Honey fungus (Armillaria mellea) grows en masse on tree stumps between August and November - often even in your own garden. Sometimes referred to as honey agaric, hedgehog fungus or hollow cap, however, the mushroom only tastes good when young, which is why you must harvest it while the hats are still closed. In any case, only the hats are edible, the stalks are tough and unpalatable. Honey fungus is slightly toxic in its raw state, which is why you must boil it before using it and discard the cooking water.
Honey fungus should be cooked before freezing
Clean and boil honey fungus
Only harvest the still closed or almost closed caps from the honey fungus - if these have already unfolded, the fungus no longer tastes good. You should also leave the stems. At home, then clean the mushrooms as follows:
- First, bathe the honey fungus harvest in cold salt water for a few minutes.
- This will wash away any dirt and will also drive away any insects.
- The watering does not harm the honey fungus, since - in contrast to other mushrooms - it draws hardly any water.
- Then place the mushrooms in a colander to drain and discard the water.
- Now put on a pot with plenty of fresh water and bring it to the boil.
- Cook the honey fungus in it for at least 10 minutes.
- Drain the mushrooms again in a colander and discard the cooking water.
- This contains the heat-sensitive toxins of honey fungus.
After boiling the honey fungus can be prepared as desired, dried or frozen.
Freeze and prepare honey fungus
To freeze, pack the boiled and quickly cooled honey fungus in portions in freezer bags or sealable plastic jars. The mushrooms will keep for about a year at a minimum of minus 18 °C. If the frozen mushrooms are to be used, do not thaw them, but prepare them like fresh mushrooms - the still frozen mushrooms go directly into hot fat or hot broth. A finished honey fungus dish - for example made from fried onions, diced bacon, honey fungus, salt and pepper - can be quickly cooled in a water bath and frozen. To warm it up, simply put it in hot fat and fry it until done. Ready-made honey fungus can be stored in the freezer for a maximum of three months.
tips
Some people do not tolerate honey fungus and get stomach cramps and diarrhea from eating it. Mushrooms that have grown on the stumps of coniferous trees are often more digestible.