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Photos and descriptions of the boletus mushroom can often be found both in specialized literature and in many cookbooks. Few people compare in popularity with this representative of the mushroom kingdom, especially in Our Country. Borovik is deservedly considered one of the most coveted trophies among mushroom pickers, not inferior in this to such “royal” mushrooms as camelina or white mushrooms.
What does a boletus mushroom look like
Mushrooms are a rather numerous genus of mushrooms of the Boletaceae family. Combines several hundred species. All of them belong to tubular fungi.
All mushrooms are distinguished by similarities in appearance and structure. Their fruiting bodies have a distinct massive stem and cap. Mushrooms can reach a considerable size and weight.
Boletus leg shape
The leg of the boletus is thick, massive, as a rule, club-shaped, having thickenings from the lower or middle part. On the surface, a reticulate pattern is usually pronounced, sometimes it may be absent. Depending on this, the leg can be either smooth to the touch or slightly rough.
The coloration is light beige tones, sometimes dashed, with a large number of small light brown spots. The flesh of the leg is dense, white, becoming fibrous with age.
Boletus hat shape
The cap of a young boletus resembles a hat tightly worn on the leg. At this stage, it is even, rounded, dry, velvety to the touch or smooth. Over time, the edges rise, the hat becomes like a semicircle. As the fungus ages, the top becomes flatter, the cap itself begins to increase in volume and take on the shape of a pillow. The color of the peel covering the hat can vary from light coffee to dark brown.
The tubular layer is light yellow, with a greenish tint, becoming brighter as the fungus grows. The flesh of the cap is white or slightly creamy, in young mushrooms it is dense, with time it becomes soft, loose.
Where does the boletus mushroom grow
The habitat of mushrooms is wide. This fungus is common in temperate climatic zones of both hemispheres, and the northern border goes into the polar regions, into the zones of the Arctic tundra. Most often, mushrooms grow in mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with various tree species: pine, spruce, birch.
They prefer well-lit places, edges, grow, as a rule, in groups. Often found in birch forests, on the slopes of ravines and hills, along forest roads and clearings.
Why was boletus so named?
The name “boletus” is associated primarily with the places of their growth. Boron has always been a clear, open pine forest growing on a hill with a small number of noble deciduous trees, such as oak or beech. It is in such places that these fungi are most often found, forming mycorrhiza with pine.
Boletus edible mushroom or not
Among mushrooms there are no deadly poisonous and relatively few inedible ones. This explains their great popularity both among experienced lovers of “silent hunting” and among beginners. Particularly valued among mushroom pickers and culinary specialists is the porcini mushroom, which is one of the varieties of boletus. It belongs to the highest, I category in terms of nutritional value, and is always a welcome trophy.
Taste qualities of mushrooms
Dishes from mushrooms have a pronounced mushroom aroma and excellent taste. In some species, fruity tones can be clearly felt in the smell. Edible mushrooms can be eaten without prior soaking or boiling.
The benefits and harms of mushrooms
In addition to nutritional value, these mushrooms contain many useful substances. Their fruiting bodies contain:
- Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D.
- Trace elements (calcium, magnesium, molybdenum, iron).
Despite all the useful properties, it should be remembered that mushrooms are a rather heavy food, not every stomach can handle it. That is why they are not recommended for children under 10 years of age.
Varieties of pine
Most mushrooms are edible or conditionally edible mushrooms. Only a small number of species of this fungus are not eaten for one reason or another. There are also several types of mushrooms classified as poisonous mushrooms.
edible mushrooms
Among the edible mushrooms, mushrooms of categories I and II in terms of nutritional value predominate; these are mushrooms with excellent and good taste.
