The golden scale differs from the usual honey agaric in appearance, it is larger, on the hat there are small scales that resemble the needles of a hedgehog. In Japan, the mushroom is bred on rotten stumps, and in Russia, for some reason, mushroom pickers often do not trust him, apart from being edible. It is better to collect royal mushrooms in late summer and the first half of October.
Description and characteristics of the fungus
| Parameter | Characteristic |
| Hat | The diameter of young mushrooms is 5-10 centimeters, adults - 10-20. The hat is wide-shaped, with time it becomes flat-round. Color - from yellow and bright red to golden. Over the entire area of the hat there are many red flakes that resemble flakes. |
| Leg | Length - 6-12 centimeters, diameter - 2 centimeters. Dense, with fleecy yellow or gold scales. On it is a fibrous ring, which eventually disappears. |
| Records | Wide plates on a leg of dark brown color. First, their color is light straw, darken only with time. |
| Pulp | Light yellow, has a pleasant smell. |
Where do golden scales grow and when to collect them?
Scaly mushrooms grow in swampy forest regions, most often near old stumps, next to alder, willow, poplar trees, less often with birch trees.
The very season to go for these mushrooms is the end of August and mid-October. In the Primorsky Territory, where the climate is warmer, collection is possible from the end of May. Finding royal mushrooms is quite simple: they grow up in a large family. But precisely because of the timing of the collection, they are often confused with poisonous counterparts.
The main way to distinguish edible from false mushrooms is to see where they grow. Good mushrooms grow on dead trees.
Mr. Summer resident warns: dangerous doubles
Edible royal honey agaric is difficult to confuse with poisonous counterparts, due to its red color and sharp needle-like scales. However, beginning fungi can make a mistake and collect instead of a golden skyrim flake:
- Alder flake or ognevka (Pholiota alnicola). The main difference is the small size. The length of the legs never exceeds 8 centimeters, the diameter of the cap (yellow) - 6. Thickness - only 0.4 centimeters. It is bitter and smells unpleasant.
- Flake of fire (Pholiota flammans). It has a very bright color and scales of the correct form (one tone lighter than that of an edible mushroom). This false honey agaric is easy to identify by its habitat, in contrast to the royal mushrooms that grow families, it prefers loneliness, found in mixed and coniferous forests. It is not poisonous, but it is not worth using in dishes.
- Hale flake (Pholiota highlandensis). It differs in modest sizes and a hat of dark brown color, strewn with fleecy scales. The surface of the cap and legs is often covered with mucus. The favorite place of this mushroom is charred wood.
- Mucous flake (Pholiota lubrica). Refers to conditionally edible. The hat is large, but the scales are small and they are always light. Rings are missing from the start.
The calorie content, benefits and harms of royal mushrooms
Nutritional value per 100 grams: 21 Kcal.
Golden flake contains a lot of phosphorus, calcium, iron and magnesium. It strengthens the immune system, normalizes blood composition (increases the number of red blood cells (red cells) in the blood), improves the thyroid gland, and replenishes the potassium reserve. In folk medicine, these mushrooms are used to treat diabetes, thrombophlebitis, and anemia.
When cooking, the honey agaric is necessarily boiled, after which it is stewed or fried. For most dishes they use hats, legs are best pickled.
The fungus is prohibited for use in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and food allergies.
