Boletus is a mushroom. Boletus mushrooms: description of types and cooking options
Mushroom picking is an incredibly exciting activity, especially if you do it with the whole family or with friends. However, despite the simplicity, difficulties often arise. Most often they are associated with the identification of mushrooms. After all, it’s no secret that there are false copies of delicious mushrooms, which, when consumed, turn out to be dangerous to health, and often to human life. One of the most favorite gifts of the forest for any mushroom picker is boletus. Unfortunately, this species also has its own dangerous brother - the false boletus. How can you determine whether it is a real mushroom or not?
In order to recognize the false boletus mushroom, you must first decide which mushrooms should be considered real and not hazardous to health? There are a great many of them, they grow mainly under birch trees (which is why they got their name), and their reproduction occurs by mycelium.
The following types of mushrooms are distinguished:
- The common one has a brown cap, the surface of which is covered with a thin layer of mucus. IN good weather and in the light of the sun it is easy to see by its shiny crown. The shape of the cap is round, hemispherical. The pores located below are soft cream or bright white. They become greener as they age.
- The hard one chooses exclusively loam or sandy soil for growth. This is usually an area with an abundance of aspens or poplars. The hat is bigger brown, hangs significantly over the tubes.
- Gray, or, as it is popularly called, hornbeam (elm boletus), is extremely similar to the ordinary one, but has some differences. For example, its cap is most often small, wrinkled and rich brown in color. The leg can be either straight or curved.
- The pinkish one stands out among other species with its brownish-yellowish cap. When cut, the flesh of this mushroom begins to turn pink. They are very easy to confuse with false boletus.
- Black is distinguished by a brownish, and in some cases even blackish, color of the cap. The leg is covered with small black scales. This mushroom loves to grow in wetlands.
All boletus mushrooms have excellent taste and are ideal for drying, salting, and pickling. The value of these mushrooms is their high protein content (more than 30%), vitamins and amino acids. In terms of nutritional value, they are second only to porcini mushrooms.
Identifying a false mushroom
Not every mushroom found under a birch tree is edible. Often even there there is active reproduction of false boletus.
The poisonous brother of the mushroom, so similar to the real boletus, frequent guest V mixed forests, grows mainly on sandstones. People call it gall because of its special taste properties. Recognize false boletus for inexperienced people often becomes a difficult task, since at first glance they are practically indistinguishable.
The gall mushroom has the same grayish stalk, even the shape and color of the cap is similar to the true boletus mushroom. But when this false double gets into a dish, especially after cooking, its inherent bitterness becomes completely unbearable. Some people may experience serious digestive disorders when consuming it.
The easiest way to determine the edibility of mushrooms is the following: you just need to cut it off from the boletus mycelium and touch the cut with the tip of your tongue. If bitterness is felt, it means that a poisonous fellow has fallen into your hands. However, despite the fact that poisoning can be avoided with this method of testing, doctors do not recommend getting carried away with this diagnostic method. Therefore, it is better to determine by appearance.
Reliable signs of a poisonous mushroom
First, you should carefully examine the collected gifts of the forest. It is noteworthy that in extremely rare cases insects or worms will eat false boletus (due to its specific taste). But wormy specimens are most often true. Also, poisonous mushrooms often grow in places that are completely atypical for boletus: in ditches, in groves, near rotten stumps. Unfortunately not experienced mushroom pickers Many true boletus mushrooms are thrown out because of their worminess, mistakenly considering them to be false.
Usually the gall mushroom has a beautiful velvety cap. In a real boletus it will be perfectly smooth and shiny. But one should take into account the fact that the place where the boletus mycelium grows can modify the structure of the cap. And even in a false mushroom it is often practically no different from a true boletus mushroom. However, only its false brother will have a wet hat that loses its shape after being touched.
The false boletus is often a massive mushroom that does not have any veins in the form of tubes. With age, the stem becomes tuberous and the cap becomes saucer-shaped.
A distinctive feature of the gall fungus is bloody streaks on the stalk. The real boletus has a characteristic birch pattern on its surface.
The hat of the false fellow is most often of a poisonous color: from brown to greenish-red. If the color is completely green, then the mushroom should not be eaten. When examining the lower part, you should also pay attention to the color. In the gall subspecies it is light pinkish, while in the true boletus it is milky white. When broken, the cap of a true mushroom does not change its shade, but if it turns pink, then there is a high probability that you have picked up a false boletus mushroom.
Help with mushroom poisoning
There are also situations when even experienced mushroom pickers miss the false boletus mushrooms. In this case, false mushrooms (not only boletus mushrooms, but also porcini mushrooms) turn out to be cooked and are often eaten in a large family. Of course, cases of poisoning are incredibly rare, since due to the strong bitterness, a person will not eat a large amount of a dangerous product. But, nevertheless, there is an opinion that ingested toxins can seriously damage the functioning of internal organs or at least cause digestive upset. This is why you should be careful when picking mushrooms.
If you experience nausea, dizziness, heartburn or diarrhea after eating mushrooms, a good solution would be to take the simplest activated carbon(approximately 5 – 6 tablets). You can also use any absorbents available in your home medicine cabinet.
If the symptoms increase, there is a fever and incessant vomiting, severe abdominal pain, then you should not risk it, you need to immediately call an ambulance. False boletus can be hazardous to health, causing poisoning. Therefore, if serious symptoms appear, you should not delay visiting your doctor.
