A Shortcut to Mushrooms

Armillaria mellea, commonly known as honey fungus or as opyata in Russian, is an edible basidiomycete belonging to the genus of parasitic fungi Armillaria. Although it can be incredibly damaging to its hosts, it is very useful as a food source and is cherished by mushroom gatherers around the world. Once honey fungus begins to appear in late summer, the hunt commences and does not stop until the first frost.

 

My Grandfather Gathering Opyata

The first sign of honey fungus comes on early August mornings when a deep, quiet fog rolls over the earth and into the trees. Soon after, fresh young colonies of the fungi start to sprout, overtaking old, rotting stumps and fallen trees. Now that their season has begun, the mushrooms will multiply and thrive until late October – they are the forest’s way of telling us that the earth is cooling for the winter.

Honey fungus grows on over 230 types of trees and shrubs, but can most commonly be found on rotting trees, stumps, and decaying forest matter. Armillaria is responsible for “white rot” and is a considered to be a highly destructive forest pathogen. Once established on a living host, the fungi will girdle a tree and continue to grow upward from the base, sometimes making it several meters up.  While this can be a lucky find for the mushroom enthusiast, it is grave news for the host tree, which will almost certainly die after being girdled by the fungus.

Mushroom hunters know that when opyata are found growing on a tree or stump, more colonies can almost always be located nearby. This is because the fungus spreads through groups of dark rhizomorphic mycelium, which spread through the top six inches of soil from one host to the next, searching until they find an appropriate substrate to colonize. Although decaying matter is preferred, Armillaria mellea will also colonize roots of living trees, climbing beneath the bark. When conditions are favorable, the fruiting bodies are formed and grow through the bark in the form of tasty mushrooms.  

Armillaria mellea growing on a stump

The cap of the fruiting body is round when the mushroom is young, flattening out with age and growing to be 1-6 inches in diameter. The cap is a soft golden color reminiscent of honey – hence the name honey fungus. When the fruiting body is young, a white, delicate partial veil protects the gills, which are later revealed. The stipe can grow up to 8 inches in length, and is wider at its base where it clumps to surrounding mushrooms.  The stipe is sturdy and has a sponge-like texture when the mushroom first begins to grow, but hollows out as the fruiting body reaches maturity.

Opyata are eagerly gathered in many Slavic countries for several reasons: their abundance, diversity of culinary preparations, and the ease with which they can be transported. Often, people will make long treks into the woods to gather mushrooms – busses, electric trains, and long walks with baskets, buckets, and plastic bags are all staples of the mushroom gathering expedition. Because of their sturdy structure, opyata easily survive the bucket ride without falling apart, rotting, or turning into mush.

 

Mushrooms Parboiling

Once they are brought to the safety of a table or a bench, they must be cleaned and sorted through. Dirt, slugs, pine needles, and other debris must be brushed or cut off with a knife; the cleaned mushrooms are then ready to transition into the kitchen.First, the mushrooms must be parboiled –are boiled for a few minutes (5 should be okay) before they can be cooked further. The boiling removes the bitter taste and potential poisonous compounds from the fungi, and allows any leftover debris to float to the surface of the pot and be cleaned off. Next, the mushrooms can be dried, marinated for winter, frozen for future use, or fried immediately and served with fresh-dug potatoes and rye bread J

Opyata, fresh picked and fried with butter with home grown potatoes