Honey Mushrooms, Caution and Pierogi
Dec 27th, 2010 | By Hank Shaw | Category: Foraging, Mushrooms | Comments | 29 Comments |
Photo by Elise Bauer
Some of you know I work with Elise at Simply Recipes a couple days a week, working on new recipes that are more mainstream than those I create for this site. A couple Tuesdays ago, I walked into her kitchen, as I always do, and Elise began telling me about her weekend. I listened intently, until, behind her, out in her back yard, I caught a glimpse of something: Mushrooms! Lots of mushrooms!
I found myself struggling to keep my attention with Elise. My eyes kept focusing on these beguiling mushrooms. I could almost feel them calling me: “Come hither, Hank, we’re yummy mushrooms… Eat us, eat us!” That’s what it sounded like in my warped little brain. OK, maybe not exactly like that, but close enough.
“I’m sorry, Elise. But I’ve just noticed those mushrooms behind you…”
Elise shrieked in delight. “They’re here!” Elise, few people know, is as crazy about wild mushrooms as I am. She’d seen these mushrooms flush the previous year and her brother, also a mushroom hunter, had pronounced them fried chicken mushrooms, lyophyllum decastes. Edible. She let me pick as many as I wanted.
“Fried chicken mushrooms, eh? You sure?” Elise hemmed. She didn’t eat them last year because she was most definitely not sure. Both of us are wise enough to not take the eating of an unknown mushroom lightly. As the saying goes, there are bold mushroom hunters, and there are old mushroom hunters — there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.
Still, these shrooms were calling me. This happens from time to time, as, I think, it does to many mushroom hunters. I often feel when I am out looking for mushrooms that the Force guides me to the good ones.
It happened to me twice, just last weekend: I spotted some pine spikes, chroogomphus vinicolor, while out looking for slippery caps, suillus pungens. I picked the ruddy mushrooms without totally knowning what sort they were but with a gut feeling that they were edible. I didn’t positively ID them as pine spikes until I got home and consulted the bible, David Arora’s Mushrooms Demystified.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
The second time it happened, however, I ignored the Force. I saw some mushrooms with a silky brown cap and slightly lilac-colored gills. Something sorta told me these were good to eat, but they looked so much like the inedible russulas and lactarias I’d been seeing all over that I passed them by. Apparently, I blewit — that’s what they were, lepista nuda. Sigh.
Mercifully, I did not ignore the Force with the mushrooms from Elise’s back yard. But that does not mean I simply popped a few into my mouth and began chewing. I wanted to be damn sure about what variety of mushroom this was before I’d go eating it. So I began keying them out, thinking they were fried chicken mushrooms.
To “key out” a mushroom is to use a book like Arora’s, which contains long “keys” consisting of scores of “if-then” statements. For example, if the mushroom has a ring on the stalk, go to No. 12. If not, go to No. 18, and so on. You start with guidebook pictures to get you in the ballpark, then move on to the more detailed key to confirm your guess. This is absolutely necessary when you are trying to see if a mushroom that is new to you will taste good, be boring — or will dissolve your liver.
Photo by Elise Bauer
Here’s how I keyed out these shrooms. First, they were beige-tan, growing in a clump on a rotted stump. They had a dark patch in the center of the cap. Fried chicken mushrooms have this trait.
Then I cut a bunch and set them in a sheet pan.
Photo by Elise Bauer
Huh. These mushrooms all had a ring on the stalk. Fried chicken mushrooms don’t. In most other respects, these mushrooms look like lyophyllum decastes, but this ring disqualifies them. That’s a problem. Now I needed to figure out what in fact they were.
A little more reading led me to the honey mushroom, armillaria mellea. Similar in a lot of respects to the fried chicken mushroom, and also edible. At this point I began feeling that mycological siren song that traps many a mushroom hunter: I wanted these to be honey mushrooms, so I could eat them. It is a common — and potentially lethal — mistake to make a square peg fit into a round hole, mentally downplaying one aspect of a mushroom so it can fit into the edible hole you want it to be in. Dangerous.
So I took a closer look at these mushrooms.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
What makes a honey mushroom a honey mushroom? Lots of things, but there are two important markers to look for beyond the three easy ones: where it’s growing, is it in a cluster and does it have the ring? The first important marker is whether the cap has five o’clock shadow:
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
These little hairs, or speckly fuzzy things on the cap are a hallmark of a honey mushroom — which, incidentally, is so named for the range of colors it can have on the cap rather than its flavor. Look for these markings.
