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A photo and description of honey agarics on a birch will allow not to confuse this delicious mushroom with false fruit bodies, dangerous to human health and life. Knowing the appearance of edible mushroom, you can safely go on a "quiet hunt".
Do honey mushrooms grow on a birch
Different types of honey agaric grow on deciduous trees, but most often they can be found on birch. It is important to take into account the fact that the tree on which the mushrooms settle must already be dead or weakened.
What honey mushrooms look like on a birch
Birch mushrooms are small fruiting bodies, reaching a height of no more than 15 cm. They grow in whole large groups, which makes it possible to distinguish them from some parasitic fungi.
To know for sure the mushroom, it is worth studying in detail its appearance. Moreover, it is almost identical in all types of these mushrooms (summer, autumn, etc.):
- Hat. In a young specimen, it has a hemispherical shape. Over time, the edges begin to bend downward, forming a kind of umbrella, in the center of which there is a small bulge. The diameter of the cap varies from 2 to 10 cm, and there are scales on its surface, but they can also disappear with age. The color of the upper part of the mushroom can be different - from light beige to reddish shades. But most often there are honey mushrooms with a yellowish-red cap.
- Pulp. In any mushroom, it is tender and smooth, has a yellowish-white color. For better vitality, the mushroom collects water in itself, because the inner part of the fruiting body is quite moist. The aroma from birch honeydew emanates pleasant, similar to the smell of damp wood.
- Leg. It grows up to 15 cm, but the color depends not only on the age of the mushroom, but also on where it grows. The young specimen has a light honey color; as it grows, the lower part of the fruiting body darkens and turns brown. On the legs you can see a skirt, which is the hallmark of the mushroom, being the main distinguishing feature of the edible honey mushroom. In addition, it protects the fruit body from breaking during strong gusts of wind.
What mushrooms grow under birches
In the photo you can see how birch honey mushrooms grow, forming a whole bracelet on destroyed stumps and parts of trees (by the way, the word honey mushroom is translated as bracelet). Mushrooms are widespread almost everywhere. But they have won the greatest popularity among the inhabitants of Eastern Europe and Russia.
Productivity directly depends on the amount of moisture in the territory of its growth. They can only be found in large numbers in deciduous forests, where the moisture level is always quite high. Moreover, there are all types of honey agarics - spring, summer, autumn and winter. In mixed plantations, it will be more problematic to collect a full basket of mushrooms, while the quiet hunting season is also important, because in such forests they appear exclusively in the autumn period.
Not only edible mushrooms can grow on a birch. Therefore, it is important to study all types of these fruiting bodies that are found on the stumps of deciduous trees.
Autumn
Autumn birch mushrooms belong to the physalacria family. They are found in moist forests in the Northern Hemisphere. They grow on stumps of birches and other deciduous trees. The cap of the fruiting body grows up to 17 cm, the color is deep brown. There are many scales on the surface. The flesh is white and firm.The leg cannot exceed 11 cm in length, the diameter is about 15 cm. The peak yield occurs in the first decade of September.
Summer
This species belongs to the Stropharia family. It can grow on birches and other deciduous tree species. Prefers a temperate climate. The cap of the fruiting body is small - about 5 cm in diameter. At first, the top has a semicircular shape, but then it becomes almost flat. The color is dull yellow or brown, depending on how much moisture is in a particular season. The more rainfall, the lighter the shade will be. In the center of the upper part of the birch mushroom there is a small tubercle, which stands out in a lighter tone from the rest of the surface, but on the contrary becomes quite dark with heavy rains. There are no scales on the cap, while a thin mucous coating can be observed.
The leg of the fungus does not grow more than 7 cm. It is covered with scaly formations that have a dark color, they do not disappear with age. The peak yield occurs in the summer season, although the first birch mushrooms appear in April and do not disappear until November.
Winter
Winter honey fungus belongs to the Tricholomaceae and Ryadovkovy families. It prefers to grow in the Northern climatic zones on birch stumps and poplars. The cap of the fruiting body can vary from 2 to 10 cm in diameter. The shape is flat, the color is light yellow. The lower part of the birch honeydew is also small - about 5-7 cm. At the same time, it is dense, on the surface there are many small villi that serve to retain moisture in the fruit body. Hunting for this mushroom can be carried out both in spring and autumn, since it is able to withstand even fairly low air temperatures.
Spring
Spring mushrooms are representatives of the Negniychnikov family. They prefer to grow alone in mixed forests. Therefore, this species of honey agaric is difficult to find on birch stumps. And most novice mushroom pickers often confuse an edible specimen with some kind of poisonous "brothers".
Useful properties of birch honey agarics
To assess the benefits of birch honey agarics, you need to familiarize yourself with their composition. The fruiting bodies contain:
- vitamins - PP, E, B, C;
- cellulose;
- ash;
- Sahara;
- amino acids;
- trace elements - potassium and magnesium, iron and sodium, calcium and copper, phosphorus and zinc.
Also, fruiting bodies are not forbidden to eat during fasting. Therefore, they should be present on the table of believers who are exposed to long-term serious stress associated with food restrictions.
The benefits of birch mushrooms:
- Since mushrooms contain many mineral salts of iron, magnesium, zinc and copper, their use has a beneficial effect on the processes of hematopoiesis. Experts recommend diversifying your diet with mushrooms for anemia - you can cover the daily need for these trace elements with only 100 g per day, which will help raise hemoglobin.
- Birch mushrooms have anti-cancer and antimicrobial effects.
- Fruiting bodies allow you to cope with E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Lotions, ointments and tinctures are made from them.
- When eating mushrooms, the work of many vital functions is normalized, in particular, the thyroid gland.
- In ancient times, people used the extract from birch honey agaric to treat minor wounds and cuts, various skin diseases, bruises and migraines.
- In Europe, the mushrooms in question are not accepted as a food product, but medicinal preparations are made from them.Injections and pills based on fruiting bodies are used for tuberculosis, to raise immunity during radiation therapy and other ailments associated with a general weakening of the body and its poisoning with toxins.
In addition to benefits, birch mushrooms can also have negative effects. Therefore, it is worth highlighting several possible problems associated with the use of honey agarics:
- Individual intolerance.
- Peptic ulcer in the acute stage.
- Gastritis.
- Flatulence.
Collection and use of birch honey agarics
The time when you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of mushrooms depends entirely on the climatic conditions of a particular region and the type of fruit body. But in rainy weather, birch mushrooms are much more common. Therefore, lovers of quiet hunting prefer to go out into the forest during or immediately after precipitation.
The mushroom pulp is capable of absorbing all the harmful substances contained in the atmosphere. Therefore, experts strongly recommend harvesting in places that are far from industrial enterprises and landfills, areas of roads and railways. Moreover, the sites after forest fires are among the best for quiet hunting.
Today, honey mushrooms can not only be found and collected in a birch grove, many people buy them in stores. There are a number of reasons for this:
- The products grown in artificial conditions are safe for consumption.
- Mushrooms are no different from their forest counterparts, including taste and useful properties.
- Raw materials lend themselves to careful checking at all stages, from planting to packaging of fruit bodies.
You can use birch mushrooms in different variations:
- Soup preparation.
- Frying.
- Pickling.
- Salting.
- Boiling.
- Drying.
- Baking.
- Use as a filling for dumplings, pies and pies, bases for salads and vegetable caviar.
Experts recommend not eating fresh mushrooms. It is best to pre-boil the raw materials and only then use them to prepare a variety of dishes.
Conclusion
A photo and description of honey agarics on a birch will allow you to accurately determine the type of fruit body and its edibility. This information will be especially useful for beginner lovers of quiet hunting.
