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Winter mushrooms belong to the edible mushrooms of the ordinary family. In , they are often called winter mushrooms, and in special literature you can find such names as velvety-legged flammulina or velvety-legged collibia.
Flammulina winter honey agaric is a small cap mushroom. The hat is light brown, yellow-brown. According to the Soviet classification, they belong to the IV category of mushrooms (mushrooms with the lowest nutritional value), but in other countries, such as Japan, they are very popular. Photos and descriptions of winter edible mushrooms are given in this article.
Where do winter mushrooms grow
Winter mushrooms grow on rotten, dead or weakened hardwood. You can meet them in the forest, on fallen trees, on stumps or dead wood. They are often found on poplars and willows, so often these mushrooms can be found even in city gardens and parks. In the forest, their most common habitat is edges, forest clearings, roads and old clearings – all those places where there is a lot of old dead wood. Flammoulins are typical parasitic fungi, or saprotrophs, that feed on dead wood and participate in the process of its decomposition.
When to collect winter mushrooms
This mushroom is really winter, because winter mushrooms appear in late autumn, in October – November. At this time, it grows most intensively. Frequent thaws also contribute to the growth of the fungus, and in a warm winter, the winter mushroom season can last all three months.
When and where can you collect winter mushrooms in the suburbs
Flammulina velvety-legged can be found throughout Our Country, and the forests near Moscow are no exception. You need to search in deciduous areas, along rivers and streams. The best time to collect is late autumn, starting from the end of September. Wet weather is especially conducive to mushroom growth. In prolonged thaws, the growth of mushrooms resumes, so you can find colonies of these mushrooms even sticking out from under the snow.
All directions except the south are considered traditional gathering places for honey mushrooms in the Moscow region.
How to collect winter mushrooms
Flammulina grows in colonies, so collecting winter mushrooms is quite simple. Often, mushroom pickers take only mushroom caps, as they have a pleasant taste and aroma. The stem of the mushroom is more rigid and fibrous. Its lower part must be immediately cut off even in young mushrooms; in older ones, the entire leg is removed.
How to distinguish winter mushrooms from false photos
Flammoulina is difficult to confuse with other mushrooms, simply because nothing else grows at this time of year. Therefore, to call any mushroom as a “false winter mushroom” can be very conditional. In addition, the real winter flammulin mushroom has a number of features due to which it cannot be confused with other types of mushrooms, including false ones. Here are the distinguishing features and a description of how real winter mushrooms look:
- The color of the mushroom cap changes from honey to brown towards the center.
- On the surface of the cap there is always a wet slimy coating that does not disappear even after cooking.
- The leg of the flammulina is even, smooth, cylindrical in shape.
Among the poisonous mushrooms, resembling the winter honey agaric, one can only distinguish a bordered galerina (pictured). Due to the fact that these mushrooms ripen at different times, it is almost impossible to meet them together.
Nevertheless, the poisonous mushroom can be distinguished by the characteristic ring on the stem. In the winter honey agaric of the velvety-legged flammulina (photo below), it is completely absent.
Healing properties of winter mushrooms and rules for use
In addition to culinary qualities, winter mushrooms also have healing properties. However, it should be noted that the pulp of the mushroom contains a small amount of toxins that are destroyed during cooking. Therefore, you should always start cooking winter mushrooms by boiling them in boiling water for at least 20 minutes.
The chemical composition of mushrooms and useful properties
The fruit body of flammulina contains a large amount of amino acids and protein, ahead of many fruits and vegetables in this indicator. Winter mushrooms contain zinc, iodine, potassium and other trace elements. In addition, the fruiting bodies of the fungus contain antioxidants, due to which flammulina are used in cosmetology and pharmaceuticals.
The use of winter mushrooms in medicine and cosmetology
In Japan, inaketake (the so-called flammulina in Japanese) is valued for its ability to inhibit the development of tumors and neoplasms, including malignant ones. In addition, the healing properties of winter mushrooms are manifested in the support and strengthening of immunity. They lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, have a restorative effect on the liver. Cosmetologists use flammulina as a means to rejuvenate and nourish the skin.