A second tell-tale marker is the mushroom’s gills: They run down the bottom of the cap and onto the top of the stalk, down to the mushroom’s faint ring.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
A final test is a spore print. It’s like a fingerprint for a mushroom, and will often confirm your best guesses after keying the thing out. To make a spore print, you slice off the stem of a mushroom and lay the cap, gills down, on paper. Ideally, you do a couple of prints: One on white paper, another on a darker paper. This is because a lot of mushrooms have white spores, which won’t show up on a piece of white paper.
Honey mushrooms have white spores. I was 95 percent certain I had honey mushrooms before the spore print, but still, I let a cap sit on a piece of yellow legal paper for several hours. I lifted the cap and booyah! A white print of the gills was on the yellow paper. Score.
Almost. You see, mushrooms are largely unknown in their interactions with the human body. Some, like the turkey tail, trametes versicolor, have known medicinal properties. Others give you hallucinations. Many we perceive as just tasty. But some of those tasty ones affect different people differently.
For example, Elise cannot eat candy caps, lactarius fragilis; she gets nauseous. Yet most people can eat bushels — once dried, candy caps smell and taste like maple syrup. So before I horked down a huge plate of these honey mushrooms (or gave them to Holly), I sauteed a couple and ate them. I reckoned that if I had no ill effects the next day, I’d make something with the rest of them.
I awoke the next morning to no gastric distress. Finally! After all this careful testing I knew I had several pounds of bona fide armillaria mellea. What to do with them?
Apparently honey mushrooms are not well thought of in the mushroom world. Mediocre was the universal report. Slimy, remarked another. Then I read that the Russians, Poles and Ukrainians loved these things, and that there is a traditional pierogi made in Ukraine with honey mushrooms. There was my dish!
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Cooked honey mushrooms have a special characteristic. Most sources say to cook them for at least 15 minutes, which seemed like no problem for a pierogi filling. So I dry sauteed them in a pan until they began releasing their water, then added butter, chopped onions and a little stock. Then a funny thing happened: Everything in the pan became thick and soupy.
Apparently, honey mushrooms act as a kind of mycological okra. The “slime” that comes out of them when cooking would indeed be nasty if you tried to eat them like shiitake mushrooms, which they look like, superficially. But this thickening effect is perfect when the mushrooms are part of a filling. Spasibo, Russians!
You may notice that the pierogi themselves are brown. That’s because I added a little acorn flour into the dough; I like rustic foods to have an equally rustic flour, and the acorn flour added some nuttiness to the mix. You could use whole wheat flour for a similar effect.
I served my mushroom pierogi simply, with onions sauteed in butter, sour cream and a little dill. They were chewy, hearty and filling, as you might expect with so much dough and butter. The honey mushrooms were not terribly distinctive, but tasted fine and, as part of a filling, were not slimy at all.
In case you are wondering, yes, all this work was worth the effort. Too many foragers shy away from mushrooms because they are scary. And those who do typically stick with the traditionals — morels, porcini, chanterelles. But scores of edible mushrooms live among us, and, if you are careful about identifying them, they can enrich your cooking in ways few other ingredients can. Many, like the honey mushroom, have special traits that you can take advantage of — if you know how to tap into them.
Who would have known that ground, dried honey mushrooms would act exactly like okra or filé powder? But now I do, and you do, too.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
MORE ON HONEY MUSHROOMS:
- My Honey Mushroom Pierogi recipe
- Wild Mushroom Bisque, with honey mushrooms – from The Savory Notebook
- More info on Armillaria mellea - from Mykoweb
I’ve been turned away from these many a time by snobby mycologist friends.
Last time, I actually picked them and then was told to throw them out by the guy we were out with…because they were “not worth it”. Seems silly, since they are so plentiful and easy to pick (unlike the slither-around-in-the-mud-looking-for-mud-colored-holes black chantarelle, which is a b*tch to find).
Now I know better. AND I know where there’s usually a GIANT patch of ‘em right here in town!
