Luteus

Among the abundance of forest mushrooms, there are those that have managed to become truly universal favorites. Oilers are one of them. They are easy to harvest, tasty and nutritious, and incredibly healthy.

Where to collect and how to find out

The mushrooms got their name because of the slippery and oily to the touch cap, which is the main feature of these mushrooms. In shape, it can be convex or flat, but always smooth and sticky. The flesh of butter is white or yellow, but on the cut, under the influence of air, it turns blue or reddens.

Distributed in the European part of Russia, in the forests of Belarus and Ukraine. Experienced mushroom pickers say that butterflies grow in sunny glades in pine forests or among young spruces. ^[1]. Large mushroom families are found in places with compacted needles, but besides it, there must be grass and bushes – without them, butterflies do not grow. Depending on the region of growth, Siberian, cedar, marsh, larch and other types of oil are distinguished.

The larch type of mushrooms, as the name implies, grows in deciduous forests. In young representatives, the hat is convex, in old ones it is flat. These mushrooms are distinguished by a yellow-orange or brownish color.

Summer boletus (another name is granular) are found in pine forests. Their caps are colored yellow-brown or even brown, and their creamy flesh smells slightly of fruit.

Late (or ordinary) boletus is the most common type of mushroom. In the people they are known as real or yellow. They are recognizable by their sticky reddish-brown cap, under which a deep yellow tubular layer is hidden. The flesh is white or yellowish. Favorite places for late oiling are among moss and blueberry thickets.

In addition to edible ones, there are also false butterflies that should not be eaten. Their main feature is a red (instead of yellow) spongy or lamellar layer under the cap. False mushrooms turn yellow on the cut. The inside of the cap in poisonous specimens is gray, and the leg is purple. ^[2].

The butterflies bear fruit from May to October in three stages: the first – when flowers appear on the pines, the second – when the lindens bloom, the third – when the grain is harvested from the fields.

Nutritional characteristics

Like most forest mushrooms, oil mushrooms are 90% water. But this does not mean that they do not have nutrients. On the contrary, they are rich in fiber, proteins, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates. Some believe that their beneficial properties are even superior to porcini mushrooms.

An analysis of the proteins that make up the butter has shown that they are almost identical to animal proteins. Mushrooms contain essential amino acids, but their quantity and composition varies depending on the age and soil in which they were grown. Most proteins can be found in young mushrooms, more precisely in their hats, since the legs are less saturated with nutrients. Interestingly, a kilogram of dried butter contains almost three times more protein than a similar amount of beef or fish. ^[3]. And although, according to nutritionists, the body assimilates mushroom proteins worse than meat proteins, but properly cooked butter is an excellent source of useful components.

Another important element of mushrooms is chitin (the same one that mollusk shells consist of). A high concentration of this substance is found in the legs of the mushrooms, which makes them tougher than the caps. Because of this, some refuse this part of the product, which is not always justified. Chitin is a type of vegetable fiber, which, in addition to the well-known benefits (quickly satisfies hunger, regulates the digestive tract), absorbs and removes toxins and other harmful substances from the body.

If we talk about vitamins, then boletus belongs to the record-breaking products in terms of the content of B vitamins. In terms of the concentration of these beneficial substances, they can compete with fish, liver, cereals and butter. In addition to B-substances, oils contain no less useful vitamins A and C. And at the same time, they remain an extremely low-calorie product: 100 g of fresh oils contain no more than 19 kcal ^[4].

Medicinal properties

The use of mushrooms in medicine is not new. This practice has been around for over 2000 years. In Rus’ and China, traditional healers regularly resorted to this category of products for the treatment of various diseases. Many peoples have traditionally used the oily extract to make libido-boosting products. And thanks to the resinous substances that make up these mushrooms, they were used for embalming.

Modern studies have shown that oils, in particular in the sticky skin on the hat, contain substances with antibiotic and immunostimulating properties. ^[5]. Today, mushroom extract is used to treat gout, headaches, visual impairment and metabolic processes, to improve the functioning of the nervous system and strengthen blood vessels. These mushrooms are useful as a tonic and tonic. They are important for the prevention of salt deposits and for improving the secretion of gastric juice. Thanks to the lecithin contained in mushrooms, this product is useful for lowering cholesterol levels and preventing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

Well, old recipes are not forgotten either: boletus is still used as an aphrodisiac. Today it is known that the effectiveness of this “love potion” is determined by zinc, which is part of the hats. This substance has a beneficial effect on sperm motility, increasing their ability to fertilize.

Oil tincture

For the preparation of a remedy, only hats are needed. They must be finely chopped and put in a liter jar. Pour prepared mushrooms with vodka, insist in a place protected from light for two weeks. Strained infusion is taken in a teaspoon before meals. Can be diluted with a glass of water. This tool in the old days was used to treat diseases of the bones, joints and muscles, as well as migraines.

