Honey Mushrooms: Armillaria Kill Trees but Are Delicious to Eat
Photography by Marie Viljoen. Honey mushrooms, abundant and edible and fruiting in fall, are the forager’s motherlode when discovered. Honey mushrooms in New York s Catskill Mountains In the eastern half of North America most honey mushrooms are the classic Armillaria mellea mellea... ...means honey and it refers to the color of their caps which also happen to be as variably shaded as different types of honey Honey mushrooms in Prospect Park Brooklyn Honeys as they are known affectionately to their hunters emerge after rain... ...as gregarious crowds fruiting in dense clusters or conversational groups at the base of dead or unwell trees A fall flush of honey mushrooms Genets are genetically unique individual organisms the biggest genet of five identified in... ...this forest is called Genet D It is infamous for being the largest known root disease center in the world Tiny honey mushrooms on a forest path growing from buried tree roots I could not take a step on... ...the gnarled path without inadvertently stomping on pincushions of baby honey mushrooms sprouting from the roots of spruce and fir Dead trees on Deer Isle, Maine, in an area where honey mushrooms are abundant. The tiny honey mushrooms in the moss on this diseased tree are the clue to the cause of its demise. After rain, honey mushrooms fruit, almost always in fall. There is another honey: the so-called ringless honey mushroom. But ringless honeys have been shifted from the Armillaria genus to Desarmillaria. Honey mushrooms have rings around their stems, as they mature. Honey mushrooms and ringless honeys all have a white spore print. Edible enoki mushrooms also fruit in clusters in fall. There are toxic and edible lookalikes to honey mushrooms, some of which fruit at the same time. A cornucopia of fall mushrooms, with honeys in the foreground. Cook them thoroughly and eat a few (assuming you have spore printed them and that their print is white), if you have never tried them before. Honey mushroom and chicken liver pâté. The rich flavor and texture of browned mushrooms adds layers of flavor to this easy rustic pâté Remove the lid and add the bacon pieces... Honey Mushroom and Chicken Liver Pâté ...Add another 1 oz of butter to the pan Pulse the mushroom mixture until smooth When it is cool pour over the reserved melted butter