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Boletus reticulum, the Latin name, Boletus reticulatus, belongs to the genus Boletus, family Boletaceae. In Our Country, it is called White Oak Mushroom, another name is Summer. This species is distinguished from the real Borovik only by a brown mesh leg, otherwise the species are almost identical.
What do porcini oak mushrooms look like
The cap of a young mushroom is spherical, its diameter does not exceed 3 cm. With age, it becomes pillow-shaped, thick and convex, increases in size up to 10 cm, in some specimens up to half a meter. Its color is dark beige, coffee, light brown, the surface is velvety, dry.
The pulp is dense, strong, the place of the cut does not darken and does not crumble. On the back of the cap under the tubules, the color of the pulp may be yellow. Its taste is rich mushroom, fragrant.
The tubules are thin, small, tightly interconnected. In young small mushrooms, they are white, in large and overripe ones they can darken and turn yellow.
The leg is thick, strong, springy, not hollow inside. Its length can vary from 5 to 20 cm, diameter – from 3 to 8 cm. The color is light hazel, the surface is rough, covered with a dark, dense mesh. The shape of the mushroom leg is club-shaped or cylindrical, the bottom is wider than the top.
The spores of the oak white fungus are rounded, olive or brown in color, the spore powder is marsh or brown.
Where do porcini oak mushrooms grow
Boletus reticulata grows in the temperate climate of Eurasia, in light deciduous forests of Europe, North Africa and America. Most often it can be found under beeches, chestnuts, oaks in mountainous areas, common in the Crimea. Oak white fungus prefers light, dry, alkaline soil. It grows next to the grain-footed oak tree. Insects of the reticulated boletus practically do not attack.
Is it possible to eat porcini oak mushrooms
Boletus mesh is eaten in any form after heat treatment. Some sources indicate that it can also be eaten fresh after a short treatment with boiling water.
Taste qualities of porcini oak mushrooms
This mushroom belongs to the first category, due to its high taste. It can be fried, stewed, dried, rolled into jars. When dried, white oak is especially fragrant and tasty. After heat treatment, the flesh of the porcini mushroom does not darken, it looks appetizing in any dishes. It has a sweet taste with a nutty aftertaste.
False doubles
White oak fungus from the Boletaceae family is similar to all members of the genus. But especially he has a lot in common with the white spruce mushroom. This is the same strong large specimen with dense tasty pulp.
Its difference from the reticulated boletus is that it grows in coniferous rather than deciduous forests, and its hat is dark brown, bumpy, loose. The weight of the Spruce Boletus can reach 2 kg. Both members of the family belong to the edible species of the first category.
White oak is similar to gall fungus. He is an inhabitant of a coniferous forest, grows only on sandy soil – this is their first difference. The gall fungus is inedible, has a pungent bitter taste. It does not grow above 10 cm, the leg is covered with a dark, brown mesh pattern, similar to loose plaque. The fruiting of the gall fungus begins in July, and in the white oak – in May.
Collection rules
They go to pick white oak fungus after a long downpour, ideally if it lasted for several days – the harvest will be excellent. It is good to collect in warm, humid weather or when it rains a little. At this time, large, dense hats, brown in color, are especially noticeable. In dry weather it is difficult to find a good specimen. White oak fungus loves edges and clearings, well lit by the sun. In deciduous forests, they are guided by oak, hornbeam, birch, it is under these trees that the netted boletus hides. The main time for collecting white oak fungus is from August to October.
It is better to put small fruiting bodies in the basket, the diameter of which does not exceed 7 cm. Their flesh is more tender, pliable, not spongy. They can be cut or broken off without disturbing the mycelium. The flesh of larger specimens becomes spongy, rubbery, worms start up in the legs of most old mushrooms. To determine the presence of parasites, make a cut on the leg – it must be clean.
Use
Delicious and fragrant dishes are obtained from freshly harvested or dried mesh mushrooms. Do not store them for more than a day. Before cooking, the mushroom crop is washed well, the lower part of the leg is cut off.
After cleaning, white oak mushrooms are soaked in salted water. If a worm lurks in one of the legs, it will definitely leave it within half an hour. After such processing, any chosen dish is prepared from the harvested crop: julienne, casserole, mushroom sauce, roast with potatoes, rich soup. Also, strong, elastic hats and legs are pickled and sent to jars, clogging for the winter, or dried for future use.
In vegetable salads, you can use fresh, well-washed and blanched in boiling water for a couple of minutes. It is absolutely safe, has good taste even when raw.
Dried mushroom has a special, rich aroma and a sweetish, nutty flavor. Soups and casseroles are made from it.
Conclusion
Oak porcini mushroom is one of the varieties of porcini mushrooms of the Boletaceae family, which are considered the best due to their high palatability. Boletus is easy to distinguish from most known poisonous species and is suitable for picking by inexperienced mushroom pickers. Summer mushroom is used for cooking any dishes, including fresh ones. It is absolutely safe for human health, even without preliminary heat treatment, and in the dried state it only becomes tastier.