What size is the boletus? Familiar Strangers: The Diverse World of Porcini Mushrooms
The boletus mushroom is familiar to most of our compatriots. It is incredibly tasty and very nutritious, which makes it very popular among gourmets. Experienced and novice mushroom pickers love to go on a quiet hunt in search of this particular wonderful mushroom. It is not difficult to find it in any more or less wild forest. The main thing is to learn to distinguish it from toadstools and poisonous “relatives”. In addition, boletus mushrooms can be grown artificially.
What does boletus mushroom look like?
At the very beginning, it should be explained how the boletus differs from the white one. Strictly speaking, in scientific terminology, “boletus” is a genus of mushrooms, including about three hundred species, among which there are both poisonous and edible. However, in everyday life, only one species is called boletus - porcini mushroom. Therefore, later in the article we will use the term “boletus” as a synonym for “ceps.”
The main difficulty in describing the appearance of this mushroom is that it is very variable. Since the white boletus is found almost everywhere in the forests of the northern hemisphere, its appearance can vary significantly. Some scientists distinguish up to 18 subspecies of boletus depending on color, size and ripening time.
Nevertheless, a generalized description of boletus can be given. This is a fairly large mushroom with the diameter of the cap of a mature specimen ranging from 7 to 30 cm (sometimes up to 50 cm). The shape of the cap is convex, hemispherical. Old mushrooms may have a slightly flattened cap, but almost never an open one.
The skin on the cap is dry (matte or shiny) in clear weather; in damp weather it becomes a little slimy. The skin color ranges from red-brown to beige. Moreover, the older the porcini mushroom, the darker the skin. Sometimes there are lemon yellow, orange and purple color options. The skin fuses with the pulp, so it is impossible to separate it.
The pulp is quite dense, fleshy, and becomes fibrous with age. The color of the pulp of young mushrooms is white, then gradually turns yellow, but still remains light. When describing the boletus mushroom, emphasis is always placed on the fact that the flesh does not change color at the cut site. This is the key distinguishing feature of this mushroom. However, in rare cases, a slight blue or pink discoloration of the incision may be observed. The taste of the mushroom is mild, slightly mushroomy. The raw pulp has almost no smell, but a rich mushroom smell appears during the cooking or drying process.
Even a not very large boletus has a very impressive leg: 7-24 cm long (usually no more than 13) and 5-7 cm thick. It is shaped like a barrel or a mace. With age, the leg elongates, becoming cylindrical with a thickened base. The surface is either much lighter than the cap, or the same color, but a lighter shade. Almost always, the leg is covered with a dense network of light veins, especially pronounced closer to the cap.
The layer of tubes at the bottom of the cap is easily separated from the rest of the pulp and is white in young specimens and yellow or olive green in older specimens. There are never any remnants of a “blanket” on the stem, which is also a very distinctive feature of this mushroom.
In general, we can say that boletus is a beautiful mushroom that is difficult not to notice while walking through the forest.
Despite the fact that every schoolchild knows what a boletus mushroom looks like, inexperienced mushroom pickers can still confuse it with similar inedible and even poisonous mushrooms.
The gall mushroom is most similar to boletus mushroom. According to scientific classification, it is quite far from the porcini mushroom, but in terms of external characteristics it is quite close to it, for which it received the nickname false boletus. The gall mushroom is not poisonous, but due to its very bitter taste it is still impossible to eat. You can distinguish it from boletus by the following characteristics:
- the diameter of the cap rarely exceeds 10 cm, while the white mushroom is usually larger;
- the flesh turns red when cut, which is not typical for boletus;
- since the pulp is very bitter in taste, the mushroom never becomes wormy;
- the mesh pattern is noticeably darker than the main color of the leg (dark brown or even blackish), while in the porcini mushroom the mesh, on the contrary, is lighter.
Another false boletus, the photo of which you see, is a satanic mushroom. He is precisely a close relative of the white one, since he is part of the same genus - “Boroviki”. At the same time, the satanic mushroom is very toxic, so it should not be eaten in principle. In most cases, the Satanic mushroom is easy to identify, but sometimes it can closely resemble a real white mushroom. Main differences:
- The color of the cap is never brown. It is usually white, grayish, or olive drab.
- The flesh of the cap is white and noticeably turns blue or red when cut. In the leg of the inedible boletus, the flesh is initially reddish.
- Old mushrooms have a distinctly unpleasant odor.
- The stem of a young mushroom is ovoid or spherical and never becomes cylindrical with age. Maximum - barrel-shaped or turnip-shaped with a narrowing towards the top.
- The main distinguishing feature is the color of the leg. It is usually red or orange. Moreover, the color of the leg is always more saturated and darker than the color of the cap, while for the porcini mushroom the opposite is true.
