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Although most species of mushrooms need to be collected individually, carefully looking for them in the forest more often, however, there are those that at certain periods of time grow so thick that in one place the mushroom picker can harvest a fairly solid “mushroom” crop. To such species can be attributed, and the honey of autumn.
Description, features
Autumn mint is a tasty edible mushroom (family of physalacria). It has several features that characterize this type, thanks to which the openness of the present can easily be distinguished from other types.
- Cap diameter - from 30 to 100mm. The shape of the cap in young mushrooms in the form of a hemisphere, with the growth of the fungus, the latter almost completely straightens and becomes flat with a wavy edging and the hillock located in the central part.The color of the cap directly depends on the place of distribution and growth conditions and, accordingly, can vary from olive to golden brown with a characteristic greenish tint.
- The number of plates descending on the body of the leg of the bud is relatively small. In the process of growth of the fungus, the bodily color of the fruit body is replaced by brownish.
- Spores are light (whitish).
- The leg of the honeycomb is solid (body thickness up to 20 mm), the shape is regular, cylindrical. In length, this part of the mushroom grows to 100mm. The color of the legs is light brown with a yellowish tinge; among the young mushrooms it is densely littered with scales. In the upper part of the leg is a membranous ring of light color with a yellowish edging.
- The cap of mushrooms of this species is rather fleshy, especially it concerns enough young mushrooms, while its pulp has a very pleasant taste. With the growth of the fungus, the cap becomes darker and thinner, the structure becomes coarser, the nutritional value decreases.
Distribution of species
The presented species of mushrooms has a fairly wide distribution, mainly growing in the thickets of trees (forest tracts with high humidity), in the deadwood and on the stumps, which are clearly visible in the dark due to the light glow radiating from the mycelium.The places in which you will not meet Armillaria mellea, include areas south of subtropics and permafrost.
The ripening of the fruit body of the autumn honeycomb begins in the period from August to November. One of the main characteristics of this edible mushroom is fruiting in waves, and the duration of each such wave is from 15 to 25 days. The number of tides of fruiting may be about 3 waves during one season. Optimum temperature indicators for the growth of fungi, as a rule, do not exceed 10-18 degrees.
Similar and related species
It should be noted that during the period of fruit bearing of the bud, they also grow a lot of other mushrooms, which are characterized by high similarity with it.
- Sulfur-yellow mote - this fungus has a yellow-brown color with black plates, a membranous ring on the leg is absent, the yellowish flesh has a characteristic unpleasant smell, bitter in taste. This species is very poisonous.
- A fleecy flake - in contrast to the edible species, has a larger number of more developed flakes. The flesh is quite hard and bitter, the smell is rare.This species is conditionally edible.
- Brick red shade - this species has a characteristic color and yellowish flesh with a bitter taste. The membranous ring on the leg is missing. In the USA and Japan, this species of mushrooms is referred to as edible mushrooms.
- Kandoll's foxbush is a mushroom with a very light colored cap (cream), and plates of a gray-violet hue, which, as they mature, become a darker and more saturated color. The edibility of this species is not determined, so its collection during the "mushroom" hunt is not recommended.
- Sergoplastin bedworm - mushroom with a hat of red-brown and yellowish-brown color. The plates are gray-blue, as a rule, the latter become darker, there is no membranous ring on the leg. The flesh of the mushrooms of this species is yellowish with a pleasant aroma, it is considered conditionally edible.
- The folly of watery - the cap of this species is dark brown, lightening towards the center. The flesh has a bitter taste and is very saturated with moisture. This type is attributed to inedible.
Often, the mushroom pickers confuse the sandworm with a fleecy scaly, the main difference of which is the characteristic increased scaly, rare aroma and bitter taste.
Although many sources indicate that the most dangerous twin of the autumn mushroom is a sulfur-yellow foxblock, nevertheless, the similarity of these species is exhausted only by the fact that, like the real honey mushrooms, representatives of this species also grow on stumps.
I would like to pay special attention to the fact that the structure of Armillaria is constantly being revised, each mycologist identifies different variants of the species composition of this genus.
Cooking
Each mushroom picker knows that autumn mint is an edible mushroom, having good taste and pleasant aroma. However, its preparation requires mandatory heat treatment (it is recommended to be carried out in two successive stages). It is consumed in almost any form: dried, powdered, after frying, boiling, in marinade and cooked by salting.
Also produced and bulk harvesting of the fungus, the collection of which is carried out from the end of the summer until November, which is then sold at the points of sale in frozen or canned form.However, there are frequent cases of poisoning by this species, as a rule, this is explained by the incomplete heat treatment (undercooked mushrooms). Therefore, the processing of mushrooms of this type should be quite long - it should be cooked for at least 30-40 minutes (primary heat treatment). Only after this is the secondary processing of products, which implies frying, stewing, salting or pickling mushrooms.
Features of the form
Experts have proven that autumn mint contains a complex of certain substances with positive antimicrobial and antitumor effects. In addition, the peculiarity of this species is that it copes well with the inhibition of such gram-positive bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus.
100 grams of honey agarics will provide a person with a daily dose of such trace elements as zinc and copper, which is especially important for the normalization of the processes responsible for blood formation. In addition, these tasty and healthy mushrooms have a positive effect on thyroid function.
That is, it says that the mushrooms differ not only in excellent taste, but also very beneficial to human health in general.
The main differences between the false and the present view
Knowing about the characteristic differences between the forest mushroom and its dangerous counterpart, which can be seriously poisoned, you will never confuse these mushrooms.
- Pay special attention to the color of the mushroom cap. In edible species it varies from beige to dark brown. As a rule, old mushrooms have a darker and more saturated color of the cap. The color of the poisonous twin is often brighter, causing.
- The second sign, which distinguishes edible and inedible species, can be attributed to the color of the spore fungus. The spores of real honey mushrooms are light, usually white, for this reason you can see a characteristic white bloom on the caps of the old representatives of the species.
- The third sign is the obligatory check of the fungus for the presence of a filmy ring of opinka located on the stem. As a rule, poisonous pods of such a “skirt” do not have. Note that this feature is the most significant, since it is mainly due to it that they distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones.
- The fourth sign that will help determine the false garlic in front of you or his edible brother is the color of the plates located on the inside of the cap.The color of the plates of inedible species similar to honeydew forest. It has a characteristic yellowish color (in old mushrooms, greenish-olive). The color of the lamellar structure of the autumn mushroom is light cream, beige.
- The fifth sign is that in real mushrooms the cap is covered with scales of small size, while their color is somewhat darker than the color of the cap itself. In addition, old mushrooms, as a rule, over time, lose their scales, because of which the hat becomes completely smooth. Note that the nutritional value of overgrown, old mushrooms is much lower than that of young people, for this reason, experienced mushroom pickers, as a rule, do not collect them.
- The sixth sign that will help you determine if there is a powder or poisonous twin in front of you is the smell of a mushroom. Autumn mushrooms have a pleasant "mushroom" aroma. The smell of a false scent gives mold.
Knowing the signs that will help to distinguish between the poisonous mushroom and the forest mushroom will help you to harvest a good mushroom crop without fearing for the health and life of your loved ones. However, when gathering for mushrooms, it is better to take along an experienced mushroom picker who will tell and show you the edible kind of mushrooms.Having seen the autumn autumn with your own eyes, it will be quite difficult to confuse it with other mushrooms that differ from it in both appearance and smell, and taste.
Important! Collecting any berries and mushrooms should always follow the well-known rule - “Not sure - do not take”. This will help to enjoy the tasty and healthy gifts of nature without harm to health.
Video: Autumn Tree (Armillaria mellea)
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