Types of boletus and boletus: obabka mushrooms and their photos. False boletus: photos, signs, what it looks like

You can also see what the boletus mushroom looks like: photos and descriptions will allow you to create a complete impression of it.

There are different types of boletus mushrooms, they can differ mainly in color and places of growth. There are no taste or organoleptic differences. This article will help you understand where boletus mushrooms grow - instructions are given for each species.

In the meantime, we invite you to see what the boletus mushroom looks like in the photo, illustrating the richness of the mushroom species:

Boletus mushroom in the photo

White boletus mushroom and its photo

The white boletus mushroom is edible, its cap is up to 3-8 cm, at first hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex. Fleshy, smooth, white or slightly creamy, sometimes with a bluish tint. The surface of the cap is matte, moist in the rain, but not slimy. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is initially white, then soft light grey. The leg is 6-12 cm long, 1-3 cm thick, at first dense, later hard or even woody, white or light gray, covered with many whitish-brownish scales. The pleasant-tasting pulp is white or slightly greenish; when cut, it does not change color and turns slightly gray.

Look at this boletus mushroom in the photo and continue to study the description:

White boletus mushroom
White boletus mushroom

Grows in marshy areas, in mosses. Forms mycorrhiza with birch.

It is similar to the inedible gall mushroom (Tyophillusfelleus), but it is bitter, harder with white, pinkish flesh.

White boletus, or bog boletus, is one of the best edible mushrooms; it is superior to the porcini mushroom in terms of digestible protein content. It worms faster than other mushrooms.

Elm boletus mushroom in the photo

The mushroom is edible. Description of the boletus mushroom: cap up to 4-10 cm, initially hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex, with a wrinkled-tubercular matte surface. Fleshy smooth grey-brown, brown or dark brown. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is white or yellow-gray. The leg is club-shaped, 5-10 cm long, 3-5 cm thick, dense at first, later hard white or light gray, covered with many gray scales. The pulp is white, turning red or black-gray when cut. Spore powder is light ocher.

The proposed description of the boletus mushroom with a photo allows us to fully identify this species from similar ones:

Grows in deciduous and mixed forests under elm, hornbeam, oak, hazel and poplar groves.
Found solitarily from July to October.

Elm boletus is tougher and less tasty than common boletus. Worms less than other boletuses.

We suggest not to stop there. The following describes what boletus mushrooms still exist and how they can be distinguished.

Common boletus (Leccinum scabrum)

Common boletus (Leccinum scabrum) in the photo

The mushroom is edible. The cap is up to 5-15 cm, at first hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex. Fleshy smooth, gray-brown or brown. The surface of the cap is matte, moist in the rain, but not slimy. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is initially white, then soft gray-ocher. The leg is 6-15 cm long, 2-4 cm thick, at first dense, later hard or even woody, white or light gray, covered with many black, gray or brownish scales. The pulp is white and pleasant to the taste; when cut, it does not change color and turns slightly gray.

Found from July to October. Dark and dense autumn boletuses, which are less wormy due to cold weather, are valued.

The common boletus is one of the best edible mushrooms; it surpasses the porcini mushroom in terms of digestible protein content. It worms faster than other mushrooms.

Variegated boletus (Leccinum variicolor)

Multi-colored boletus in the photo

The mushroom is edible. The cap is up to 5-15 cm, at the beginning - hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex. Fleshy, smooth, gray-brown or brown-black, sometimes with light spots. The surface of the cap is matte, moist in the rain, but not slimy. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is initially white, then soft gray-ocher. The leg is 6-15 cm long, 2-4 cm thick, at first dense, later hard or even woody, white or light gray, covered with many brown, brownish scales. The pulp is white and pleasant to the taste; when cut, it does not change color and turns slightly gray.

Grows in self-sowing groves in fields. Forms mycorrhiza with birch.

Found from July to October.

It is similar to the inedible gall mushroom (Tyophillus felleus), but it is bitter, harder, with white, pinkish flesh.

The multicolored boletus is one of the best edible mushrooms; it surpasses the porcini mushroom in terms of digestible protein content. It worms faster than other mushrooms.