White boletus: nutritional qualities and traditions of consumption
The nutritional value of porcini mushrooms is not exceptional. Other edible mushrooms are comparable in composition and nutritional value to boletus, or even superior to it. The value of porcini mushroom lies in its excellent taste and ability to stimulate the digestive system.
Since the boletus boletus is found everywhere in Europe and the northern part of Asia, all the peoples of this natural area have culinary traditions associated with this mushroom. Moreover - an interesting detail. Since we are talking mainly about Christian states, where meat is not allowed during religious fasts, but mushrooms are acceptable, boletus mushrooms have become the main substitute for meat products. Many researchers believe that Europeans developed the habit of eating mushrooms mainly thanks to boletus mushrooms, which replaced meat.
In the countries of Eastern Europe, including Russia, one can even talk about some kind of culinary cult in relation to the porcini mushroom. Unlike Western Europe, where there are few forests left and most people have no idea what boletus looks like, we still have many places where wild mushrooms are abundant. In the pre-industrial era, almost every village family stored tens of kilograms of dried and pickled mushrooms for the winter. And the lion's share of them were boletus mushrooms.
Today in Russian villages they continue to dry and pickle porcini mushrooms, although in much smaller quantities. But in cities where three quarters of the population live, this tradition has practically been abandoned. Of course, yellow boletus is still very popular, but it is eaten mainly fried and boiled. Only a few city residents make small stocks of pickled mushrooms for the winter.
Boletus mushrooms: what dishes can be prepared
If you have young boletus at your disposal, you can use them entirely. But older specimens usually have a rather hard and fibrous stem that is difficult to chew. However, even it can be put to use: dried and ground into powder for use in sauces, or fried/boiled, and then ground in a meat grinder to then be added to soup and gravy.
Since edible boletus species belong to the first category of mushrooms, they can be eaten in absolutely any form, that is, even raw. For example, Italians add raw boletus to salads. But, of course, mushrooms still taste better when fried or boiled.
Since this is not a culinary site, we will limit ourselves to only a general description of several of the most popular recipes:
- Mushroom julienne. Coarsely chopped boletus mushrooms, no matter how small or large they are, are fried with onions in butter until half cooked, and then sour cream and spices are added to them. After this, the lightly stewed sour cream and mushroom mixture is poured into a pot, covered with grated cheese and briefly put in the oven. It can be served as a separate dish or in combination with meat or mashed potatoes.
- Milk and mushroom soup. Finely chopped, grated, or minced mushrooms and potatoes are first briefly stewed in a frying pan while milk and water are boiled in equal proportions. Then the boletus mushroom and several types of vegetables are added to the milk-water mixture, where they are cooked as a milk-mushroom soup. In this case, you can simply add chopped and separately fried mushrooms, as well as a little semolina.
- Buckwheat porridge with porcini mushrooms. Coarsely chopped porcini mushrooms are placed in a frying pan with pre-fried bacon and onions. The mixture is slightly fried and water, buckwheat and spices are added to it. The dish is stewed until the water has completely boiled away. The finished porridge can be softened with a couple of tablespoons of butter.
- Marinated mushrooms. Mushrooms boiled in salted water are poured with a boiled marinade consisting of mushroom juice, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices.
For more details on cooking methods, see boletus video.
Porcini mushroom: growing technologies
Although technologies for growing porcini mushrooms have developed so much that they allow one to obtain more or less stable results, according to reviews, porcini mushrooms are not suitable for commercial cultivation. Taking into account the cost of time and resources, their profitability is much lower than that of conventional crops, and therefore they are of interest only as a hobby for amateur gardeners.
The reasons for the low productivity of porcini mushrooms lie in their strong dependence on trees. Only by establishing a strong symbiosis with the root system of a tree can a mushroom colony produce a good harvest. Thus, in order to get serious results, you need to grow porcini mushrooms either in a garden with a large number of trees, or in groves and forest plantations. The best symbionts for porcini mushrooms are oaks, pines, spruces and birches.
In order to plant boletus or porcini mushroom (there is no difference between them), choose an unshaded, moderately moist area. Moreover, the mushroom must be planted strictly under the same type of tree under which the planting material was collected. It is also important to ensure that hoofweed and ferns do not grow nearby.
In order to get a good harvest of mushrooms in the fall, the planting site must be periodically moistened, avoiding drying out, but also without getting too carried away. Watering is carried out once a week. Beautiful fleshy boletus mushrooms, as in the photo and in the description, will appear at the end of summer.
There are two ways to plant mushrooms - seeds (spores) and mycelium.
We plant boletus with spores (seeds)
Ripe wild mushrooms are used as planting material. Wormy and dried specimens will do just fine. You can determine the appropriate mushroom by breaking the flesh of the cap. If it has a slightly greenish tint, it means the mushroom is ripe for planting.
