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Winter mushrooms are the latest mushrooms among all representatives of their species. According to their edibility, they are classified into 4 categories, which allows various manipulations with them. So, winter mushrooms can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted and frozen. In this article, we will talk about what late mushrooms look like and when they can be collected.

If we talk about the appearance of winter mushrooms, then they are somewhat different from spring, autumn and summer. Firstly, later representatives of this species lack scales on the cap and “ring-skirt” on the leg. I must say that such features are the main ones when determining edible mushrooms. However, things are different with winter fruiting bodies. Secondly, the photo shows that late mushrooms have a brighter and more saturated color, unlike other species.

So, their hue ranges from yellow to honey-brown or dirty orange colors. In young specimens, the cap has a small hemispherical shape, which fully opens with age and becomes like an open umbrella. In diameter, the size of the cap of an adult mushroom is on average 5-7 cm. Throughout the life of the fungus, the surface of the cap remains smooth, without any scales.

The plates under the cap of winter honey agarics have different lengths and are located rather rarely. Their color can be white, light yellow or dark yellow. The pulp of the fruiting body is white or yellowish with a pleasant mushroom smell.

As for the legs of late honey agarics, their height is 2-7 cm. They have a dense structure and a characteristic brown-velvety shade. As already noted, there is no ring on the stem of this species.

When do late mushrooms appear in the forests?

Before you know when to harvest late mushrooms, you need to find out where they grow. It must be said that winter honeydew grows in large families, often growing together around a stump or tree. Most often it can be found in temperate and northern latitudes. Like other types of edible honey agarics, winter representatives choose mostly damaged, as well as weak trees and stumps for "settlement". These mushrooms do not bypass parks, forest edges, gardens and the area along the streams. Dead or rotting wood, broken branches and rotten stumps - all this is a "paradise" for the habitation of late honey agarics. Basically, this concerns deciduous trees, in particular: aspen, oak, birch, beech, ash, poplar, willow, acacia, etc. However, they are often found on stumps or trunks of pine, fir and spruce. Winter mushrooms collected in the coniferous forest have a bitter resinous aftertaste. But this does not prevent some mushroom pickers from preparing amazing dishes from them and making delicious preparations.

It is worth noting that many lovers of "quiet hunting" have this type of fruit bodies one of the most desirable, because it has no false counterparts at all. And it is almost impossible to confuse it with other representatives of the mushroom "kingdom". So when do late mushrooms appear in our forests? If mushrooms are called late or winter mushrooms, then it is logical to conclude that they grow in the cold season. So, this period starts from October and ends with a spring drop. It turns out that late mushrooms grow when all other representatives of this species have already ceased to bear fruit.

Abundant fruiting of winter mushrooms can be seen during periods of winter thaws. And sometimes they are met right under a layer of snow. And if a warm and favorable climate has settled in winter, then honey mushrooms will bring a generous harvest throughout this time. In damp weather, the caps of winter mushrooms become slimy and slippery.

When does the season of late honey agarics start?

One important feature of winter mushrooms is frost resistance. At sub-zero temperatures, the fruit bodies are covered with ice, but even in small sunlight they thaw and continue to grow. Such mushrooms can be safely collected in your basket. Knowing when the season of late honey agarics begins, you can plan trips to the forest not only in summer and autumn. I must say that such mushrooms are perfect for freezing at home, because they practically do not lose their beneficial and nutritional properties. However, it must be remembered that for these fruiting bodies, careful processing must be carried out - soaking and boiling in salted water.

There are also late autumn mushrooms, which are not found in the forest every year. They differ from ordinary ones in that they grow after sudden autumn frosts. If, after a short frost, warming or the so-called "Indian summer" sets in, they begin to grow. In appearance, this late honey mushroom resembles a porcini mushroom, but it is smaller in size and has a membrane at the bottom of the cap. Usually, the fruiting time of such mushrooms falls on the end of October and the beginning of November. Many experienced mushroom pickers who have come across late autumn mushrooms note that they are incredibly tasty and fragrant.