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With the advent of summer, for any mushroom picker, it’s time to wait. Toward the end of July, as soon as the first torrential rains have passed, forest wealth ripens – mushrooms. “Silent hunters” armed with baskets often stumble upon a strong mushroom, which, like a boletus, turns blue on the cut, which is why it earned the name “bruise”. It belongs to the tubular cap mushrooms of the Gyroporaceae family. A photo of a bruise mushroom – a general view and in section – demonstrates its differences well and will help you recognize this representative in the forest.
Where does bruise mushroom grow
A bruise is most often found under birch trees, on sandy soils. The habitat of the fungus is the entire territory of the CIS. He especially prefers the northern regions, as he does not tolerate a hot climate. It practically does not occur in spruce forests, but mixed and deciduous forests are rich in bruises. Most often, the fungus grows under birch trees, with the roots of which it forms mycorrhiza – a special symbiosis of mycelium and the roots of higher plants.
For growth and development, the bruise needs moisture and moderate heat, so most often this representative of the Gyroporov family is found on the north side, avoiding the bright sun.
Under oaks, chestnuts and birches, you can find twins of this fungus, which have a consonant name, but do not turn blue on the cut. Chestnut and oak bruises have a characteristic bitterness that is associated with tree sap: the characteristic taste of oak bark persists even in the cooked dish.
What does bruise mushroom look like
The bruise has a convex cap, which becomes flatter and wider as it matures. Bruises grow up to 14 – 16 cm in diameter. Their hat is colored, depending on the tree, with which the mycelium of the fungus created mycorrhiza. Color varies from light to brown. It is often confused with porcini mushroom, because they are really very similar.
The leg of the bruise is as thick and strong as that of the white species. At the root, it is thickened, as if stuffed with cotton. Closer to the upper part in the leg there are cavities. The hat is velvety, sometimes even, but most often has a bumpy surface, as if covered with scales. The older, the more irregularities the hat has. From below, it has a dense tubular structure, initially white, but turning yellow with age. This is due to the rash of yellow spore powder.
The snow-white pulp of this mushroom representative becomes creamy with age. But its color remains only a few seconds when broken, after which it turns blue. A similar reaction is caused by the presence of the natural antibiotic boletol, due to which the fungus was almost exterminated, got into the Red Book, but, fortunately, in 2005 again increased its habitat and was excluded from the list of rare plants.
Mushroom bruise edible or not
The mushroom is absolutely edible, if it does not grow in landfills, territories of former industries, factories or landfills. Boletaceae tend to absorb harmful substances from the soil and accumulate them in themselves. Therefore, when going on a “silent hunt”, you need to make sure that the mushroom picking places are ecologically clean.
The taste of the mushroom
A freshly cut bruise has a subtle nutty flavor. The pulp after cooking does not spread, retains its dense structure. Because of this similarity with porcini mushroom and boletus, the bruise is classified as a valuable species. The bruise is widely used in cooking: it is dried and boiled, pickled and frozen. Among the descriptions of dishes and photos on the web, the easiest way to cook a bruise mushroom is to fry it with potatoes.
The characteristic mushroom flavor in a dish or sauce leaves no doubt about the nutritional value of a bruise. You can store the boiled mass in the refrigerator, vegetable section, at a temperature not exceeding 4 ° C. Freshly picked do not store more than a week.
Benefits and harm to the body
In addition to boletol, the bruise contains minerals and antioxidants, which makes it useful to eat. However, gyroporus is not suitable for food for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract. With caution, you can use it for kidney diseases.
False doubles
As noted above, blue gyroporus cannot be confused with a poisonous mushroom due to the unusual reaction of the pulp to pressure or contact with air. But you can still be wrong. The bruise turns light blue when pressed, but never gets darker. But Junkville’s boletus (Boletus junquilleus), outwardly very reminiscent of a bruise, becomes almost black.
Junkville Boletus (Boletus junquilleus) in the photo:
But even if you confuse these two mushrooms, there is nothing to worry about. Junkville boletus is edible. This semi-white mushroom also has a characteristic bitterness, as it grows under oaks and beeches. With proper preparation, bitterness can be eliminated.
A bruise can be confused with oak and chestnut gyroporus, but the error is detected immediately: chestnut and oak twins do not turn blue. These types of mushrooms share a common origin and structure. Chestnut or birch bruises are not boiled, but dried. With this method, characteristic bitterness disappears from mushroom blanks.
Boletus luridus (Boletus luridus) in the photo:
Gyroporus chestnut (Gyroporus castaneus):
Gyroporus, growing under a birch, on the contrary, has a delicate taste and aroma, for which it is very much appreciated in gastronomy:
Collection rules
It was not in vain that the bruise was listed in the Red Book, it was on the verge of extinction, including due to improper collection. Not only a bruise, but also any other mushrooms cannot be uprooted. With this method, the mycelium is damaged and dies. Mycelium is able to grow to several meters and give dozens of fruiting bodies, but one careless movement – and a complex mushroom organism will no longer be able to give joy to another hunter. It is necessary to carefully cut the found crop with a sharp knife, not too close to the root.
In addition, you can not pick mushrooms along roads, near industrial enterprises, even abandoned ones, as well as landfills.
How to cook bruise mushroom
To prepare a bruise mushroom, you need to decide on the goal: whether the crop will be eaten immediately or stored for the winter.
For stocks, it is recommended to dry the mushrooms. To do this, bruises are cleaned of forest debris and strung on threads or laid out in a special dryer. Large specimens need to be cut, small fungi can be dried whole.
If it is supposed to cook a dish or pickle the product, the mushroom mass should be boiled.
To do this:
- Pour water into the pan at the rate of 1:3.
- Dip the mushrooms in boiling water and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and fill the pot with fresh water.
- Bring to a boil again, but with mushrooms.
- After boiling, reduce the heat and cook the product for 15 minutes.
With boiled mushroom mass, you can make any dish: soup, stew or gravy, as well as pickled blanks. Each housewife has her own mushroom recipes at hand, for example, creamy bruise sauce with chicken breast.
For 500 g of chicken breast fillet you need to take:
- 200 – 300 g of mushrooms;
- 2 medium bulbs;
- 100 ml cream 10% fat (if there is no cream, you can replace them with milk, about 0,5 l).
Procedure:
- Mushrooms and chicken fillet, chopped randomly, are fried in oil over high heat for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Then the fire is reduced, chopped onion is added.
- Stew everything under the lid for 5 minutes.
Salt and favorite spices are added to taste, poured with cream or milk and stewed under the lid until the chicken is ready.
You can add water to the cream: it all depends on the preferences for the consistency of the gravy. Serve the dish to the table with pasta, rice, buckwheat or boiled potatoes.
Conclusion
Going on a hike for forest riches, you need to take a closer look at the photo of the bruise mushroom so as not to miss this delicious rare specimen. Representatives of this valuable, useful and nutritious species grow in the northern regions of Our Country and the CIS countries. Due to the content of boletol in the composition, the bruise is a powerful natural antibiotic.