As follows from the amateur photos and descriptions of boletus, the caps must be thoroughly kneaded until smooth to release as many spores as possible, and soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram per bucket). You should also add a little sugar (5-6 tablespoons) to the water, which will create a nutritious environment. In this form, the mushrooms should stand for several hours, preferably a day.
In the meantime, we are preparing the landing site. It should be about a meter away from the tree, but in a place where many of its roots pass through. Trying not to damage the root system, you need to remove about 15 cm of the top layer of soil. Planting material is poured directly onto the roots at the rate of 300-400 g. for 20-30 sq. cm. Then the planting site is covered with loosened soil and watered abundantly. If the soil in the area itself is wet, 5-6 buckets of water during planting will be enough. If the area is moderately dry, the planting site needs to be watered periodically, but not very abundantly. Simply moistening the surface layer will be enough. If you overdo it with watering, the spores will simply be washed away from the roots, so when watering it is recommended to pour water on the tree trunk.
Sow boletus better at the end of summer, or at the beginning of September, which coincides with the natural cycle of these mushrooms.
Planting mycelium
An alternative method is to plant a “seedling”, which is a fragment of a mycelium dug in the forest.
A shaded area is selected for the landing site, like the boletus mushroom in the photo. On it, about a month before the planned planting, you need to dig a hole 25-35 cm deep and about 2 m wide, which will immediately have to be filled with a nutrient mixture. The mixture is made from fallen oak leaves collected in the spring, rotted oak wood and clean manure (preferably horse manure). The leaves are laid in layers of about 20 cm, between which thin layers of wood and manure are made. The hole filled in this way should be poured with a one percent solution of ammonium nitrate, and after a week it should be completely shoveled, forming a homogeneous mass.
Boletus, which is even more often called, is from the Boletaceae family of the boletus genus. It is especially loved by mushroom pickers because of its size, taste and smell. The people's love and popularity is evidenced by the fact that it has many names: belevik, capercaillie, bebyk, feather grass, reaper. There are about 300 species of boletus, among which there are both and even poisonous ones. We will introduce you to the 10 most common types of boletus, provide their descriptions and photos that will give you an idea of what they look like.
This type of boletus (lat. Boletus aereus) can be found quite rarely in the forests of Western and Southern Europe. Its distribution area is deciduous forests (oak, hornbeam, beech). In France, he is called the head of a black man (probably because of a chocolate cap). In Ukraine - oak mushroom or ruddyak. There this species is even listed in the Red Book. However, as in Norway, Montenegro, Denmark. If you're lucky, you can see this rare species from early summer to October.
Did you know? The largest boletus to date was found in 1961. He weighed over 10 kg, and the diameter of his cap was 57 cm.
The bronze type of boletus has a cap with a diameter of 5-20 cm and a semi-circular shape. Its entire skin is dotted with dark cracks. Its color is bronze with a greenish tint, it can be dark brown and even almost black. When young, its edges are curved, but with age, as the cap takes on a convex shape, it becomes almost even. The tubes on the bottom of the cap are white, turning greenish-yellow with age.
The leg, 9-12 cm long, initially looks like a barrel, later becoming cylindrical. Sometimes it takes the form of a club. Its color is dark brown, but it is much lighter than the cap.
The pulp is white and does not change color when cut. It has a very good mushroom aroma and excellent taste. It is because of these characteristics that gourmets classify it as a very valuable specimen and value it higher than the “king of mushrooms” - the porcini mushroom. It is dried, fried, boiled. 
The oak species (lat. Boletus reticulatus) is also often called summer. It can be found in deciduous forests, mostly under birch, linden, beech, chestnut, and in areas of warm climate zones. It appears early - the first specimens can be found at the end of spring. The end of fruiting occurs in October.
We suggest you learn about what this mushroom from the boletus genus looks like from our short description. The size of the cap can range from 8 to 25 cm. At first it grows in the shape of a ball, then becomes convex. The skin on the cap is dotted with small cracks that form a beautiful mesh pattern. The surface color of the cap is usually light brown. Sometimes there may be lightish spots on it. There are white tubes on the bottom of the cap. Later they become yellowish-green or olive.
The leg grows from 10 to 25 cm. In young mushrooms it resembles a club in shape, in aging mushrooms it is similar to a cylinder. Its color is light brown. Along its entire length it is shrouded in white mesh. Occasionally there is a brown one.
The pulp of the oak species is white. When cut, its color does not change. It has an attractive mushroom smell and slightly sweet taste. The aroma becomes more intense in dried mushrooms.
The oak look is very similar to pine. The only visible difference between them is that the latter has a mesh covering only the upper part of the leg.
The mushroom is used fresh and pickled. 
