From honey mushroom to oyster mushroom: edible mushrooms have appeared in snowy forests

An expert will tell you what microorganisms can be found in this cold winter season

While someone is skiing and tubing, residents of the capital region, devoted to quiet hunting, are rushing into the forest with baskets. Mushroom time has come for connoisseurs and daredevils. Despite the frost and waist-deep snowdrifts, experienced mushroom pickers search for and find valuable specimens in forest clearings. We asked an expert to tell us what microorganisms can be found in this icy season.

“In winter, edible mushrooms such as orange tremors, gray oyster mushrooms and winter honey mushrooms grow in the forests of the capital region,” mushroom picker Denis Vasiliev told MK. – Since the beginning of the month, I managed to stumble upon honey mushrooms. I collected two baskets.

According to the expert, during a thaw, mushrooms continue to multiply and grow, so there is no point in looking for them in extreme cold. But if it’s not so cold outside, and there’s also been a little snow, then, as Vasiliev notes, it’s quite possible to put some in a frying pan. The mushroom picker also noticed that in winter, honey mushrooms change color a little and become a little darker.

A lover of quiet hunting explained that the mushroom grows quickly, and even on New Year’s holidays he managed to find oyster mushrooms. The expert warned that, of course, there is no need to count on a rich harvest. He also emphasized that it is not worth looking for the gifts of the forest on the ground, but it makes sense to look at the trees around.

“MK”, ​​in turn, decided to prepare for its readers a short guide to mushrooms that can be found in the winter forest.

DROZHALKA ORANGE

It has many synonyms that appeared due to its spectacular structure and appearance. In Europe, this mushroom is called: yellow brain, troll butter, witch butter or golden jelly. We also know it under these names:

Tremella membranous

Draglia

The mushroom is incredibly common in the latitudes of the Russian Federation, so there is a high probability that you will someday encounter it on your way. Moreover, it literally grows all year round. Most often it can be found on the stumps of deciduous trees.

For gastronomic purposes it is mainly used fresh. Added to salads, goes well with sweet and sour sauce dressing. If the fruiting bodies are well dried, they can be added to various broths.

GRAY OYSTER MUSTER

In nature, this oyster mushroom bears fruit from September until spring and tolerates low negative temperatures well.

This mushroom prefers dead deciduous wood as a home. It grows in groups, in kind of tiers of 30-50 pieces. The weight of the tier can be up to 2 kg. It is easy to clean and stores well. As a rule, it is fried, boiled, stewed, canned, and also salted. Only the cap is used; the legs are unsuitable due to their high rigidity.

WINTER HORN

This fungus has one interesting feature – its cells, destroyed during freezing, grow together again and are restored as soon as the air temperature rises above zero. Therefore, during winter thaws, you can sometimes see flammulina caps peeking right out from under the snow.

In addition, the winter mushroom is tamed quite quickly. Moreover, when growing flammulina in a dark, cold and damp basement, the result is a softer and tastier mushroom. The Japanese call flammulina enokitake – noodle mushroom.

These mushrooms cannot be called meaty – therefore they do not need long cooking. You can add it to stews and fried potatoes without boiling, but, of course, you can also cook soup. In addition, these mushrooms, like the autumn honey fungus, are prepared for future use: they can be frozen, dried, or pickled.