False honey mushrooms include: some types of mushrooms, Of course they will be very similar to edible honey mushrooms. Such mushrooms are easily confused due to the fact that false honey mushrooms grow in the same place as edible ones - they grow on fallen trees, stumps, and on protruding parts of tree roots.

Types of false mushrooms can be divided into 3 groups:

• inedible;
• conditionally edible;
• poisonous.

Still, a novice mushroom picker should not forget about the main rule: “If you’re not sure, don’t take it!”, don't experiment, take care of yourself. Try to collect only real honey mushrooms, if you are 100% sure that it is they, feel free to put them in the basket.

Honey mushrooms: false and edible photos of how to distinguish them:

One of the most important signs of distinguishing false mushrooms from real ones is the presence of a membranous ring on the leg (skirt).

This ring protects the fungus at a young age. Remember, real mushrooms have such a ring, but false ones do not!

In edible mushrooms you can see a ring on the stem.
False mushrooms do not have such rings on their legs.

The picture shows edible autumn honey mushrooms.

A, B - young honey mushrooms, C - old honey mushrooms.

Another difference between honey mushrooms and false honey mushrooms:

1) The smell of edible honey mushrooms- they smell very pleasant, like other edible mushrooms. False honey mushrooms are published very bad smell mold, earthy smell.

2) Inedible honey mushrooms have caps that are more brightly colored than those of edible ones. Variation in tone from sulfur yellow to brick red. Real honey mushrooms have the usual, modest light brown color.

False honey mushrooms and their color:

A - sulfur-yellow, B - grey-plate-like, C - brick-red

3) Hat edible honey mushrooms are covered with small scales, false ones do not have such scales; their cap is very smooth. But do not forget that in real honey mushrooms, the scales on the cap disappear when they get older.

4) False mushrooms have yellow records, when aged they are greenish, when edible they are yellowish-white or cream.

Honey mushroom plates and their color:

A - edible, B - sulphur-plate, C - sulfur-yellow

5) Also, false honey mushrooms can be distinguished from real ones by their bitter taste, but under no circumstances do this! The signs we described above will be enough for you.

Experienced mushroom picker will immediately notice the mentioned signs, but beginners should use this knowledge with great caution, because every person evaluates individual characteristics(color, smell, etc.) differently and remember, If you're not sure, don't buy it.

These are fragrant and very delicious mushrooms can be found on stumps or green meadows. Thanks to their amazing taste, they are used in a variety of dishes. With the help of honey mushrooms you can improve the taste of yourself regular soup or boiled potatoes. There are also many options for how to prepare them, so there is something for everyone. In addition, there are a huge number of types of honey mushrooms that delight lovers with their harvest.

Detailed description

Thanks to the structure of honey mushrooms, they are very easy to recognize among other mushrooms. They are characterized by a thin and very flexible leg, the length of which can be from 12 to 15 cm. Its color can be either dark brown or light honey. It all depends on the age of the mushroom and the place in which it grows. Most often, there is some kind of ring-skirt on the stem of this mushroom, but it does not occur in all species.

As for the cap, it is lamellar and in most cases slightly rounded downwards. If the mushroom is still young, then the cap will have a hemispherical shape, and over time, as it “grows up,” it becomes very smooth and changes its shape to an umbrella-shaped one. Its color can be different - it varies from cream to red.

Habitats

Most often, these mushrooms can be found on damaged or weakened trees. Another favorite place is dead or rotten wood, in most cases these are deciduous trees. Eg:

Much less often they germinate on coniferous trees: fir, spruce, pine. There are also species that prefer to grow on soil, for example, meadow honey fungus. It is most often found on roadsides, fields and gardens.

As for meadow mushrooms, they can be found on the edges, in meadow grass, and also along forest clearings. They should be collected in May and until the end of summer. They have a small cap, about 3 cm wide. It has a raised area in the center. The color of the cap is beige-orange. The legs of meadow mushrooms are thin, no more than 7 cm in height. They are characterized by rare creamy plates, as well as yellowish pulp, which has a sweet taste.

