Mushrooms growing on trees and stumps are edible or unfit for food. They use wood as a nutrient substrate. Some species of such fungi parasitize, violating the integrity of living tissues; others process dead wood and become food for birds and animals. Medicinal formulations are prepared from some types of wood mushrooms.
Edible Wood Mushrooms
On stumps and trees you can see many mushrooms that are edible. It:
- Wild oyster mushrooms. In turn, they are divided into species such as pulmonary, orange, carob mushroom. They grow in deciduous forests. You can meet wild oyster mushrooms on the stumps of mountain ash and oak from May to September.
- Winter mushroom. These mushrooms have a convex brown hat, and the legs are covered with villi. They can be seen on deciduous trees with damage. Often, the winter mushroom inhabits the dried poplars and willows. Fruits in autumn and spring, can winter even under a layer of snow.
- Liverwort. The tree mushroom got its name due to its color, which is approaching a bloody hue, and dense fleshy pulp: its slice resembles a raw liver. In shape, it resembles a tinder fungus. The color of the liver cap is reddish brown. Such a mushroom grows on living trees, mainly on chestnuts, oaks, less often - on other deciduous trees. Eat the liverwort should only be when the mushroom has not yet grown old. Winter foal.
- Real (or autumn) honey mushrooms. The color of these mushrooms is different: light brown, brownish, reddish. They grow on the stumps of acacia and poplar. On his thin leg must be a light webbed ring. This is a hallmark of edible honey agaric.
- Curly griffin (or ram mushroom). The fruiting body of such a mushroom is branched, has many hats. The diameter of the mushroom "bush" can reach 80 cm, and weight - 10 kg. Mushroom-ram - the largest variety of mushrooms growing on trees. Color - gray, brown, yellowish-brown. Curly vulture is collected in August and September in forests with broad-leaved trees. They are found on the grounds of maples and old oaks, beeches and chestnuts.
- Tiger carpell. The color of such a tree mushroom is white or slightly yellowish. On its surface there are scales of black and dark brown. The mushroom pulp is tough. The leafwort contains a large amount of protein. Collect it from mid-summer to October.
- Blackberry coral. This mushroom has a specific appearance: it has a large, well-developed aerial part. Its fruit body externally resembles a bush of sea coral: it has many short tentacles. The color of the blackberry varies from snow-white to cream with a slightly yellowish tint. Such a mushroom grows on fallen trees, in old hollows. Preferred trees are elm, oak, linden, beech. This mushroom can be added to various dishes, as well as prepare medicines based on it.
- Edible tinder. They grow both on living trees, and on the stumps of coniferous or deciduous crops. Tinder growers sometimes grow in orchards, on fruit trees. The most common type of edible tinder fungus is as variegated, or woody, mushroom. Sulfur yellow mushroom is also found. They grow from May to September. Outwardly, they resemble large flat overripe foxes. The diameter of the cap varies from 10 to 40 cm.
Wild oyster mushrooms
Winter mushroom
Liverwort
Real or autumn mushrooms
Curly griffin or ram mushroom
Tiger carpell
Blackberry coral
Edible Mulberries
Mushrooms collected from wood must be thoroughly cooked. Many dishes can be prepared from them, as well as remedies for the treatment of certain diseases. Before using wood mushrooms, it should be clarified regarding their edibility in experimental mushroom pickers.
Healing wood mushrooms
The following properties of wood mushrooms have special properties that allow them to be used for medical purposes:
- Reishi Mushroom (varnished tinder). Its composition provides a pronounced antitumor effect. On its basis, various tinctures are prepared that stimulate metabolism, increase immunity, and replenish the body’s energy supply.
- Chaga birch. This fungus is a parasite and can grow on wood for several decades. It is used to treat ulcers and gastritis, cancerous tumors. Chaga birch also improves the functioning of the circulatory and cardiovascular system. On its basis, medicinal tea is prepared to improve the internal organs.
- Larch sponge. This mushroom improves sleep, has a hemostatic effect. Also, the sponge reduces the severity of perspiration.
- Tinder funnel. This variety destroys pathogenic microorganisms, accelerates the recovery of cells and tissues.
Reishi Mushroom (varnished tinder)
Chaga birch
Larch sponge
Tinder funnel
Wood mushrooms are useful for those who suffer from diabetes, obesity, anemia, high blood pressure. They also protect the body from harmful substances and remove toxins and toxins.
Based on medicinal wood mushrooms, compounds are prepared that improve the patient's condition. The following recipes are known:
- Lacquered tea powder. To cook it, you need to dry the mushroom and grind to obtain a powder. You need to take 2 tablespoons of the resulting powder in 400 ml of cold water. Put the mixture on fire, boil for 5 minutes, then pour into a thermos and let it brew for 10-12 hours. Ready broth should be taken 2 tablespoons 3 times a day, 40 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 3 weeks, after which you need to take a break for a week. After this, the therapeutic course can be repeated.
- Infusion of Chaga Birch. Take a large mushroom, soak in cold water, leave for 5 hours. After that, grind everything, pour hot water (ratio - 1 part of the infusion of chaga to 5 parts of water). Put the infusion in a dark place, withstand 2 days. Take 3 cups of infusion per day.
