Is it possible to eat overgrown mushrooms and what to cook from them

Lovers of walks in the forest often meet overgrown mushrooms that grow in groups together with young individuals. Many novice mushroom pickers do not know if they can be collected and what dishes are prepared from overgrown ones.

What old mushrooms look like

Autumn mushrooms are lamellar mushrooms growing in coniferous and deciduous forests. They are found in large quantities, from one stump you can collect a whole basket. They got their name from the arrangement of rings around the remains of trees. In one place, you can find both young individuals and overgrown mushrooms.

To learn how to recognize overgrown mushrooms in autumn, you need to know the appearance of young mushrooms. The cap of a young mushroom body is hemispherical, 2-7 mm in diameter, pink, beige or brown. At the top, the cap is covered with scales of a darker tone. The plates are whitish, the flesh is white, tender and firm. The stem is long, thin, 10-15 cm long. By the presence of a skirt on the stem of young fruiting bodies, they are distinguished from false ones.

With age, the cap of overgrown fruits straightens, takes the shape of an umbrella, rounded at the edges. The scales disappear and the color of the cap darkens. It becomes smooth, loses its moist oiliness. The legs become longer, the characteristic skirt is barely noticeable or disappears. The flesh of overgrowths turns brown, turns into more rigid and fibrous. The aroma is weakened. The photo shows that overgrown mushrooms are significantly different from young ones.

In overgrown spores, spores often leave their receptacle and fall on the caps of neighboring mushrooms.

Is it possible to collect overgrown mushrooms

Despite the loss of attractiveness, old autumn mushrooms are quite edible. Fruiting bodies grow rapidly, preserving the beneficial and palatable qualities of young mushrooms.

Not all copies should be collected. Some of the overgrowths turn black, covered with mold. The lamellar layer crumbles in places, the legs become thin, the overgrown mushroom takes on a rotten look. Such fruits should not be collected, they cannot be poisoned, but when eaten, a bitter aftertaste remains.

Overgrowths with a strong fruiting body without signs of damage and worminess are suitable for collection. Pure overgrown mushrooms can be safely collected, they are no less tasty than young mushrooms.

For old autumn mushrooms, only hats are used. The legs become stiff, fibrous. It is better to get rid of them right in the forest, so as not to carry an extra burden home.

The collection point should be removed from highways and industrial areas due to the peculiarity of the mushroom pulp to absorb harmful fumes of heavy metals.

How to cook old honey mushrooms

Overgrown mushrooms can be dried, boiled, salted, fried, pickled. There is no need to be afraid to use overgrown mushrooms. Dishes with them are not inferior in taste and nutritional value.

Overgrown mushrooms must be cleaned properly. The hats are checked for worms, dark areas and spore-bearing plates are removed. Peeled fruit bodies are soaked for 1 hour in salted cold water (1 tablespoon per liter of liquid). The water is changed three times, the overgrown may taste a little bitter.Correctly processed overgrown mushrooms can be safely eaten.

How to cook overgrown mushrooms

Honey mushrooms are a perishable product. The maximum time before the start of processing is about a day. It is advisable to carry it out immediately after returning from the forest. Oversized are sorted out, freed from debris, washed thoroughly. Large caps are cut into four parts. Overgrown mushrooms are boiled as follows:

1. Lightly salted water is brought to a boil in an enamel saucepan.
2. Prepared slices are laid, boiled for 10 minutes, periodically removing the foam.
3. Overgrown mushrooms are discarded in a colander, washed. They put it back to boil in clean water. Salt is added to taste.
4. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the mushrooms sink to the bottom.
5. Throw in a colander, rinse thoroughly with water.

Honey mushrooms can be frozen. As such, they retain their texture, taste, aroma and beneficial properties.

Before packing, the overgrown is blanched:

1. Take two enamel pans. One is put on a fire with salted water (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water), the second is filled with ice water.
2. Mushrooms are immersed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
3. The overgrowths are discarded in a colander, then transferred to a pan with ice for quick cooling.
4. For complete cooling, spread on a napkin.

Chilled, dried fruit bodies are placed in plastic containers or small bags.

How to fry old mushrooms

Fried overgrown mushrooms are the most popular recipe. You can fry the fruit bodies with or without preliminary boiling. In this case, the overgrowths are thoroughly washed with running water and stewed in a pan until the moisture has completely evaporated.

Frozen mushrooms are spread in a well-heated frying pan with butter without prior defrosting.

Fried overgrown honey mushrooms with onions

Ingredients:

• mushrooms - 1 kg;
• onions — 2-3 pcs.;
• butter - 30 g;
• salt, herbs to taste.

Cooking procedure:

1. Peeled and washed mushrooms are boiled for a quarter of an hour.
2. Onions, cut into half rings, are fried in butter.
3. Mushrooms boiled until half cooked are added to the pan, salted, pepper, stewed for 20-25 minutes.
4. When serving, the dish is sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Fried honey mushrooms with mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• overgrown mushrooms — 1 kg;
• vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
• onions - 2-3 pcs.;
• mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. l;
• greens to taste.