Most often, they form colonies that line up in a circle, with a bald spot remaining in the center. This happens due to the fact that spores that are already ripe throw out cobweb-like threads in different directions. These threads are very thin and long. At their ends, fruiting bodies are formed throughout the circle. In the middle of the circle, the grass begins to dry out because there is no nutrients, and thus an empty space appears.

Royal and Chinese

Royal honey mushrooms most often grow singly. But there are times when you can find several pieces in one place. They sprout on the crown of trees. The width of the cap can be up to 20 cm, and the height of the leg - up to 15 cm.

Eating these mushrooms raw is prohibited because it can cause food poisoning. First you need to boil them, after which they can be consumed.

They can be pickled, dried and added to food. In addition they have medicinal properties. Based on them, a tincture is made, which is taken in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, as well as diabetes.

It is easy to guess that Chinese honey mushrooms are very popular in countries such as China and Japan. This type is very healthy due to the fact that they contain plant fiber. They are also called Japanese honey mushrooms.

It is impossible to find these mushrooms fresh on store shelves, because they spoil very quickly, which is why they are not imported to Russia. Here they are sold only in tin cans. There are false mushrooms similar to honey mushrooms that can be poisonous. Mushroom pickers with extensive experience can distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones. But those who are not particularly versed in mushrooms need to be careful.

First of all, in order to identify false mushrooms, you need to figure out what color the mushrooms should be. The shade of the edible mushroom varies from light beige to brownish. As for false species, their cap has more bright color- brick red or rusty brown. Please note that the most dangerous type of false mushrooms are sulfur-yellow ones, which are very similar in color to edible ones.

Also another effective method A way to distinguish edible from inedible species is to examine the mushroom cap. If there are special specks on it, some scales, the color of which is darker than the cap itself, these are edible honey mushrooms. The false mushroom has a smooth cap, sometimes even wet. If it rains, it becomes very sticky. Those categories of people who like to eat overgrown mushrooms should pay attention to the fact that in the process of “maturing” the mushroom, the scales disappear.

You should also pay attention to the plates of the mushroom. In the edible honey mushroom they have the following color:

• Cream;
• White;
• White-yellow.

In false mushrooms, the plates have a different color. Most often they are olive-black, green or bright yellow. One of the most dangerous types of mushrooms, called brick-red honey fungus, also has another clue under its skirt - it is a cobweb formation.

You also need to pay attention to the smell. Real mushrooms emit a pleasant mushroom aroma that cannot be confused with anything else. Dangerous species Mushrooms can be recognized by the smell of mold and earth. They also have a bitter taste. It is best for an inexperienced mushroom picker to pay attention to the presence of a ring-skirt on a mushroom, because this is the main difference between edible and inedible species.

Now you know what kinds of honey mushrooms there are. These recommendations and tips will help you understand the diversity of their species, as well as avoid danger.

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

Edible and inedible honey mushrooms - how not to make a mistake, which places are “preferred to live” and how to grow a crop of mushrooms in your summer cottage? Read about this in the article.

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

The name of the mushrooms “honey mushrooms” translated from Latin means “bracelet”. Colonies of forest inhabitants really resemble decorations on old wood due to their peculiar form of growth.

• In the baskets of mushroom pickers who go quiet hunting in the forests middle zone In Russia, honey mushrooms are often found. Mushroom pickers love them because mushrooms can be used to diversify the summer menu: honey mushrooms are one of the ingredients in soups, they are salted, dried mushrooms are prepared for the winter, and fried.
• You can find a bunch of honey mushrooms in the summer on stumps, in damp places in the forest. Mushrooms grow on the bark of trees. Mushrooms like deciduous trees and coniferous species. Fungus spores can also be found in dead woods - areas of the forest that are difficult for humans to reach.
• The thickets of mushrooms will provide the hunter for the forest delicacy with a hearty meal, because mushrooms grow in colonies. One expanded family of honey mushrooms can replenish the supplies of a lover of quiet hunting with 10 kg of product, and a week later a new crop of mushrooms will grow in the same place. You can collect honey mushrooms before winter.
• Since there are no legs nutritional value, then when harvesting, only the caps are cut off. To prevent the dish from becoming bitter, the honey mushrooms are lightly boiled beforehand.