We continue our review of the most common types of boletus mushroom with a description of the maiden type (lat. Boletus appendiculatus). It has several other names: adnexal, ovary, brown-yellow, shortened. It can be found quite rarely in nature. As a rule, its distribution area is limited to territories located in a warm climate zone, deciduous and mixed forests. It especially likes to grow under oaks, hornbeams, beeches,. Fruits from early summer to early autumn.
You can recognize it by its yellowish, brownish or reddish-brown colored cap. In young specimens it is semi-round, later it becomes convex. In diameter it reaches from 7 to 20 cm.
The leg is cylindrical or club-shaped from 6 to 12 cm in length and from 2 to 3 cm in thickness. In young boletuses it is covered with a net. Yellow over the entire surface, reddish-brown below.
The pulp is yellow. When cut it turns blue. The fruit body is aromatic and tasty.
In appearance, the maiden boletus is similar to the half-white one. They can be distinguished by the fact that the latter has a light yellow-brown cap, the lower part of the stem is almost black, and has a specific smell, reminiscent of carbolic acid. Also, this boletus is similar to the semi-adnexal one, with the only difference being that the latter has white flesh. 
Even a teenager probably knows what a porcini mushroom (lat. Boletus edulis) looks like. This is a large and very tasty representative of the boletus genus, growing in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. Forms mycorrhiza with some. Appears in waves. Its fruiting can be divided into several stages. Fruits most abundantly during the second stage - in mid-July. Fruiting ends in October. In cooking it is used in all kinds of forms.
Did you know? Dried porcini mushrooms are higher in calories than fresh ones. 100 g of freshly picked fruit contains 34 kcal, and the dry product contains 286 kcal..
The species is recognizable by its large hemispherical cap, reaching a diameter of 25 cm. The largest specimens are found with caps measuring 50 cm. Its color is usually whitish, but it can also be dark brown or have a reddish tint - the color of the cap is influenced by growing conditions. Its skin is smooth and velvety to the touch.
The hat is attached to a massive and high stem. It grows up to 20 cm in length and up to 5 cm in width.
The leg has a cylindrical shape, it greatly expands towards the base. Its color is white or light beige. A mesh pattern covers its upper part. Usually most of the leg is hidden in.
When broken or cut, the pulp does not change color, but remains white all the time. It smells faint and has an attractive taste with a nutty note.
Other boletus mushrooms are not so rarely confused with the white species. For example, the common oak and yellow boletus are very similar in appearance.
The porcini mushroom is credited with medicinal properties. In folk medicine, products based on it are used to heal frostbite, for angina pectoris, tuberculosis, to prevent the formation of cancerous tumors and to strengthen the immune system.
Important! The porcini mushroom is disguised as a gall mushroom, which has a bitter taste and is inedible. You can distinguish them by their cap: the lower part of the white one is white, gray, yellowish, while the bilious one has a pinkish tint. If you break the pulp, then the porcini mushroom is white, and the gall mushroom has a pink tint. The latter has a dark mesh pattern on its stem.
Birch boletus (lat. Boletus betulicola) got its name because it forms mycorrhiza with birch trees. It is often found by mushroom pickers in Russia and Western Europe. Grows on forest edges and along roadsides. Can grow in families and alone. Fruits from early summer to mid-autumn.
In young specimens, the caps are cushion-shaped. In older adults it is flat. Its dimensions can be from 5 to 15 cm in diameter. Its color is light: from white-ocher to yellowish. It can be almost white. The top of the cap is smooth, sometimes wrinkled. Its lower tubular part is white in young specimens; later, as it matures, it acquires a light yellow tint.
The leg can have a length from 5 to 12 cm. It is shaped like a barrel - widened at the bottom, narrowed towards the top. The color is white with a slightly brown tint. The upper zone is covered with white mesh.
The pulp is white, and after breaking it remains the same color. Fragrant, with a weakly expressed taste. 
Burroughs boletus (lat. Boletus barrowsii) forms mycorrhiza with conifers and lives mainly in the forests of North America. Usually grows randomly, in small or large groups throughout the summer season.
It has a fleshy cap measuring from 7 to 25 cm in diameter. In young specimens it is round, in older specimens it is flat. Its color can be different - white, yellowish, gray. The lower tubular layer is white; as it matures, it darkens slightly and acquires a yellowish or greenish tint.
The leg is quite tall, grows 10-25 cm in height, 2-4 cm in width. It is whitish in color. The shape is club-shaped. The entire length of the leg is decorated with a whitish mesh.
The flesh of Burrows boletus is dense. Has a rich mushroom smell. It tastes sweetish. Even when cut or broken, its color remains white.
The nutritional value of this mushroom is somewhat lower compared to, for example, the white species - it is classified in the second category. It can be dried, boiled, fried, or pickled. Typically used for making soups, sauces, and side dishes. 
