Boletus mushroom: features and description
Among lovers, boletus is valued as much as white. But even experienced mushroom pickers do not know that it has several varieties. Information on how to recognize this handsome man, where to find him and how to cook, will be useful to everyone who decided to go hunting quietly.
This edible tubular mushroom is most commonly found in deciduous or mixed forests near birch trees. This is where its name comes from. Boletus loves well-lit meadows near young plantings, without tall and thick grass, they grow from mid-summer to late autumn.
Boletus grows in open, well-lit meadows
They are not too picky about the climate; they are found both in the warm regions of Central Asia and in the north, in the tundra. They can be identified by the following features:
- Rounded hat. It is smooth on top, but not oily. The color depends on the variety and can be from light gray to dark brown, almost black. The diameter reaches 15 cm.
- Light tubular layer. It is quite dense, easily separates from the cap, and becomes gray in the old mushroom.
- White leg. Dark scales stand out clearly on it. It is quite high and not as thick as that of the boletus, with dense flesh.
In different areas, the appearance of the boletus may differ slightly. You need to choose them carefully, because poisonous bile mushrooms are very similar to them. They can be recognized by their pinkish color and mesh pattern on the stem, gray tubular plate and redness at the cut site.
How to prepare and how much to cook boletus
Harvested mushrooms cannot be stored for more than 12 hours. Even if you are not going to cook them right away, do not postpone the initial processing. It includes the following stages:
- Cleaning. Boletus mushrooms should be thoroughly rinsed, slightly scraped the cap and the lower part of the leg with a knife. Having cut the mushrooms in half, it is necessary to remove the areas spoiled and sharpened by worms.
- Soak. You need them for 30 minutes. pour cold water, adding a little vinegar so that the pulp does not darken.
- Pre-cooking. It lasts 20 minutes with a boil and is done to rinse the uncleaned dirt off the surface.
- Main brew. Mushrooms are poured into boiling salted water and cooked over low heat for 20 minutes. The previous step can be skipped if the contamination is not strong, but then you need to double the main boil time.
During cooking, a lot of foam forms, which should be constantly removed with a slotted spoon. Boiled mushrooms can be used for cooking immediately or stored in the refrigerator for several days.
The flesh of young boletus boletus is tender and tasty, while the old ones have a little harsh legs and require additional cooking time. There are many useful substances in mushrooms, but too often they should not be eaten. And at the slightest doubt about the quality of the mushroom, it is better to refuse it, since a mistake can lead to severe poisoning.