My husband’s coworker recently gave us 15lbs of honey mushrooms he had found. He picked a couple and I went through the task of IDing them like you did. Once I confirmed what they were he picked the rest and delivered them to us. We did a quick dry sautee on a couple of them to try and then dehydrated the rest. I’m glad to know how the cook and now what to do with them. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh wow- mushrooms and filled dumplings in the same post!
Hank – you always make me hungry – these mushrooms you refer to are a comfort food for those of use here in Manitoba of Ukrainian heritage. We call them ‘pidpenki’ – a fall time treasure – here in abundace after the first fall frosts – then picked, preserved (either frozen or canned) and then served at our traditional Ukrainian Christmas eve dinner – 12 meatless dishes and the pidpenki (slimy as they are) are one of the awaited for treasures – served in a cream sauce. Keep up the great writing. And – if you want to return to Manitoba for an adventure other than waterfowl hunting – let me know – and we can treat you to and incredible march ice-fishing adventure – and some of our famed lake Winnipeg walleye – a treat worth driving from California for!
We have chanterelles coming in by the bucket load right now. We were out again today looking for some king boletes but had no luck. We found many slippery jacks and a matte jack which we have not found before.
I like the winter mushrooms, but I can’t wait until spring to chase morels in the Sierra and in WA.
Nicely written and edifying, Hank: felt like I was in a worthwhile mushroom hunting field course!
Great description of the ID/keying process. Those pierogis look delicious!
Fantastic post. Excellent keying photographs.
I like honey mushrooms, and boy howdy can they be prolific in the right circumstances. Often, up here, the right circumstances turn out to be an area that has recently been selectively logged. The forest is generally full of small trees and ground debris, and feels like it is under a bit of pressure. Often, honeys will explode over such a landscape.
Interestingly, I’ve never had the sliminess happen when I cooked them. I’ll file them under “good for drying and soups” then.
Your Northern Fan,
Bp
Also, Fried Chicken Mushrooms are one of the few wild mushrooms I’ve definitely shown a sensitivity to. A shame, because I run into them on a pretty regular basis. And, I enjoy the sound of their Latin name.
Bp
They’re quite beautiful – the shrooms and tis the season for piroshki! Now if I only knew how to forage! Ken
Excellent post as usual, Hank! I should show it to my husband. He’s very cautious about the mushrooms I bring home from a foray and resists any that “look dangerous”–i.e., with gills and a central stalk. Oyster mushrooms? Fine. Chanterelles? Yippee! Honey mushrooms? Nope, no way. I found a cluster of armillaria mellea last year–a real find, as there aren’t that many edible mushroom species in L.A.–and DH wouldn’t hear of eating them. I sat him down with Arora’s book and painstakingly went through the keying process with him. Hey, I even got the correct ID! And what did my beloved say? “If it’s that much trouble to identify them, I don’t want us to take the risk!” and he made me promise not to eat any. So into the compost heap they went, deep sigh. And I’d have been willing to eat some secretively, except that if I’d been one of the unfortunates with a GI sensitivity, I would never have heard the end of it! The things we do for marital harmony…
As I mentioned, we dried ours. Last night I reconstituted them in a skillet with some water and added them to a turkey vegetable soup. They didn’t thicken anything up, including the water I used to reconstitute them. I’ll have to tweak your recipe for these dried ones.
Honey Mushrooms are actually a species complex and different specimens can vary quite a bit. I have collected them on the east coast and interestingly, did not find them slimy at all. Maybe a different part of the species complex? The ones that I found had a deep umami flavor which was quite distinctive. Maybe the host species affects the flavor?
You are my hero, Hank. I come from morel country but have yet to venture out into East Coast mushrooming, in part because morels are the only ones I know. Maybe this year will be the spring I start to explore the Pennsylvania hinterlands….
Wonderful post! Thanks for all the details on spotting a safe mushroom. Very helpful.
Happy New Year!!
I’m cautious about my mushrooms. But I swear I’ve seen those before, and they do look edible. Good on you for doing the leg work and eating them. Also, wonderful post for the clear pictures of the gills etc. really helpful. Too snowy in MN right now for any mushrooms, next year.
Jessa: Just say no to snobbery – we see it with duck hunters, too. “Oh, this duck is no good.” Depends on what you do with it…
Brent: Very cool! I may just come back to Manitoba for those walleye – I hear it is a spectacular fishery. On the honey mushrooms, are they still slimy after pickling? Do you cook them before pickling?