Yellow boletus (lat. Boletus junquilleus) grows in oak and beech forests in Western Europe and some regions of Russia. It bears fruit from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
Its cap is not as large as that of other representatives of the boletus genus - it grows from 4 to 16 cm. Very rarely, specimens with a 20-centimeter cap can be found. Like all boletus mushrooms, it changes its shape over time - at first it is convex, then gradually becomes flat. As the name implies, it is painted yellow. The top of the cap is usually smooth, but can also be wrinkled. The lower part, where the tubes are located, is also yellow. If you squeeze it, the tubes will turn blue.
The leg is of medium length – 4-12 cm, tuberous. Painted yellow. Unlike most boletus mushrooms, it is not covered with a net. Sometimes dotted with scales or brown grains.
The pulp is dense in consistency. It has virtually no odor. Yellow in color. When cut, it changes color to blue.
Yellow boletus is considered to be the second category of mushrooms allowed for consumption. It is mainly used in fresh, pickled and dried forms.
The growing region of the royal boletus (lat. Boletus regius) is limited to Russia. It grows in deciduous forests, mostly beech, on calcareous and sandy soils. Fruits from early summer to early autumn.
The mushroom is very attractive in appearance. It has a bright pink, pink or violet-red cap, which reaches a diameter of 6-15 cm. Its surface is smooth, occasionally dotted with white cracks. In young mushrooms it is convex, then smoothly turns into cushion-shaped and flat. Older representatives of this species have a dent in the center of the cap. The tubes in the lower layer are greenish or yellowish.
The leg grows up to 15 cm in height. It can reach 6 cm in thickness. It is colored yellowish-brown. Its upper part is covered with yellow mesh.
The flesh of the royal boletus is yellow. If you cut it, it will turn blue. Has good aroma and taste. The consistency is dense.
This type is valuable. In cooking it is used fresh and canned. 
The boletus porosporus (lat. Boletus porosporus) is often also classified as a genus of moss mushrooms. Its favorite habitat is deciduous and mixed forests. There they appear from early summer to early autumn.
His hat grows up to 8 cm in diameter. It looks like a pillow or a hemisphere. Its surface is dotted with white microcracks. Its color is dark or gray-brown. Below it is deep yellow. When squeezed, the tubes turn blue.
The leg is of medium length, gray-brown in color. At the base it has a particularly rich color.
The pulp of the porosporous species is white. It is meaty in texture. Delicious, with a fruity aroma. In several sources, this mushroom is classified as conditionally edible.
Important! Among boletuses there are also conditionally edible, inedible and poisonous - for example, wolf's boletus, beautiful-legged, rooted, le Gal, beautiful, pink-purple, pink-skinned, etc. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the color of the mushroom in the gap. Usually inedible, the flesh turns pink, bluish.
Fechtner
Fechtner's boletus (Boletus fechtneri) grows in Russia, the Far East and the Caucasus. It can be found in broad-leaved forests from early summer to early autumn.
It has a hemispherical cap measuring from 5 to 15 cm in diameter. Its surface is silvery-white. The lower tubular layer is yellow. The skin is smooth, but on rainy days it becomes slimy.
The stem of this species is tuberous. It reaches a height of 4-16 cm, a width of 2-6 cm. Its surface is painted yellow, the base is brown. Most often it is covered with a mesh pattern, but it may not be there.
The flesh of this boletus is quite fleshy and elastic. Virtually odorless. Painted white. When cracked, it has a bluish tint.
In terms of taste, this boletus belongs to the third category. It is consumed fresh, salted, pickled. 
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Boletus mushroom can be found anywhere in the world. It grows everywhere: in deciduous and coniferous forests, under pines, oaks, spruces, hornbeams, beeches. For boletus to grow, it requires proximity to trees, since a close connection with their root system is important for the development of the fungus.
Boletus mushroom - an edible and healthy mushroom
Boletus is an edible member of the Boletaceae family. A genus of boletus mushrooms with 300 species, including poisonous mushrooms. Some of the species are classified as delicious mushrooms.
Boletus mushroom is an edible mushroom that grows in all forests.
The appearance of the massive boletus is very well remembered.
- Its deep cap is colored brown.
- The thick leg is covered with a fibrous or scaly mesh. The leg is thickened in the center or middle.
- Boletus may have yellow, red or white pores.
- Initially, the boletus pulp has a white or yellowish tint. When cut, the flesh of the mushroom may turn blue or red.
The photo shows an image of a boletus mushroom.
Its beneficial properties have led to widespread use in medicine. It contains calcium, iron, lecithin, riboflavin, vitamins A, B1, C and D. Tinctures from this mushroom are recommended by traditional medicine for disorders of the nervous system. A powder is made from boletus, which is used to prevent the development of osteoporosis.
