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Honey mushrooms are considered popular forest fruit bodies because they are easy to harvest. These mushrooms grow in large colonies on a single stump or tree. Honey mushrooms are common in different climatic zones of Russia, except for permafrost regions. These mushrooms contain flammulin, a substance that prevents sarcoma. In addition, honey mushrooms contain vitamins E, B, PP, ascorbic acid, calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine. Honey mushroom legs are rich in fiber, which is useful for the human digestive system. A wide variety of snacks and meals can be prepared from these fruiting bodies. They are pickled, salted, fermented, dried, frozen, fried and stewed. However, despite the enormous popularity of these mushrooms, the question of how honey agarics are processed is always relevant.

It is worth saying that the processing of mushrooms does not take much time, because these fruiting bodies themselves do not grow on the ground. Therefore, very little forest debris accumulates on them, with the exception of fallen leaves and adhering grass. Honey mushrooms grow almost all year round, but the peak of the season for their collection falls on September and October.

In order to quickly carry out the primary processing of honey agarics at home before cooking and their further use, you should spend time in the forest to clean it up. When you collect honey mushrooms, cut them closer to the cap, leaving a small part of the leg. It is better to put mushrooms in a basket, as in a bucket they begin to "sweat" and lose their shape. It is very important to be able to distinguish edible mushrooms from their false "brothers": real mushrooms have a "ring-skirt" on their legs.

Processing honey agarics before freezing and drying

Fresh mushrooms tend to darken very quickly after cutting. Thus, immediately after harvesting, honey agarics are processed. If the fruiting bodies are to be dried, then they are not washed. Honey mushrooms are sorted by size, most of the legs are cut off, and the caps are wiped with a dry kitchen sponge. Only after that the drying process is started.

In the modern world, preservation of food for the winter can be carried out by freezing. At home, this is the most popular way. So you can keep fresh not only berries, fruits and vegetables, but also mushrooms.

Before freezing, honey agarics are processed in the same way as before drying. First, the mushrooms are sorted out and discarded wormy, crumpled and rotten, since such specimens cannot be cooked. Young and strong mushrooms with dense legs are considered ideal for freezing. When worms are struck, only the legs are thrown away, and the hat is left: it can be spawned. Remove the adhering remnants of grass and leaves from the caps, and wipe each mushroom with a kitchen sponge. I would like to note that it is forbidden to wash them in raw form before freezing honey agarics. If the fruit bodies are heavily soiled, then wipe each hat with damp gauze or a kitchen towel, and then leave to dry for 1 hour. Next, mushrooms are spread in a thin layer on the spacing and placed in the freezer. Once completely frozen, they are transferred to bags or plastic containers and put back in the freezer.

Novice mushroom pickers often ask the question: is it possible to leave the harvest for several hours, or is it necessary to immediately process mushrooms after harvesting? Note that mushrooms are perishable, so it would be best to clean them right away. However, if you do not have time, then do the following: spread the mushrooms in a thin layer on newspapers in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. In this state, the mushrooms can lie for 24 hours. During this time, they dry well and it would be better to clean them dry.

Processing honey agarics before pickling, frying and boiling

For example, if you plan to pickle mushrooms, then before processing and pickling mushrooms, you should soak them in cold water for a short time. Soaking should be no more than 30 minutes so that the fruiting bodies do not collect a lot of liquid. And a half-hour soaking will perfectly help remove insects and their larvae from fungi. After this process, the "skirt" is removed from each leg of the mushroom, although each mistress decides this issue independently. Usually, many do not try to remove the film from the mushroom leg. In their opinion, the taste characteristics of the fruit bodies do not change, and the processing time is less. It is worth saying that this is the whole process of primary processing - honey mushrooms do not require thorough cleaning.

There are several ways to handle honey agarics before cooking. Everything here will depend on what kind of dish you plan to cook. For example, before frying, mushrooms must be boiled. We can say that the processing of honey agarics before frying is carried out in the form of boiling. Boil the water, add salt at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. for 1 kg of mushrooms, and introduce mushrooms. Boil for 20 minutes, while in the process you need to constantly remove the foam from the surface. Throw the finished mushrooms in a colander and rinse with cold tap water, drain the liquid, and then start frying.

