Boletus mushrooms: description of types and cooking options. Common boletus Message about the boletus mushroom in biology

Picking mushrooms is an extremely exciting activity, but at the same time difficult. Unexpected difficulties and sometimes dangers await a beginner (and sometimes an experienced) mushroom picker in the forest, the main one of which may be an encounter with poisonous mushrooms. Today we will tell you about boletus. Perhaps someone does not know that this edible mushroom has a double - this is the false boletus mushroom.

Boletus "common"

Today there are more than 40 varieties of boletus. The following types are most often found in our country:

"ordinary";
"grey";
"harsh";
"turning pink";
"multi-colored"

All these varieties live in close proximity to birch, but many mushrooms feel great next to poplar or aspen. Most often, they take root in places well-warmed by the sun, but the soil should always remain slightly moist.

The common boletus has a red-brown cap with a slightly slimy, smooth surface. In dry and hot weather it shines. In young mushrooms it is in the shape of a convex hemisphere. Mature mushrooms are covered with a pillow-shaped cap. It reaches 15 cm in diameter. The pores under the cap of young mushrooms are colored creamy, while those of mature ones are grayish. The stem of the mushroom sometimes reaches 17 cm in height and about four centimeters in diameter, cylindrical in shape, widening towards the bottom. The leg is covered with brownish scales. The pulp is pure white and does not have any specific odor.

Boletus "black"

This variety is distinguished by its dark brown and sometimes black cap and dense stem, which is covered with small black scales. "Black" boletus is most often found in damp, wetlands.

Boletus "turning pink"

This mushroom has an ocher-colored cap, an off-white stem covered with darker-colored scales, and dense flesh that turns pink when cut.

Boletus "swamp"

It has a whitish-cream, sometimes with a bluish or greenish tint, a hemisphere-shaped cap, a thin gray leg covered with whitish scales, and watery pulp.

These types of boletus mushrooms belong to category II edible mushrooms. They keep well. When dried, they become almost black, which does not affect their taste. These mushrooms are usually fried, boiled or pickled.

Edible boletus contains about 35% protein, which is enriched with various amino acids. They contain a huge amount of vitamin PP and other micro- and macroelements.

What does a false boletus look like?

The mushroom, which looks very similar to boletus, can often be found in forests in various regions of our country. Today, many manuals for mushroom pickers are published, in which you can find a description of the gall mushroom (also known as false boletus). Its photo shows a striking resemblance to an edible mushroom. Therefore, it is quite difficult to recognize. It grows mainly on loamy soils and sandstones, covered with a thick layer of fallen pine needles.

We have already mentioned that false boletus has a second name - gall. This is explained by the fact that its pulp has an unusually bitter taste. The false boletus has a gray stalk with rowan ash, the same color and shape of the cap as the edible mushroom, which successfully imitates the true boletus. A small piece of this “double” is enough to spoil the bitter taste of a pan of real boletus mushrooms. It will be impossible to eat such a treat. After cooking, the already very bitter and unpleasant taste becomes more pronounced.

And yet it is possible to identify the deceiver. The method is quite simple, somewhat unpleasant, but very effective. If you have any doubts about the picked mushroom, touch its tubular surface with the tip of your tongue. This does not threaten poisoning, but the feeling of bitterness will be a reason to throw such a find away.

We would like to warn you right away that doctors do not recommend this method of testing. They claim that after a while the mushroom picker will feel slightly dizzy, and direct contact with the skin will allow toxins to enter the internal organs. Therefore, you need to learn to visually identify your double.

False boletus: signs

Almost every edible mushroom has poisonous counterparts. The boletus is no exception. Beginning mushroom pickers are often interested in what signs a false boletus mushroom can show.

First, carefully examine the find: because of the terrible bitterness, even insects and worms do not eat the false boletus. Therefore, if the mushroom does not have the slightest speck, this should alert you.