Eating boletus improves the condition of nails and hair, increases hemoglobin levels, and normalizes cholesterol levels in the human body. Due to the fact that boletus contains various antioxidants, consumption of this mushroom helps prevent cancer.
What is the difference between the appearance of a porcini mushroom and a boletus mushroom?
The porcini mushroom is a subspecies of boletus. It has the following characteristic features:
- a convex cap of white or light brown color with a diameter of 7 to 30 cm. Sometimes the cap may have a reddish tint;
- a club-shaped or barrel-shaped leg, which may have a whitish or brownish tint;
- The pulp of a young porcini mushroom is white, and with age it acquires a yellow tint. When cut, the color of the pulp does not change.
As can be seen from the description, these two mushrooms are really different from each other. In addition, the boletus mushroom, unlike the porcini mushroom, can reach very large sizes. Some of its representatives can weigh up to 3 kg. Another distinctive feature of boletus is its specific smell of carboxylic acid. During heat treatment it completely disappears.
The boletus mushroom can be found in coniferous forests and is most often popularly called porcini mushroom. This is one of the many species of the Boletaceae family.
The photo of the boletus mushroom shows a massive, stocky stem that holds a thick round cap. Its leg is thickened, smooth or, on the contrary, fibrous, and its cap is velvety or smooth to the touch.
When cut, the boletus is white or yellowish, then gradually turns red, or, rarely, remains white.
How and where does boletus grow?
Boletus can grow in almost any climatic conditions, anywhere in the world. It is possible to meet it alone and in small groups in coniferous and deciduous forests at the base of trees. The porcini mushroom does not like wet surfaces and grows on lichen or moss, usually at the base of mature trees.
Having found one specimen, you need to carefully examine the place where the boletus mushroom grows - most often, its fellow mushrooms are nearby.
Growing a mushroom at home on your own is accessible and relevant, but this will require a lot of effort, patience and providing it with suitable conditions for growth and reproduction.
It is necessary to first plant trees on the site (spruce, birch or pine), since the boletus is closely related to their roots.
Breeding is available in the following ways:
- The caps of mature specimens are cut into small slices and mixed with moist soil, then laid out under the tree.
- Carefully dug out mycelium from the forest, place it in recesses under the trees and cover it with forest soil on top. The planted mycelium must be watered moderately regularly.
- Finely chop the boletus and soak in water for 24 hours, then strain thoroughly. The remaining infusion, which contains the spores, is evenly poured under the roots of the trees.
Regular watering and proper planting will help you get a harvest the following year: first the mushroom appears alone, then in groups of several at once.
Popular types of boletus mushroom
There are approximately 300 species in the boletus genus, almost all of them are edible:
- Birch mushroom (white). The skin of the cap is either smooth or has wrinkles; when cut, it remains light in color. A thick, barrel-shaped leg of a light brown color with a white mesh at the top.
- Oak mushroom can be collected over a long period of time (from May to October) in mixed forests. Its cap has a velvety structure and is brown or yellow in color. The leg is stocky and smooth to the touch.
- The maiden boletus can have a brown or red cap with a maximum diameter of 18 centimeters. The leg is usually lighter than the cap, its lower part is pointed.
The value of boletus
Of all the mushrooms, boletus is considered the king - not only attractive, but also the most delicious and healthy species. Its flesh is firm, aromatic with a sweet aftertaste. Its benefit lies in its high protein content, so its composition is equal to meat, but its calorie content is quite low - about 30 kcal.
The mushroom has tonic, healing and antibacterial properties, in addition to vitamins A, B and C.
Medicine successfully uses this product in the fight against tuberculosis, increasing the body's metabolism as a whole, and even in the treatment of ulcers. You can prepare boletus in any available way: fry, marinate, stew and dry.
It is important to know that boletus is capable of absorbing toxic chemical elements, so it should be collected away from industrial enterprises and in a forest belt located away from the roadway.
It is contraindicated for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver.
Rules for preparing boletus
It is recommended to soak the collected porcini mushrooms in cold water for 60 minutes to separate out unnecessary forest debris. Then thoroughly clean them of dirt and cut off any damaged areas. It is better to immediately cut the boletus into slices to check internal cleanliness and rot.
Usually, mushroom pickers dry boletus mushrooms, since this procedure preserves as much as possible all the beneficial properties, which are successfully used in the prevention and treatment of many diseases.
You can dry the crop:
In the traditional way - in the oven at + 50 degrees, placing their slices on parchment for about 7 hours.
It is important to do this with the oven door slightly open, so the mushrooms will not release excess juice when heated.
In a microwave oven, which is set to a power of up to 180 W for 20 minutes. This procedure should be repeated three times, with intervals for mixing and airing the product.
They are stored for quite a long time and, unlike their counterparts, retain their color and aroma. The photo shows a dry boletus.
