Why does white plaque appear on honeycombs?
Reasons why there is a white coating on fresh mushrooms in the forest
Sometimes, going for the next mushroom harvest, you can notice a white coating on the honey agarics in the forest. Some immediately come to a standstill, not knowing what this feature is and how it can turn out for health. As a result, many pass by fruit bodies with similar symptoms. However, let's try to figure out why white plaque appears on honeycombs and what can you do when you meet them along the way? I must say that even in the case of the slightest doubt, it is worth avoiding such a mushroom, so as not to expose yourself and loved ones to danger. Indeed, sometimes behind these features lies false representatives who pretend to be edible mushrooms.
Often, white coating on honey agarics hats is a spore powder that many can mistake for mold. However, here some points will need to be taken into account. In fact, spore powder in the form of white plaque is completely harmless. Most often, such a feature is found in young agarics. With age, these fruiting bodies lose a number of properties inherent in their smaller "brothers." So, in mature large mushrooms, the hat straightens and takes on the shape of an umbrella. In addition, in such mushrooms, the scales and “skirt” around the leg disappear with age. Instead, a white coating appears that can scare beginner mushroom pickers. However, as already mentioned, this characteristic does no harm. Of course, not all fans of the “silent hunt” take mushrooms overgrown to their bastards. However, some do not refuse such mushrooms, provided that its external characteristics and pulp qualities are not inferior to young individuals. In this case, the plaque is removed with an ordinary dry kitchen sponge.
But how to understand that white coating on fresh mushrooms is not a mold? Everything is very simple - you must sniff the ripped mushroom. The usual spore powder on the surface of the honey agar emits a pleasant forest aroma, and the mold smells appropriately. Therefore, if your sense of smell indicates that you are holding in your hands a completely normal and fragrant honey agaric, despite the presence of a coating, you can safely put it in a basket. However, if the mushroom smells unpleasant, it is better to leave it where it grows.
Sometimes mold does appear on young fruiting bodies, but this does not frighten some experienced mushroom pickers. If mold appears partially, then such mushrooms are considered completely edible. To begin with, you should carefully examine the fruit body. If white plaque on honey ages is located only on a small section of the hat, then it can be cut with a knife when you come home. Although it would be better if this procedure is carried out directly in the forest. Also, look carefully under the mushroom's hat. If the plates in this area are affected by mold, then the mushroom must be discarded.
It is also worth noting that there are false mushrooms with a white coating on the cap. In this case, your sense of smell and knowledge of the distinguishing features of the edible mushroom from the false double will help you again.If you are not sure that you have an edible mushroom, then it is better to pass by.
For reliability, when you come home, boil the fruiting bodies by putting 1 peeled onion in a pan. This is a very effective and efficient poison detector. If the vegetable turns blue during cooking, it means that you scored false mushrooms.
With regard to honey mushrooms, you need to remember that they are not subject to long storage in fresh form. Therefore, they must be cleaned and processed immediately after coming from the forest. Otherwise, a white coating on mushrooms can appear in 8-10 hours. However, if for some reason you left the fruiting bodies for a long time, and then found this feature on some specimens, do not worry. Just rinse the mushrooms thoroughly and boil in two waters, giving each process 15 minutes. Then you can safely let the product fry, pickle, freeze, etc.
As you can see, a raid on honeymoons is a completely normal natural phenomenon. But some housewives can sometimes find such a raid already in the finished dish, for example, in a jar of pickled mushrooms. In this situation, the cause may be poor sterilization or poor tightness of the lid. Fruit bodies can only be saved if they have been blocked recently. To do this, drain the marinade, rinse the mushrooms and boil for 5-10 minutes. At high temperature, all bacteria are destroyed, including botulism bacteria. Then prepare a new marinade, pour into new sterilized jars and roll up.