Sometimes some housewives do not want to freeze raw mushrooms and resort to boiling them. Then they are laid out on a sieve, the liquid is allowed to drain well and the mushrooms are laid out on a kitchen towel to completely let the mushrooms dry. Only after that the freezing process is started. Honey agarics are processed in a similar way before boiling: they are cleaned, most of the legs are cut off, washed in water and only then boiled. The technique of primary processing for honey agarics will depend on further processes: drying, freezing or pickling.

Heat treatment of meadow mushrooms for the winter

Many lovers of "quiet hunting" like the taste of meadow mushrooms, which are found in meadows, forest edges or in ravines. Such mushrooms grow in large groups, which form the so-called "witch circles". These fruiting bodies are considered conditionally edible, but taste great. The processing of honey agarics before cooking is carried out according to the above rules. However, in this case, in order to cut off the meadow honey, mushroom pickers take scissors. Experts recommend using this type of honey agaric together with legs, since it is they that contain marasmic acid and scorodonin, which cleanse the human body of viral diseases and cancer cells.

Processing honey agarics for the winter is carried out as follows: cut fruit bodies are cleaned of sand and earth, remnants of grass and leaves. Further, meadow mushrooms are processed in a large amount of water. For example, water is poured into an appropriate container and mushrooms are poured. For several minutes, the mushrooms interfere with their hands so that all insect larvae and stuck sand come out of the caps. Take out in a colander or lay out on a sieve and allow the liquid to drain. Next, they begin to carry out heat treatment of honey agarics. Since these fruiting bodies are considered conditionally edible, they need to be boiled for about 30-35 minutes in salted water.

The process of processing autumn mushrooms

Among mushroom pickers, autumn mushrooms are very popular, which have an amazing taste and aroma. From how the mushrooms will be prepared in the future, and the processing of autumn mushrooms will be carried out. In this case, the same processes mentioned above apply to this type of fruiting bodies.

It is worth noting that the processing of honey agaric and the processing time for each species is practically the same. The time for preliminary cleaning of these fruiting bodies varies from several hours to a day. If the mushroom harvest is large, then it should be divided into several parts so that the processing is not so burdensome.Those mushrooms that you want to leave are best lowered into a cool room and laid out on paper. If it's cool outside, then mushrooms can be put in a well-ventilated area and left there overnight. However, experts still advise dealing with mushrooms immediately after they have been brought home. This will help avoid possible poisoning from spoiled specimens.

If honey mushrooms are collected from dead wood, then it is better not to pull them out, but cut them off with a stainless steel knife so that the cut does not darken. Having brought home a mushroom harvest, you do not have to remove the remnants of mycelium contaminated with dust and earth, and processing honey agaric will not be so difficult and time-consuming. These fruiting bodies are indeed considered one of the most easily cleaned mushrooms because they do not require scraping. And if you follow the advice and pre-clean them in the forest, then processing honey agarics before cooking will bring more positive emotions.

Honey mushroom hats are much more nutritious and fleshy than legs, although the legs also have their own useful vitamins and minerals. However, many mushroom pickers, if they find a large area occupied by mushrooms, collect only hats. Then they do not have to spend a lot of time cleaning mushrooms after returning home. In addition, this method does not harm the mycelium, so next year you can safely return here to harvest a new crop.

Many novice mushroom pickers are concerned about the question: how is the processing of honey agarics carried out after harvesting, if overgrown specimens come across? We note right away that overgrown and old specimens are always flabby, soft and stale. Therefore, it is better not to risk your health and throw away such fruiting bodies. However, if the old mushrooms have an attractive appearance and a good smell, you can leave them without any problems. The processing of honey agarics in this case will largely depend on what you want to cook from them. Many people call mushroom caviar or pate the best option for old honey agarics.