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

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

Summer honey mushrooms, which can be used to diversify the menu without fear:

• thin-walled yellowish-brown cap (at the initial stage of growth, its outer edges can curl inward)
• caps grow up to 8 cm in diameter
• underneath the cap you can see a cobwebby cover
• the cap of a young honey mushroom is not flat on top, but has a bulge in the center (the older the mushroom, the smaller the bulge)
• the surface of the cap is covered with water circles
• if you turn over the cap of an edible honey mushroom, you can see white or rusty-brown plates
• 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-red in the mature state brown tint)
• The length of the mushroom stem 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
• scales are located under the ring

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

• In order not to worry and risk your well-being, you need to know the signs of honey mushrooms that are not suitable for consumption. After all, their poisonous counterparts have excellent camouflage.
  For example, while hunting for mushrooms, you may encounter sulfur-yellow false honey fungus. The body of the mushroom is bright yellow and without scales.
• The plates inside the cap of the sulphuroplasty change from whitish to bluish-gray at a young age. This is not typical for edible honey mushroom. Mushroom is not included in the group poisonous species, however, it should be boiled first.

The mushroom family includes the following mushrooms:

• gray
• pine honey mushrooms
• red honey mushrooms
• dark honey mushrooms
• honey mushrooms with pimples
• meadow
• Assumption
• Chinese
• winter
• autumn
• summer
• spring honey mushrooms
• thick-legged honey mushrooms
• mucous mushrooms
• honey mushroom

Honey fungus thick-legged

Honey fungus brick-red

The common name “honey mushrooms” refers to 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 mushrooms are of interest, there is more information about them.

Let's look at the most common forms:

• A representative of this species takes root on damaged deciduous trees. Honey mushroom colonies grow on dead parts of wood, choosing willow or poplar for colonization. You can find these mushrooms on the banks of a stream, in the garden. The forest inhabitants also inhabit the city park.
• A good harvest can be harvested in the fall. Sometimes winter honey fungus adapts to germinate under the snow. The mushroom cap, 10 cm in diameter, is flat yellow or orange-brown. Young mushrooms have a flat cap, the edges are lighter in color and the middle is darker.

Autumn honey fungus mushroom

• Many types of trees are suitable for the germination of spores of this honey mushroom. there are about 200 of them. Sometimes the fungus even sprouts on potatoes. At night you can watch an interesting sight: due to the fact that a large “mushroom family” is often located on tree stumps, they are beautifully illuminated.
• Ideal conditions for the growth of the fungus in damp forests are birch and aspen stumps, dead elm and alder wood.
• Mushrooms can be collected from the last month of summer until the cold winter months, unless the air temperature drops below 10 degrees. The autumn honey fungus 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 observed in adult members of the fungal family. The surface of an immature mushroom is covered with scales. But there are very few of them. As the fungus grows, these scales disappear.

• Most often, summer honey fungus ends up in 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 honey mushroom grows in the forests. A dense family grows on rotten stumps. Trees with obvious damage are suitable for fungal growth.
• The dimensions of the summer honey mushroom are more modest: the cap 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 mushrooms growing in damp areas are brown and translucent. Mushrooms growing in a dry place have honey-yellow, matte caps. There are grooves along the edges of the caps. Mushrooms can produce crops all year round.

Video: Summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)

Specifics of preparing honey mushrooms

• Before cooking, mushrooms should be pre-boiled. Cooking, the duration of which can vary from 30 minutes to an hour, will eliminate the inherent toxicity of honey mushrooms.
• Cooking time is determined by the size of the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms.
• The larger the mushrooms, the longer the heat treatment takes.

