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Winter mushrooms belong to the edible mushroom family. In Russian, I often call them winter mushrooms, and in specialized literature you can find such names as flammulina velvety-footed or collibia velvety-footed.
Winter honey fungus flammulin is a small-sized cap-footed lamellar 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, for example, in 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 deciduous wood. You can meet them in the forest, on fallen trees, on stumps or dead wood. They are often found on poplars and willows, so these mushrooms can often be found even in city gardens and parks. In the forest, the most common places for their growth are edges, forest clearings, roads and old clearings - all those places where there is a lot of old dead wood. Flammulins 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 truly winter, since winter mushrooms appear in late autumn, in October - November. At this time it grows most intensively. Frequent thaws also promote the growth of the fungus, and in warm winters the winter mushroom season can last all three months.
When and where can you collect winter mushrooms in the Moscow region?
Flammulina velvety-footed can be found throughout Russia, and the forests near Moscow are no exception. You need to look in deciduous areas, along rivers and streams. The best time to collect is late autumn, starting at the end of September. Wet weather is especially conducive to mushroom growth. During 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 properly collect winter mushrooms
Flammulina grows in colonies, so collecting winter mushrooms is quite simple. Often, mushroom pickers only take mushroom caps because they have a pleasant taste and aroma. The mushroom stem is tougher and more fibrous. Its lower part must be cut off immediately, even in young mushrooms; in older mushrooms, the entire stem is removed.
How to distinguish winter mushrooms from false photos
Flammulina is difficult to confuse with other mushrooms simply due to the fact that nothing else grows at this time of year. Therefore, calling any mushroom “false winter honey fungus” can be very conditional. In addition, the real winter honey mushroom flammulina has a number of features, thanks to which it cannot be confused with other types of honey mushrooms, including false ones. Here are the distinctive features and description of what real winter mushrooms look like:
- The color of the mushroom cap changes from honey to brown towards the center.
- There is always a wet mucous coating on the surface of the cap, which does not disappear even after cooking.
- The leg of the flammulina is even, smooth, and cylindrical in shape.
Among the poisonous mushrooms that are similar to the winter honey mushroom, one can only highlight the fringed galerina (pictured). Due to the fact that these mushrooms ripen at different times, it is almost impossible to find them together.
Nevertheless, you can distinguish a poisonous mushroom by the characteristic ring on the stem. In the winter honey fungus Flammulina velvety-footed (photo below) it is completely absent.
Healing properties of winter mushrooms and rules of use
In addition to culinary qualities, winter mushrooms also have healing properties.However, it must be taken into account that the mushroom pulp contains a small amount of toxins that are destroyed during cooking. Therefore, you should always start preparing winter mushrooms by boiling them in boiling water for at least 20 minutes.
Chemical composition of mushrooms and beneficial properties
The fruiting body of flammulina contains a large amount of amino acids and protein, surpassing 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 name given to 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 supporting and strengthening the immune system. They lower blood cholesterol levels and 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. Women should not use flammulina during pregnancy and lactation.
It must be remembered that despite all its beneficial properties, flammulina, like other mushrooms, are 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 contaminated areas.
How to cook winter mushrooms
Winter mushrooms are suitable for preparing many dishes. Their dense, cream-colored flesh has a good taste and aroma. They make an excellent filling for pies. Inaketake, or inoki, can often be found in recipes for various Korean and Japanese salads. Flammulina is suitable for home canning, for example, for cooking mushroom caviar.
Is it possible to grow winter mushrooms at home?
In terms of industrial production volume, 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, jars with a nutrient substrate are used. Below is a photo of winter mushrooms on a prepared stump.
The easiest way to breed flammulina is to use ready-made mycelium. It can be purchased in 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, logs of hardwood are used for this, for example, birch logs.
The best time to plant flammulina is in the second half of spring. Infected logs are placed in a small stack, and a few months later, after the mycelium has germinated, they are dug in vertically in a shady place.Under favorable conditions, the first mushroom harvest can be harvested in the fall.
To propagate Flammulina velvetypod, you can use the old method, simply rubbing the cut of a prepared tree with the cap of an adult mushroom. This procedure is done in September, and the first wave of harvest can be expected in the spring. Frosts will not affect the fruiting bodies; after thawing, they will continue active growth. 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. You can grow mushrooms on natural stumps for up to 10 years. In total, the mass of the resulting 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 will need to fill it with a nutrient substrate, which includes:
- hardwood sawdust;
- buckwheat husk;
- bran;
- sunflower seed husk;
- spent grain;
- corn cobs.
Usually the substrate is placed in one and a half to two liter jars with half the volume and closed with lids in which holes with a diameter of 2 cm are cut. Then they are placed in a pan with boiling water and sterilized over fire for 1.5–2 hours. Every other day, the sterilization process is repeated. Then the jars are cooled to room temperature and the mycelium is planted.
Place several pieces of mushroom in each jar and put it in a warm, dark place. After 2–4 weeks, a mycelium will appear, after which the jars can be moved to the windowsill. A thick cardboard rim 8–10 cm wide is placed on the neck of the jar, which will hold the fruiting bodies in an upright position.
Periodically, the rim and caps of the mushrooms 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 collecting the mushrooms, the jars are again put away in a dark place. After 10–14 days, the caps will appear again.
Conclusion
Winter honey mushrooms are a great way to extend the season for lovers of “quiet hunting.” Well, those who don’t like walks 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.
