls, in order to achieve greater attractiveness, collected dew from the caps of meadow honey fungus in the morning and washed themselves with it.

Beware, false doubles

Experienced mushroom pickers have an unspoken rule: “if you’re not sure, don’t take it.” Because there are many types of mushrooms that are very similar to each other. Some can be classified as conditionally edible, while others are simply poison for the human body. There are also such doubles of meadow marasmius.

Wood-loving collibia also belongs to the Negniuchkov family. It is considered a conditionally edible species of mushroom. It has a very specific, repulsive odor. It differs in its location of growth - collibia does not grow in open areas, preferring shaded mixed forests with rotten wood and rotten leaves. The hat is white, the stem is shorter and hollow inside.

The whitish talker has an even greater resemblance to meadow honey mushrooms. This is a very dangerous, poisonous mushroom. It has a white cap raised at the edges. The leg is very short, up to 4 cm. It grows in places where meadow grasses grow, sometimes even in close proximity.

In addition to false mushrooms, real meadow mushrooms can also cause harm. Insufficiently thorough cleaning and heat treatment of these mushrooms can also lead to poisoning and sometimes death.

Video: meadow honey mushrooms - delicious mushrooms

Meadow mushrooms(Marasmius oreades) often called non-rot mushrooms, marasmius, meadow mushrooms or clove mushrooms. After adding water to dried mushrooms, they come back to life and can produce spores. Many mushroom pickers have seen a picture where, after rain, dry honey mushrooms “came to life” again and continued to bear fruit.

Below you can see photos and descriptions of meadow mushrooms, find out what they look like and when to collect these mushrooms.

What do meadow mushrooms look like?

The cap (diameter 3-9 cm) is ocher, red-brown or yellowish. In dry weather, the cap of the honey fungus mushroom fades to a light brown or cream color, and in humid weather it becomes sticky and sticky. It has the shape of a hemisphere with a small central tubercle, which over time changes to a slightly convex or almost prostrate shape. The edges are uneven and ribbed, almost transparent, paler than the center.

The photo shows what meadow honey mushrooms look like: the stem of these mushrooms, 4-11 cm high, is thin and sinuous, has a cylindrical shape and tapers slightly from bottom to top. It is velvety to the touch, with a slight powdery coating. The color rarely differs from the cap.

Records: ocher or light cream. In young mushrooms they grow tightly to the stem, in old ones, on the contrary, they are loose.

Pulp: thin, white or yellowish in color, which does not change when cut and exposed to air. The aroma is reminiscent of bitter almonds or cloves.

Doubles of the honey fungus: young poisonous whitish talker(Clitocybe dealbata) and wood-loving collibium (Collybia dryophila). But the talkers do not have a tubercle on the cap and the smell of the pulp is mealy. But collibia has very frequent platelets and an extremely unpleasant odor.

When to collect meadow mushrooms and their use

Meadow honey mushrooms can be collected when consistently warm weather arrives: from the end of May to mid-October. These mushrooms grow in the countries of Eurasia, North Africa and America. On the territory of Russia - in the North Caucasus and Primorye.

Where can I find: exclusively in open spaces - meadows, pastures, fields and forest edges.

When using meadow mushrooms for food, cooks use only the caps, since the legs are very hard.

The use of meadow mushrooms in folk medicine (the data is not confirmed and has not undergone clinical studies!): meadow mushroom tincture contains a large amount of marasmic acid, which is effective in the fight against many bacteria, in particular Staphylococcus aureus.

Meadow honey mushrooms, or non-rotting mushrooms, are one of the most useful mushrooms that are actively used not only in cooking, but also in medicine and cosmetology. How to distinguish them from false mushrooms, when to collect and how to cook these mushrooms - we will consider in more detail in the article.

Edibility

Meadow honey fungus belongs to Class IV in the classification of edibility- a rarely collected mushroom that has a conditionally edible purpose and does not have a pronounced taste.

It is not only a mushroom, but also a very useful one: it has antifungal properties, eliminates harmful viruses and cancer cells in the body. In addition, honey fungus dilates blood vessels and has a positive effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The meadow mushroom has a unique ability to self-regenerate: if you moisten this dried mushroom with water, after a while it will produce new fruits - for this it is called the non-rotting mushroom.
Mainly used in cooking honey mushroom hats- the legs have a very rigid structure and are poorly heat treated. These mushrooms are not consumed raw.

Important! Meadow honey mushrooms can be consumed only after heat treatment: in its raw form, honey mushrooms can cause severe intoxication of the body.

Botanical description

This amazing mushroom has several names - non-rot mushroom, meadow mushroom, clove mushroom, marasmius(from the Latin name Marasmius oreades). It belongs to the lamellar saprophytic fungi of the Ryadovkov family (according to some researchers - the Negniuchnikov family).
The unusualness of the mushroom lies in its ability to glow in the dark, like phosphorus: this property is described in folk legends, which tell that travelers lost in the forest at night lost their minds at the sight of these mushrooms, mistaking the luminous honey mushrooms for magical plants. Whether this is true or not cannot be reliably known, but the ability of non-rotting people to emit phosphorus light has not been lost to this day.

hat

The average size of the cap reaches 5-7 cm in diameter - it is reddish-brown or yellow in color. In the absence of moisture (during drought or windy weather), the cap takes on a light cream color. The shape is standard for most mushrooms - a hemisphere with a small tubercle in the center. The edges of the cap are lighter in color than the middle, and also do not have clear boundaries - they seem to be torn, like scars. The cap is hygrophanous - it swells when exposed to moisture, becoming sticky and sticky. In old or overdried mushrooms, the shape of the cap takes on a cup-like appearance.