Porcini
Widely distributed in the European part of Our Country, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. The diameter of the mushroom cap can reach up to 30 cm. Its shape is hemispherical, with age the edges rise more and more until the top becomes flat. At the same time, its thickness increases significantly. The hat is usually painted in a light brown color, rough or velvety to the touch. The spore layer is pale yellow with a greenish tint. Photo of white boletus mushroom:
The leg is powerful, club-shaped, usually has a thickening from below or in the middle part. Its color is white with small brown strokes. The pulp is white or slightly yellowish, dense. It remains white on the cut.
white mushroom birch
In many regions of Our Country, the mushroom has its own name – spikelet, since the period of its growth coincides in time with the appearance of an ear in rye. The hat can grow up to 15 cm in diameter, it is pillow-shaped, with time it takes on a flatter shape. The skin is light brown, sometimes almost white.
The leg is cylindrical or barrel-shaped, white, sometimes with a mesh pattern. The tubular layer is almost white, becoming light yellow as it grows. The pulp is white, on a break or a cut does not change color. Spikelets usually grow from June to October along forest edges, along clearings and forest roads, forming mycorrhiza with birch.
white fungus pine
The cap is convex, cushion-shaped or hemispherical, becoming flatter with age. It can reach 25-30 cm in diameter. The surface of the cap is wrinkled or bumpy, dark brown in various shades.
The leg is short, massive, club-shaped, light brown with a fine mesh pattern. The tubular layer is white, becoming light green or olive with age. The pulp is white, dense, the color in places of mechanical damage does not change. It grows mainly in coniferous or mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with pine, less often with spruce or deciduous trees. The main growth time is from July to September, although they can often be found even after frost.
white oak mushroom
In young specimens, the cap is spherical, later becoming semicircular and pillow-shaped. The skin is velvety to the touch, often covered with a network of small cracks. Color can vary from light coffee to dark ocher. The tubular layer is pale yellow, with a greenish or olive tint.
The leg of a young fungus is club-shaped, with age it takes the form of a cylinder or a truncated cone. A small light brown mesh pattern can be seen along the entire length. The pulp is dense, yellowish-white, the color does not change at the break. Distributed in the southern regions, where it can be found in deciduous forests with a predominance of beech or oak, it often grows next to chestnuts. The growth period begins in May and continues until October.
White mushroom copper (boletus bronze)
The cap is hemispherical, becoming more flat, cushion-shaped with age. It can reach a diameter of 20 cm. The skin is dark gray, almost black, with an ashy sheen, in young specimens it is velvety, pleasant to the touch. The tubular layer is white, with age it begins to turn slightly yellow.
The leg is massive, club-shaped, light brown, covered with a fine mesh. The flesh is white, rather dense, becoming looser with age. The bronze boletus grows in the southern regions, usually in oak groves with the presence of chestnuts. Appears in May, during the season there are usually several waves of growth. The last specimens can be found in the forest in mid-autumn.
False mushrooms
It should be understood that the term “false” means an inedible or poisonous mushroom, similar in appearance to any edible. In the case of mushrooms, it is worth referring to the false ones, first of all, representatives of the same Boletov family, such as:
- Bile mushroom.
- Satanic mushroom.
- Le Gal boletus.
- Boletus is beautiful.
Among this list there are both inedible species and poisonous ones. Here are some mushrooms that look like edible mushrooms, but are not:
- Bile fungus (gorchak). According to the classification, it is not a boletus, although these mushrooms belong to the same family. Outwardly, it resembles an ordinary porcini mushroom, has a hemispherical or cushion-shaped brown hat of various shades. A distinctive feature of bitterness is the color of the tubular layer. It is pale pink, becoming darker and brighter with age. At a break, the pulp of the gall fungus, unlike boletus, turns red, it tastes bitter, and the bitterness increases during heat treatment. Gorchak is not poisonous, but it is impossible to eat it.