To store dried mushrooms, it is better to choose a dry, ventilated place where a constant temperature is maintained in order to avoid mold and moisture in the product. It is better to keep them in a cardboard box or paper bag throughout the entire year of storage.
Photo of boletus
The porcini mushroom, boletus (also known as the royal mushroom or the king of the forest) is valued by lovers of “silent hunting” for the pleasure that can be obtained in the process of collecting it. Housewives love it for its extraordinary taste properties and the variety of dishes to which it is able to convey its unique taste. The porcini mushroom is not alone, it has a large family, many relatives, united into a whole species. How then can you determine, without making a mistake, whether this is the copy you need? And how to distinguish a false mushroom from a real one? To figure out what this mushroom looks like and how to identify it, a description will come to the rescue.
The cap and stem of the porcini mushroom, the fruiting body, are fleshy, dense, and large. The size of the upper part ranges from 6 to 25 cm. In young people it resembles a hemisphere, in mature ones it is more flattened. The surface can be different: wrinkled, smooth, velvety; at high humidity it becomes covered with a light layer of mucus.
The hymenoflor (the layer under the cap containing pores) usually easily detaches from the mass of the upper part. Spores can be of different shapes, colors and sizes. What the color of the crown will be depends on the forest in which the mushroom grows:
- in the oak forest the cap is pale, whitish;
- in pine it is dark brown;
- in spruce it is almost black;
- in deciduous light.
The leg (4 to 10 cm high, 2-5 cm in diameter) has a thickening in the middle or downwards. The surface is covered with a relief mesh pattern, less often with dots. The flesh of the mushroom may be yellow, turning blue when cut.
Why is the porcini mushroom called white?
There is no clear explanation for why it is called white and the time of origin of the name. In the old days, the concept of “mushrooms” included all edible representatives of this genus. Dahl's dictionary provides an interpretation of “white”, contrasted with “black”, less valuable tubular ones.
The next variant of the origin of the designation can be considered the property of the porcini mushroom to retain color: when frying, boiling, being dried or pickled. By the way, if you know the recipe, you can prepare them for the winter and enjoy the taste in the cold. The ability of the mushroom to sometimes remain white when cut without turning blue can also be considered the reason it received this name.
What is the difference between boletus and white
In the generally accepted systematization, these are different types of the boletus genus. Each of them grows exclusively under its own tree (spruce, oak, birch). However, in the domestic organization of concepts, the translation of the word boletus as boletus has been established, which introduces confusion into the concepts, since “boletus” means “a white mushroom growing in a forest,” that is, in a pine forest.
Boletus and white are two names for the same fruit. If you want to know how the boletus mushroom differs from the white one, the difference is in the color of the crown (in the boletus mushroom it is more saturated with shades from red to chocolate), and the habitat - the white mushroom can grow in dense thickets, clearings, clearings, and edges.
Types of porcini mushrooms
There are many types that differ depending on the color and the places in which porcini mushrooms grow:
- reticulate;
- Polish boletus mushroom.
Turning blue
Also called “powdered flywheel”. The upper part is small, up to 5 cm, curved. The bright yellow hymenoflora instantly turns blue at the break. The leg is up to 7 cm high, yellow in color with red-brown dots-patina, does not exceed 2 cm in width, the trama (fleshy part) is brown-yellow, turning blue when broken. It grows mainly on sandstones from June to September.
Bronze
The upper part is from 7 to 17 cm in diameter, knocked down, at first convex, flattening as it develops. The outer layer is smooth, gradually straightening at the edges, and over time, notches and depressions appear on it. The surface layer is not covered with mucus.
The hymenoflor, attached to the stem, is whitish, light gray, then changes to pale yellowish, cream and olive-yellow with a brownish tint; when pressed, it darkens rather than turns blue. The lower part is elongated, rounded, thickening downwards.
This species grows in deciduous forests from Spain to Western Ukraine, Sweden, and North America.
Rooted
It also has other designations:
Due to its bitter taste, it is inedible, although not poisonous. The top reaches 20 cm, has the shape of a hemisphere, turning into a pillow-shaped one; the folded edges straighten as they grow. The tubes of depressed hymenoflora are lemon-yellow, turning blue when cut. The supporting part reaches 8 cm in length, 5 cm in diameter, resembles a tuber in appearance, and stretches out with age, leaving a thickening only at the bottom.
Prefers the warmth of deciduous forests, forms mycorrhiza (symbiosis) with oak and birch.
Pine
The same boletus. The color of the crown varies from white, dark red to yellow and brown. It itself reaches 30 cm, rarely – 50 cm. The lower part grows to 16 cm.
This representative forms mycorrhiza with pine, spruce, as well as beech, chestnut, and hornbeam. Prefers sandstones, bears fruit in groups from mid-June to mid-October, sometimes after the first frost.
