Krasnodar Territory is rightfully considered one of the mushroom regions of Russia. Almost a dozen species of honey agarics can be found in its forests, but not all of them can be eaten. It is important to know where to find useful mushrooms, as well as when honey mushrooms in the Kuban are ready to be harvested.
Features of collecting honey agarics in the Kuban
Characteristics of the fungus
Honey mushrooms are so-called. a non-systematic group of fungi, which includes representatives of completely different genera and families, which are united by their habitat - living and dead wood. However, the summer mushroom species stands apart even in this very specific group - it lives in completely different conditions, but outwardly it is very similar to all other mushrooms.
These small mushrooms of orange or ocher color are difficult to confuse with others. They are often found in deciduous forests, fields and forest edges.
Due to its wide range, it is not difficult to find mushrooms during the ripening period. But how do they attract mushroom lovers of the Krasnodar Territory?
Appearance
Honey mushrooms stand out among other mushrooms and have the following distinctive features:
- their caps in the south grow up to 3-17 cm wide;
- its skin can have different shades: from honey to olive - the color darkens towards the center;
- the surface of the cap may be rough or scaly;
- its plates are rather rare;
- their pulp becomes thinner and coarser over time;
- their legs grow to 8-11 cm, and towards the base they become darker and gradually expand.
The external characteristics of the mushroom, like its taste, depend on what the mycelium is fed with.
It is important to learn well the signs of honey agarics.
The fact is that in the Kuban there grow sulfur-yellow honey agaric, bordered gallery, poppy and brick-red honey agaric. All these mushrooms are not edible, some are more dangerous, some less for health.
Accidental consumption in any amount can lead to food poisoning or more serious gastrointestinal problems.
Taste qualities
Honey mushrooms are excellent mushrooms for cooking. Winter preparations from them, honey mushrooms in marinade, as well as fried, baked and boiled - all types of heat or other processing emphasize the subtle half-tones of the tastes of all types of these mushrooms.
Honey mushrooms are universal in preparation
They are often used dried for making soups or ground for an interesting mushroom seasoning for meat. In addition, they taste good even when raw. Some mushroom pickers taste honey mushrooms right in the forest.
You can distinguish ordinary from false by the earthy smell and bitter taste of the latter. In order not only to find the "right" mushrooms, but also to enjoy your meal, try to cook them competently. The network has a large selection of original recipes for honey agarics of all kinds.
Ripening time
The peak of collection of all varieties of this mushroom occurs in late August or early autumn. The most abundant myceliums bear fruit in the first decade of September with temperature fluctuations from 10 to 15 ° C.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The honey agaric gathering season depends on their type:
- Spring: appear in May and bear fruit until the end of June.
- Summer: from July to the end of August.
- Autumn: they are the most popular and most desirable representatives of mushrooms for mushroom pickers. They are harvested from late August to late October or even November.
It is the autumn mushrooms who know how to glow in the night darkness: the glow comes not only from the fruit bodies, but also from the mycelium filaments growing throughout the tree (remember the movie "Avatar"?). So night walks into the forest can give results - the main thing is to know the area well and not get lost. The fruiting period of autumn mushrooms is divided into 2-3 waves, each of which lasts in turn for 2-3 weeks.- Winter: they begin to collect them from the end of September and end in March. With the onset of severe frosts, all processes of their vital activity freeze, but when the air temperature becomes, even if only slightly above 0 ℃, they successfully continue to grow. Since they do not have poisonous counterparts, they can be harvested calmly, being absolutely confident in the edibility of the crop. The main thing is not to catch a cold.
They grow in two or three layers, each of which is edible for about half a month. But some species (for example, winter ones) bear fruit until March. They are easy to spot against a snowy background, but it is worth noting: they are much inferior to their summer-autumn counterparts in taste.
Growth features
In the climate of the Kuban and the Black Sea coast, the process of plant vegetation is faster. Mushrooms keep up with them. Therefore, mushrooms have acquired a number of features.
Most often they are parasites on more advanced plants. Representatives of the group affect more than 200 species of trees and perennial shrubs. Honey mushrooms can even settle on homemade potatoes.
Mushrooms grow in large families; single mushrooms are extremely rare. Less often, they become saprophytes. This means that mushrooms can grow on stumps and dead trees. In this case, they can generate a pearlescent glow at night.
Spread
Honey mushrooms prefer moist forests, so the landscape near the sea coast suits them perfectly. The soil here is very fertile, so the trees have all the necessary complexes of nutrients and trace elements.
You don't have to look for them for a long time in the forest: from one place you can collect at least one large basket. Especially often on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, they grow in deep ravines and on stumps that remain after deforestation.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
The mushrooms that have appeared after the long autumn rains of Kuban delight mushroom pickers with their abundance. They love logging, hazel and deciduous forests, but less often settle in pine forests. The Severskiy, Apsheronskiy and Belorechenskiy regions are considered the most mushroom for those who like to collect and eat mushrooms. The hot spring will give everyone the opportunity to collect many autumn and summer honey agarics.
Their largest shoots of various types are found in the Afips valley, not far from Mount Baraniy Rog. Experienced mushroom pickers note that many honey mushrooms can be found near Tuapse, in the suburbs of Gelendzhik.
Honey mushrooms. Real mushrooms. Mushroom season
The season of quiet hunting has begun in the Kuban - time for honey agarics and porcini mushrooms
However, mushroom pickers warn: it is impossible to collect even pleasant-looking mushrooms in the Krasnodar Territory not far from highways or busy roads. They quickly absorb substances from the environment, so be careful where they are collected.
Remember, your food should be beneficial to your health and not become a potential threat.