Where do honey mushrooms grow and at what time to collect? What elements are contained in these mushrooms, how to cook them properly at home? Benefits, harm and ways to distinguish real mushrooms from "false" ones. Honey mushrooms have been repeatedly used by scientists from different countries for the invention and manufacture of various drugs. So, in the middle of the last century, flammulin was isolated from winter mushrooms, which has a direct effect on cancer cells and pushes the immune system to independently kill pathogenic flora in places of inflammation.
Harm and contraindications to the use of honey agarics
In fact, in the forest ecosystem, this type of fungus is a parasite that feeds on substances and microelements of the "infected" tree. Honey mushrooms, undoubtedly, in addition to a tasty and healthy product, are a medicine. They are rich in various substances, which leads to some contraindications for use.
Consequences of mushroom abuse:
- Digestive problems … Like all mushrooms, mushrooms belong to the category of "heavy" and difficult to digest food, which, if consumed excessively, can lead to some problems of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract).
- Diarrhea … In persons suffering from minor disorders of the digestive system, when eating large portions of honey mushrooms.
- Poisoning … Honey mushrooms have a certain cooking schedule (time, temperature), non-compliance with it often leads to poisoning.
- Toxins and radionuclides … Honey mushrooms mutate easily under the influence of the environment, so you need to carefully choose a place of collection or buy only from trusted and reliable suppliers.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract … Pickled honey mushrooms, although they are a tasty product, contain a large amount of vinegar, the excessive use of which can even lead to stomach ulcers.
- Botulism … Incorrect conservation of honey agaric can lead to this rather rare disease. 90% of cases of botulism occur precisely due to a violation of the technology of conservation of mushrooms.
- "False mushrooms" … With extreme caution, you need to collect this type of mushroom, since there are similar, but poisonous mushrooms, the use of which leads to much more serious consequences than all of the above.
During pregnancy, honey mushrooms should be used with caution: in small portions and no more than twice a week, boiled, salted and pickled mushrooms are not recommended.
Absolute contraindications for mushrooms:
- Exacerbation of any diseases of the digestive system - leads to a severe course of the disease, which requires additional medical intervention.
- Remission of gastrointestinal tract diseases - mushrooms can provoke a relapse of the disease.
- Diseases of the liver and kidneys - they are responsible for the production of gastric enzymes that break down foods, so the use of honey agaric will lead to regular indigestion.
- Gout - due to the high concentration of purine, honey agarics can provoke a worsening of the condition.
- Mushrooms should not be eaten by children under ten years of age: the stomach lacks the necessary enzymes that allow the mushrooms to be processed normally.
It is not recommended to use honey mushrooms for people with individual intolerance to this product. Symptoms of individual intolerance: bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, spasmodic pains, headache, unpleasant taste in the mouth. However, one should not confuse intolerance with poisoning. The first may not appear with a small use of honey agaric, and the second is expressed even after a small portion and requires medical intervention.
Of course, the harm of honey agaric can manifest itself only in the case of improper cultivation, the choice of the place of collection, preparation, or in case of diseases and intolerance to the product. In all other cases, this is a tasty and healthy product, which, at least as an experiment, should be included in your menu.
Recipes for dishes with honey agarics
Many people ask themselves how they eat honey mushrooms and how to cook them correctly. In many ways, they are convenient in cooking: you do not need to spend a lot of time slicing, since the mushrooms themselves are small. Boiled, pickled, salted and fried, they go well with potatoes, boiled rice, pasta, herbs. Chopped mushrooms can be added to minced cutlet for subsequent frying.
We have selected for you several healthy and tasty recipes from fresh mushrooms:
- Honey mushrooms baked with potatoes … The portion is for 4 people. Rinse 500 grams of honey agarics well in running water, boil in salted water for 30 minutes, drain the liquid, cool. Peel 1 kg of potatoes, cut into slices, add black ground pepper (allspice can be used), salt. Peel the onion (150-200 grams), cut into medium rings or half rings. Lay out the finished products in layers, sprinkle with herbs on top, pour sour cream (200 ml), sprinkle with grated hard cheese (150-200 grams). Bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees.