Conclusion
When going into the forest, we must not forget: every mushroom has its poisonous counterpart. In most cases, distinguishing false boletus from edible ones is not difficult. However, if there are any doubts about the quality of the mushroom, it is better to leave it in the forest, thereby protecting yourself from poisoning.
If we are asked to name several of the most famous types of mushrooms - quickly, without thinking - probably, along with the white mushroom, fly agaric, chanterelle and honey mushroom, we will remember the boletus and aspen mushrooms, familiar to us from children's fairy tales. But what do we know about these mushrooms, except that they grow under the trees of the same name, and that it was them that the girl Masha collected before getting lost in the forest?
Boletus mushroom: description
Representatives of the mushroom kingdom that have a porous hymenophore, such as boletus, white, and Polish, form a family of species under the general name Boletaceae, which, according to some sources, numbers about 1,300 species. Within this family, according to the classification of certain characteristics, scientists distinguish the genus Obabok (Latin name Leccinum, Leccinum), numbering about 25 representatives under common names boletus and boletus.
Did you know? For a long time, scientists could not come to a consensus on whether mushrooms belonged to animals or flora. In terms of the content and composition of proteins, these amazing organisms are more similar to animals, and in terms of carbohydrates and minerals they are more reminiscent of plants. All disputes were settled only in 1960. The compromise was the recognition of the kingdom of fungi, separate from animals and plants.
All representatives of the genus Leccinum live in close proximity to conifers and deciduous trees. Most species live in forests of the temperate climate zone, but some of them can be found even in subtropical and subpolar regions. The main differences of the species are a large, smooth, slightly velvety to the touch hemispherical cap of muted brown shades, always matte, lighter in young monkeys. The massive tubular hymenophore of a white-grayish color easily separates from the cap and darkens as the mushroom ages. Scaly or fibrous stalk, dense, cylindrical, sometimes long. The pulp is white, dense, colored when cut, then turns black when heated. Almost all representatives of this species (with the exception of the gall mushroom) are tasty edible mushrooms of the 2nd category.
Variety of boletus species
The Russian name “boletus” refers only to some varieties of boletaceae, namely, varieties of common boletus (Leccinum scabrum), which form mycorrhiza directly with birch. It would be more correct to call other species "obobok".
In our forests you can find various types boletus On the territory former USSR in moderate climatic zone There are about ten varieties of obabka that are suitable for human consumption. Among the most notable are the common boletus, gray, harsh, and pinkish.Harsh
The boletus boletus is harsh (in some sources it is hard) - it is not a very common species. Perhaps this is one of the most valuable representatives of its species. It has a warm gray-brown cap that gets darker with age. The leg of this little thing is thick, massive, cylindrical, early age covered with numerous small scales that disappear with age. The mushroom has excellent taste, a thick mushroom aroma and can be used in the preparation of first and second courses. For long-term storage, drying or dry freezing is used.
Grey
Gray boletus (hornbeam) is the most common of the hornbeams. It has a large (in adulthood) cap up to 15 cm in diameter, slightly wrinkled, dry to the touch, with predominant shades from dark olive to brownish-brown.
Important! The second name of the species has a somewhat ominous sound, but it is written with an “a” rather than an “o”, and has nothing to do with the coffin, grave and death. Hornbeam, as you know, is a tree of the birch family, with which this type often forms mycorrhiza (a stable connection between the mycelium of the fungus and the root system of higher plants).
In dry weather, the skin of a mature mushroom cap often becomes covered with cracks. The dense pulp has excellent taste; when cut it is white, upon contact with air it acquires a violet-gray color, then over time it turns from dark blue to black. A cut mushroom quickly becomes unusable, so young and fresh specimens should be sent to the basket.
Ordinary
The main feature of the common boletus is its long stem, which can reach 20 cm in height. The mushroom, having settled in a forest clearing or edge, seems to be trying to stretch out over the grass and expose its large hemispherical cap of bright brown color with a tint from gray to brown to the sun. The pulp when cut is white, dense, sweetish in taste, and darkens when processed. Young, unripe mushrooms are recommended for use as food.
When to collect
All of the above types of boletus can form fruiting bodies from late May to mid-November, until the first frost. Periods of stable fruiting: August - October. However, experienced mushroom pickers always predict the time of appearance of the first representatives of boletaceae, depending on many conditions: whether last year was a “mushroom year” (as they say, one year does not coincide), how dry the last summer was, and how frosty the last winter was. Again, it is known that periods of high mushroom yield in a certain pattern alternate with periods of complete absence of mushrooms.
Did you know? The people still maintain the belief that too mushroom year foreshadows war. Perhaps this is just a coincidence, but in the fall of 2014, Ukrainian mushroom pickers returned from a “quiet hunt” with truly unprecedented harvests...
Many experienced mushroom pickers, among other things, know their own mushroom places, known only to them, and having visited them, they can say with confidence whether it is worth going on a quiet hunt, or, as they say, “not fate.” During the collection process, you should remember that boletus is a very “vulnerable” mushroom. As a result, it deteriorates very quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to collect only fresh young specimens. An overripe mushroom with a large cap and a raw, heavily darkened hymenophore (the lower tubular part of the cap) is unlikely to survive to the cooking stage and will most likely be thrown away.
