One of the most common edible mushrooms, summer mushroom grows in conifers, stumps, rhizomes, snags and grass. Honey mushrooms of this subspecies are common in Russia, Europe and Asia, as well as in North America. They are found wherever there are conditions for their development. Fallen coniferous and deciduous trees quickly become infected with spores, and the summer mushroom begins to bear fruit abundantly in mid-June.
Because of their rapid growth and excellent taste, mushrooms are very popular with gardeners trying to grow mushrooms on their site. With the right approach, you can get a double benefit: grow a delicious fragrant mushroom and get rid of the powerful stumps of fruit trees that will collapse in 4-5 years if a mycelium has settled there.
Given that summer mushrooms (there is a photo in the article) grow in huge colonies, you can even harvest a decent crop from one stump. This mushroom is considered edible, with excellent aroma and pleasant taste. Suitable for marinades, first and second courses.
Unlike autumn and winter, summer mushroom has a thin long leg, its diameter is only 0.5 cmat a height of 5-10 cm. A yellow or brown cap has a light spot in the center; at the beginning of the growth of the mushroom, the cap is always rounded, with a small tubercle.
As it grows, it straightens, becomes flat, in rainy weather it can be sticky. In an adult mushroom, the diameter of the cap reaches 7-8 cm. A characteristic feature is the presence of a ring on the stem, below which the surface is scaly, fleecy. The color of the stem is much darker than the cap, dark brown at the point of growth. In overgrown mushrooms, it often bends, becomes rigid, and hollow inside. The pulp is very tender, fragile, beige in color, has a characteristic mushroom smell and a pleasant taste. The leg is coarser, fibrous, and becomes stiff with prolonged cooking. Therefore, only caps are often left during processing.
Summer honey agaric has a poisonous analogue - bordered galerina, which also lives on stumps and contains powerful toxins comparable to the power of the pale toadstool. It is especially difficult to distinguish summer honey agaric in dry weather, when its color changes, the bright spot in the center disappears. To prevent mistakes, it is worth collecting mushrooms from coniferous stumps and trees.
According to inveterate mushroom pickers, it is very difficult to collect summer mushrooms in rainy weather, the season of which begins in June. Mosquitoes like to ambush near the thickets.
When collecting, pay attention to the color of the cap of the lower layer of mushrooms. Often it becomes grayish due to the spore powder that the upper mushrooms spread. Such mushroomsare also edible, although they seem slightly rotten.
This mushroom is quite often affected by worms. The opinion that there are no worms in mushrooms remains only a myth. Superficial inspection often does not reveal parasites, however, during cooking, small white individuals float to the surface. For this reason, it is recommended to change the water immediately after boiling. The second decoction becomes lighter. When drying, it is recommended to carefully sort the mushrooms, leaving only he althy young mushrooms.