JR Young: Sadly, I have not yet found a really good chanterelle spot. Wah. Still searching…
Cork: Thanks! I was hoping to put enough info in here to help others actually key out the mushroom. Too many people say, “well, don’t take my word for it, check a guidebook.” Good enough advice, but if you don’t even know where to begin with a guidebook, you can get lost in a hurry.
bpaul: Still have not yet found a patch of fried chicken mushrooms yet…
Ken: I’ll take you out in February, if you want!
Carol: I hear that! I am always the guinea pig when I bring a new mushroom home. Test, eat a little, wait. THEN serve to the girlfriend….
Rachel: Interesting. No thickening? Wonder if the drying process removes that from the mushroom? I have some dried now, and will test them out.
Ansel: Yeah, honeys are a weird lot, biologically. There are reports that they have slightly different textures and flavors depending on host, although most say they are a little slimy when cooked fresh – I know mine were!
Doris: Go for it! Buy a good guidebook like David Arora’s and try to add a new mushroom to your knowledge every trip, whether it’s edible or not.
Nice blewit pun.
I found a ton of honey mushrooms last summer, and traded them for a big chicken of the woods. It was pretty hot, though, so not much else fruited; my black trumpet spot was sadly deficient.
Hank, I made these on Thursday from the dried ones and they did act as a thickening agent. I’m wondering if it’s because it’s fat soluble rather than water soluble because it thickens after adding the butter, but not when adding water. Turns out, however, that honey mushrooms and my stomach don’t get along. My husband is fine with them though. They were delicious though and I want to try this recipe with a different species.
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I found and collected both the Honey and the Fried Chicken this fall. I’d not been a big fan of either, thinking that they were both a little too bland to bother with.
But I decided that the problem might be with me rather than the mushrooms.
And so I decided to treat them as a source of umami in oriental styled soups.
Works!
Hank – followup on my earlier post – we simply can the mushroos in 1 quart sealers – and yes they are slimy after that process. Re the walleye fishing- dead serious about the invite – just get here and we’ll take care of the rest – they’ve been catching now – but you can get some pretty serious action in March. We have some other tasty water creatures here too!- specifically Goldeye and Tulibee – catch, smoke, enjoy – might even be able to line up a day with a commercial fisherman who places his nets under the ice….pretty neat adventure.
Hi, its bice to see people to appreciate the wild mushrooms, i terribly miss the time i lived in my country, Finland, where it was breeze pick mushrooms. Here where i live its not so easy if you dont know the landowner. Meaning its illegal to pick with out permission.
But i must say, im little suprised your saying ;”but they looked so much like the inedible russulas and lactarias”. Cos those are my favorite mushrooms, wich i have eaten my whole life, lactarias are incredibly tasty when handled properly and made for russian/carelian style of salad. You Do have to know wich ones to pick from those, not all tastes good or are edible. And russulas are all so good but nothing spectacular, but when you mix it with others they add nice touch of taste.
But if you want to know more, contact me on email. I dont want to go on for ever with my comment, i just than you for very nice blog wich i follow with intrest when i have time
I also live in Sacramento, but am an Eastern European transplant. Some of my happiest childhood memories are picking mushrooms with my parents, including oyster mushrooms, puffballs, and some bright orange lactaria. I’d love to get back into mushroom picking. Do you know of any expert foragers who are willing to give lessons? My husband and I just came from a walk along American River, where we found a ton of large, russet collored gilled mushrooms. They look a lot like lactaria deliciosa, but are not “milky” nor get discolored when damaged. I’d love to find out what they are. While we were there, we picked some wonderful miner’s lettuce and chickweed as well.
I’ve found honeys many times but have not tried them yet … I’ve always been skeptical of them for some reason.
BTW, I can’t eat hedgehogs for some reason … they make me nauseous.
Foraging is a skill I lack and wish I had access to a trusted personto learn from. Mushrooms are a favorite foodtuff and I would love to be able to just go out and find such delicacies growing wild.
Your pierogie sound fabuous btw
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The Cherokees call them “slicks”.
Just came across them in the Czech Republic, where they are called Václavka obecná. Good to know the slime released when cooking is normal. They were perfect in a turkey stuffing recipe!