How to properly pre-boil mushrooms:

• the mushrooms are placed on the fire and when the water boils, it needs to be drained
• then you need to cook in a new portion of previously boiled water

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

False honey mushrooms: description, photo

Behind good mushroom you can accept his double. These are the so-called false mushrooms.

You can mistake its double for a good mushroom

Signs of inedible honey fungus:

• the cap is bright in color (a good mushroom has a cap of a muted shade and has scales on it in young mushrooms)
• the plates of the bad mushroom are yellow, greenish, olive-black
• the double of the edible honey mushroom has only the remains of a ring on the stem

Video: inedible mushrooms - gray-yellow false honey fungus

• The brick-red false honey fungus is especially dangerous. It can be found on dead wood, on a rotten stump, and can also grow on flat terrain. The mushroom has a spherical cap, by which it is easy to “calculate” during mushroom harvesting. The cap has flakes hanging down the edges. The mushroom has no smell.
• All false honey mushrooms differ in the shades of the internal plates located under the cap. They can range from dark to sulfur-yellow or black-olive. Records good mushrooms cream color. False honey mushrooms grow in large groups.

How to identify and distinguish edible honey mushrooms from false ones?

• A bad honey mushroom, unlike a good mushroom, does not have a ring - a plate-shaped skirt, which is located under the cap. You can see the remains of a bedspread on the leg.
• If the mushroom is in doubt, it is better to throw it away immediately. Send mushrooms to the basket only if you are sure that they are edible, and if you have doubts or find one of the signs of a poisonous mushroom, then give up the idea of ​​adding it to your “mushroom catch”.

What other differences exist:

• a good mushroom has a pleasant mushroom aroma, while a false one exudes an unpleasant earthy odor or no odor at all
• the cap of a bad mushroom is brightly and loudly colored, the cap of a good mushroom is an unsightly light brown color
• the caps of good mushrooms have small scales, while poisonous mushrooms have a smooth cap (however, the scales disappear over time and the caps edible mushrooms also become smooth)
• turning over the cap of an inedible mushroom, 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 honey mushrooms with a bitter aftertaste, but you should not start assessing the taste of the mushroom you doubt (other, more obvious signs are sufficient)

For an experienced mushroom picker, it will not be difficult 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 stem of the mushroom.

How can you tell the difference between edible mushrooms and toadstools?

• The white and greenish tint of the body of the mushroom is the main sign of toadstool. Appearance forest dweller may well correspond to the description of an edible mushroom. An experienced mushroom picker will immediately recognize such a disguise.
• Throw an onion into the container in which the mushrooms are cooked. If she quickly acquired Blue colour, then all forest production is not suitable for food.
• A mushroom with an olive or pearlescent tint may be poisonous. It’s better not to take risks and immediately abandon the intention of replenishing your catch in the basket.

Can there be honey mushroom poisoning, and what are the symptoms?

• Poisonings occur mainly due to ignorance of the species of forest guests or due to improper preparation of edible mushrooms. The degree of intoxication depends on what mushrooms were eaten.
• Those who independently collect mushrooms and prepare them need to know how to identify poisoning and what medical care should be provided to the victim.

Mushrooms are divided into several groups:

• Edible: these mushrooms can be eaten without prior 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 honey mushrooms)
• Inedible mushrooms may be poisonous or have an unpleasant taste or odor (gall mushroom)

False mushrooms contain a white liquid in their pulp. It's called burning juice. In addition, the bad mushroom differs from the edible honey mushroom with a brighter cap orange color and thinner hemp.

Video: How to recognize mushroom poisoning?

Signs of poisoning:

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

Death does not occur from poisoning with false honey mushrooms, but it is possible serious problems due to dehydration, gastroenteritis.

Intoxication appears within 1 hour or within 6 hours

• If signs of poisoning are detected, you should not hesitate to call an ambulance. After all, it is necessary to avoid the penetration of harmful toxic substances into the blood.
• After the milky juice of the mushrooms enters the liver, the patient’s condition worsens.

Video: Mushroom poisoning! Symptoms and first aid!

