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Poplar honey fungus has been considered a delicious mushroom since the times of the Roman Empire. It has a unique rich taste. Consumption of poplar has a positive effect on the human body. You can grow this unpretentious mushroom yourself.
What does poplar honey fungus look like?
Poplar honey fungus (Cyclocybe aegerita) is a cultivated mushroom grown since ancient times.Its synonymous names are used: pioppino, poplar agrocybe (Agrocybe aegerita), poplar foliota (Pholiota aegerita).
Description of the cap
The cap of young fruiting bodies of poplar honey fungus is round in shape, velvety, brownish in color, with a diameter of 5 - 7 cm. In mature specimens, it takes on a flatter outline, becomes lighter and is 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, and narrowly adherent. They are light-colored: white or yellowish, but with age they become fawn, almost brown.
The pulp of the mushroom is thin, cotton-like, fleshy. When cooked, it acquires a crispy texture. It is characterized by a white or light color, with a brown undertone. The spore powder of these mushrooms is brown in color.
Description of the leg
The cylindrical leg of the poplar honey 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 can easily break off. The surface of the leg is smooth and silky. Its pulp has a fibrous structure. Almost under the cap itself there is a ring in the form of a flap. 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 honey mushrooms are visible in the photo.
Are poplar honey mushrooms edible or not?
Agrocybe are edible mushrooms with high gastronomic properties. They are specially grown for their pleasant wine smell and mealy taste of bechamel sauce.Spicy mushroom and nutty notes remain in the aftertaste.
How to cook poplar mushrooms
Collected poplar honey mushrooms have a short shelf life, no more than 20 hours. In purified frozen form, they are stored for 5 - 6 days, including the day of collection. For this reason, mushrooms are rarely found on the open market. Farmers supply poplar agrocibe directly to restaurants, where they are used to prepare soups, sauces, and julienne. They complement Italian and French cuisine.
Beans with poplar honey mushrooms - an old Neapolitan recipe. To prepare this dish you will need:
- 500 g white beans;
- 250 g of mushroom raw materials;
- 1 onion;
- 150 g cherry tomatoes;
- 6 tbsp. olive oil;
- parsley and basil to taste;
- salt pepper.
Cooking method:
- The beans are washed and boiled until tender.
- Honey mushrooms are cleaned and simmered for 10 minutes. on low heat.
- Fry the onion in olive oil until golden brown and remove from the pan.
- Mushrooms and tomatoes cut into 4 parts are stewed in the same oil for about 7 minutes.
- Add beans to the pan and add the water in which they were cooked. Simmer the dish for about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add herbs and spices.
The healing properties of poplar honey mushrooms
Consumption of poplar honey mushrooms has a beneficial effect on the human body. They have the following beneficial properties:
- Poplar honey mushrooms contain the amino acid methionine, which is not produced in the human body, but is necessary for normalizing cholesterol levels in the blood, reducing the deposition of neutral fat in the liver and improving its function. This substance, due to the activation of adrenaline synthesis, has a moderate antidepressant effect.
- The product has bactericidal properties. Based on substances isolated from fruiting bodies, the antibiotic agrocybin, which has strong antibacterial and antifungal activity, was synthesized.
- Lectin obtained from poplar honey fungus can inhibit the development of cancer cells.
Use in folk medicine
Traditional healers advise using poplar honey fungus for chronic headaches. Dishes made from them are included in the diet for those with high blood pressure. In order not to provoke fluid stagnation in the body, hypertensive patients should not eat salted or pickled mushrooms.
Where and how does it grow
Agrocybe poplar is widespread in Southern Europe. It grows naturally from July to September on dead and living deciduous trees. Most often, this type of honey fungus is found on poplars and willows. It can be found on fruit trees, birch, elderberry, and elm, where it bears fruit en masse in the form of numerous clusters.
When cultivated on an industrial scale and at home, poplar honey fungus is grown on stumps, logs or wood chips. Under controlled conditions they also form massive drusen.
In Russia, the mushroom is grown only as a cultivated species. There is no data on its distribution in natural conditions.
Growing poplar mushrooms on the plot or in the country
To grow the variety on the site, you will need mycelium, which can be purchased at a specialty store. It is mounted on poplar wooden sticks measuring 8x35 mm.
To get a good harvest of mushrooms, the following algorithm of actions for planting and growing them is recommended:
- Select the wood into which honey mushrooms will be inoculated. Stumps or logs of deciduous trees with a diameter of at least 15 cm are suitable for these mushrooms. No more than 4 months should pass from the moment they are felled. For 2 - 3 days, the logs are soaked in water, and the stumps are watered generously. If you have been asleep for less than 1 month. back, then pre-soaking is not required.
- Prepare holes for sticks with mycelium. To do this, on the day of planting, the selected log is sawed into pieces 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 (in a log - at least 20 times, in a stump - 40 times).
- The wood is inoculated. It is best to inoculate stumps in the spring, and logs - 2 - 6 months in advance. before being placed in the ground. To place the mycelium in the wood, with clean hands, remove the sticks from the bag and insert them all the way into the holes, which are then sealed with beeswax or plasticine.Important! Inoculation is the procedure of introducing live fungi into a nutrient medium.
- Leave the log to heal in a cool, damp room, such as a basement or barn. At air temperature 22 - 25 0C and a relative humidity of 85 - 90%, it will take 2 - 3 months for the holes to heal. To speed up the process, the inoculated workpiece is pre-packaged in a black perforated bag. The stumps are covered with straw or burlap, well moistened and not allowed to dry out. If inoculation was carried out in August-September, then the logs can be placed in the ground immediately after the procedure, without overgrowing.
- Overgrown logs are planted in the soil. They are placed in open ground from April to September. Planting of workpieces in closed containers can be carried out throughout the year. The location should be shaded, with soil that retains moisture well. The log is buried 1/2 or 1/3 part into a shallow trench, at the bottom of which wet leaves, sawdust or straw are laid.
Poplar honey 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 harvest. On soft wood, fruiting lasts 3 - 4 years, on dense wood - 5 - 7 years. Maximum productivity is achieved 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 ground around it is irrigated using the 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 leaves.
To grow poplar honey fungus indoors, use flower pots. They are filled with mulch or poplar sawdust.Wood blanks are deepened into the ground by 8 - 10 cm. Such plantings produce 2 - 3 harvests per year.
Another method of growing poplar honey fungus is presented in the video.
Doubles and their differences
In Russia, poplar honey fungus is specially grown in a controlled environment. It has clear characteristic features, and it is almost impossible to confuse it with other varieties.
Conclusion
Poplar honey fungus is a delicious mushroom. At home, it can be grown outdoors on a log or indoors on sawdust. If you follow simple rules of care, the mycelium bears fruit for up to 7 years.