Important! The gall fungus is almost never wormy. - Satan’s Mushroom. It got its name for the similarity of the legs in color with a tongue of flame escaping from the ground. The red or orange leg is the hallmark of this mushroom. It is typical for all Boletovs, club-shaped, thick, dense. The cap of the satanic mushroom is semicircular, becoming flatter, pillow-shaped with age. Its color is olive-gray, various shades. The spore layer is greenish-yellow. The flesh is dense, yellowish, usually turning blue at the break. A feature of the satanic mushroom is its smell. In young specimens, it is pleasant, spicy, but with age, the flesh of the fruiting body begins to smell more and more like rotten onions. A satanic mushroom grows from June to October, mainly in the southern regions of the European part of Our Country, it is found in the Primorsky Territory. In its raw form, the species is poisonous, but in some countries after a long heat treatment it is eaten. This false boletus is in the photo below:
- Borovik Le Gal (legal). It is found mainly in European countries. Kok and all mushrooms have a semicircular or pillow-shaped hat. Its color is dirty pink. The skin is velvety, pleasant to the touch. The tubular layer is pinkish-orange. The flesh is light yellow, with a pleasant mushroom smell, turning blue at the break. The leg is dense, rounded, swollen. Its color is pink-orange, on the surface a small mesh pattern is clearly visible. It grows in July-September in deciduous forests, forming mycorrhiza with oak, beech, hornbeam. Borovik Le Gal is poisonous, not eaten.
- Boletus is beautiful. The cap of this mushroom is olive brown, sometimes reddish, often with dark tan spots. The shape is hemispherical, as it grows it becomes pillow-shaped. The pores of the tubular layer are red. The flesh is yellowish, turns blue on the cut. The leg is thickened, red-brick, with a pattern in the form of a fine mesh. The species is widespread in the coniferous forests of North America. Poisonous.
Collection rules
When collecting mushrooms, it is quite difficult to make a mistake. All poisonous members of this family have a characteristic coloration with red tones, which makes the probability of error quite low. However, on a “silent hunt” one should adhere to generally accepted rules:
- You can not take mushrooms if there is no absolute certainty in their edibility and safety.
- In the process of growth, fruiting bodies literally absorb radionuclides, salts of heavy metals, and other harmful substances. Do not collect them in close proximity to busy highways or railways, as well as on abandoned military or industrial sites, where they usually grow in abundance.
- When picking mushrooms, you need to cut them with a knife, and not pull them out of the ground, otherwise the threads of the mycelium will be destroyed.
- Mushrooms almost always grow in groups. Often the mycelium stretches along the natural folds of the terrain: ditches, ravines, old automobile tracks. It is in this direction that the search must continue.
- It is better to leave wormy specimens immediately in the forest, chopping them on a tree knot. Mature spores will spill out of the cap and form a new mycelium. And the dried mushroom will be eaten by birds or squirrels.
- Mushrooms with a small amount of worms inside can be used for processing, for example, they can be dried. However, it is necessary to process the crop immediately upon returning from the forest, otherwise the larvae will not only continue to destroy worm mushrooms, but will also crawl to neighboring, clean ones.
By adhering to these simple rules of “silent hunting”, you can be sure of your health and safety.
The use of mushrooms
Mushrooms are tasty and nutritious. There are a lot of recipes for cooking dishes with these mushrooms. They are truly versatile, they can be used in any form: fried, boiled, pickled. They are dried and frozen for the winter, used as ingredients for making various salads, soups, sauces.
How to grow mushrooms at home
Perhaps not a single gardener will refuse to have a plantation of porcini mushrooms on a personal plot. However, this is quite difficult to do. In order for mushrooms to grow like in a forest, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for them that imitate natural ones as much as possible. This applies to literally all aspects: the soil, the composition of organic residues on which the mycelium should grow, the presence of trees of a suitable age for the formation of mycorrhiza, etc.
A good option for artificial breeding of mushrooms is the use of greenhouses or heated rooms in which you can maintain the necessary temperature and humidity parameters. Mycelium can be obtained independently from mushrooms collected in the forest or purchased from an online store.
An interesting video about growing porcini mushrooms in a summer cottage:
Conclusion
Above are a photo and description of the boletus mushroom, its edible and inedible varieties. Of course, the list of listed species is far from complete. However, even this information is quite enough to have a general idea about this mushroom family, which has about 300 species.