Who should refrain from eating winter mushrooms
Flammulina, like all mushrooms, is a rather difficult food to digest. It is not recommended to use them for people with diseases of the digestive system, as well as with individual intolerance. Flammulin should not be used by women during pregnancy and lactation.
It must be remembered that despite all its useful properties, flammulina, like other mushrooms, is capable of accumulating radionuclides, heavy metals and other harmful substances. Therefore, their collection should be carried out away from roads and railways, outside industrial zones and polluted areas.
How to cook winter mushrooms
Winter mushrooms are suitable for cooking many dishes. Their dense cream-colored flesh has a good taste and aroma. They make an excellent filling for pies. Often inaketake, or inoki, can be found in recipes for various Korean and Japanese salads. Flammulin is suitable for home canning, for example, for preparing mushroom caviar.
Is it possible to grow winter mushrooms at home
In terms of industrial production, flammulin ranks third in the world. This mushroom has long been successfully grown in Southeast Asia, for example, in Japan and South Korea.
The technology for growing winter mushrooms is quite simple. Moreover, mushrooms can be grown not only on the street, but also at home. In the first case, tree stumps are used for this, in the second – banks with a nutrient substrate. Below is a photo of winter mushrooms on a prepared stump.
The easiest way to breed flammulina is to use a ready-made mycelium. It can be purchased at specialty stores or ordered by mail. Any dead or diseased wood with a moisture content of at least 70% is suitable for growing mushrooms outdoors. Typically, hardwood logs, such as birch logs, are used for this.
It is best to plant flammulina – the second half of spring. Infected logs are stacked in a small pile, and after a few months, after the germination of the mycelium, they are dug vertically in a shady place. Under favorable conditions, the first harvest of mushrooms can be harvested in the fall.
To breed velvet-legged flammulina, you can also use the old method, simply by rubbing the cut of the prepared tree with the head of an adult mushroom. This procedure is done in September, and the first wave of the harvest can be expected in the spring. Frosts will not affect the fruiting bodies, having thawed, they will continue active growth. At the same time, their taste will not deteriorate.
When grown on soft wood, the fruiting period of the mycelium is 3-4 years, on hard wood – up to 7 years. Mushrooms can be grown on natural stumps for up to 10 years. In total, the mass of the obtained fruiting bodies can be 10–15% of the initial mass of the log.
The second method allows you to grow flammulina at home in a glass jar. To do this, you need to fill it with a nutrient substrate, which includes:
- hardwood sawdust;
- buckwheat husk;
- bran;
- sunflower seed husk;
- brewer’s grains;
- corn cobs.
Usually, the substrate is placed in one and a half to two liter jars for half the volume and closed with lids, in which holes with a diameter of 2 cm are cut. Then they are placed in a pot of boiling water and sterilized on fire for 1,5–2 hours. A day later, the sterilization process is repeated. Then the jars are cooled to room temperature and the mycelium is planted.
A few pieces of mushroom are placed in each jar and cleaned in a warm, dark place. After 2-4 weeks, the mycelium will appear, after which the jars can be rearranged on the windowsill. A thick cardboard rim 8–10 cm wide is put on the neck of the jar, which will hold the fruiting bodies in an upright position.
Periodically, the rim and mushroom caps need to be moistened with water using a spray bottle. As soon as the mushrooms appear above the rim, it must be removed and the caps cut off. After picking the mushrooms, the jars are again cleaned in a dark place. After 10-14 days, the caps will reappear.
Conclusion
Winter mushrooms are a great way to extend the season for lovers of “quiet hunting”. Well, those who do not like walking through the cold autumn forest can grow flammulina right at home. This will allow you to diversify your home menu well, and at the same time improve your health. Among other things, this is also a good business, especially if there is a Japanese or Korean restaurant nearby.
Here is a short video of what winter mushrooms look like in December.
