Spring honey mushrooms have many other names: collibia forest-loving, collibia oak-loving, money-loving. The name of this mushroom is translated from the Latin language as “bracelet”, and all because mushrooms grow on a stump in the form of a bracelet decoration.
Spring mushrooms collection
general information
Spring honey agaric - an early mushroom growing in spring. They appear in May and grow until October. The largest numbers are in June and July. The external description includes the following features:
- hat: small (about 7-8 cm in diameter), smooth, cream, brown-yellow, brown or red; young mushrooms are characterized by a convex hat, which then becomes open with the edge down;
- gimenofor: plates white, cream-colored, frequent, grown;
- leg: smooth, thin about 5 cm in length, bottom - stiff, thick and fibrous, slightly lighter than the cap of the mushroom;
- whitish, light, tender pulp with a pleasant mushroom smell.
Places of growth
Spring mushroom is a fairly common mushroom. It grows preferably in dead wood, mixed and coniferous forests. The northern hemisphere and the subtropic zone are densely populated by these mushrooms. Spring mushroom does not grow only in regions with permafrost.
Honey mushrooms quickly capture large areas under their territory. You can find them not only in the forest, but also near shrubs, meadows and edges. Most often, large groups are found near weakened trees in the forest, on stumps and decks. They appear in early May, and grow until the fall.
Similar species
If we take the description for comparison, then we can clearly say that the oak-loving collibia has several similar types of honey mushrooms. For example, honey agarics. A distinctive feature for these two species is the frequent plates of the collibia hymenophore.
There are many closely related species that cannot be visually distinguished (or very difficult) from the oak-loving colibia. In comparison with the chestnut collibia, it should be noted that the spring mushroom has a thickened cylindrical leg.
Useful properties and contraindications
Honey agaric is one of the most common mushrooms. It is a low-calorie product. They contain such useful substances:
- vitamins of group B, C, PP and E;
- trace elements (phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron);
- cellulose;
- amino acids;
- proteins;
- natural sugars.
This mushroom is edible, but does not have high taste. They can simply be fried or pickled with other mushrooms.
Mushrooms should not be given to children under 12 years old.
Honey mushrooms can easily be confused with inedible mushrooms, so you need to collect them with extreme caution. Inedible species have a leg down. They have a specific sour unpleasant odor. Real mushroom pickers easily distinguish edible species from poisonous ones. The main difference between them and inedible species is the “skirt” (the remains of the private bedspread that protected the hymenophore) under the cap of the mushroom.
From contraindications, remember that children under 12 years of age cannot feed these fungi. And keep in mind that vinegar, used in large quantities during pickling, is dangerous for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers and gastritis.
Cooking Application
For culinary dishes, it is better to use mushroom caps, because their legs are stiff, especially from below. Wash mushrooms thoroughly before cooking. It is necessary to prepare a wood-loving colibia for a long time, about an hour, although it all depends on the size of the mushrooms.
Heat treatment is an obligatory step in the preparation of any mushrooms. Spring mushrooms are cooked in different ways: stew, fry, pickle. They are perfect for a vegetable side dish or, as an addition to pork, lamb, poultry. Honey mushrooms with greens and sour cream - a great combination and they perfectly diversify the table.
In medicine
Honey mushrooms have healing properties. Collibia wood-loving is used in dried and fresh form. It has a positive effect on the human body. Frequent use of fungi will help strengthen the immune system, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. They improve blood formation (blood cell formation) and are indispensable for a vegetarian menu, because due to their composition they will help partially replace fish.
The honey agaric has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and is used to treat liver diseases. Demonstrates antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory effects.
Growing at home
These mushrooms are great for growing at home. One of the most popular ways is breeding on stumps. On the stump of an apple tree, pear or birch, you need to plant small pieces of honey mushrooms and cover them with moss. You can collect the first mushrooms in a year.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
When choosing a basis for growing (stumps), it is important to ensure that it is not affected by the mycelium of parasite fungi (tinder fungi). To create the necessary humidity, the stumps are soaked for 2-3 days with full immersion in water or with periodic (during the day) watering. The following methods are used to populate stumps:
- Purchased mycelium.
- Part of the mycelium is honey agarics from the forest.
- Seed from hats.
So that the developing mycelium does not "move" to the healthy trees of your site, ditches are dug around a stump at a distance of 2 m with a depth of at least 30 cm and a width of 10-15 cm.
Mycelium infected stumps for the winter are covered (dug) and covered from above to protect the ends from ingress of melt water.
For citizens there is another way - growing in glass jars. In a special mixture consisting of boiled bran, sawdust, starch, flour, plant small pieces of mushrooms. This method is striking in its speed. In a month, wait for the first harvest.
Conclusion
Honey mushrooms are low-calorie, tasty mushrooms that fit perfectly into your diet. They have a lot of useful vitamins and minerals, and for real mushroom pickers, the collection process will be a real pleasure.
