Honey mushrooms are wonderful and very tasty mushrooms. However, care should be taken when collecting them. There are frequent cases when novice mushroom pickers confuse them with the so-called "false" mushrooms. False mushrooms are very similar to real mushrooms and often grow with them literally side by side. But the similarity is only superficial: you can seriously poison yourself with a false indicator. Therefore, so that the mushroom hunting trip does not end in failure, you should know a few simple rules that allow you to distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible ones.
Instructions
Step 1
The first and most noticeable sign of a real mushroom is a characteristic rim or ring around the leg just under the cap. False honey agarics do not have such a ring. If in doubt, or the rim is not clearly manifested, such mushrooms should be bypassed: the first rule of a mushroom picker is not to take a dubious mushroom.
Step 2
The second sign to look out for is coloration. A real honey mushroom usually looks inconspicuous, its cap is colored light brown or brown, often dark brown or coffee specks are present on the cap. The honey mushroom is disguised, does not attract too much attention to itself, you need to try to find it. False honey fungus is much brighter. It has a yellow, lemon or reddish color. Families of false honey agarics are visible from a fairly large distance and it is their visibility for the mushroom picker that is a good reason to be wary. Scales or specks, similar to those of real honey mushrooms, do not exist in false mushrooms. Their cap is usually smooth and often shiny.
Step 3
For more confidence, you can smell the mushroom that has raised doubts. Real honey mushroom gives off a delicious mushroom smell. False fungus will smell of earth and dampness.
Step 4
False mushrooms taste different from the real ones. Most false mushrooms have a characteristic bitterness in their taste. In order to feel it, the mushroom does not have to be fried or boiled. It is enough to chew a piece of raw mushroom. Feeling bitterness, you should immediately spit it out and rinse your mouth: although not all types of false mushrooms are poisonous, there is still no need to risk.
Step 5
Another difference between real and false ages is the color of the spores. These are the "seeds" of the fungus, located between the plates under the cap and usually spilling out if you shake the mushroom with your palm under the cap. The spores of this mushroom are light, from beige to white. False fungus spores are likely to be dark, brick to purple in color.