First aid is as follows:

• it is necessary to avoid dehydration and help get rid of symptoms of poisoning
  you should induce vomiting after drinking large quantity warm boiled water and pressing on the root of the tongue
• It is also necessary to rinse the stomach for those who have eaten the same mushrooms, but there are no signs of poisoning until the symptoms become noticeable
• Dehydration can be detected by a change in the color of the urine, which becomes darker, and by fewer or no trips to the toilet.
• the patient should be provided with plenty of fluids, preferably water
• if diarrhea or vomiting has already begun, then sports drinks (not energy drinks) will help.
• the patient can eat vegetable and chicken broths, which will provide the necessary replenishment of water and nutrients
• Do not drink anti-diarrhea medications (diarrhea removes toxins from the body)
• it is better for the patient to reduce physical activity, sleep more so that the body recovers faster

Remember that first aid cannot replace treatment. If you have dehydration that you cannot cope with on your own, you should consult a doctor.

Video: ALL ABOUT MUSHROOMS POISONING

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

See the picture below for a calendar for collecting different mushrooms by month.

How to grow honey mushrooms in the country?

• Contrary to popular belief that honey mushrooms germinate better in the forest, growing them in the country is not a fantastic idea.
• From fertile soil brought to the site, humus obtained somewhere in the forest, mushroom spores fall into the ground. However, annual digging of the site disturbs the mycelium and it eventually dies without having time to germinate.

How to get a harvest of mushrooms in the country?

• select an area for mushrooms (moist, with shade)
• prepare mushroom mycelium (in our case, honey mushrooms) and “settle” the mushrooms on the future mushroom plantation.

First stage: site preparation:

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

Preparing mycelium:

• We find overgrown mushrooms in the forest, which have large and wet caps
• immerse mushrooms in soft ground water
• leave for a couple of hours
• mix the mixture well
• stumps and logs buried in the area are treated with a liquid containing fungal mycelium
• We don’t throw away the caps, but place them on top of the treated areas of wood
• cover the caps 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
• We are waiting for the first harvest. Usually, mushrooms can be collected from a prepared plot only 2-3 years after planting.

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

Wild mushrooms everywhere attract special attention from fans of original food, because they can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted and dried. Unfortunately, in nature there are edible and false honey mushrooms, which often end up in the basket of inexperienced mushroom pickers. Before going out into the forest, it would be wise to become more familiar with the honey mushrooms that grow in the area where we live.

The main symptoms of poisoning with inedible honey mushrooms occur several hours after eating them. Sharp headache, nausea, dizziness, and intestinal spasms signal a problem.

Edible and false honey mushrooms: criteria for distinction

Who doesn’t love going into the forest to pick mushrooms and having a basket or bucket full of them a few hours later? This is exactly the case with honey mushrooms. After all, they grow in huge families of several dozen pieces, located in a small area. In order for the hike to end successfully, it is important for everyone to know how to distinguish honey mushrooms from false honey mushrooms. Otherwise, joy may be replaced by the bitterness of food poisoning. First, let's look at edible and safe specimens. And then, let’s take off the “mask” from the false mushrooms that strive to end up in the basket of inexperienced mushroom pickers.

Experts advise paying attention to several criteria that help you notice the dangerous difference between edible and false honey mushrooms:

1. Aroma. If you have doubts when collecting forest gifts, you can sniff the cap of the fruit to inhale its scent. The edible mushroom has a pleasant aroma, and the “imitator” has notes of rotten soil.
2. Leg. Young honey mushrooms have a leg, which is decorated with a film “skirt”. It is located next to the hat. Mushrooms similar to honey mushrooms do not have such “decoration”.
3. The color of the records. In edible mushrooms they are yellowish or cream colored. False honey mushrooms boast a bright yellow, olive or earthy hue.
4. External texture of the cap. In young edible honey mushrooms, the surface of the cap is often scaly. False mushrooms have a smooth surface.
5. Color of the surface of the mushroom. Edible honey mushrooms have light brown colored caps. “Imitation” mushrooms are distinguished by more elegant shades: the bright color of sulfur or red brick.