The false boletus, a photo of which you can see in our article, has a cap with a velvety surface, while the real boletus has an absolutely smooth surface. Although the place where the mushroom grows can change its appearance, color and texture - they can become dry and smooth, a little velvety or moist, even in hot and dry weather. The wet caps of mature false mushrooms lose their shape when touched.

A real boletus has a thin stem or slightly thickened towards the bottom. Its cap is no more than 18 cm in diameter. The false mushroom is most often massive and does not have veins in the form of tubes. At a more mature age, it develops a tuberous stem, then the cap straightens and takes on the shape of a saucer.

The gall fungus often grows in places unusual for boletus mushrooms: in oak groves or deciduous forests, near rotten stumps and in ditches.

In real boletus, spots are clearly visible on the leg, reminiscent of the pattern on the trunk of a birch tree. If it is missing, discard your find. On the stem of the false boletus you can see veins that resemble thin blood vessels.

False boletus has a red-greenish or bright brown cap. If you find a green color on it, eating such a mushroom is strictly prohibited. Edible boletus cannot have such flowers. Pay attention to the bottom of the cap. In the gall mushroom it is pinkish, while in the edible mushroom it is pure white.

Poisoning

There is an opinion among experienced mushroom pickers that false boletus is not eaten because of its incredible bitterness. Poisoning by this mushroom has not been proven by scientists. Or rather, they cannot come to a common opinion. Some experts claim that the bitterness of false boletus is not dangerous to humans. Others are sure that its pulp contains toxins that can be absorbed into the blood even when touching the mushroom. After this, they gradually penetrate into the internal organs, destroying them.

Therefore, when going on a quiet hunt, study well edible mushrooms and their counterparts. To avoid unpleasant consequences, do not collect mushrooms that cause the slightest suspicion in you.

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, based on the classification of certain characteristics, scientists distinguish the genus Obabok (Latin name Leccinum, Leccinum), which has about 25 representatives under the common names boletus and boletus.

Did you know? For a long time, scientists could not come to a consensus on the question of whether mushrooms belong to the animal or plant world. 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 coniferous 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 of boletus. On the territory of the former USSR, in the temperate climate zone, about ten varieties of obabka grow, suitable for 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 fish is thick, massive, cylindrical, at an early age covered with numerous small scales, which 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 is known, is a tree of the birch family, with which this species 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 a 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 with a sharp knife as close to the ground as possible, or carefully “unscrewed” like a screw in 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 the temperate climate of the entire northern hemisphere of the continent; they 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 often found in beech forests mixed with hornbeam, poplar forests, and sometimes on the edges of birch trees.

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 are 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 has a pink or dirty pink tint (unlike the “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, during a quiet hunt, to confuse the false boletus mushroom with an ordinary high-quality mushroom. The good news: the main drawback of 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.

Beneficial features

Nutritional value against the background of low calorie content is the main advantage of mushrooms, which allows them to be used in various diets intended for overweight people, as well as patients with diabetes. 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. For 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 (we do not mean mushroom poisons, but rather nitrates and other industrial wastes), 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 are sorry to destroy the beauty of the little elastic handsome man, you can leave him whole. There is no need to throw away wormy specimens. Soak them for a couple of hours in cold water, adding table salt 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).

Of course, we are talking 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 the absolute safety of forest 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 add 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 amazing predator, like in a Hollywood horror film, slowly devours and digests a worm caught in a trap within 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 the negative qualities of this type of product is 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. Wild mushrooms cannot be stored even in the refrigerator, otherwise you have every chance of getting serious intestinal poisoning. 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, filled with clean water and refrigerated. 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 for 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.

5 once already
helped

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, wasp mushroom, gray mushroom, grandma, subgrandmother.

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, along forest belts.

What does the boletus look like?

Depending on the place of growth, the appearance of boletus mushrooms changes. 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 treating kidney pathologies, the nervous system, and regulating blood sugar. 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 They are not inferior in taste to the best mushrooms, for example, white mushrooms. 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 a dressing of garlic, 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 of the best quality: without 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. The optimal oven temperature is 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.

