It’s officially fall which means it is the season for these aptly named brilliant yellow Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria mellea). These are powerful plant pathogens that have the power to plow through trees. Armillaria use their weaponized mycelium (Rhizomorphs) to sneak up in between the bark and wood of the tree, cutting off the trees circulation of water and nutrients (via the xylem and phloem), effectively girdling the parasitized tree. Then the Armillaria turns into decay mode (saprotrophic) and eats all the dead wood before moving onto its next victim. Huge patches of honey mushrooms like this can take down entire forests, leaving meadows in their place. Because they are so parasitic, I don’t feel bad harvesting the whole cluster (the trees in my local park will thank me). Honey mushrooms are decent edibles, but I usually just harvest the cap since the stem is quite fibrous (as you can see in this video). Honeys are quite slippery when cooked and can cause GI upset for some. My solution has been to boil them for 10-15m before draining them off and sautéing with garlic, butter, and thyme. Honey mushrooms also make good pickles! Hope you enjoy all of the wonderful cronchy noises made by these mushrooms.
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