Of course, all these criteria are very important, but if after the study doubts remain, we apply main principle: “If you’re not sure, don’t take it!”

Inexperienced mushroom pickers should not go for honey mushrooms alone. Useful advice A specialist will help you not to fall into the trap of greed, but to take only.

Features of your favorite autumn mushrooms

To learn to distinguish edible and false honey mushrooms from each other, it is important to have a good understanding of the growth characteristics of these plants. As is known, in nature there are many various types again. But they are all united by the common characteristics of these cute mushrooms. It turns out that it is not enough to know what mushrooms look like from the outside. It is important to get to know them better.

Edible mushrooms most often grow in large groups near stumps or with tree roots protruding from the soil. When they just emerge from the soft forest soil, they are decorated with a semicircular cap. In older specimens, it completely changes shape. Now it looks more like a wide plate turned upside down.

Looking at the photos of false and edible honey mushrooms, you can notice differences in the coloring and size of the caps. These can be the following shades:

• orange;
• rusty yellow;
• brownish;
• honey yellow.

The diameter of the cap reaches up to 10 cm. Its outer part is covered with scales, which partially disappear over time. The dorsal plates of the cap of young honey mushrooms are usually light-colored. In mature specimens they are colored brown or yellowish.

If you carefully examine the legs of edible specimens, you will notice that they are hollow inside. In addition, they are decorated with a leathery ring, which was formed from the protective covering of a young mushroom.

The pulp has a light brown color, which does not change even when water gets on it.

It is better to know the enemy by sight

With the onset of autumn, when the sun still pampers people with its warm rays, many go to the forest to pick mushrooms. Particularly attractive are places with fallen trees or low stumps covered with many cute mushrooms. But in order not to run into disguised “enemies”, it is worth getting to know the false honey mushrooms better. How to distinguish them from their edible relatives and not accidentally put them in the basket and then on the table? Let's look at some types of such inedible options.

Inexperienced fans of forest gifts should take into account that false honey mushrooms can grow next to edible specimens in the same friendly families.

At the end of August, on the forest edges, among old stumps and fallen trees, autumn flowers grow in large groups. The photo helps to see this disguised “enemy” in all its glory. Most often, its convex cap ranges from 4 to 8 cm. When mature, it opens up a little, thereby becoming similar to its relatives. The cardinal difference is the brick-red color of the outer covering of the cap. The pulp of the mushroom has a bitter taste and pale yellow color.

Kandollya

These false honey mushrooms “settle” in large families near the stumps and roots of centuries-old deciduous trees. They appear in late spring and bear fruit until early September. Distinctive feature young mushrooms of this species have a bell-shaped cap. Over time, it opens up like an umbrella, on top of which there is a convex tubercle. The edges of the cap of this camouflaged mushroom are framed by a light fringe that remains from the protective blanket. Its diameter varies from 3 to 7 cm. The color is most often yellow-brown, although it can be whitish.

This autumn honey fungus is a truly dangerous double. The name and photo of the mushroom tell a lot about it. As a rule, sulfur-yellow honey fungus grows on trunks, branches, stumps and around deciduous and coniferous trees. Depending on the climatic conditions it actively bears fruit until the first October frosts. At the same time, it grows in numerous groups.

His bell-shaped hat eventually transforms into an “open umbrella” and is distinguished by the following coloring:

• yellow;
• grayish yellow;
• yellow-brown.

There is a contrasting darkening in the center of the cap. If such mushrooms fall on dinner table fans of forest gifts, the outcome may be irreparable. Therefore, knowing the dangers of false honey mushrooms helps you stay away from them.

Royal honey mushrooms

This type of mushroom rightfully deserves special attention, because it is an exquisite delicacy for fans of forest gifts. Edible specimens have a wide, bell-shaped cap that is rusty yellow or olive in color. The entire fruit is abundantly covered with brown scales, resembling flakes or graceful tubercles. And the flesh of royal honey mushrooms is yellow.