The common boletus is a capped sponge mushroom belonging to the Boletaceae family, the genus Obabok. It is also called birch grass and birch grass. This is an edible mushroom.

The Latin name of the mushroom is Leccinum scabrum.

The shape of its cap is first hemispherical, then becomes cushion-shaped. Its diameter reaches 15 centimeters. The surface of the cap is thin felt or bare, and in damp weather mucus appears on it. The color of the cap varies from dark brown to light gray. Obviously, the color is influenced by the growing conditions of the fungus and the type of tree under which it has settled.

The flesh of the common boletus is white; when broken, it may turn slightly pink or not change color. The pulp emits a pleasant mushroom aroma, and its taste is also good. In older specimens, the flesh becomes watery and too spongy.

Under the cap there are long tubes, often combined. The tubes are easily separated from the cap. The color of the tubes is white when young, and later becomes dirty gray. The color of the spore powder is olive-brown.

The leg of the common boletus is long and quite thick, its height reaches 15 centimeters, and its girth reaches 3 centimeters. The inside of the leg is solid; with age it becomes hard and woody. It is cylindrical in shape, somewhat widened at the bottom. The surface of the leg is gray-white with longitudinal dark scales.

Places where common boletus grows.

Common boletus bears fruit from summer to late autumn. The habitat is deciduous forests, preferably birch. They also grow in mixed forests.

In certain years, common boletus is quite abundant. In spruce plantings that contain birch trees, they can be found in surprising quantities. Good fertility of common boletus is also observed in young birch forests. Among other commercial mushrooms, boletus mushrooms are one of the first to be found in birch forests.

In some years they grow in huge quantities, and sometimes they almost disappear. In the 90s, in the Naro-Fominsk region, common boletus mushrooms were the most common type of mushroom, and then for unknown reasons they disappeared almost completely.

Evaluation of the edibility of common boletus.

The common boletus is considered a normal edible mushroom. Certain foreign sources indicate that only the caps should be used for food, since the stems are too tough. But our mushroom pickers prefer to cook these mushrooms completely, since their caps are gelatinous, but their legs are dense. The tubular layer of old specimens should be removed.

In terms of taste, boletus mushrooms are in second place after porcini mushrooms. But boletus mushrooms differ in that after heat treatment they darken. If the mushrooms are soaked in a 0.5% citric acid solution, this deficiency will be eliminated.

Mushroom connoisseurs use boletus mushrooms to prepare a wide variety of dishes. Common boletus mushrooms are great for frying, boiling, pickling, and they can also be dried for future use. They are great for making fillings for pies, rolls, and pizza. Sauces and gravies are prepared from dried boletus mushrooms.

There are many delicious and healthy dishes made from boletus mushrooms: julienne with cream, solyanka, stew, puree soups, roast with onions and potatoes. Boletus mushrooms go well with various spices: dill, cloves, garlic, black pepper. They are also compatible with sour cream, butter, sunflower and olive oil.

Vegetarians actively use the dietary properties of common boletus mushrooms. Dishes made from boletus mushrooms are included in the diet. They replace meat, but their caloric content is lower. If you need to get rid of excess weight, then it is important to combine boletus mushrooms with the right products. Root vegetables and vegetables are suitable as a side dish.

During heat treatment, boletus mushrooms release a harmful substance called chitin, which has a negative effect on digestion; therefore, it is more beneficial to consume dried fruiting bodies.

How to choose and store common boletus mushrooms correctly.

Old and overgrown specimens should not be collected, since only young fruiting bodies are useful. Choose small mushrooms. They should have dense and elastic flesh.

You can store boletus mushrooms in several ways: dry, freeze, salt and pickle. This allows you to use mushrooms throughout the year. When stored in the refrigerator, boletus mushrooms are placed in a container without a lid, so they can last for about 5 days.

Similarity of common boletus with other mushrooms.