- Braised mushrooms with an estimate and onions … Peel and rinse with 1 kg of honey mushrooms, cut large into small pieces, boil in salted water for 20 minutes. Pour into a colander, let cool. Peel onions (150 grams), cut into cubes. Melt butter (200 grams) in a pan, fry the onion on it until golden brown, add mushrooms, fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 500 ml of sour cream to mushrooms and onions, add salt to taste, black ground pepper, slightly dilute the sour cream sauce with boiled water, if the sour cream is thick. Cook until the onion stops crunching and the sour cream becomes creamy. Serve with fresh herbs and boiled potatoes. To reduce the calorie content of your dish, try replacing sour cream with unflavored yogurt and potatoes with boiled rice.
- Julienne with fried mushrooms … Boil chicken fillet (500 grams), cut into small cubes (for a richer taste, boil immediately in boiling water, add salt). Cut onion (250 grams) and honey mushrooms (300-350 grams) into small cubes. Fry it in vegetable oil until golden brown, add honey mushrooms and fry until the liquid is completely boiled away. Pour the chopped chicken fillet into the resulting mixture, salt and pepper, remove from heat. In a dry frying pan, fry 2-3 tablespoons of flour for 3 minutes, add cream or sour cream (300 grams), seasonings and, stirring, cook until cooked (boil). Add fillet, onion and honey mushrooms to the resulting mixture, mix, remove from heat. Put the prepared mass in cocotte makers (clay or ceramic oven pots), sprinkle with grated cheese, bake in the oven at 180-200 degrees until the crust is medium hard (about 20 minutes).
- Honey mushroom and beef cutlets … Boil 500 grams of honey mushrooms in salted water for 40 minutes. Drain into a colander, let cool. Mushrooms, 500 grams of beef and 2 peeled onions mince. Season with salt, pepper, add a little greens if desired. Beat in 2 eggs and mix thoroughly. Form balls with hands soaked in water, fry in hot vegetable oil until cooked.
Interesting facts about fresh mushrooms
Honey mushrooms grow in a "ring", this has led to a widespread misconception that "honey mushrooms" are translated from Latin as "bracelet", and this in turn gave rise to the myth of the origin of the name of this mushroom. In fact, the honey agaric owes its name exclusively to the place of growth - on tree stumps. Although, despite this, honey mushrooms process trace elements from any part of the tree, be it feet, trunks, even fallen branches.
There are more than 10 species of honey agarics, but on the shelves of our stores, we, as a rule, find only a few of them: autumn and winter. Autumn, they are Armillaria mellea, the most tenacious, as they have adapted to grow in the most difficult conditions. Winter mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) grow exclusively on weak or dead deciduous trees. They have a certain amount of unstable toxins in their hat, so they must be carefully heat treated.
It was winter species that were used in most studies of mushrooms as a medicinal material. They are used as a remedy for many diseases in folk medicine - fungotherapy. For example, it is believed that a compress from them helps to remove warts, and tincture relieves infertility and problems with the thyroid gland.
Due to the need for long heat treatment, honey mushrooms in many European countries are considered conditionally edible or completely unsuitable for consumption. So, in England, they use only mushroom caps.
Along with edible mushrooms, there are "false" mushrooms, which can be distinguished by some characteristics:
- Edible honey mushrooms, in addition to winter honey mushrooms, have a "skirt" under the hat.
- "False" mushrooms have an unpleasant earthy smell.
- The difference between the caps: edible - a scaly structure and a dim (light brown) color, "false" - smooth and bright.
- Differences in the color of the plates under the cap: in edible mushrooms, they are cream or white with yellow color.
How to cook fresh mushrooms - watch the video:
The popularity of honey agarics is explained by their relatively low price, as well as by the convenience of transportation: they are perfectly springy and do not break, which allows them to go in their original form from the “garden to the table”. In addition, they tolerate freezing well without losing a lot of nutrients.
