Summer mushrooms: description and places of growth of mushrooms

The name honey agaric comes from the Latin word meaning bracelet, since mushrooms grow in whole families, located around the trunk or stump, resembling a ring.

The cap has a yellow-brown color. The edges are usually darker than the central part. The cap is up to 8 cm in diameter. In young individuals, the shape is convex, which straightens in the process of growth, turning into a flat one. When it rains, the top layer becomes sticky. Often, the caps of mushrooms located in the lower rows acquire a brown coating, which is a spore powder of mushrooms growing in a tier above.

Colonies of summer mushrooms prefer to settle on hardwoods

Yellowish plates in adult specimens darken, becoming rusty-brown. They usually stick to the foot. The height of the cylindrical curved leg does not exceed 8 cm, and the thickness is 0.5 cm. The inside is hollow. On the surface there is a ring-skirt, above which the color of the legs is brown, and below it is dark brown. Over time, the ring may disappear.

Colonies of summer mushrooms prefer to settle on hardwoods. Usually mushroom pickers collect them on windbreaks, rotten and damaged trunks and stumps, less often on coniferous trees. Usually wood fungi feed on substances that contribute to the destruction of wood.

Gallery: summer mushrooms (25 photos)

Where do summer mushrooms grow (video)

Description of false twins of summer mushrooms

Beginning mushroom pickers may confuse real summer mushrooms with their counterparts, for example:

Sulfur yellow poisonous mushroom

It is considered one of the most dangerous false brothers, the color of which differs from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bgrowth. In the southern areas of growth, the color of its cap is sulfur-yellow, and in the central areas it is red-brown. The pulp of the fruiting body and plates of a sulfur-yellow color, and it tastes bitter.

Galerina fringed

It is a tree fungus. It has a small hat (up to 3 cm), which in young individuals has a bell-shaped shape with an edge tucked inward. With age, the fruiting body becomes almost flat or convex with a small tubercle in the center and a translucent edge. Sticky to the touch when wet. The color is yellow-brown or reddish-brown. The pulp has a floury smell. The hollow whitish stem is slightly thickened at the base. Has a powdery coating. It likes to settle on the trunks and stumps of coniferous trees, as well as on roots and soil with a predominance of rotting wood.

Galerina fringed

False foam brick red

It occurs throughout the summer period until late autumn. They grow on decaying hardwood trunks and stumps. The structure of the fungus is dense. In the central part of the cap, the color is brick red or orange-red, and yellow and uneven along the edges. In mature individuals, the plates become brown or black with a green tint.

The main differences between poisonous mushrooms are the legs extended at the base and the absence of a ring on it. Around the circumference there is only a trace from the bedspread in the form of slightly noticeable dark stripes. The color of the cap of poisonous individuals is more saturated.

The edible species is easily distinguished by its smell. Unlike false mushrooms, which smell very unpleasant (rotten wood), real representatives have a mushroom aroma. Also an important difference is the presence of small scales on the hat.

False foam brick red

Where and when do summer mushrooms grow in Russia

Usually, mushroom pickers are found next to swampy places or in damp, impenetrable forests. They spread throughout the entire northern hemisphere, except for the far north, which is characterized by permafrost. In Russia and Eastern Europe they are very popular.

Depending on the place of growth, the yield of mushrooms depends. In a coniferous forest, you can count on a good harvest only if it is a mountainous area. Otherwise, the summer representatives of the group again will not have enough moisture, and they will not settle there.

In deciduous forests, you can pick up not a single basket of mushrooms, because even the harvest collected from one stump is enough for several dishes. Mixed forests are less humid, so there are fewer mushrooms. In addition, honey mushrooms themselves prefer to settle on linden, birch, as well as on dead oak trunks, on maple and acacia. Since this group of mushrooms needs a lot of moisture, warmth and stumps of old trees for comfort, they almost never occur in meadows and steppes. Honey mushrooms do not tolerate direct sunlight.

Summer mushrooms begin to bear fruit from the beginning of summer and continue until October. The most harvesting season is in July and August, at a time when there is a large amount of rainfall, since the damp surface promotes rapid growth.

Varieties of honey mushrooms (video)

Processing summer mushrooms after collection and features of their preparation

The substances that make up the honey agaric have a beneficial effect on the functionality of the thyroid gland. The taste of raw fruits is low, so it is better to heat them. Mushrooms can be boiled or fried, which takes a little time. If they are pickled, salted or dried, the procedure will take much longer. The finished product is suitable for making salads and baking toppings.

Experienced mushroom pickers recommend processing the harvested crop immediately, without putting it off for a long time, since all representatives of the mushroom kingdom are not subject to long-term storage. The maximum storage period is one day. Before putting fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator, they must be sorted out and folded into paper containers. Storage time does not exceed 36 hours.

Honey mushrooms are among the most easily cleaned mushrooms, since they practically do not need to be scraped. Rules for their processing:

1. The first step is to sort out the collected mushrooms, removing debris and stuck leaves and grass.
2. Removing the film located under the hat with a sharp knife.
3. Excision of wormholes and bad areas.
4. Rinse in cool water. For thorough washing, it is recommended to place the mushrooms in a colander and let the water drain.

Mushrooms lend themselves perfectly to transportation, shrinking and springing like rubber, but not breaking. In addition to easy processing, summer mushroom has the advantage that it contains vitamins C and B1, copper and zinc, for the preservation of which It is recommended to follow certain rules during cooking:

• to prevent oxidation and preserve the original color of the fruit, during cleaning they should be placed in salted and acidified with lemon, citric acid or vinegar water;
• it is important to boil the forest product well, otherwise it can cause indigestion;
• cooking time is from 40 to 60 minutes;
• after the water boils and the foam rises, it must be drained and filled with fresh;
• frozen fruiting bodies should be thawed and boiled for 15 to 20 minutes;
• if mushrooms are planned to be fried, then they must first be boiled for a third of an hour;
• utensils for cooking should be enameled without chips;
• the water in which mushrooms are boiled should be salted at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 2 liters;
• ready mushrooms settle to the bottom of the tank.

Summer mushrooms can be preserved in marinade or oil

Mushrooms can be fried with sour cream, which will acidify the dish and make it thicker. Sour cream can be replaced with lemon juice or a small amount of vinegar. If desired, garlic and onions are used, giving aroma and a spicy-sweet taste with a slight spiciness.