Brown boletus (Leccinum duriusculum)

The mushroom is edible. The cap is up to 6-18 cm, at first hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex. Fleshy, firm, smooth, light brown or brown. The surface of the cap is matte, the scales are glued in the form of darker polygons with light intervals. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is initially white, then creamy yellowish. The stem is 6-15 cm long, 2-4 cm thick, at first dense, later hard or even woody, white or light gray, covered with white scales in young mushrooms and brownish scales in old ones. The pulp is white, when cut it becomes honey-red, later gray-black.

It grows singly or in groups in deciduous forests, in poplar groves under white poplar and under aspen.
Found from July to October.

It has no inedible or poisonous counterparts.

The hard boletus is less wormy than the common boletus, but also less tasty.

Black boletus (Leccinum scabrum f. Melanium)

The mushroom is edible. The cap is up to 5-9 cm, at first hemispherical, then cushion-shaped, later convex. Fleshy, smooth, black, black-brown, gray when young, especially if growing without light. The surface of the cap is matte, moist in the rain, but not slimy. The skin does not come off. The tubular layer is initially white, then soft gray-ocher. The leg is 6-15 cm long, 2-4 cm thick, at first dense, later hard or even woody, white or light gray, covered with many black, gray or brownish scales. The pulp is white and pleasant to the taste; when cut, it does not change color and turns slightly gray.

Grows in damp birch and mixed forests. Forms mycorrhiza with birch.
Found from July to October.

It is similar to the inedible gall mushroom (Tyophillus felleus), but it is bitter, harder, with white, pinkish flesh.

Black boletus is one of the best edible mushrooms; it surpasses the porcini mushroom in terms of digestible protein content. It worms faster than other mushrooms.

Product Description

boletus- a common Russian name for several species of mushrooms from the genus Leccinum or Obabok (Leccinum). The habitat of the boletus is deciduous forest. The boletus grows mainly in birch forests and mixed forests, in damp, wetlands under birch trees, as well as in gardens where there are birch trees.

Boletus mushrooms have a somewhat slippery, dull, brownish cap color. The cut flesh is not always colored. Other signs are brown scales on the stalk and whitish tubes. From boletus mushrooms (which are also several species of mushrooms from the genus Leccinum), boletus mushrooms differ not only in the color of the cap, but also in the thinner stem and less dense flesh of the cap.

Popular names for boletus mushrooms are different: grandma, grandma white and black, birch tree, gray mushroom, black mushroom,obabok, geese.

Types and varieties

All boletus - edible. Botanists distinguish several species of boletus (and they argue which of them is really a species and which is a subspecies of one of the species):

common boletus(Leccinum scabrum)— the same classic boletus with a brown, slightly slippery cap;
black boletus (Leccinum scabrum f. melaneum, Leccinum scabrum melaneum), which has a darker cap, in some cases almost black;
marsh boletus, aka white boletus (Leccinum scabrum f. chioneum, Leccinum holopus)- so named because it grows more often in swamps, and its cap is very light, white or whitish-brown;
pink boletus, aka oxidizing(Leccinum scabrum f. oxydabile, Leccinum oxydabile)- so named because when cut it acquires a coral tint in the cap and yellowish-gray in the stem, while many other types of boletus (for example, the common boletus) do not change color when cut;
gray boletus, aka hornbeam(Leccinum carpini, Leccinum pseudoscabrum)- known in the Caucasus and loves the company of the hornbeam (a relative of the birch), the color of its cap can be either light gray or brown; when cut, the flesh turns pinkish-violet, then gray, to almost black;
boletus is a bit harsh, aka hardish And poplar(Leccinum duriusculum)— its flesh is indeed a little harder than that of other species, and at the break it turns red (in the cap and upper part of the leg) or turns blue (in the lower part);
boletus checkerboard, or blackening (Leccinum nigrescens), whose cap is brownish-yellow in color, and the flesh when cut becomes wine-red or violet-brown, and then turns black; known in warm regions of Europe, in Russia - in the Caucasus;
boletus ash gray (Leccinum leucophaeum), the name of which alludes to the color of the tubular layer - the lower part of the cap, while the skin of the cap is brown, and the flesh turns pink when cut (blue at the base);
colorful boletus, aka colorful (Leccinum variicolor), which is quite different from other boletus in appearance: its cap is very dark, almost black, variegated, with yellowish tan marks of an oblong shape (although there are several varieties of boletus of different colors with a brick or orange cap, also variegated), the leg at the base is blue -green, acquiring a pinkish and greenish tint when cut; These mushrooms grow under birch, poplar, oak and spruce trees.