The boletus mushrooms found should be placed separately from other types of mushrooms in a hard, “breathable” container that does not allow the crop to be crushed during the harvesting process. Wicker baskets made of natural or artificial materials (willow or plastic rods) are ideal for this; wide buckets can be used, but plastic (garbage) bags are completely unsuitable for this purpose. It is also important not to forget that a mushroom is only the fruiting body of a huge organism, the mycelium, which can be easily damaged as a result of improper collection. To prevent this from happening, the find should be cut off sharp knife as close to the ground as possible, or carefully “unscrew” it like a screw for one and a half to two turns. Recently, most mycologists consider the second method to be more humane.
Places of growth
All boletuses grow in mixed deciduous forests in a temperate climate northern hemisphere continent, prefer places with well-moistened soil warmed by the sun. Depending on the species, they form mycorrhiza with birch, aspen, hornbeam, white poplar, etc.
Did you know? The largest boletus in the world was found in the Tomsk region of the Russian Federation by a mushroom picker with the appropriate surname Korol. The weight of the find was 2.4 kg, the diameter of the cap was 360 mm, and the length of the stem was 280 mm. It is interesting that with such an impressive size, the obabok was in excellent condition, was not damaged by worms and could easily be a complete dinner for a small family.
The common boletus lives in mixed (with birch) forests, young birch groves, and grass; There are both single specimens and small groups. The tough boletus prefers forests with aspens and white poplars. Gray boletus is more common in beech forests, mixed with hornbeam, poplar woods, sometimes on the edges around birches.
False boletus
Another representative of boletaceae is the gall mushroom (false boletus). Some sources define it as poisonous, but it would be more correct to call it inedible due to its unbearably bitter taste. So bitter that even worms don’t eat it! Indeed, to get seriously poisoned by this mushroom, you need to consume too much of it, which is very problematic due to its taste. At the same time, there is no way to get rid of bitterness. Any processing of these mushrooms (boiling, frying, etc.) only enhances this taste.
Important! If even one fragment of false boletus accidentally ends up in the main dish along with other “good” mushrooms, you will inevitably get the result in the form of a fly in the ointment.
Perhaps this is all there is to fear in the case of the gall fungus - false boletus. In terms of the shape of the stem and cap, the gall mushroom is practically indistinguishable from the ordinary boletus mushroom. External distinctive features- this is the color of the cap, which contains greenish-yellow poisonous tones. Thanks to this, the mushroom always immediately catches the eye, like the handsome fly agarics. The lower part of the cap is pink or dirty pink tint(unlike a “real” mushroom, which is white). The flesh of the gall mushroom is pink when cut and turns red over time. The bad news is that it is easy for an inexperienced mushroom picker to confuse a false boletus with a regular one during a quiet hunt. quality mushroom. Good news: main drawback This mushroom - bitterness - is, in fact, the main distinguishing feature by which it is separated from “real” boletus mushrooms. Don’t be afraid to lightly lick the mushroom on the cut of the stem - believe me, everything will become clear to you right away. All true boletuses when cut have a pleasant sweetish mushroom taste, without a hint of bitterness.
Compound
The pulp of the obabka contains:
- proteins - 35%;
- fats - 4%;
- sugars (in the form of mono- and disaccharides) - 14%;
- carbohydrates - up to 25%;
- vitamins: C, B1, B2, E, D, PP;
- micro- and macroelements: sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and manganese;
- water.
Did you know? The natural mineral selenium helps restore the human immune system, which, as studies show, significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer and other systemic diseases. And one of the richest sources of selenium is mushrooms.
Calorie content (per 100 g of pulp) - 20 kcal.
Useful properties
Nutritional value against the background of low calorie content is the main advantage of mushrooms, which allows them to be used in various kinds diets intended for overweight people and patients diabetes mellitus. The proteins present in boletus pulp contain all the essential amino acids for humans and, in addition, a number of amino acids that contribute to the rapid restoration of the body depleted due to infection. From this point of view, these types of products are a good meat substitute for those who are vegetarians.
The beneficial properties of sponges also include their high ability to absorb toxins in the human gastrointestinal tract. Due to the presence of so-called “dietary fiber” in boletus fiber, molecules of harmful substances are bound during digestion and removed from the body. IN medicinal purposes Obabok pulp is used mainly in folk medicine. On its basis, tinctures are prepared that help with kidney diseases, dysbiosis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, etc.Cooking rules
Boletus mushrooms have excellent taste and are great for preparing any dishes and using them in a wide variety of variations. They can be salted, pickled, fried and boiled, and for long-term storage, drying or dry freezing is suitable.
Important! Experienced housewives know that dry and frozen mushrooms have a much richer aroma than fresh ones.
Before cooking boletus, you need to clean it. If you are going to dry or freeze mushrooms, you should not wet them; in all other cases, the harvest should not only be washed well, but ideally soaked in slightly warm (preferably running) water for several hours. This preliminary procedure is necessary for two reasons: firstly, the mushrooms will be better cleaned after this, and secondly, some harmful substances that are present in the product (this does not mean mushroom poisons, but rather nitrates and other industrial waste), will remain in the water. Cleaning boletus mushrooms is very easy, the main thing is to do it as quickly as possible before the mushrooms spoil. Unlike butter, where you need to remove the adhesive film on the cap, after which you have to wash your hands for a long time and painfully, or, say, some types of rows, “with their heads” hiding in the sand, which gets stuck in the plates and does not want to come out, our elite beauties They are almost never truly dirty, and cleaning them does not require much effort.
