Hemp mushrooms: edible and false species

Honey mushrooms got their name because of the peculiarity of growth. The main habitat of these fungi are stumps, both rotten and living. That is why mushrooms are also called hemp mushrooms. Mushroom pickers are very fond of picking mushrooms, as they grow in large groups and almost in one place. If you have found such a place, then believe me, you are provided with several baskets or buckets with these valuable fruiting bodies.

Forest hemp mushrooms are considered a low-calorie product, but they are quite capable of replacing fish and meat. They are especially appreciated by vegetarians, as well as those who fast and diet. The composition of mushrooms includes vitamins C, BB, E and PP, phosphorus, iron, zinc, potassium, a lot of protein, amino acids and fiber. All types of hemp mushrooms have a positive effect on human health. For example, with anemia, it is recommended to use autumn mushrooms to improve blood formation processes. Only 100 g of these fruiting bodies per day will be able to maintain the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

In addition, autumn mushrooms growing on stumps are rich in a substance such as retinol, which can strengthen nails, hair, rejuvenate skin and improve vision. Thanks to these types of mushrooms, the human body is enriched with vitamins C and E, which improve the hormonal and immune systems. Doctors advise using hemp mushrooms for those who have found E. coli or Staphylococcus aureus. And the daily use of autumn hemp mushrooms prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases and the thyroid gland. In addition, mushrooms contain a substance that can fight benign and malignant tumors.

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When is the best time to collect forest foam mushrooms?

Novice mushroom pickers are interested in the question, when is it better to collect hemp mushrooms? Knowing this, the quality of the mushroom harvest and its volume will always be 5+. Note that the season for collecting these mushrooms will depend on the type of mushrooms and weather conditions. For example, autumn mushrooms grow from mid-August to mid-November, summer mushrooms – from mid-April to October, and winter ones – from late October to March itself.

If we make a generalization, then the peak of the collection of hemp mushrooms falls on the autumn months, especially September and October. See a photo showing autumn hemp mushrooms in the forest:

On the stumps of which trees mushrooms grow: birch, pine and other varieties

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In addition, lovers of “silent hunting” are interested in what kind of tree stumps honey mushrooms grow on? In this case, it would be wise to seek advice from more experienced mushroom pickers. They will surely tell you about the green mushroom places in the forest. Of course, the necessary information can be freely found in books and the Internet, which will also help to “arm yourself” with knowledge in collecting fruiting bodies. So, almost all varieties of hemp mushrooms grow on weakened or damaged trees and stumps. Often they choose dead or rotten wood of deciduous trees for their habitat: birch, alder, elm, aspen, oak or beech. Less commonly, mushrooms grow on pine stumps or fallen tree trunks. Very often these mushrooms are found in humid forests throughout Our Country. Honey mushrooms do not grow only in the region of eternal ice.

Mushrooms on hemp grow in huge colonies, occasionally found in small groups and even single specimens. If you find such a small group, do not leave immediately, take a good look around and you can see another cluster of fruiting bodies. Their cord-like mycelium is interconnected for tens of meters. Sometimes it is easy to notice under the bark of a stump or a diseased plant. What are hemp mushrooms and how many types of them exist?

We note right away that in Our Country there are several varieties of hemp mushrooms, the video of which you can watch at the end of the article. This honey agaric is autumn, summer, meadow, and also winter. However, only three species grow on stumps, except for the meadow one. This representative prefers to settle in wet ravines, fields, meadows, gardens and even parks.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the photo and description of hemp mushrooms:

Thanks to the presented photos, you can find out what hemp mushrooms look like.

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What autumn hemp mushrooms look like and the season of their collection (with photo)

Latin name: Armillaria mellea.

Synonyms: real honey agaric, autumn, hemp honey agaric.

Family: Physalacrye.

Sort by: oleander (Armillaria).

Hat: diameter from 3 to 17 cm, has a convex shape, which then fully opens and becomes flat with wavy edges. The color varies from honey brown to olive green with a darker center. Covered with light scales with a rare arrangement, which then disappear.

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Leg: has a light yellow tint that changes with age and becomes pink-brown. The length is from 8 to 12 cm, with a diameter of 1 to 2 cm. The upper part is lighter, darkens towards the base and turns brown. The surface of the leg is also covered with scales. In the upper part, right under the hat, there is a narrow membranous ring-skirt.

Pulp: in young mushrooms, the flesh is white, dense. With the growth of the fungus, it becomes thinner. It has a pleasant smell and taste. If mushrooms grow on spruce or pine, then the color of the mushroom will be darker, and the taste of the pulp will be bitter.

Records: rare, adherent to the stem, white.

Edibility: edible mushroom category III.

Application: from this type you can cook a wide variety of dishes and preparations for the winter. In addition, autumn plants are widely used in medicine.

Spread: parasites that grow not only on stumps, but also on tree trunks, regardless of whether the trees are living or dead. They prefer damp forest areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Usually hemp mushrooms cause white rot on the wood, which leads to the death of the tree. Sometimes it can parasitize on herbaceous plants. Edible hemp mushrooms can be seen in the photo below:

Season total: can be harvested from August to November, when the daily temperature does not drop +10°C. The peak of the mushroom picking season is the whole of September.