IN culinary And in terms of taste different types of boletus (as well as boletus) almost no different from each other.

How to cook

The flesh of boletus mushrooms becomes loose very quickly, so it is better to take young boletus mushrooms and cook them together with other mushrooms, since they themselves do not have a distinct taste. The boletus darkens with any treatment.

Boletus mushrooms can be fried and stewed (they go especially well with sour cream), you can marinate and salt them, they make a good mushroom soup. You can make pasta and risotto with boletus mushrooms.

In various dishes, boletus mushrooms go well with buckwheat, pearl barley, rice, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, lentils, peas, and sweet peppers.

Boletus mushrooms are great for filling pies, pizzas, rolls, and homemade bread. It is advisable to prepare the mushroom filling in advance, that is, lightly boil or fry the mushrooms before placing them in the dough.

In central Russia, boletus mushrooms are harvested from June to October, but the main season begins from late July to early August. In some areas they can be found until November.

How to select and store

boletus They do not hide in the grass, they are always in sight, they are easy to collect in spacious birch forests in groups and individually. Boletus mushrooms can be found at the edge of the forest, on the lawns of birch and mixed forests. In a mixed forest, the boletus stays closer to the birch.

You should not pick mushrooms near the road: they absorb harmful substances from the exhaust gases of passing cars. The safe collection zone begins several hundred meters from the highways.

The only mushroom with which an inexperienced mushroom picker can confuse boletus is gall mushroom or in common parlance false boletus (Tylopilus felleus). It looks like an ordinary one - its cap is tubular on the bottom, brown on the outside, and its leg is pockmarked. It is not poisonous, but if you come across one such mushroom, the whole dish will be spoiled, because it is very bitter, and this bitterness intensifies when cooked. The first sign of false boletus is a pinkish tint to the tubular part of the cap. In doubtful cases, you can touch it with your tongue (the sensation is so-so, but it is not dangerous). To accurately determine the type of a particular mushroom and whether it belongs to edible or poisonous mushrooms, you should consult special reference books.

At buying boletus mushrooms It is advisable to find out where they were collected. It is better to purchase mushrooms at stationary markets, where products are checked for compliance with sanitary standards.

Avoid buying large mushrooms. All for the same reason - the older the mushroom, the higher the concentration of absorbed toxic substances. And, as a rule, there are fewer worms in young boletus mushrooms.

Don't buy already processed mushrooms“from hand”: dried, salted, pickled, etc. Among other pieces, you may also find pale toadstools, it’s better not to risk it.

Mushrooms belong to perishable products, they are not allowed keep for a long time. Boletus mushrooms must be processed on the day of collection (or on the day of purchase).

First of all, the mushrooms are cleared of debris, the stems are cut off, and damaged areas are cut out. To prevent the mushrooms from turning black, use stainless steel knives. Then they are either cooked immediately or stored for future use.

The main ways to preserve mushrooms are: drying ,freezing, salting , pickling(and canning in sterilized, hermetically sealed glass jars). Dried mushrooms can be used to make mushroom powder. You can also prepare (and then preserve) mushroom mass from a meat grinder and boiled mixture. mushroom extract.

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 cap is more brown in color and 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 very similar to the real boletus, is a frequent visitor to mixed forests and grows mainly on sandstones. People call it gall because of its special taste properties. Recognizing false boletus is often a difficult task for inexperienced people, 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, inexperienced mushroom pickers throw out many true boletus mushrooms 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 nausea, dizziness, heartburn or diarrhea occur after eating mushrooms, a good solution would be to take the simplest activated charcoal (about 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.

The boletus mushroom is one of the most common in Russia and neighboring countries. The aroma and taste allow it to be used for preparing delicious dishes and preparations. In some countries, this mushroom is not considered valuable for cooking, but in our latitudes it is one of the indispensable products included in national dishes.

Boletus mushrooms are not grown on an industrial scale - you can only get such a delicacy in the forest or birch grove, collecting the best specimens yourself. But, before you go mushroom hunting, you need to read the exact description of this mushroom and find out where and when it grows.

Boletus description.

