Mushrooms as our values 3.

The olive wax cap Hygrophorus persoonii is forest mushroom, associated with oaks. Yes, it is a good, edible mushroom in Békés county. It would also fit in the previous post, which I introduced you to the five good mushrooms that live in forests and also drew your attention to the importance of trees. It has been added to the third post to serve as a transition from the previous one to the new post, in which I present the autumn-winter mushrooms. The Hygrophorus genus is autumn fruiting. Two well-known species are the non-slimy pinkmottle woodwax H. russula and the very slimy ivory woodwax H. eburneus.The olive wax cap has a typical features: a very slimy olive-brown cap and thickly slimy stipe with ring-like zoning. After the slimy is removed, it can be prepared as a dish. This is a lesser known edible mushroom in the county.

The trooping funnel Infundibulicybe geotropa is much better known and loved. This great, spicy-aroma mushroom is a soil-dwelling  saprotrophic for our woody habitats. My photo shows is its typical fruiting body. There is always a small bump in the middle of its cap. It is quite a striking size. Its hat cap be as large as twenty centimetres in diameter. When it is very funnel, it has a strong aroma. Better to pick at the size shown in my photo. It can be used in many ways, for example to make a very tasty tarragon soup. Also delicious as a mushroom cream with butter. It's a pity that October was dry, because so far it hasn't been able to grow much fruiting bodies.

The field blewits Lepista personata is also an easily recognisable mushroom. Under its milky coffee-coloured cap its stipe is purple. The purple stipe is its great and striking feature. Its habitat photo shows that it is not a forest mushroom, prefers grasslands. Easily established in natural effect gardens. This year I picked up several fruiting bodies from under the elderberry bushes in the chicken yard. It survived the dry October, the humid dawns gave it enough moisture and it continues to grow its fruiting bodies, including in my garden. It is as a common autumn mushroom, many people collect it. Although its unique aroma is divisive. I think it makes a great fried mushroom after precooking. Precooking weakens its strong aroma. This is useful tip.

The oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus is the adjective "late" in its Hungarian name. This refers to its autumn growing season. The cold starts the growth of the fruiting body. Grows until the hard winter frosts. Then it takes a break and has another crop after the spring thaw. It then gives up its habitat to its relative, the pale oyster P. pulmonarius. We know oyster mushroom well, because we grow them. That's why many people like to collect them. Strange, but the smell reminds me of chicken meat when I fry it in oil. Its flesh is stronger and fibrous. So it's better to pick it when it's tender, cut off the short stipe and eat less of it. It makes a good base for mushroom meatballs. I have included a video at the end of the post. Getting ready. It'll make you hungry in a minute.

The velvet shank Flammulina velutipes is a real winter mushroom. As soon as spring arrives, its fruiting bodies disappear in April. It's a strange fact, but it really can withstand the weaker frosts, and the cold doesn't destroy the fruiting bodies. Of course, the fruiting bodies will eventually age just the same. So it's worth picking it in the beautiful condition shown in my photo. Only the cap is edible, the stipe is too fibrous. Its cap is extremely slimy when wet and fresh. It's impossible to get the slime off. Therefore, it must be made into a food in which it is not a nuisance. Otherwise a good, edible and medicinal mushroom, very popular and cultivated in Asia. The name is enoki.
I am hungry. These are really good, edible mushrooms and I have the taste of all of them in my memory.