If a dried leaf or blade of grass still sticks to the cap, it is enough to lightly scrape it with a knife, and the accumulated dust (it may be present if the harvest was harvested on the edge of the city, however, it is better to leave such mushrooms where they grew) simply rinse or wipe with a damp cloth. We inspect each specimen for damage by worms, rot or other defects, sort by age and size and decide what to do next.
It is best to separate the stem from the cap and lightly scrape it with a knife to finally clean it. But if you feel sorry for destroying the beauty of a small, elastic handsome man, you can leave him intact. There is no need to throw away wormy specimens. Soak them for a couple of hours in cold water, adding table salt to it at the rate of 2 tablespoons per liter, then simply cut and remove the damaged areas.
Important! Regardless of what dish you are going to cook, boletus mushrooms must be boiled first. The heat treatment time is at least 40 minutes, and the water in which the mushrooms are cooked must be changed at least once (drained and refilled with clean water, having previously washed the mushrooms).
Certainly, we're talking about about elite mushrooms, which theoretically can be fried immediately, without pre-cooking. The dish will certainly be tastier and more aromatic. And yet, we recommend not to neglect the mentioned precaution, since the state of the environment in the world does not allow us to talk about absolute safety wild mushrooms, even if they are obviously edible.
If you decide to cook boletus soup, use a third water for this (drain the broth twice and pour clean water). For frying, boiled mushrooms are chopped to taste, after which they are fried in a mixture of vegetable and butter, without covering with a lid (otherwise they will turn into porridge). Before turning off, you can add sour cream if desired.
For pickling, boiled cabbage is placed in a prepared container (wooden barrels are best, but glass or ceramics are also suitable) in layers, generously sprinkled with salt, fresh herbs and spices to taste. Then they are placed under oppression in a cool, dark place for a month. It is worth noting, however, that salting and fermentation are not very suitable for obabok from an organoleptic point of view (this is rather a recipe for lamellar, for example, milk mushrooms).
Did you know? Worms are the eternal enemies of edible mushrooms. But it turns out that the opposite situation also exists in nature: there are mushrooms that eat worms! They form mycelium in rings, as if weaving a kind of network. This worm caught in the trap amazing predator, like in a Hollywood horror film, slowly devours and digests over the course of 24 hours!
Marinating is one of the most advantageous (and, by the way, safe) ways of preparing obabki. Marinated mushrooms are prepared like this. For a liter of water you should take two tablespoons of salt, four tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of 9 percent vinegar. A brine of water, sugar, salt and spices (peas, allspice, seeds, etc.) is boiled for 10 minutes. Mushrooms removed from boiling water are placed in sterile jars, at the same time add a few cloves of garlic, cut in half and, if desired, a couple of cloves of chili pepper, then hot brine is poured into the mushrooms, vinegar is added at the end, after which the jar is rolled up and turned over upside down, cover with a towel and leave until completely cool. For three liters of boiled mushrooms you will need approximately 1.3 liters of brine.
Contraindications and harm
Of the contraindications to the use of this type of mushroom, perhaps only individual intolerance to the elements that make up the pulp should be noted. Boletus mushrooms (as well as any other mushrooms) should be used with caution by people with severe liver and kidney pathologies. However, knowing that you have such diseases, it will never be a bad idea to consult a doctor.
Among negative qualities This type of product should be called the ability of mushrooms, like a sponge, to absorb everything harmful and toxic that is in the soil and air. It is for this reason that even such well-known and edible mushrooms as boletus mushrooms can, in principle, be poisoned.Important! Forest mushrooms are strictly contraindicated for children under six years of age! And the point here is not only the danger of poisoning: this food is quite heavy for the child’s body due to the high content of dietary fiber, which makes it difficult to absorb other useful micro- and macroelements into the blood.
Storage rules
You always want to preserve your mushroom harvest for a long time. This is quite possible to do, but only under one condition: the freshly harvested crop must be processed literally immediately after you return from a “quiet” hunt. Forest mushrooms cannot even be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise you have every chance of getting serious intestinal poisoning. IN as a last resort fill the extracted with water, in this form the harvest will survive until the next morning, especially since, as mentioned above, it is recommended to do this if you are not going to dry or freeze the mushrooms.
For short-term storage, peeled, cut and boiled boletus mushrooms for 15-20 minutes should be rinsed well in running water, pour clean water and put it in the refrigerator. It is not advisable to use metal containers (even stainless steel) to store semi-finished products. For 1-2 days, this semi-finished product can be marinated or slices can be used to prepare main courses. In all other cases, full preparation is carried out. This can be pickling, salting, fermentation, processing into mushroom caviar or mushroom powder, as well as freezing.
Important! For all their excellent taste, boletus mushrooms, as a rule, do not have a very pronounced mushroom aroma (many recipes for mushroom dishes even recommend cooking boletus mushrooms mixed with other mushrooms). For this reason, there is no point in making mushroom powder from boletus mushrooms.