Leg

The mushroom cap of the meadow mushroom is held by a long and thin stem (up to 10 cm in height). It can be straight or slightly curved, expanding slightly at the base (up to 0.5 cm in girth). Rigid in structure, consists of solid fibers. It can be the same color as the cap, or a little lighter.

Did you know? One of the main signs of the toxicity of a mushroom is the presence of convex thickenings on its stem - this is especially characteristic of false mushrooms. Edible mushrooms always have a stem of uniform circumference, without tubercles or thickenings.

Records

The meadow grass's plates are distinct, up to 6 mm wide. In young specimens, the plates always grow tightly to the cap, while in older specimens they are attached loosely, without adhering tightly to it. In conditions of high humidity, the plates of non-rotting plants acquire an ocher tint, and in drought - cream or white.

Pulp

The mushroom pulp has a thin consistency, pale (milky or yellow), and does not change its basic color after being cut. It is characterized by a strong spicy smell (reminiscent of a combination of cloves and almonds), but has a sweetish taste.

Where to find and when to collect

The distribution area of marasmius is quite extensive - they are found on the European continent, as well as in America and northern Africa. These mushrooms love open space, so they form in meadows, ravines, forest clearings, and are found in pastures, fields and forest edges. This growing area somewhat contradicts the name - honey mushrooms are those mushrooms that grow on stumps. However, meadow marasmius is an exception.

Non-rotting bugs form en masse in warm weather, after rain - form arcs, rows and “witch circles”(wide circle with a diameter of up to 80 cm). The main time for collecting non-rotting mushrooms is the end of spring and the beginning of autumn (subject to the presence of warm temperatures).

Twin mushrooms

Almost every mushroom in nature has its own double - a species that is very similar in appearance or taste to the original. Negniyuchnik was no exception - he also has similar doubles.

These include:

Important! Poisoning can occur not only if consumed, but also if the edible is poorly washed - in nature, edible and poisonous species often grow together, in contact and touching each other. To avoid intoxication and death, wash mushrooms thoroughly and never eat them raw, even if you are sure that they are edible - always heat-treat the mushrooms.

Use in cooking

Due to the rigidity and poor digestibility of the legs of non-rotting mushrooms, only their caps and pulp are used for cooking.

Dried caps can be an excellent seasoning for dishes: they have a pronounced spicy smell. This type of mushroom produces the most delicious broth in comparison with all other types (it surpasses even porcini mushroom broth in taste).
In European cuisine, this mushroom has become an integral part of spicy sauces. Marasmius is also used for salting, pickling, drying, preparing soups and various snacks.

How to clean

Fresh rotting herbs have the ability to quickly darken, so they need to be cleaned as soon as possible after direct collection. Be sure to sort through the mushrooms before cleaning - any old, rotting or moldy units should be discarded.

Then you need mushrooms be sure to rinse: under the caps there may be debris, bugs or aphids - but not if you are going to dry the honey mushrooms in the future. Then excess debris and bugs need to be removed from under the cap with a knife. If the harvested crop is intended for drying, then it will be enough to cut off the damaged or moldy parts of the mushroom - no other cleaning will be required.
For pickling or salting, you will need a different type of cleaning. Before processing, they need to be soaked for 20–30 minutes in warm water. Then carefully remove the film with a knife without damaging the mushroom cap (the stems can also be cut off). The film under the cap does not need to be removed, but if you need to do this, then just put the cap under running water - the delicate film will easily separate and wash off. Next, the cleaned caps are washed - now they can be used for further preparation.

How and how much to cook

The cooking time for honey mushrooms is calculated based on what dish the mushrooms are intended for and what heat treatment will take place in the future:

Frying. Before frying or stewing meadow mushrooms, they need to be boiled in salted water for at least 1 hour. In this case, the cooking process is divided into 2 stages: first, the mushrooms are boiled for 20 minutes, then an onion, bay leaf, allspice, and salt are added - with these ingredients, the mushrooms are cooked for another 40 minutes. Then they are taken out of the broth, allowed to dry slightly and used for frying or stewing with other ingredients - onions, potatoes, sour cream, meat, etc.
. The cooking time for marasmus before freezing will depend on their size, but on average this time should not be less than 60 minutes. After boiling for 20 minutes, the first water is drained, and the half-baked mushrooms are poured with fresh boiling water, after which they are cooked until tender.
Pickling. The mushrooms must be completely cooked, so they need to be boiled for at least 60–80 minutes. 20–25 minutes after the start of cooking, drain the water and pour new boiling water over the rotten mushrooms, add salt and spices, and cook for another 40–60 minutes.
Cooking dried honey mushrooms. In order for the dried honey mushroom to fully regain its shape, you need to boil it in salted water for 20–30 minutes.