There are many species of boletus in the family, and in appearance they can be very similar. Boletus mushrooms differ from boletus mushrooms in that their flesh does not change when broken, while in boletus mushrooms it turns blue. These groups of mushrooms are distinguished in this way, but there is no point in such a classification, since they are edible.

It is more useful to know how to distinguish common boletus mushrooms from gall mushrooms. The gall mushroom has a disgusting taste, you can’t get poisoned by it, but you can’t eat it either. You can recognize the gall fungus by its pinkish colored tubes, the mesh pattern of the stem and the textured “greasy” pulp. In addition, gall fungi prefer to settle near ditches, around stumps, and in dark conifers.

Useful properties of common boletus.

The pulp of common boletus contains substances that are beneficial to the body. The composition of these substances is well balanced. In terms of the amount of vitamins, boletus mushrooms are not inferior to beef and veal; they contain vitamins A, B1, 2, 9, C, E, D and PP. They also contain magnesium, potassium, iron, cobalt, sodium, manganese, zinc and phosphorus, despite the fact that they are 90% water. In addition, ordinary boletus contains fats, monosaccharides, disaccharides, fiber and healthy acids.

Common boletus stimulates blood circulation and strengthens the heart muscle. These mushrooms are considered a dietary product, as they are low in calories, and in addition they remove toxins. They are very useful for those who want to lose weight, as they cleanse the intestines and destroy fat cells.

Also, common boletus mushrooms have wound-healing properties. They have a tonic effect. In addition, they stimulate the activity of the thyroid gland and increase the immune properties of the body. The big advantage of boletus is that it inhibits cancer cells.

With regular consumption of common boletus, blood vessels are cleansed, the activity of the nervous system and kidneys is normalized, and sugar and cholesterol levels are reduced. These mushrooms are excellent antioxidants. Boletus also improves the condition of the blood, musculoskeletal system and bone marrow. Due to the fact that they stimulate cell renewal, these mushrooms have a rejuvenating effect.

Use of boletus in cosmetology.

They have a positive effect on the condition of the skin and mucous membranes. In folk medicine, boletus mushrooms are dried, made into a paste and used as an anti-inflammatory and smoothing agent. Aqueous solutions help in the treatment of skin diseases, wounds and ulcers. Rinse your hair with a decoction of boletus mushrooms. And baths help strengthen nails. Masks made from pulp improve skin elasticity, tone and rejuvenate it.

Contraindications for the use of common boletus.

This product is not recommended for those with individual intolerance. They should also not be given to children under 12 years of age. Boletus mushrooms should be used with caution for diseases of the liver, kidneys and stomach. Old fruiting bodies can be hazardous to health.

The boletus mushroom is widely eaten and grows in different climatic conditions. It has excellent taste properties in various preservation options.

This is the closest relative of the porcini mushroom, differing from it by grayish or black small scales on the stem.

Experienced mushroom pickers, after collecting and drying, carefully look at the condition of the cut on the mushroom. If it darkens over time, this means that the mushroom is edible.

Where and when do boletus grow?

The name of the fungus is associated with the formation of microrhiza with birch, and occasionally with aspen or pine. Therefore, wherever there are birch groves or individual trees mixed with other species, this type of mushroom can grow.

To find boletus in the forest, you must remember that this mushroom does not like direct sunlight. It hides in bushes, tall grass or under a layer of fallen leaves.

Therefore, to find young individuals, you need to look closely. Or rake up grass and dry leaves with a stick.

Boletuses appear around July and continue to grow into the autumn months. Rainy summers may cause mushrooms to appear earlier.

According to observation, each individual gains 4 cm in height per day. 6 days after emergence it becomes too old to eat. Therefore, mushroom pickers try to go into the forest the next morning after rain in search of young boletus mushrooms.

What does boletus look like?

Poisoning from poisonous mushrooms can be fatal due to the highly toxic substances they produce. Therefore, a novice mushroom picker should remember the main characteristics of the mushroom they need: the cap can reach 15 cm in diameter and its color can range from gray to black, including spotted and gray-brown.