Pickled obabok, rolled up in a sterilized jar, can be stored even at room temperature up to one and a half years. It is advisable to use self-screwing lids with an internal coating. Freezing allows you to preserve mushrooms for up to a year if the temperature in the freezer is at least 15-18 degrees below zero. You can freeze both washed and peeled fresh whole mushrooms and chopped ones, previously boiled for 10-15 minutes. After defrosting, the product can be used to prepare fried, stewed mushroom dishes, and soups. Of course, repeated freezing is completely unacceptable. Drying is another way to preserve the crop for a long time. A properly dried mushroom can retain all its beneficial properties, nutritional and taste qualities for one to two years when stored in a well-ventilated area with constant humidity and away from strong foreign odors. A small pantry is ideal for this, in which dried mushrooms are placed or hung, having previously been placed in paper bags or fabric bags. Dried mushrooms, as a rule, after soaking, are used to make soups.
4
times already
helped
Many mushrooms have well-deserved “talking” names - boletus, boletus, boletus. Why did these extraordinary organisms become so called? Because they began to grow under certain trees.
Leccinum is a representative of the Boletaceae family; it got its name not by chance, because this mushroom grows on birch roots.
The common boletus is an edible mushroom endowed with high taste qualities.
Description of boletus
This organism, growing under birch trees, may have external differences between the species, of which there are about 40. Although all relatives are very similar to each other. Young mushrooms may sport white caps, which as they mature begin to darken and turn dark brown. The representative of Leccinum occurs separately and in groups.
The hat resembles a hemisphere pattern, gradually turning into something like a pillow. If there is persistent wet weather, the cap is covered with an adhesive substance. In a young individual, the flesh is often dense and white. When cut, the edges of Leccinum gradually darken. Overripe individuals lose taste properties, and their flesh becomes watery and inelastic. The size of the cap of an adult plant increases significantly, which can reach 18 cm.
The length of the mushroom stem is on average 15 cm. She has cylindrical shape, white color and 3 cm thickness. There are scales over the entire surface of the leg gray. The leg of an old individual becomes fibrous, hard and rough.
Characteristic of boletus rapid growth. A young mushroom can immediately increase in size by 4 cm per day. Full maturation of a young individual occurs on the 6th day, after which inevitable “old age” sets in. In just a couple of days, the edible pulp becomes a home for worms.
What are the varieties?
In nature, there are about 40 varieties of Leccinum, which can be distinguished from each other by their areas of growth and external differences.
The following types of boletus are known:
In Russia you can find only 9 species, among which the most common is common boletus, as well as hornbeam.
The people “decided” to name the common species:
- "grandmother";
- "obobok";
- "birch tree".
Despite the name “common boletus,” this type of mushroom is one of the most delicious among the entire family. The cap is distinguished by a reddish or brown uniform color. The stem of the plant is always massive and dense, with a thickening at the root, covered with grayish longitudinal scales. When broken, a bright aroma is felt. It has high taste qualities.
Swamp view
The marsh species Leccinum is found mostly in damp areas. Therefore, its leg is thin, and its cap is painted in light brown tones. The pulp of the marsh variety of the mushroom has a loose structure, which even after a cut does not change its white. In terms of taste, this type of mushroom occupies an average position.
Harsh variety
In another species - the harsh boletus - the color of the cap can be grayish, purple and brown. Young specimens of the fungus are covered with scales along a cylindrical stalk, the color of which is painted in light colors: white at the cap and cream at the root. If you press on the flesh, which has a sweetish taste, you can feel the rich mushroom aroma.
Mushroom with black cap
The blackhead, or black lover of birch roots, got its name because of the black color of the cap. The stem of this fungus is thick and short, with scales. It should be admitted that this tasty specimen rarely ends up in mushroom pickers’ baskets and is therefore highly valued.
Variety Leccinum
The multi-colored Leccinum species wears a cap of orange, gray-pink, and beige tones. In wet weather, the surface of the cap becomes covered with mucus, and in dry weather it becomes dry. The leg is often white with gray scales.
Places of growth
For a quiet hunt for boletus, you should go to deciduous or mixed forests , where there is a lot of light. The main condition is birch trees. Such forests are found in Eurasia, South and North America. Judging by the name, this type of mushroom can be found even in the tundra and forest-tundra, where dwarf varieties of birch trees grow.
The popular signal for the start of the hunt for Leccinum is the beginning of the flowering of the fragrant bird cherry. And you can enjoy the harvest until the fall. The reference point for searching for boletus is a bright area of forest, an edge or an open clearing with growing deciduous trees.
Useful properties
Boletus is a tasty and healthy mushroom. It contains many microelements and few calories, which makes this product desirable for dietary nutrition. Eating boletus can help regulate blood sugar levels and have a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Despite the fact that boletus is considered edible mushroom, you should be alert with this product and follow safety precautions. Cannot be eaten raw mushrooms or that have undergone insufficient heat treatment.
During collection, it is recommended to put the “finds” in a basket or enamel bucket. It is worth collecting mushrooms only near birch trees and only if you are 100% sure that they belong to the category of boletus. The crop should be processed immediately upon returning home. Boletus mushrooms can be fried, pickled, stewed, frozen and dried for future use.
Edible mushrooms often have inedible look-alikes. So, false boletus is the gall fungus Tylopilus felleus. You can distinguish a false mushroom from an edible one by the color of the cut, which turns red, while the boletus has evenly colored flesh.
