Summer mushrooms: photos and descriptions of edible mushrooms, their dangerous counterparts
Category: edible.
Summer honey agaric is an edible mushroom (Kuehneromyces mutabilis) that appears in forests at the end of April and grows until mid-November. These gifts of the forest are common in northern countries with a temperate climate.
Edible summer mushrooms are delicious both fresh and pickled, they are often used as a snack, and also used as a filling for pies.
On this page you will find out what summer mushrooms look like, where you can find them, and also get information on how to distinguish summer mushrooms from dangerous twins.
What summer mushrooms look like
Hat (diameter 3-8 cm): brown or light brown, slimy, in a damp forest or after rain becomes almost transparent. As the fungus grows, it changes from convex to flatter. Has a characteristic tubercle in the center, which is lighter than the grooved edges.
Pay attention to the photo of the summer mushroom: its leg, 3-9 cm high, is lighter than the cap, dense and smooth, has a pronounced ring, below which there are usually small scales.
Plates: weakly adhere to the leg or completely lag behind. They change color from light brown to dark brown, depending on the age of the fungus.
Pulp: watery, brownish color does not change at the cut or break. It has a mild mushroom taste and aroma reminiscent of freshly sawn wood.
Dangerous twins of the mushroom summer mushroom
According to the photo and description, summer mushrooms are very similar to poisonous gallerina monochromatic (Galerina unicolor) and bordered. (Galerina marginata). Also counterparts of these mushrooms are false mushrooms. Gallerinas have no scales on the fibrous stem, and false agarics have rings.
When it grows: from late April to mid-November in temperate northern countries.
Where to find: In deciduous and mixed forests on decaying or dead trees. In mountainous areas it can grow on spruce trees. Gives preference to a non-arid climate.
Eating: fresh or pickled.
In folk medicine, summer mushrooms are used as an antibacterial agent (data have not been confirmed and have not undergone clinical studies!). In many countries, it has long been learned to grow summer mushrooms on an industrial scale, using rotten wood, primarily birch.
Other names: honey agaric is changeable, kyuniromyces is changeable.