The legs of the boletus necessarily have thickenings and scales. The tubular layer of the mushroom depends on age: from white in young growth to dirty brown in mature ones. The flesh of the mushroom is white or pale pink without a pronounced taste or smell.

Anyone who goes into the forest for the first time needs to take a photo of boletus mushrooms so that, in case of doubt, they can visually compare the found individual with the sample.

Depending on the area, the boletus may have a slightly different appearance. For example, in humid deciduous forests, boletus mushrooms are considered to be mushrooms with a thin stalk of olive or brown color.

In dry forests they have thick, scaly legs. In these cases, edibility is determined by the dense and aromatic pulp. Separately, the marsh boletus is distinguished with greenish caps, on thin legs with watery pulp.

Types of mushrooms of the Boletaceae family

Where does such external diversity of boletus come from? There are several varieties of this mushroom:

The cap of the common boletus has a semi-convex shape. The leg is whitish, cylindrical, with pronounced scales, 4 cm in diameter and 17 cm in length, at the point of cut it begins to turn pink.

The gray boletus has an alternative name: hornbeam. Its cap is brown in color, and the yellowish flesh, when broken, begins to turn blue (to a violet hue) and then turn black. Longitudinal fibers are clearly visible on the stem.

The marsh boletus, which loves damp places, is distinguished by a brown cap and a light-colored leg. To test the mushroom for edibility, break the stem: it should not turn blue.

Despite their bright color (from pink to bright orange and brown), multi-colored boletus mushrooms are not very popular among mushroom pickers. The reasons for this are the not very pleasant taste and difficulties in preparation.

The black boletus stands out among its relatives due to its corresponding color. Large tubes in the porous layer and black scales on the legs are its distinctive features.

Properly prepared black boletus will be a worthy decoration for any table.

Pink boletus is found in North America and Europe. So named for the peculiarity of the pulp, which begins to turn pink in fracture zones.

The white boletus is distinguished by the corresponding cap color and creamy flesh. This species is so unpretentious that it can be grown in the garden.

Stiff boletus grows in mixed forests. It is distinguished by a cap in a palette from gray to pale purple on a high stem. This species is loved by mushroom pickers, since the tough flesh is not very attractive to worms. And the sweetish taste of the mushroom makes it an excellent addition to the dinner table.

To navigate such a variety of boletus mushrooms, the mushroom picker needs to take into account some features.

Firstly, it is necessary to take into account the area and what types of mushrooms grow there. Secondly, it wouldn’t hurt to take a photo of the boletus mushroom with you, so as not to confuse the edible mushroom with its double.

Benefits of boletus

In addition to pickling, these mushrooms are fried, pickled or dried. They are used as an addition to a side dish, an appetizer on a holiday table, or an ingredient in soup.

Due to the presence of vitamins and nutrients, boletus mushrooms can help regulate blood sugar and eliminate toxins, improve skin and hair, and calm the nervous system.

And due to their low calorie content, these mushrooms are considered a dietary product.

However, too frequent consumption of mushroom dishes is contraindicated, since due to their slow absorption, a person may experience problems with the gastrointestinal tract. And in order to preserve the beneficial properties of the product, mushrooms should not be stored in galvanized containers.

How to identify false boletus

In conclusion, let’s consider an important question for a novice mushroom picker: how to distinguish a real boletus from its double?

To avoid mistakes, you should remember a few simple rules. Firstly, boletus flowers do not like light. If you see a similar mushroom growing in an open place, this is already a reason for doubt.

Secondly, false boletus usually tastes bitter, so worms do not eat them. Examine the mushroom. If it is perfectly clean, with veins on the legs in the form of blood vessels, then most likely you are holding an inedible mushroom in your hands.

Thirdly, a proven way to determine whether it is a real boletus or not is to break the cap. Here the false mushroom will immediately give itself away, starting to noticeably turn blue. And if after this action the flesh has practically not changed, feel free to put the mushroom in the basket.