Winter mushrooms are the latest mushrooms among all representatives of their species. By edibility, they are classified into category 4, which allows them to carry out various manipulations. So, winter mushrooms can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted and frozen. In this article, we will talk about what late mushrooms look like and when they can be harvested.
If we talk about the appearance of winter mushrooms, then they are somewhat different from spring, autumn and summer. Firstly, late representatives of this species lack scales on the cap and a “skirt ring” on the stem. It must be said that such features are the main ones in determining edible mushrooms. However, the winter fruiting bodies are different. Secondly, the photo shows that late mushrooms have a brighter and more saturated color, unlike other species.
So, their shade ranges from yellow to honey brown or dirty orange. In young specimens, the cap has a small hemispherical shape, which fully opens with age and becomes similar to an open umbrella. In diameter, the size of the cap of an adult mushroom is on average 5-7 cm. Throughout the life of the fungus, the surface of the cap remains smooth, without any scales.
The plates under the cap of winter mushrooms have different lengths and are quite rare. Their color can be white, light yellow or dark yellow. The flesh of the fruiting body is white or yellowish with a pleasant mushroom smell.
As for the legs of late mushrooms, their height is 2-7 cm. They have a dense structure and a characteristic brown-velvety shade. As already noted, there is no ring on the leg of this species.
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When do late mushrooms appear in the forests?
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Before you know when you can collect late mushrooms, you need to find out where they grow. I must say that winter honey agaric grows in large families, often fused around a stump or tree. Most often it can be found in temperate and northern latitudes. Like other types of edible mushrooms, winter representatives choose mostly damaged, as well as weak trees and stumps for “settlement”. These mushrooms do not bypass parks, forest edges, gardens and areas along streams. Dead or rotting wood, broken branches and rotten stumps – all this is a “paradise” for late honey mushrooms. Basically, this applies to deciduous trees, in particular: aspen, oak, birch, beech, ash, poplar, willow, acacia, etc. However, they are often found on stumps or trunks of pine, fir and spruce. Collected in a coniferous forest, winter mushrooms have a bitter, tarry taste. But this does not prevent some mushroom pickers from preparing amazing dishes from them and making delicious preparations.
It is worth noting that for many lovers of “quiet hunting” this type of fruiting bodies is one of the most desirable, because it has no false twins. And it is almost impossible to confuse it with other representatives of the mushroom “kingdom”. So when do late mushrooms appear in our forests? If mushrooms are called late or winter, then it is logical to conclude that they grow in the cold season. So, this period begins in October and ends with a spring drop. It turns out that late mushrooms grow when all other representatives of this species have already ceased to bear fruit.
The abundant fruiting of winter mushrooms can be seen during periods of winter thaws. And sometimes they are met right under a layer of snow. And if a warm and favorable climate has settled in winter, then honey mushrooms will bring a generous harvest throughout this time. In wet weather, winter mushroom caps become slimy and slippery.
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When does the late season start?
One important feature of winter mushrooms is frost resistance. At sub-zero temperatures, fruiting bodies are covered with ice, but already in small sunlight they thaw and continue to grow. Such mushrooms can be safely collected in your basket. Knowing when the season of late mushrooms begins, you can plan trips to the forest not only in summer and autumn. I must say that such mushrooms are great for freezing at home, because they practically do not lose their beneficial and nutritional properties. However, it must be remembered that for these fruit bodies, careful processing must be carried out – soaking and boiling in salted water.
There are also late autumn mushrooms, which are not found in the forest every year. They differ from ordinary ones in that they grow after sudden autumn frosts. If after a short frost comes warming or the so-called “Indian summer”, they begin to grow. In appearance, this late mushroom resembles a white mushroom, but it is smaller in size and has a membrane at the bottom of the cap. Usually, the fruiting time of such mushrooms falls on the end of October and the beginning of November. Many experienced mushroom pickers who have encountered late autumn mushrooms note that they are incredibly tasty and fragrant.