Reticulate
Also called oak tree. The defining feature is a clear mesh along the entire short leg. It has a large velvety straw-ochre, whitish-cream with the possible presence of small cracks and scales in the center of a hat 5-15 cm, sometimes 20 cm in diameter, as if worn on a thick stocky leg.
The ocher color of the hymenophore intensifies with age, reaching a dirty olive color. The leg injury may be red. Although it contains toxic substances, the mushroom is edible, since they are destroyed during heat treatment, but combined use with alcohol is not recommended. Grows in the mountains of the Caucasus and Crimea.
Woody
Woody, or birch, grows in forests mixed with this tree. The top is light brown, brownish or sandy. The leg is at first thick, ovoid, then elongated, thickening downwards. Large specimens may resemble boletus mushrooms.
Rose gold
Poisonous. Context (or trama) is yellow, fleshy, tasteless and odorless, turns blue when cut. The leg is first ovoid, then club-shaped, from 5 to 12 cm in height and 3-5 cm in thickness, covered with a mesh. The cap is yellow-brown, slightly pink or reddish; velvety, dry, matte and darkening over time.
Polish
Also called: moss, chestnut, pansky, brown. The crown, measuring from 5 to 15 cm in diameter, resembles a chestnut in color and shape, round and brown, although reddish tones are also possible. The tubes are initially whitish, turning olive-yellow and turning blue when pressed. The whitish or yellowish trama turns blue when cut, has a pleasant aroma and a slight sour taste.
How to look for porcini mushrooms
If you don’t know how to look for porcini mushrooms in the forest, pay attention to the soil: sandstones, sandstones and loams; they “choose” this kind of soil, avoiding peat bogs and swamps. Their neighbors are pine, Siberian cedar, birch, beech, and hornbeam. Moreover, the age of coniferous trees must exceed 50 years, and deciduous trees 25.
Growth most often occurs “in families” from 5 to 40 pieces not far from each other. But not only the trees with which they create symbiosis can indicate the possible location of these fruits. Frequent neighbors of porcini mushrooms:
- red fly agarics;
- morels;
- anthills;
- white grass
If the summer is wet, then boletus mushrooms can be found on warm and dry hills, clearings, edges, and when there is no rain - under trees in thick grass. Until what month can you pick porcini mushrooms? Usually from mid-June to the end of September.
When the difference between day and night temperatures is significant, the weather is rainy, mushrooms grow poorly. At what temperature should you look for them? Optimal – from +15°C to +20°C with low humidity.
How quickly does porcini mushroom grow after rain? The day after rain (not a downpour or a lingering cold one) development begins. It is important that the mycelium, located at a depth of 5-10 cm, is well moistened. And then, from about 5 days, the firstborns appear against the background of warm temperatures.
How long does it take for porcini mushroom to grow? It usually grows to medium size in 5 days and then continues to grow for about 2 more weeks.
Beneficial properties of porcini mushroom
This mushroom is loved not only for its amazing taste. Its beneficial properties of porcini mushroom allow it to be used for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Borovik:
- has an antitumor effect;
- activates the production of gastric juice better than meat broths;
- is a barrier against cholesterol deposition on the walls of blood vessels;
- the amino acid ergothioneine is very important for vision and internal organs;
- helps in the treatment of frostbite;
- supports the body during angina pectoris;
- source of proteins;
- partially prevents neoplasia;
- increases vitality.
Dangerous doubles of porcini mushroom
False mushrooms can be found in the same places as edible ones. They also grow in groups, sometimes in large numbers next to the real ones, which is where the danger lies.
Gall mushroom or mustard
This dangerous double of the porcini mushroom belongs to the genus Tilopilus and looks very similar to the boletus mushroom. Grows on heated sandstones, loams, fertilized with fallen pine needles. Outwardly it resembles a young oak tree, but the hymenoflor is colored pink, often visible only at the break, or a dirty white hue.
How to distinguish a false white mushroom from a real one? The difference is the bitter taste, which is enhanced by heat treatment. When pickling, the bitterness is overcome by vinegar; when soaked, it disappears. However, it is not recommended to eat it due to the content of toxic substances that settle in the liver and can cause cirrhosis. Toxins easily penetrate the bloodstream through tactile contact or a bitterness test.
Satanic mushroom
Another dangerous double from the Bolet family. It grows on limestone soils in forests with linden, oak, beech, hazel, and chestnut, forming a symbiosis with them. The crown of the inedible boletus is flatter in shape, 10-20 cm, dry, dense, buffy-pale. The context is white, slightly bluish at the break. The barrel-shaped lower part reaches 10 cm in height and 6 cm in width, has red shades in the crown zone.
This specimen is poisonous or conditionally edible, since the toxicity disappears after ten hours of soaking and subsequent heat treatment, without which consumption leads to severe poisoning or death.