It is best to collect mushrooms that have slimy caps that are smooth to the touch. If the fetus has dark shade, which means he is no longer young.

Despite such popularity, disguised false royal honey mushrooms are also found in nature. They often grow on the sites of old ashes or fires that are already overgrown with grass. And the pulp of such honey mushrooms smells unpleasant, which is one of the distinctive features these poisonous mushrooms. Some of them become slimy during the rainy season and also have a small number of scales. With age, the graceful caps of false mushrooms change, which indicates their unsuitability for food.

One of the most popular varieties autumn mushrooms are honey mushrooms: in Russian forests in particularly fruitful years, so many of them ripen that in one harvest you can take an entire car trunk out of the forest. However, when going for honey mushrooms in the fall, be careful: along with edible species At this time, their dangerous doubles also appear, and if you taste them, you can get food poisoning.

If August is characterized by the peak of the collection of tubular mushrooms, then September is the peak of the collection of lamellar mushrooms and, above all, autumn mushrooms. There is a whole army of mushroom pickers who are looking forward to the autumn mushroom picking season. It is known that these mushrooms produce the maximum mushroom yield by weight. Autumn honey mushrooms may appear first in isolated places on stumps and fallen trees, or they may grow immediately in vast forest areas.

In the first two to three days they are the size of a match or pin head. 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 the diameter of the cap.

This material describes in detail what types of autumn honey mushrooms there are and where they grow.

Edible varieties of autumn mushrooms

Autumn or true honey fungus (Armillaria mellea).

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

Season: August-November.

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

The stalk is 4-12 cm high and 6-15 mm thick, dense, cylindrical, at first flocculate-scaly, later almost bare, 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 stem usually has exactly the same color as the cap.

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

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

Similarities with other species. This autumn edible honey fungus looks like inedible mushroom Hypholoma capnoides, which is distinguished by very frequent plates of grayish or gray-brown color, and is also similar to brick-red false honey (Hypholoma sublateritium), which is distinguished by frequent plates of olive-brown color with a purple tint.

Autumn honey fungus, northern form (Armillaria mellea, f. borealis).

Habitats: these autumn honey 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 spread out, 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 straightened and striped. In young specimens, the cap is connected to the stem by a white film, which later hangs in a ring around the stem.

The stalk is 4-10 cm tall and 5-10 mm thick, dense, cylindrical along its entire length, at first flocculent-scaly, later almost naked. In the upper part of the leg there is a well-defined ring with a fringed edge. The stem usually has exactly the same color as the cap. The second distinctive property of the species is the crowded growth; the mushrooms grow in “clusters” of many pieces together. In this case, the legs often grow together at the rhizome.

The pulp is dense, thin-fleshed, white, does not change color when broken, with a pleasant smell and taste.

Variability. The cap zones may be light yellow-brown or bright mustard in dry weather; in wet and cold weather the color of the cap darkens to dark brown.

Similarities with inedible species. This honey fungus is similar to the false honey fungus (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 fungus, mustard form (Armillaria mellea, f. sinapina).

Habitats: These honey mushrooms grow in coniferous and mixed forests, on coniferous wood, and grow in huge groups.

Season: August-October.

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

The stem is 4-10 cm high and 5-12 mm thick, dense, cylindrical, slightly widening at the base. The second distinctive property 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. In the upper part of the stalk there is a well-defined whitish ring with a fringed edge.

The pulp is dense, thin-fleshed, white, does not change color when broken, 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 in 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.

Similarities with inedible species. According to the description, this autumn honey fungus is similar to the gray honey fungus (Hypholoma capnoides), which is distinguished by much more frequent plates of gray or gray-brown color with an unpleasant odor.

Methods of preparation: drying, boiling, pickling, salting.

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

Photo gallery

The healing properties of autumn honey mushrooms

It should be noted that honey mushrooms have extremely beneficial and healing properties, especially against cancer diseases. It should be taken into account that healing properties mushrooms are manifested in the absence of heat treatment, for example, when salting or drying.