Strong boletuses, close relatives, belong to the genus Obabok and are considered mushrooms of excellent quality. As the name indicates, they are in symbiosis with birches, often developing under these trees. However, this does not always happen - various species can be found on the outskirts of swamps, in dry pine forests or in beech groves.
Main types
The best appearance of this group is characterized by a smooth hemispherical cap with a diameter of up to 15 cm. The skin is chestnut with a grayish, black or reddish tint; in young mushrooms it is light. The leg is up to 20 cm high, slender, wide at the base, the surface is dotted with a scaly dark pattern.
The pulp is grayish-white, then gray, does not darken when scrapped, first hard, then soft, porous. Structure in rainy weather spongy. The taste is pleasant, the aroma is mushroom.
A tall mushroom with a very light, almost white convex cap up to 15 cm in diameter. The skin is thin, sometimes greenish or brown. The leg is long, thin, often curved, cap-colored or brownish. The tubes are whitish-cream, then brownish, turning green when pressed.
The pulp is creamy, later with a yellowish-green tint, does not darken when broken, watery, fresh in taste, with a slight mushroom aroma, often odorless.
The fleshy, robust species rarely becomes wormy, and is especially loved by mushroom pickers for this quality. The cap is up to 15 cm in diameter, hemispherical, then convex, concave in older specimens. The skin is first velvety, then smooth, matte, in wet weather - slippery, light chestnut, with a red tint, often with a lilac tint. The leg is up to 15 cm high, cylindrical, thickened in the center, cream-colored, covered with a mesh scaly pattern.
The tubes are creamy and turn greenish-brown where touched. The flesh is tight, white-cream, greenish-yellow at the stem, with a pink tint when the cap is broken, and greenish or blackened when cut at the stem itself. The taste is neutral, the aroma is pleasant, mushroom.
Externally and in culinary use, the species is similar to the common boletus. The cap is variegated - brown with whitish-gray spots and streaks, sometimes the main color is brown, almost black, reaches a diameter of 15 cm. The leg is brown, cylindrical, smooth, green at the base.
The tubular layer is dirty white with a bluish tint and darkens when pressed. The pulp is creamy white, when broken, it acquires a pink tint, and at the stem it turns red or green. The structure is watery, the taste is fresh, the smell is light, mushroom.
The hemispherical cap eventually becomes cushion-shaped and reaches a diameter of 12 cm. The skin is yellowish-brown or brown, often spotted, with light streaks. The leg is low - up to 10 cm, sometimes curved, the surface is light, with a black-brown scaly pattern.
The tubes are creamy and turn pink when pressed. The pulp is firm, light cream, turns pink when cut, and later becomes dark. The smell is insignificant, the taste is simple.
An appetizing mushroom with a round cap up to 15 cm in diameter, which is first hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, and later flat. The color of the skin is in brownish-gray tones - from light gray to brown, olive, black, yellowish in the center at the edges. The surface is velvety, at first wrinkled, then matte, cracked in hot weather, and slippery in damp weather.
The leg is tall – up to 16 cm, thick at the top, the surface is light, darkens when pressed, and is speckled with black scales, which later become brownish. The tubes are white, creamy-gray, and brown or purple when pressed.
The pulp is whitish with a yellow tone. When broken, it acquires a deep pink or red color, later turning black.
Squat appearance with a dark brown cap of hemispherical, then convex shape, up to 10 cm in diameter. The leg is up to 12 cm high, smooth, brown or grayish, abundantly dotted with darker scales. The skin is velvety, then matte, and sticky when damp.
The tubes are large, cream or grayish-white. The pulp is firm, white, and does not darken or turn slightly blue when cut. Mushroom aroma, neutral taste.
How to distinguish boletus from boletus?
Despite their eloquent names, these mushrooms, belonging to the same genus, can settle under aspens, and under birches, and under the canopy of many other trees.
Young mushrooms, especially light-colored species, are difficult to distinguish, and to more accurately determine the species, it is better to look for adult specimens. They are distinguished by the color of the skin, the structure and color of the pulp when broken.
Generally boletus colors more modest, often in gray-brown or brown tones, brighter - their caps are reddish-brown and orange-yellow. However, this difference is not always characteristic - the common boletus and the red boletus are similar in their chestnut-red caps, and both of these species can grow side by side.
An experienced mushroom picker will distinguish boletus according to the structure of the pulp– it is more porous, loose, becomes watery with age and when broken does not darken or change color slightly – it often turns pink.
They are characterized by tight flesh, which quickly becomes colored when cut - turns blue, purple or brown. The fruiting bodies are hard and are not destroyed by heat treatment, and therefore these species are often preferable to boletus mushrooms.
Both mushrooms are edible, have excellent quality and can be safely eaten - they are suitable for drying, pickling and any culinary delights.
Places of distribution and time of collection
Various species are common in temperate climate, in deciduous forests and parks. They live in abundance under birch trees; it is with this tree that mycorrhiza forms the titular species - common boletus. Tight fruiting bodies are found on the edges, clearings and along forest roads. The noble mushroom does not like acidic peat soils, preferring neutral loams or calcareous soils. The collection time is long - from the end of spring until the chilly autumn and the first frosts.
In swampy lowland forests, including on peat bogs, most often under birch trees, myceliums develop marsh boletus. These fragile mushrooms appear in whole clearings, from July until the first frost.
