Poplar honey agaric (Agrocybe poplar, Foliot poplar): photo and description, cultivation

Since the time of the Roman Empire, poplar honey agaric has been considered a delicacy mushroom. It has a unique rich taste. The use of poplar species has a positive effect on the human body. This unpretentious mushroom can be grown independently.

What does poplar honey agaric look like

Poplar mushroom (Cyclocybe aegerita) is a cultivated mushroom grown since ancient times. Its synonymous names are used: pioppino, poplar agrocybe (Agrocybe aegerita), poplar foliot (Pholiota aegerita).

Cap Description

The cap of young poplar fruiting bodies is round in shape, velvety, brownish in color, 5–7 cm in diameter. In mature specimens, it takes on a flatter outline, brightens and becomes covered with shallow cracks. The edges of the cap are wavy. The color and texture of its surface may vary, depending on the climatic and weather conditions of the growing area.

The plates of the fungus are thin, wide, narrowly grown. They are light-colored: white or yellowish, but with age they become fawn, almost brown.

The pulp of the fungus is thin, cotton-like, fleshy. When cooked, it acquires a crispy texture. It has a white or light color, with a brown undertone. The spore powder of these mushrooms is brown.

Description of the leg

The cylindrical leg of poplar mushroom up to 15 cm in diameter can reach 3 cm. It is slightly swollen and has a central position relative to the cap. There is a clear boundary between the parts of the fruiting body, along which the stem is easily broken. Its surface is smooth and silky. Its flesh has a fibrous structure. Almost under the hat there is a ring in the form of a patch. It is clearly visible. In a mature specimen, the brownish ring contrasts with the light color of the fruiting body. The described signs of poplar mushrooms are visible in the photo.

Poplar mushrooms are edible or not

Agrotsibe – edible mushrooms with high gastronomic properties. They are specially grown for their pleasant vinous smell and mealy taste of béchamel sauce. Spicy mushroom and nut notes remain in the aftertaste.

How to cook poplar mushrooms

Collected poplar mushrooms have a short, no more than 20 hours, shelf life. In a purified frozen form, they are stored for 5-6 days from the day of collection, inclusive. For this reason, mushrooms are rarely found on the open market. Farmers supply poplar agrocybes directly to restaurants, where soups, sauces, and juliennes are prepared from them. They complement Italian and French cuisine.

Beans with poplar mushrooms – an old Neapolitan recipe. To prepare this dish, you will need:

• Xnumx g white beans;
• 250 g of mushroom raw materials;
• 1 head onion;
• 150 g of cherry tomatoes;
• 6 tbsp olive oil;
• parsley and basil to taste;
• salt pepper.

Method of preparation:

1. The beans are washed and boiled until tender.
2. Honey mushrooms are cleaned, simmered for 10 minutes. on low fire.
3. Fry the onion until golden brown in olive oil, remove from the pan.
4. Mushrooms and tomatoes cut into 4 parts and stew in the same oil for about 7 minutes.
5. Add the beans to the pan and add the water in which they were cooked. Simmer the dish for about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, add herbs and spices.

Healing properties of poplar mushrooms

The use of poplar mushrooms has a beneficial effect on the human body. They have such useful properties:

1. Poplar mushrooms contain the amino acid methionine, which is not produced in the human body, but is necessary to normalize the level of cholesterol in the blood, reduce the deposition of neutral fat in the liver and improve its function. This substance, due to the activation of the synthesis of adrenaline, has a moderate antidepressant effect.
2. The product is bactericidal. On the basis of substances isolated from the fruiting bodies, the antibiotic agrocybin, which has strong antibacterial and antifungal activity, was synthesized.
3. Lectin, obtained from poplar honey agaric, is able to inhibit the development of cancer cells.

Application in folk medicine

Traditional healers advise using poplar honey agaric for chronic headaches. Dishes from them are included in the diet for dietary nutrition with high blood pressure. In order not to provoke fluid stagnation in the body, hypertensive patients should not eat pickled or pickled mushrooms.