Possible hazards

The special structure of mushrooms and their porous structure contribute to the rapid absorption of harmful substances from the air. For this reason, even edible butterflies collected in ecologically unfavorable areas turn into poisonous ones. They cause poisoning, accompanied by indigestion, nausea, vomiting and fever. It is important to know that the hat absorbs the most toxins.

Improperly cooked mushrooms are poorly absorbed by the body, so it is important to adhere to the rules for harvesting butter. In addition, it is desirable to exclude this product from the diet of young children and people with digestive disorders and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (3).

How to cook and what to cook

Before cooking, mushrooms must be carefully sorted out, discarding unfamiliar or suspicious specimens. In order to clean the sticky hats from needles, leaves and particles of the earth, they are poured with cold water for a while, then rinsed. Before cooking, it is advisable to pour the mushrooms again with salted water (for about three hours). This technique will allow you to get rid of all insects and worms “lost” in the pulp.

In order for butternut dishes to turn out tasty and safe, before cooking they must be well soaked in cold water and boiled until cooked. It is important not to mix representatives of different species. Nutritionists advise taking finely chopped mushrooms for dishes – this way they are better absorbed by the body. Another easily digestible option is dried and powdered. This way they go with most dishes. Ready-made dishes from butter are recommended to be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 30 hours.

From any type of oil, you can cook boiled, stewed or fried dishes. But when choosing a cooking method, it is important to understand that heat treatment affects the concentration of nutrients in the product. When making stocks for the winter, in order to preserve the maximum of vitamins and minerals, it is better to dry the mushrooms than to pickle.

And one more tip from experienced chefs. Oils of the first wave, that is, early ones, are suitable for making soups, stews and seasonings from dried mushrooms. But it is undesirable to salt them. But mushrooms of the second and third waves are ideal for pickling and salting.

And if early mushrooms are considered the most fragrant, then late autumn ones are the most nutritious and tasty.

“Semi-finished product” from butter

For cooking, you need washed and peeled butter. Boil the mushrooms until cooked with 1-2 onions, drain, chop into small slices and fry in oil with two raw chopped onions. Toward the end of cooking, salt and add other spices. Butter prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator as a “raw material” for future soup or stew, added to stewed potatoes or meat.

Mushroom cutlets

Grind boiled boletus, add chopped onion (maybe also ground), a little bread soaked in milk, an egg. Season the minced meat with salt, pepper, and other spices as desired. Form cutlets from the prepared mixture, dip in breadcrumbs, fry.

Butter with potatoes

At the bottom of an ovenproof dish, put a few pieces of butter and sliced ​​raw onion. The second layer is boiled and then fried butternuts. The third layer is browned onions. The top layer is potatoes. Pour everything with salted sour cream, sprinkle with dill and bake in the oven.

Marinated mushrooms

Мариновать маслята можно несколькими способами. Некоторые рецепты предлагают использовать только шляпки, другие – брать небольшие молоденькие грибочки. В любом случае нежелательно смешивать в одной банке старые и молодые экземпляры.

Peeled mushrooms (be sure to remove the film on the cap – the mushrooms darken from it and get a bitter aftertaste) boil with the onion. Throw the finished butternuts into a colander and, while the excess liquid drains, prepare the marinade. It will need 1,5 liters of water, 6% vinegar (150 ml), 1,5 tbsp. l. salt, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves. Arrange the mushrooms in jars, pour boiling marinade and sterilize before rolling (liter jars – 25 minutes, smaller ones – 15 minutes).

How to grow mushrooms yourself

For growing butter in the country, a plot under a coniferous tree is better suited, but if there is none, you can try to germinate under a deciduous one. It is desirable that it be a 10-15-year-old tree, under which a light shadow forms.

As for the soil, acidic soils and enriched peatlands are ideal for oiling. ^[6].

The correct “bed” for butterflies consists of several layers. To create it, you will have to remove the top layer of soil to a depth of 20 cm. The bottom must be covered with vegetable raw materials in the form of mowed grass, fallen leaves, wood, needles. For the second layer, it is recommended to use the earth from the place of the forest mycelium (in extreme cases, the usual garden, previously enriched with humus, is suitable). Sow the finished bed with mycelium, cover with a thin layer of leaves and a small amount of garden or forest soil on top. In drought, the mushroom bed needs to be moistened. The first harvest will appear in a year. The mycelium created in this way bears fruit for 10-15 years.

Butter mushrooms are incredibly tasty and healthy mushrooms. But, getting out into the forest, in no case should you collect unknown specimens. The same rule applies when buying a product on the market. Only edible mushrooms can be useful. Otherwise, a jar of pickled butter can turn into poison for the whole family.

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