In deciduous and deciduous-coniferous forests under aspen and white poplar you can find quite rare mushroom boletus is a bit harsh. It prefers calcareous soils and appears singly or in small families from July to mid-October.
On the sun-warmed edges and clearings of gloomy mossy forests, under birches and poplars, colorful caps are found boletus variegated. The species settles in small groups or singly; collection time is from July to early autumn.
Found in birch groves and mixed forests boletus turning pink. More often it settles on the outskirts of swamps, on peat soils. This one is stable, but quite rare species forms mycorrhiza with birch and is distributed wherever this tree grows, up to the tundra zone. The harvest takes a short period of time - from August to early October.
Mid-summer and early autumn - harvest time black boletus. Places of growth - damp lowlands of birch and mixed, most often birch-pine forests, the outskirts of swamps and clearings.
In the clearings, edges of beech and hornbeam forests, in poplar, birch and hazel groves, fruitful plants grow in abundance. gray boletus or hornbeam. Fruiting bodies are collected in three waves: the first - during the flowering of rowan - in early summer; the second - in July, after haymaking; the third, autumn - in September-October.
False species and doubles
Tubular mushrooms do not have such dangerous doubles as lamellar mushrooms. And yet, due to inexperience, a very poisonous boletus can be mistaken for a marsh boletus. pale grebe, and the real and pinkish species are confused with gall fungus.
In various deciduous forests - under birches, aspens, beeches, from July to October this poisonous mushroom. The cap is first spherical, then flattened, glossy, light, sometimes with a greenish or olive tint, reaches a diameter of 10 cm. The leg is slender, without scales, with a cuff under the cap, the expanded base is hidden in a kind of pouch near the ground.
The whitish pulp is aromatic, fragile, and tastes sweet. Unlike tubular mushrooms, wide white plates are found under the cap. The species is very poisonous and even a small amount causes severe poisoning, and there is no antidote.
This species is not poisonous, but is not eaten due to its unpleasant, bitter, acrid taste. The cap is hemispherical, up to 15 cm in diameter. The skin is glossy, brownish or light chestnut. The leg is squat, thickened in the middle, with a dark mesh pattern at the top.
The pulp is very bitter, white, and turns pink when cut, reminiscent of pink boletus. In the latter, the tubular layer is creamy and turns pink only when pressed or at a break, while in the gall fungus the tubes are initially bright pink. Found in coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests from mid-summer until frost.
Useful properties
Nutritious boletus mushrooms in dried form are close in calorie content to bread and are significantly superior to many vegetables. But unlike carbohydrate or fatty, energy-rich foods, their calorie content is determined by the presence of proteins, which are a building element of the body and must be present in the diet.
The protein composition is characterized by the presence of essential amino acids - leucine, tyrosine, arginine and glutamine, which are in an easily accessible form and are quickly absorbed.
The pulp is rich in vitamins; thiamine, nicotinic and ascorbic acids, vitamins E and D are significantly present in it. The whole complex the most important microelements - calcium and phosphorus, sodium and potassium, manganese and iron complement this wonderful natural treasury of valuable substances.
These mushrooms are known to act as antioxidants, which reduce the number of free radicals and thus reduce the risk of cancer, slow down the aging process, and strengthen the immune system.
Contraindications
Healthy, tasty boletus mushrooms are among the best edible species, but dishes made from them should absolutely not be eaten by people suffering from gastritis, duodenal ulcers, hepatitis of any etiology, or inflammatory processes in the gallbladder.
Some people may experience individual intolerance, which is characterized by allergic reactions, and with insufficient activity of gastrointestinal enzymes, digestive problems arise, which are expressed by nausea, indigestion, and fermentation processes in the intestines.
Recipes for cooking dishes and preparations
Good strong mushrooms variety of dishes– in roasts and sauces, kulebyaki and pies, pickles and marinades. Useful properties They are perfectly preserved when dried, but only young, tight specimens are suitable for these purposes; old fruiting bodies become watery and dry poorly.
Boletus mushrooms in hot marinade
This delicious, flavorful appetizer is quick to prepare and keeps well.
First of all, prepare the marinade: for 3 liters of water take 600 g of 5% vinegar, 100 g of salt, 120 g of sugar, a little citric acid, spices to taste.
Pre-cleaned mushrooms are boiled in salted water (50 g of salt per 1 liter of water), not forgetting to periodically remove the foam. As soon as the mushrooms have sunk to the bottom, they are ready, they are strained, packaged in jars and boiling marinade is poured on top. The preservation is sterilized for 50 minutes and rolled up.
Boletus mushrooms in tomato sauce
For 3 kg of the finished dish, take 1800 g of peeled and chopped mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar, 600 g of tomato paste, 600 g of water, 120 g of odorless vegetable oil, bay leaf, black peppercorns.
The fruiting bodies are cut into pieces and simmered in vegetable oil until softened and add the tomato diluted with water. The workpiece is heated, salt, sugar, vinegar and spices are added. Mix everything thoroughly, bring to a boil and keep on low heat for 5 minutes. The mass is placed in jars, sterilized for 50 minutes and rolled up.
Boletus mushrooms with vegetables
For this healthy dish, take 1 kg of chopped fruiting bodies, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, 300 g of tomato sauce, flour, vegetable oil, and spices.