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil overgrown until half cooked, adding a small amount of citric acid.
2. Cut onions into half rings, fry in a pan.
3. Combine mushrooms with fried onions, add chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stew for 20 minutes over medium heat.
4. Mayonnaise is poured in 5 minutes before readiness.
5. The dish is served with chopped green onions or basil.

Preparations from overgrown honey agarics for the winter

The harvesting season runs from late August to early October. Autumn is a convenient time for harvesting overgrown honey agarics for the winter. They can be dried, salted, pickled, made mushroom caviar.

Pickled overgrown mushrooms

Ingredients:

• overgrown mushrooms - 1 kg;
• vinegar 70% - 1 tablespoon;
• vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l .;
• sugar, salt - 1 tbsp. l .;
• peppercorns, cloves - 3 pcs.;
• bay leaf — 1 pc .;
• garlic, nutmeg to taste.

Cooking procedure:

1. Sorted out and washed fruit bodies are soaked for 2 hours in cold water.
2. Boil in salted water for 30 minutes, removing the foam.
3. When the overgrowths sink to the bottom, they are thrown into a colander.
4. Cooked spices are placed in 1 liter of water and the marinade is boiled for 3-5 minutes, at the end of cooking the essence is added.
5. Sterilize glass jars and metal lids.
6. Chop the garlic finely.
7. Mushrooms are placed in a boiling marinade and cooked for 15 minutes.
8. Put in jars together with the marinade, add garlic.
9. Pour a layer of hot vegetable oil on top.
10. The cans are rolled up with metal lids.

Mushroom caviar from overgrown honey agarics

Poor quality overgrowths are suitable for the preparation of mushroom caviar: broken, old, with legs. Some mushroom pickers make caviar from just the legs.

Ingredients:

• fresh mushrooms - 3 kg;
• vegetable oil - 200 ml;
• onions — 5 pcs.;
• salt to taste.

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil well washed overgrown mushrooms for 20 minutes.
2. Peel the onion, pass it in a meat grinder along with honey agarics.
3. The pan is well heated, some of the oil is poured out, ground overgrowths and onions are laid out.
4. Stew until the liquid evaporates completely for about half an hour.
5. Lay out on sterilized jars, pour boiling vegetable oil on top.
6. Close with lids, store in the refrigerator.

The appetizer is stored in the refrigerator for 5-6 months. You can freeze caviar by spreading it out in plastic bags. When storing in the cellar, the jars should be closed with metal lids.

Recipes for salting old mushrooms for the winter in a hot and cold way are very simple. In the first case, the appetizer will be ready in 1-2 weeks, with the cold method of salting, the readiness comes in 1-2 months.

Hot salting of overgrown honey agarics

Only strong, undamaged fruiting bodies are suitable for this method of conservation.

Ingredients:

• honey mushrooms - 2 kg;
• salt - 150 g;
• garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• peppercorns 15 pcs.;
• currant leaves, cherries, chopped horseradish leaves.

Cooking procedure:

1. Peeled and washed overgrowths are boiled for 20 minutes, periodically skimming off the foam.
2. They are thrown in a colander, laid out on a napkin.
3. Part of the salt and spices is sent to the bottom of the sterilized jars. Lay the honey agaric layer with the caps down. Cover with a layer of salt and herbs, then again a layer of mushrooms.
4. Pour the broth to the very top, excluding air bubbles.
5. The jars are closed with plastic or screw caps and stored in the basement.

Cold salting

Ingredients:

• overgrown mushrooms - 4 kg;
• salt 1 tbsp.;
• peppercorns bay leaf - 10 pcs.;
• dill umbrellas, cherry leaves, currants.

Cooking procedure:

1. A three-liter jar is sterilized.
2. Layer greens with salt and spices, then overgrown mushrooms to the top of the jar.
3. Put a clean cloth on top in several layers, set oppression, put in a cool place.
4. After the mushrooms have settled - add additional layers until the jar is completely filled.
5. Close with a tight polyethylene lid.

For storing pickles, a basement with a temperature of + 6- + 8˚C is suitable; in such conditions, the workpieces can be stored from 6 months to a year (prepared by the hot method). At temperatures over + 10˚С, mushrooms turn sour and lose their taste.

Useful Tips

Going for mushrooms, you need to choose a mixed forest, where there are many windbreaks, fallen trees. Honey mushrooms often grow in clearings, on clearings.

The main rule of the mushroom picker: when meeting with a suspicious mushroom, it is better to bypass it.

The honey agaric harvesting season is extended. Once in the forest after freezing, you should not collect overgrowths caught in the frost. At home, they will turn into mush.

Soaking in salt water will help:

• get rid of worms;
• remove the taste of bitterness;
• free the plates of the cap from the sand.

When a large amount of honey agaric needs to be cleaned quickly, this method will speed up processing.

Conclusion

Overgrown mushrooms, compactly located around the stumps, are tasty and healthy mushrooms. They are used to prepare a variety of dishes, preparations for the winter. A knowledgeable mushroom picker will not bypass them, he will find a place in his basket.

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