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Honey mushrooms in Kuban are a very common type of mushroom. They grow almost throughout the entire territory and bear fruit until frost. Depending on the species, mushroom pickers feast on them from April to early March. To avoid picking up false varieties, you need to first familiarize yourself with useful information. Especially for beginners.
Types of edible honey mushrooms in Kuban
Kuban is rich in mushroom catch. There are a lot of honey mushrooms among the varieties. They differ in the season of collection, appearance, and places of growth. Kuban honey mushrooms can be divided into several categories:
- Summer. Latin name Kuehneromyces mutabilis. Referred to in the scientific community as the Agaricomycetes class. At the beginning they have a convex cap, which then becomes flat with a characteristic tubercle in the middle. In the rain it takes on a brown tint and is highly translucent. When it gets dry, the surface of the cap becomes lighter and more matte. The edges are framed by distinct grooves, sometimes concentric rings protrude. They belong to the edible species.
- Autumn. Latin name: Armillariamellea. The second name is real or ordinary. Mycologists classify the species as parasitic mushrooms, but autumn mushrooms in the Kuban are very tasty.Therefore, mushroom pickers do not remember this classification. Grows on tree trunks in large colonies. Single specimens are almost never found. The pulp is dense with a persistent mushroom odor. The hat is flat, 5 cm in diameter and with uneven edges. The leg is darker than the cap, the general background is brown.
- Winter or Latin Flammulinavelutipes. Kuban is rich in winter species, which mushroom pickers collect throughout February. The taste and smell of winter mushrooms depends on where they grow. Mushrooms growing on deciduous trees have a more delicate taste and aroma. Coniferous vegetation gives a slightly bitter taste of resin and a corresponding smell. They tolerate frost well; at this time they simply stop growing.
Most of all, winter mushrooms prefer poplar or maple for settlement.
What honey mushrooms look like in Kuban
The species belongs in the scientific literature to the family Oryadovaceae. They are small in size with an orange or ocher color. In the Kuban, honey mushrooms can be distinguished from other mushrooms quite easily by their characteristic external features:
- the diameter of the cap in southern latitudes reaches 3-17 cm;
- the color in the center of the honey mushroom cap is darker;
- the skin of the cap has shades from honey to olive;
- the surface is scaly or rough;
- the appearance has sparse plates;
- in old specimens the flesh becomes coarser;
- the legs at the base expand and become darker;
- there is a ring on the leg that resembles a skirt;
- The length of the leg of honey mushrooms in Kuban reaches 8-10 cm.
External and taste differences are determined by the place of growth of the fruiting bodies. You need to carefully study the signs of edible species so that unsuitable specimens do not end up in the basket.
- brick red (Hypholomalateritium);
- poppy (Hypholomacapnoides);
- gallerina bordered (Galerinamarginata);
- sulfur yellow (Hypholomafasciculare).
This is due to the fact that old honey mushrooms also often do not have a ring, like poisonous ones.
A little about the varieties of honey mushrooms:
Where do honey mushrooms grow in Kuban?
It is important for all mushroom pickers in Kuban to know where they grow. This will help you go mushroom hunting in the right direction in the fall of 2021, when honey mushrooms in the Kuban begin to bear fruit. The main distribution area is considered to be the foothills and mountain areas of the Kuban - the vicinity of Laba, Kamyshanovaya Polyana, Arkhyz. Most mushrooms are found in forest clearings where there are fallen tree trunks or stumps. Autumn species can be found in pine forests. In any case, they prefer moist, damp plantings.
The most mushroom places in Kuban where you should go for honey mushrooms:
- Summer and autumn ones grow in the Arkhyz area (Goryachiy Klyuch), between Krasnaya Polyana and Lake Kardyvach.
- The Seversky district, Krymsky, Apsheronsky, Belorechensky, and the outskirts of Barabinsk are considered productive.
- Large growths are found in the Kuban in the Afips valley, near Tuapse and near Gelendzhik.
When will honey mushrooms start in Kuban?
To harvest a good harvest of mushrooms, it is not enough to know where they grow. We still need to navigate the deadlines. Summer ones are harvested from the second half of August until October. The more southern part of the Krasnodar Territory begins harvesting in June. When autumn comes in Kuban, honey mushrooms should be looked for from the beginning of September until frost. In more southern regions, the “silent hunting” season begins in August. Mass fruiting occurs in September. Winter ones are not at all difficult to find. They stand out well against the snowy background.Mushroom pickers note that winter honey fungus is slightly inferior in taste to its summer-autumn counterparts. But you can collect fruiting bodies in December, January and February. If the temperature drops below 0 °C, the mushrooms stop growing. As soon as warming occurs, they appear again.
Collection rules
Mushroom pickers need to preserve the mycelium so that honey mushrooms can grow again. Following the basic rules for collecting fruiting bodies will help with this:
- The fruiting bodies are cut, not pulled out. You can unscrew it if you want to avoid contact of the mushroom with the metal. This method is preferable.
- Immediately clean the cap of debris and place it in a basket on its side or with the cap down.
- Young specimens are selected.
- Mushrooms are looked for in old forests, especially in plantings older than 30 years.
- It is recommended to collect in a basket, not in buckets. This will keep the mushrooms fresh longer.
How to find out if honey mushrooms have appeared in Kuban
There are mushroom years and non-mushroom years. This is the name of the season in which there is almost no rain and humidity. You need to start collecting honey mushrooms in the Kuban when warm, rainy weather sets in. Moist soil is the ideal condition for mycelium germination. After a good rain, after 5-6 days you need to go on a “quiet hunt”.
A good reference point for a mushroom picker will be a fallen tree or a stump covered with moss.
Conclusion
Honey mushrooms in Kuban can be collected throughout the season. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the external parameters of mushrooms, find out the most mushroom places and fruiting dates. Such information will help even a beginner to collect a full basket of delicious honey mushrooms.