Young zucchini and squash are cut into pieces, dipped in flour and fried in oil. The mushrooms are lightly blanched and fried. The tomatoes are divided into four parts and simmered until softened. All ingredients are mixed and poured tomato sauce, salt, pepper and boil until tender. The food is served hot or cold.
Video about boletus mushrooms (boletus mushrooms)
Everyone was successful with boletus mushrooms - beautiful, nutritious, tasty mushrooms, famous for their productivity and long-term fruiting. Knowledgeable mushroom picker will never be left empty-handed and, after a mushroom rain, will easily find stout caps under birches, hornbeams or poplars, notice the sturdy ones peeking out from under the leaves in swampy lowlands and on the edges of light birch groves, and will definitely fill the basket with these fragrant gifts of nature.
Mushroom connoisseurs believe boletus the most delicious mushroom after boletus. The boletus is the closest relative of the white boletus, but the difference is that its flesh turns black when cut and dried. boletus- one of the most valuable and noble mushrooms.
Names of Boletus
among the people boletus called: birch mushroom, black mushroom, aspen mushroom, gray mushroom, grandma, sub-grandmother.
Where does the boletus grow?
Photo: Yandex.Photos (Woodmen19)
boletus found in almost any light deciduous and mixed forests with a predominance of birch (which is how the mushroom got its name).
Boletus flowers are moisture-loving, so the harvest is especially large if summer and autumn are warm and humid. The boletus mushroom does not hide in the grass; it always grows in plain sight in sparse birch forests at the edges, on forest edges, in ravines, in clearings, and along forest belts.
What does the boletus look like?
Depending on the place of growth appearance The boletus is changing. In damp places, on the edges and forest clearings, boletus mushrooms have a gray cap and tall thin whitish legs. There you can also find boletus mushrooms with olive caps. In dry birch groves you can find a mushroom with denser flesh, with a black-brown cap on a thick scaly stalk.
Boletus hat 15-20 cm in diameter, at first convex, hard, but then becomes cushion-shaped.
The color range of boletus caps ranges from gray and olive to dark brown, almost black.
Boletus leg long, up to 15 cm high, up to 3 cm thick, thickened below, with oblong gray, brown or black scales.
Boletus pulp dense, white, may turn slightly pink when cut.
Boletus. Collection time
When do boletus appear?
First Boletus mushrooms appear come into the light at the beginning of summer (as bird cherry blossoms), and grow until October.
All boletus species They are moisture-loving, so in humid and warm summers their harvest is especially large.
How is boletus useful?
Special value of boletus is that they contain a well-balanced protein, including leucine, tyrosine, arginine, and glutamine.
Boletyozovik has a sufficient supply of vitamins - B, C, D, PP and E.
Thanks to dietary fiber Boletus absorbs and then removes various toxins from the body.
Boletus is an excellent antioxidant.
Boletus mushrooms are effective for the treatment of kidney pathologies, nervous system, blood sugar regulation. They are beneficial for the health of the skin and mucous membranes. Due to the large amount of phosphoric acid, which is involved in the construction of enzymes, boletus mushrooms are a valuable product for improving the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
Boletus. Contraindications
In rare cases, boletus mushrooms can cause individual intolerance (idiosyncrasy). And one more thing: it is very important to distinguish the boletus mushroom from the gall mushroom, which is similar to it, but has a burning taste and is considered inedible.
Storing boletus
boletus boiled, fried, dried, pickled, salted. It is better to process mushrooms as quickly as possible. Old boletus mushrooms quickly deteriorate and are not suitable for harvesting.
How to cook boletus mushrooms
boletus not inferior in taste the best mushrooms, for example, white. The only drawback of Boletus is that it darkens with any processing. The color of the mushroom becomes almost black, which does not affect the taste in any way, but may confuse a cook unfamiliar with this property.
How to fry boletus mushrooms
It is believed that Boletus is ideal for frying. Before frying, clean the mushrooms from twigs, grass and soil, and cut off parts of the legs that are rough or eaten away by forest insects. Wormy Boletus You can soak them in salted water, but if the quantity of the harvest allows, use only mushrooms without wormholes.
boletus You don’t have to boil it if you are confident in the ecology of the place where you collected the mushrooms, but you need to rinse it. After cutting the mushrooms, place them in a heated frying pan, do not cover with a lid. The juice should boil over high heat, then add l. oil, onion, salt, pepper to taste. Reduce heat and fry until golden brown.
How long to cook boletus?
The boletus is boiled for about 40 minutes.
Boletus mushrooms can be boiled and served cold with garlic dressing, olive oil and lemon. Cold boiled boletus mushrooms are very good with boiled potatoes with a piece of butter, sprinkled with fresh dill.
How to dry boletus?
Dry boletus Just. It is important that the mushrooms chosen for drying are best quality: No wormholes or damage. Young boletuses are dried whole, threaded through a thread, mature ones are cut into large pieces.
Boletus mushrooms are dried in the open air, but not in the sun if it is very hot, and in a stove or oven if conditions do not allow air drying. Optimal temperature oven - about 50 degrees. To do this, turn on the minimum heat and open the door completely.
Boletus. Interesting facts
The boletus, as in a fairy tale, is growing by leaps and bounds. Its weight increases by almost 10 g per day, and its height by 4-4.5 cm. On the sixth day it reaches the peak of its maturity, and then begins to age. This mushroom lives only about 10 days.