What do honey mushrooms look like and what do they describe? (+24 photos)

Honey mushrooms are a common mushroom in Russia, renowned for their culinary value. However, due to the presence of poisonous lookalikes, mushroom pickers often avoid them. To avoid making a mistake, familiarize yourself with descriptions and photos of honey mushrooms, as well as their dangerous lookalikes, before going out.

Characteristic features of honey mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are a group of similar-looking mushrooms that grow well on dead wood. Sometimes these mushrooms belong not only to different genera but also to different families.

Appearance and photo

These mushrooms have round, often moist caps and thin stems. They are typically colored in shades of brown, but some species have reddish, yellow, or pinkish caps. The stems are also brown. A few species have yellow or black stems.

Honey mushrooms often don't grow very large. The only exception is the Royal variety. The cap size ranges from 2 to 10 cm, and the stem can reach 15 cm in length. To get a full idea of ​​what honey mushrooms look like, you can look at their photos.

Structure and species differences

In young fruits, the cap is convex and hemispherical. As the fruit matures, a tubercle emerges in the center, and the cap becomes umbrella-shaped. In older fruits, the cap takes on a spreading shape. The cap's surface changes color depending on the weather: in high humidity, it darkens, and in sunlight, it lightens. Scales are present on the cap's surface. In many species, these disappear with age.

The honey fungus's stem is cylindrical, mostly hollow, and may have a thickening at the base. It is often curved. Many species have rings or a mushroom skirt on their stems. Mature mushrooms always have a stem a shade or two darker than young mushrooms.

The flesh is tender, smooth, and white, but can also have a yellowish tint. It is thin and often watery. Edible varieties have a pleasant mushroom or clove aroma and a slightly sweet flavor. Inedible varieties often have slightly bitter flesh with a sharp, unpleasant odor.

The mushroom's gills are loose or semi-loose. In many species, they are white-cream colored and can change color when damaged. The gills of some honey fungus species can be gray-yellow, green, or dark olive.

Place of distribution

Honey mushrooms grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with the exception of permafrost zones. They are ubiquitous in Russia. They are actively collected and used for culinary purposes.

Honey mushrooms are collected in deciduous forests. They are most often found on rotten stumps or fallen trees. However, some species, such as the meadow mushroom, prefer to grow in open grassy areas—meadows, undisturbed fields, forest clearings, and even parklands.

Consumption

Different sources classify honey mushrooms into different categories. Some insist they are edible, while others consider them conditionally edible. Regardless, some species are edible, but never raw.

Collection rules

Mushrooms can be harvested year-round, as many species bear fruit in succession. However, the peak of the mushroom season occurs in the autumn months, when most honey fungi are in full bloom.

It is important to follow these rules for picking mushrooms:

• do not pick questionable fruits;
• go out on a “quiet” hunt early in the morning;
• under no circumstances should you break the mycelium, using only sharp tools;
• Collect the mushroom harvest in a basket or box so as not to crush it along the way.

Edible species and their descriptions with photos

Edible honey mushrooms have their own unique characteristics. Characteristics of the most common species are presented in the table.

When harvesting these types of mushrooms, extreme caution is necessary, as many of them have inedible look-alikes.

Inedible and poisonous honey mushrooms

Edible mushrooms are most often confused with the Brick-red and Sulphur-yellow species. Their main characteristics are:

1. Brick-red honey mushrooms are distinguished by a spherical cap with a reddish-brown or reddish-brown surface. Typically, it is slightly darker in the center. The stem is yellow-brown, without a mushroom ring. The flesh is dark yellow, bitter, with a sharp, unpleasant odor.

   

   

   

2. The sulfur-yellow variety is distinguished by a fleshy cap with a bright yellow surface. The cap has a greenish tint along the edge. The stem is tall, hollow, and almost always curved. It is yellow, slightly darker at the base. The flesh is white, sometimes with a yellowish tint, and has an unpleasant odor and taste.

   

   

   

The main differences between edible and false, inedible fruits

You can distinguish edible honey mushrooms from inedible or poisonous mushrooms by the following signs:

The insidiousness of inedible species lies in the fact that they grow in close proximity to edible honey mushrooms.

Useful properties and restrictions on use

Honey mushrooms contain a large number of substances necessary for the human body:

• Vitamin B3 promotes proper metabolism, dilates blood vessels, and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Vitamin B2 is involved in the body's recovery processes, improves the functioning of the heart and reproductive system;
• ascorbic acid improves immunity, has an antioxidant effect, and strengthens blood vessels;
• Potassium and magnesium stabilize heart function, reduce blood viscosity, and make blood vessels more elastic;
• Iron directly affects the level of hemoglobin in human blood and is involved in the transport of nutrients.

People with the following illnesses should consume mushrooms with caution:

• chronic gastrointestinal diseases;
• renal failure;
• liver disease.

Expectant and nursing mothers, as well as children under 7 years of age, are contraindicated from eating mushrooms.

How to prepare honey mushrooms for the winter?

Honey mushrooms typically grow in large clusters, so leaving the forest with an empty basket is unlikely. Housewives often prepare supplies for the winter: the mushrooms can be pickled or marinated.

How to clean mushrooms

Honey mushrooms should be processed immediately after harvesting, as they tend to darken quickly. Before cooking, be sure to clean the mushrooms, as bugs and other insects are often found under the caps. Cleaning involves the following steps:

1. Sort the fruits, discarding any wrinkled, rotten or wormy ones.
2. Remove any debris stuck to the sorted mushrooms: blades of grass, leaves, etc.
3. Use a knife to cut off all damaged areas and the lower half of the leg.
4. Use a brush to remove the film from under the cap.
5. Rinse the fruits under running water.

After cleaning, the mushrooms must be boiled for half an hour.

Salting and marinating recipes

Pickling honey mushrooms for the winter is very easy. All you need is salt, garlic, and a few currant leaves. Here's the process:

1. Place the mushrooms in a single layer, caps down. Then sprinkle them generously with salt mixed with crushed garlic.
2. Next, add another layer of mushrooms, which are also sprinkled with salt and garlic. The number of layers depends on the size of the pickling container.
3. The very last layer is tightly covered with currant leaves.
4. Place a piece of gauze folded several times on the leaves and add a weight.
5. You can try the pickles no earlier than 2 months after pickling.

To marinate honey mushrooms, you need to do the following:

1. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar in 3 liters of water.
2. Bring the water to a boil and throw in the boiled mushrooms.
3. After 10 minutes, add 50 g of vinegar to the water and remove the pan from the stove.
4. The brine is drained into a separate container.
5. Honey mushrooms are filled into pre-sterilized jars.
6. The remaining space in the jar is filled with brine.
7. If desired, you can add horseradish root, currant leaves, bay leaf, garlic cloves, allspice peas and other spices to each jar.
8. The jars are sealed. Once completely cooled, they are taken to a cool room.
9. You can try the preserves after 2 weeks.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Honey mushrooms are delicious and nutritious. However, they can only be eaten after being cooked and following all the necessary preparation techniques.