Preparations based on these wood mushrooms have a good effect on blood vessels and heart muscle, eliminate the symptoms of heart ischemia, normalize blood circulation in the vessels of the brain, and also improve memory.
Inedible Poisonous Mushrooms Growing on Trees and Stumps
Inedible parasitic fungi can also grow in these places. They are not suitable for human consumption and cause severe poisoning. Some of them are not toxic, but should not be eaten.
These mushrooms include the following species:
- Ganoderma south. It grows from a tree. This mushroom has almost no leg, and the hat is flat. A wide part of the ganoderma grows to wood or earth. The pulp is dark, soft and tender.
- Trametes fluffy. This inedible tree mushroom has a gray surface and leathery flesh. It often grows on coniferous wood, as well as on birches. Usually trametes occurs on stumps.
- Piptoporus Oak. The fungus has a large fruiting body. The diameter of the hat is 10-15 cm, its surface is velvety. Coloring varies from white-yellow to brown. Most often, piptoporus grows on oak bark.
Ganoderma south
Trametes fluffy
Piptoporus Oak
These types of mushrooms can not be eaten even after careful heat treatment. If the mushroom is unknown, it is better to leave it on a tree.
Features of growing mushrooms on stumps
The types of mushrooms that grow on stumps can be bred at home, creating for them as close as possible to natural conditions. The best option is to grow tree mushrooms in a summer cottage.
As stumps, you need to use wood cuts of deciduous trees or use real stumps left from recently cut trees.
Most often, oyster mushrooms are grown on the site. To ensure their growth and normal development, you need to take the wood of poplar, birch, maple. Coniferous species should not be used, since they contain a large number of caustic resins that can destroy the mycelium.
If fresh wood is used, it is not necessary to soak or moisten it first. If the stumps are old, then they need to be kept for several days in a container with cold water.
After the logs are ready, you can add the mycelium of the selected type of wood mushroom. To do this, you can make holes in the stump in a checkerboard pattern. Their depth should not be more than 6 cm, and diameter - 1 cm.
In these holes you need to fill the mycelium. After that, they need to be covered with moss or covered with adhesive tape.
Logs with mycelium must be placed in the basement. They should be folded in the shape of a pyramid and covered with burlap.
Stumps should remain indoors until the mycelium grows. After that, they can be placed in the ground. It is recommended to do this in May, when the normal temperature regime is established.
For the landing of stumps, a shaded area should be selected. You need to dig a hole with a depth of not more than 15 cm, line the bottom with wet leaves or sawdust. In the hole you need to put a stump. The distance between each of them should be at least 35 cm. Stumps should be watered if necessary.
Another way is to grow tree mushrooms in a trench. You can do this this way:
- Dig a trench up to 15 cm deep.
- Pour dry barley to the bottom, which will provide good nutrition to the mycelium.
- Top with disinfected mycelium. For each stump should be 300 g of seed.
- Put moistened stumps on the mycelium and sprinkle lightly with soil.
After planting tree mushrooms, you need to water the soil. This should be done carefully, since excess moisture does not benefit growing mushrooms. It is best to use a spray bottle for watering. Watering should be carried out in the dry period.
For the winter, the mushroom plantation should be covered with a layer of straw or foliage. It is necessary to cover the stumps with the material so that the mushrooms do not freeze.
The first crop, if everything was done correctly, can be harvested already a month after planting the mycelium.
Can I eat wood mushrooms?
Mushrooms that grow on trees and are considered conditionally edible can be used as food, but under one condition, they must be young. In addition, they must undergo the necessary heat treatment.
You can make curly griffola soup (ram mushroom). The fungus of this species has a positive effect on the state of health: it stimulates the process of removing toxins from the body, allows you to suppress headaches, even migraines.
To prepare the first dish of wood mushroom you will need:
- 300 g of ram mushroom;
- 7 potatoes;
- one onion and one carrot;
- a glass of wheat flour;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- salt;
- black pepper;
- dill and parsley to taste.
Vegetables need to be washed, peeled.
From flour and water make homemade noodles for soup. To do this, add 0.5 teaspoon of salt to 0.5 cups flour and drive in two eggs. You need to rub the dough with your hands, making crumbs. Gradually, add the remaining flour to the flour mass. Leave the noodles to dry.
Mushrooms need to be washed and cut, placed in water, which should be salted after boiling. Cooking time - at least an hour.
Potatoes and carrots need to be peeled and chopped finely. Onions must also be peeled and finely chopped.
Add black pepper and chopped vegetables to the prepared mushrooms. You can also add 2-3 bay leaves. Boil everything together for another half hour. Add homemade noodles, boil for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. At the end, put finely chopped greens.
It is good to add sour cream to the soup from any mushrooms. It needs to be put separately in each plate.
When preparing edible wood mushrooms, it must be borne in mind that they do not have pronounced taste. Some of them, quite suitable for food, during the cooking process emit an unpleasant aroma.
Mushrooms growing on trees and stumps are both edible and inedible. They can be grown on their own summer cottage. Based on them, you can cook dishes, but more often wood mushrooms are used to prepare medicinal compounds.