Early accounts of Native American communities note that they enjoyed eating mushrooms. There are numerous examples of dried mushrooms that have been threaded on sticks in the Institute's collections. One mushroom that appears in the fall, usually when yellow leaves fall from the trees is the honey mushroom. Don't miss our video on Foraging in the Forest for Honey Mushrooms. https://www.facebook.com/IAISMuseum/videos/449700365968823. This mushroom has several lookalikes that can make you very sick, and one is deadly so don't eat them if you have not properly identified them.
About Honey Mushrooms
This small gold and white mushroom is a genus composed of several types of parasitic fungi that grow on wood. Armillaria, the honey mushrooms scientific name is made up of ten different species of mushroom. This genus of mushroom can be found in temperate regions in Asia, Europe, and North America, including Connecticut. Most often they are found growing next to hardwood trees because they feed on dead plant material.
Honeys can cause white fungus rot in trees. Honey fungus spreads from living trees, dead and live roots, and stumps by means of reddish-brown roots. Thin sheets of mycelium (the bacterial colony) beneath the bark, at the base of the trunk, or stem indicate that honey fungus is the pathogen. Honey mushrooms can be identified by stems that grow together in tight clusters and range in color from bright white to yellowish tan. Some have a ring under the steam, others are ringless, they have no bulb around the base of the stem. All ringless honeys should have a small textured area of darker coloration in the middle of each cap. Underneath the mushroom, the gills run down the stem, if the gills are separate from the stem they are not ringless honeys. Gills are white or light beige. They typically grow in clusters of up to 20-50 mushrooms. Honey mushrooms must be thoroughly cooked because they are mildly poisonous raw. They have a mild sweet taste along with a chewy texture.
Medicinal Benefits
Honey Mushrooms are good for you because they are rich in polysaccharides from natural sources. They help to keep the immune system working at its optimal level and stimulates the immune system by boosting the activity of natural "killer" cells that protect the body from bacteria and viruses. A British study found that the polysaccharides found in Honey Mushrooms also enhance brain function against neurodegenerative disorders and that they decreased the build-up of specific proteins linked to Alzheimer's.
The honey mushroom can be found on the Institute's property and throughout New England and can be harvested in great quantities in the fall. It is doubtful that this wonderful food resource was overlooked by earlier Native people that were so keyed into the available natural resources around them.
Did You Know...
Honey Mushrooms have a long life span and form some of the largest colonies in the world.
One of the largest colonies of honey mushrooms is found in the Blue Mountains of Oregon where they span more than 3.4 miles across this landscape.
The deadly Galerina mushroom can be mistaken for the honey mushroom. This mushroom is smaller and usually dark brown with tan gills and a convex cap that flattens with maturity. There is no cure for Galerina poisoning and just one-quarter of one cap can kill a grown adult.
The honey fungus has the ability to glow in the dark. The light-producing part is the mycelium, the threadlike roots that branch out underground that allow this mushroom to feed and grow. They are some of the mushrooms responsible for "firefox" the bioluminescence in forests at night due to fungi on rotting wood.
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