Where and how to grow

Agrocibe poplar is common in southern Europe. It grows naturally from July to September on dead and living hardwood trees. Most often, this variety of honey agaric is found on poplars and willows. It can be found on fruit trees, birch, elder, elm, where it bears fruit massively in the form of numerous clusters.

When cultivated on an industrial scale and in the household, poplar mushrooms are grown on stumps, logs or wood chips. Under controlled conditions, they also form massive drusen.

In Our Country, the mushroom is grown only as a cultivated species. There are no data on its distribution in natural conditions.

Growing poplar mushrooms on the site or in the country

To grow a variety on the site, you will need mycelium, which can be purchased at a specialized store. It is planted on poplar wooden sticks measuring 8×35 mm.

To get a good harvest of mushrooms, they recommend the following algorithm of actions when planting and growing them:

1. Choose the wood into which the mushrooms will be inoculated. For these mushrooms, stumps or hardwood logs with a diameter of at least 15 cm are suitable. No more than 4 months should pass from the moment they are cut. For 2 – 3 days, the logs are soaked in water, and the stumps are watered abundantly. If the sleep was less than 1 month. backwards, pre-soaking is not required.

2. Prepare holes for sticks with mycelium. To do this, on the day of planting, the selected log is sawn into blanks 30-50 cm long. Holes with a diameter of at least 1 cm are drilled along the perimeter and in the end parts in a checkerboard pattern (at least 20 in a log, 40 in a stump).
3. Carry out the inoculation of wood. It is best to inoculate stumps in spring, and logs – 2-6 months before. before being placed in the ground. To place the mycelium in the wood, remove the sticks from the bag with clean hands and insert them all the way into the holes, which are then sealed with beeswax or plasticine.
   Important! Inoculation is the procedure for introducing live fungi into a nutrient medium.

4. Leave the log to grow in a cool, damp area, such as a basement or barn. At an air temperature of 22 – 25 ⁰C and a relative humidity of 85-90%, it will take 2-3 months to overgrow the holes. To speed up the process, the inoculated blank is prepackaged in a black perforated bag. The stumps are covered with straw or burlap, they moisturize well and do not allow it to dry out. If the inoculation was carried out in August-September, then the logs can be placed in the ground immediately after the procedure, without overgrowing.
5. Overgrown logs are planted in the soil. In open ground they are placed from April to September. Landing blanks in closed containers can be carried out throughout the year. The place for placement should be shaded, with soil that retains moisture well. The log is buried 1/2 or 1/3 part in a shallow trench, on the bottom of which wet leaves, sawdust or straw are laid.

Poplar mushrooms planted in this way will bear fruit from spring to mid-November for 3 to 7 years, depending on the size and density of the blanks. On soft wood, fruiting lasts 3-4 years, on dense wood – 5-7 years. The maximum yield is reached in the 2nd – 3rd year.

In order for the mycelium to bear fruit abundantly and for a long time, it is necessary to maintain its constant humidity. In dry, hot weather, the land around it is irrigated with a drip method. After harvesting, stop watering. After one or two weeks, it is resumed. In summer, the mycelium must be protected from direct sunlight. For the winter it is covered with earth or dry leaf.

Flower pots are used to grow poplar mushrooms indoors. They are filled with mulch or poplar sawdust. Wood blanks are deepened into the ground by 8 – 10 cm. Such plantings give 2 – 3 crops per year.

Another way to grow poplar mushroom is presented in the video.

Twins and their differences

On the territory of Our Country, poplar honey agaric is specially grown in a controlled environment. It has bright characteristic features, and it is almost impossible to confuse it with other varieties.

Conclusion

Poplar mushroom is a delicacy mushroom. At home, it can be grown outdoors on a log or indoors on sawdust. Subject to simple rules of care, the mycelium bears fruit for up to 7 years.