Anyone tried honey fungus?

[Acutipuerilis]

We've got a lovely clump of Armillaria mellea in the park. I know these count as 'edible if cooked' but does anyone know if they have to be cooked in a particular way, and if they're good enough to be worthwhile anyway?
Ta muchly,
Joe

[arvensis]

I'm not sure about the cooking bit but be aware that they are known to cause stomach upsets in some people - thats if you didn't know this already.

Mark

[NickCantle]

As Arvensis (Good to see you again Mark) said, it has been known to cause a bit of stomach upset in particular individuals. Also, if you plan to collect it, make sure you take a tupperware pot or a sealed container to take them home in. Open weave baskets are great for spreading spores and all, but the last thing you want to be distributed in your garden is the spores of Armillaria mellea...It will kill everything

Nick

[Acutipuerilis]

Thanks for the advice, both of you! I may actually give it a miss after all this... it's just so tempting because we're so short of good edibles around here...

[NickCantle]

That's the last thing you want to be thinking...plus, it will make the first edibles so much more worth the wait


Nick

[The Woodman]

Recommended eating. Regularly casserole them in layers with potatoe and Canada Goose breast meat in a good stock - beautiful. Slow cooked all day in a low oven. Chicken would substitute for the goose meat.

[gourmetfungi]

There is nothing wrong with Honey Fungus if cooked correctly. Preferably pick them when they are small and firm before the stalks become tough. They are just beginning to flourish at the moment. Great in pasta dishes due to shape or mix with other species of different shapes for effect.

[Vipera]

Ive had them before and they were quite nice, i think i gave them a quick boil before frying them

[NickCantle]

There's just something about the thought of eating this fungus that repulses me in a way, and I've not a clue why

[The Woodman]

Hi Nick, go for it. If you've made a positive ID, cut them off whilst reasonably small and get 'em in the pan in Saturday morning with the bacon etc. You won't regret it. Enjoy.

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Vipera

Ive had them before and they were quite nice, i think i gave them a quick boil before frying them

I read that you discard the stems, boil them, then discard the water. I'll check in my cookbook when I get home, if I can remember. I must admit that I am now tempted. Sauteed mushrooms with pasta is quite nice.

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by Leif

I read that you discard the stems, boil them, then discard the water. I'll check in my cookbook when I get home, if I can remember. I must admit that I am now tempted. Sauteed mushrooms with pasta is quite nice.

Leif
The stems can be a bit on the tough side so that is the reason for discarding them. I have eaten them sauteed with a pre blanch and without and had no ill effects but blanching them takes away any risk of the poison surviving the cooking

Mal

[Steve Wurzel]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

There's just something about the thought of eating this fungus that repulses me in a way, and I've not a clue why

I put Honey Fungus into the "eaten by experienced collectors only" category in my mind when I started out mushroom hunting, (which I don't consider myself to be by a long, long way) I seem to recall there are a lot of similar shaped and coloured funghi, some of which are highly toxic eg Cortinarius, so I leave it alone and go for easier prey, so it could be a similar feeling of cautiousness that you are feeling Nick.

[NickCantle]

I could say I'm definitely confident enough to identify Armillaria mellea, I really don't know why I associate it with bad things I'll try it this season

[Leif]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

I could say I'm definitely confident enough to identify Armillaria mellea, I really don't know why I associate it with bad things I'll try it this season

Somone could mistake them for Galerina marginata. You wouldn't, but it would be an easy mistake for someone less experienced.

[NickCantle]

Wasn't disputing that Leif mate, just said I don't know why I associate them with bad things.

[Leif]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

Wasn't disputing that Leif mate, just said I don't know why I associate them with bad things.

I see what you mean me old mucker. I do likewise, maybe because it is such a destructive species which can destroy living trees.

[NickCantle]

See I did write that before I realised that Laetiporus sulphureus does harm trees too, but it's somehow not got the reputation of Honey Fungus...maybe because it's not that destructive. I think that's what it is though...those spores seem unfriendly

[Leif]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

See I did write that before I realised that Laetiporus sulphureus does harm trees too, but it's somehow not got the reputation of Honey Fungus...maybe because it's not that destructive. I think that's what it is though...those spores seem unfriendly

I think you are right. Many fungi attack living trees, but I suspect that Honey Fungus is a greater threat. For example it has rhizomes that grow underground reaching out to find victims. I've never seen a whole wood infested with Wood Chucks, but I have seen huge numbers of Birch stumps and living trees infested with Armillaria tabescens (a close relative of Honey Fungus).

I did a quick Google and found this:

http://www.onlinegardener.com/diseas...armillaria.pdf

Which says "In conifer plantations up to 15 years old, Honey Fungus may devastate large groups of trees."

I have never heard Wood Chuck mentioned on Gardeners Question Time on R4, but Honey Fungus often gets a mention along the lines of "All you can do is chop the tree down and burn it."

[Minamoo]

One of the woods where I live has been infected quite badly with COTW. In a pretty small space I came across 4 trees that had it growing out of them and that was only because by that time I had picked as much as I wanted and had to get back to the office and get on with work. So yes..........not as much of a threat as Armillaria Mellea but still not as benign as people think. By the time the fruiting bodies appear the tree is pretty much lost. It's only a matter of time before it falls over.

[endless autumn]

I thought that chicken-of-the-woods, unlike Honey Fungus, was not necessarily detrimental to the health of the tree.

The Woodland Trust website would seem to suggest that Laetiporus sulphureus is a non-pathogenic fungus, which attacks the cellulose in the 'dead wood' in the heartwood of old trees. This is why you can also find it on stumps and dead trees, I'd have thought.

[PeteS]

I agree with Endless autumn. I believe that COTW grows on trees that are already dead or trees that are sick and on there way out anyway, even without the help of this fungus.