Many are interested in the question: on what stumps do autumn mushrooms grow? I would like to note that this type of fruit bodies can choose any deciduous trees, less often conifers. However, birch stumps are chosen as their favorite place for growing mushrooms, in the photo it looks like this:

Where and how do winter hemp mushrooms grow

Another type of hemp mushrooms is winter, which grows in the cold period of time. Winter hemp mushrooms are considered edible, and the photos below will help to consider them in more detail. The winter mushroom grows in deciduous as well as pine forests.

Latin name: Flammulina velutipes.

Synonyms: Collybia velvety-legged, winter mushroom, enokitake.

Family: Physalacrye.

Sort by: Flammulina.

Hat: diameter from 2 to 10 cm, flat in adults, and convex in young ones. The base color is yellowish or orange-brown, and the middle is darker shades.

Leg: length from 2 to 8 cm, diameter from 0,2 to 1,5 cm. It has a cylindrical shape, dense, tubular. The color is brown, the upper part is lighter – red-brown. A skirt on a leg is present only in young mushrooms, while in adults it disappears over time.

Pulp: thin, with a pleasant smell and taste. The flesh is often white or light yellow in color.

Records: adherent to the leg, can be shortened. The color varies from whitish to buff.

Edibility: in terms of taste, the mushroom belongs to category 4 and is considered conditionally edible. However, it can be boiled, salted, fried, dried and pickled.

Season total: from late October to early March, especially during periods of thaw.

Spread: where do hemp winter mushrooms grow? Usually these mushrooms settle on dead wood of poplars or birches. They prefer temperate climatic zones on the territory of not only Our Country, but also Belarus, as well as Ukraine.

Although it has already been noted how hemp mushrooms grow, I would like to say that the winter species prefers to rise to a height. That is, mushrooms choose their places to grow not only on stumps, but also on trees, climbing to a height of up to 2-3 m.

Summer edible mushrooms

Summer mushrooms, known to all mushroom pickers, are a popular type of hemp forest mushrooms.

Latin name: Kuehneromyces mutabilis.

Family: Strophariaceae.

Sort by: Cuneromyces.

Hat: diameter from 2 to 9 cm, yellow-brown in color, with a lighter center. It absorbs moisture well and is considered hygrophilous, as it increases in size when moisture is absorbed. At a young age, the shape of the cap is convex with a clearly visible tubercle in the center. As it grows, the cap becomes flat-convex. In wet weather, the surface of the cap becomes sticky.

Leg: thickness from 0,5 to 1 cm, length from 3 to 9 cm. It has a cylindrical curved shape, hollow inside, but rigid. On the brown leg there is a membranous brown skirt ring. The lower part of the stem has a dark brown tint.

Pulp: thin, white in color with a pleasant smell and taste.

Records: the color of the plates varies from light yellow at a young age to rusty-brown at maturity. Young specimens have a cobweb covering that covers the plates. Usually the plates adhere to the stem.

Edibility: edible mushroom, used in boiled, salted and pickled form.

Season total: Begin fruiting from early June to late September. Peak collection occurs in July and August.

Spread: grow on rotten and rotting wood, on fallen trees and on stumps of deciduous trees. If weather conditions allow, they bear fruit in large quantities.

However, all these types of fruiting bodies can be confused with false representatives. Pay attention to the photos of false stump mushrooms, thanks to which you can see a number of differences from edible species:

How to distinguish edible hemp mushrooms from false ones (with photo and video)

How to distinguish hemp mushrooms from false twins? The main difference is the ring-skirt on the leg, which only edible representatives of fruiting bodies have. It follows that the false twins of these mushrooms do not have such a ring. However, there are other differences that help mushroom pickers recognize the “foe”.

For example, the smell of false hemp mushrooms is unpleasant, with an earthy tint. The taste is bitter, but experts do not recommend trying them.

The color of false hemp mushrooms is much brighter than that of their edible counterparts. Hats of false twins do not have scales, however, note that adult specimens of edible mushrooms are also practically scaleless.

The most common false twins of hemp mushrooms include:

sulphur-yellow honeysuckle, sulfur lamellar

brick red, wateryand false honeycomb Candoll.

All these mushrooms have dark-colored plates: from sulfur-yellow to black-olive.

How do hemp false mushrooms grow and what hemp is chosen? It is worth saying that they grow in the same way as edible species – in large groups on old, rotten stumps or fallen deciduous trees, less often conifers.

All methods showing how to distinguish hemp mushrooms from false twins should be used by each mushroom picker with extreme caution. Indeed, in the collection of mushrooms you need to have a lot of experience. Therefore, if you are not sure which mushroom is in front of you, do not take it at all.

Although some types of false twins are considered conditionally edible, that is, low-quality mushrooms, everyone should remember that the harmlessness of these fruiting bodies has not yet been proven. Therefore, in order not to risk your health and the health of loved ones, do not take false hemp mushrooms in your baskets.