Medicinal properties of autumn honey mushrooms:

• They contain minerals based on zinc and copper, necessary in the process of hematopoiesis.
• Traditional medicine uses the ability of honey mushrooms to relax the stomach.
• In ancient times, warts were removed using honey mushroom juice.
• It was revealed that in honey mushrooms the most effective properties of fighting tumors are endowed with proteins. In 81% of cases, these proteins inhibit the growth of sarcoma, carcinoma, breast cancer, tumors nervous system, as well as the development of leukemia. In most cases, after consuming honey mushrooms, the tumors stopped progressing and metastasizing. The active component of winter mushrooms is polysaccharides in the form of white powder.
• They dramatically activate the immune system, restoring the level of protection.
• Kill pathogenic microflora in areas of inflammation.
• Honey mushrooms also have another remarkable property - they stimulate the formation of thrombus-dissolving enzymes. As a result, in some cases it is possible to avoid complex operations.
• A tincture or decoction of the legs of honey mushrooms has long been used as a medicine for liver disease and diabetes, as well as as an admixture for cooking medicines to enhance their impact.
• The substances contained in honey mushrooms also fight simple influenza viruses. Taking honey mushroom tincture, which is safe for humans, during a flu epidemic can in many cases protect against this disease.

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

• activation immune system; destruction of pathogenic microflora in areas of inflammation;
• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• restoration of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract;
• reduction in blood sugar and cholesterol;
• improving the condition of blood vessels; activation of the brain and creative potential;
• antitumor and anticancer effects;
• antiviral effect.

Autumn honey mushrooms are surprisingly 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 the trees. From the outside, you might think that they grow on the ground, but in fact, they always grow on roots or forest floor.

Honey mushrooms are the most 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 preparations. The reason for this lies in the huge quantities of autumn mushrooms, which in “mushroom” years grow everywhere throughout the forest, especially on tree stumps. The harvest of autumn mushrooms from one place can range from 0.5 to 10 kg! These mushrooms are so beautiful, clean, strong and at the same time have a soft smell and wonderful taste qualities. Therefore, it is understandable why at the end of August and in the fall huge armies Mushroom pickers go out into the forest when honey mushrooms arrive. It is necessary to be very careful when collecting a large number of mushrooms, since inedible mycenae, false honey mushrooms (sulfur-yellow false honey mushroom - Hypholoma fasciculare, brick-red false honey mushroom - Hypholoma sublateritium) or others can grow next to honey mushrooms on one stump. poisonous mushrooms.

Dangerous autumn mushrooms, brick-red

At the same time as the autumn honey mushrooms, dangerous false honey mushrooms also appear. You should be especially careful when collecting autumn honey mushrooms, as there are a lot of them, and people begin to tear or cut them off without looking around. As a result, you can pick inedible and even poisonous mushrooms at the same time. We will not consider cases described on the Internet about the edibility of certain types of false mushrooms, but will adhere to generally accepted Sanitary rules SP 2.3.4. 009-93, where they are definitely not edible. The fact is that a one-time use of mushrooms does not indicate the use of the species as a whole. Scientific mycologists have a concept about the long-term use of mushrooms and the absence of accumulation of harmful substances over repeated use. Certain types of false mushrooms mentioned on the Internet did not pass this parameter.

Brick red honey fungus (Hypholoma sublateritium).

Habitats: These honey mushrooms grow in autumn in broad-leaved and mixed forests, often on rotting birch and oak wood, in large groups.

Season: July-November.

Medicinal properties:

• Brick-red false honey fungus 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 spherical, later convex-spread. A distinctive feature of the species is its red-brown or yellow-orange, smooth convex cap with a lighter yellowish edge. There are light flakes on the edges from the rest of the bedspread. The center is darker, sometimes with a red-brown spot.

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

Pulp: thick, dense, yellowish, without much odor, 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 color of the cap varies from brick red to red-brown, yellow-brown and pinkish-orange.

Similar species. The brick-red false honey fungus is similar in size and shape to Psathyrella velutina, which is distinguished by the velvety texture of the surface of the cap.