Boletus is the common name for several varieties of mushrooms that are found in the genus Leccinum, which belongs to the Boletaceae family. The boletus comes in several varieties and is known by different names. Here are the most common varieties of boletus:

ordinary;
black;
pinkish;
tundra
oxidizing;
swamp;
gray, or hornbeam;
ash gray;
harsh;
chess;
multi-colored.

Almost all varieties have very similar characteristics, but may differ in the color of the cap and stem, depending on the conditions and area in which they grow. The boletus looks like this.

Leg can be up to 3 cm in diameter, widening towards the middle and tapering again towards the base. The length of the boletus leg can vary between 7-15 cm. The surface of the leg is covered with longitudinal scales of a grayish tint, the color of the leg is gray-white. The flesh of the stem is tough, and in old mushrooms it is woody, so not everyone uses it in cooking.
hat boletus in the early stage of growth can have a hemispherical shape, and over time it becomes cushion-shaped. The color of the cap can vary depending on the variety, from light gray to brown. The color of the cap is influenced not only by the growing conditions, but also by the type of tree that forms mycorrhiza. On average, the diameter of boletus caps is from 6-7 to 15 cm. It is important to pay attention to the flesh - in young mushrooms it is dense in cut, white or with a slight pinkish tint. In old mushrooms, the flesh of the cap is loose and watery. In rainy weather, the surface of the cap is slightly slimy.
Tubular layer special - it can be easily separated from the cap, initially it is colored white, but as the mushroom ages it turns a little gray and darkens. The tubes are long, up to 2 cm. The spore powder is a rich olive color with a brown tint.

Where and when does boletus grow?

From the name of the mushroom it is clear where it can most often be found. As a rule, boletus grows in birch groves, since mycorrhizae form on the roots of this particular tree. But this variety of mushrooms can be found not only under birch trees.

Boletus mushrooms growing in other places differ slightly in external characteristics, but at the same time they remain just as edible, aromatic and tasty. Boletus mushrooms are also found in swampy areas, tundra and forest-tundra. In addition, boletus can be found in mixed forests, in areas adjacent to plantings, for example, along a forest belt.

The boletus growth season begins in May. In ancient times, people determined the time of the beginning of the growth of this mushroom by the flowering bird cherry. As soon as flowers appeared on this tree, it was possible to go into the forest for the first mushroom harvest. But the most mushrooms can be found not in May, but from July to mid-September. In warm and rainy autumn, boletus mushrooms can be collected until the end of October.

In birch groves, as a rule, boletus plants grow in small groups. They may be hidden under last year's foliage, but most often they are immediately noticeable. For rapid growth and development, mushrooms need moisture and warmth, so during cold periods there is no point in going mushroom hunting.

The benefits and harms of boletus.

The boletus mushroom is not only a tasty and aromatic product. It is a storehouse of valuable substances and antioxidants that can restore body functions and slow down aging. Let's look at the benefits of boletus.

Of the mineral substances in the pulp of the mushroom, and in its entire above-ground part, the following are contained: magnesium, potassium (in high concentration), phosphorus compounds, calcium, sodium and iron.
Among the vitamins, we can distinguish those that are present in the pulp of the mushroom in the highest concentration. These are vitamins A, B1, B2, PP, C and E.

Calorie content is minimal - no more than 20 kcal per 100 grams of product. That is, a standard portion of a product weighing 150-200 grams is only about 5% of the daily calorie intake. Boletus is known as an effective product for preventing the development of diabetes and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The mushroom has an absorbent and antioxidant effect - it helps the body remove toxins and slows down aging.

But, there are contraindications to the use of this product. It is contraindicated for nursing and pregnant women, people prone to allergies and those with individual intolerance to the product.

Precautionary measures.

Gorchak, false boletus

Mushrooms can be very beneficial, but it is important to take safety precautions. Inexperienced mushroom pickers may confuse boletus and its other varieties with a dangerous, but not poisonous, mushroom called mustard. An important difference between edible boletus is that its flesh does not change color and may only turn slightly pink. In bitterling, the flesh darkens instantly. In addition, it should be remembered that eating boletus in its raw form is not always safe.

Dried, boiled, pickled and cooked mushrooms in other ways are equally healthy. 80% of vitamins are not lost during cooking and canning, so at any time of the year you can not only enjoy the taste and aroma, but also benefit from this gift of nature.

From late spring to mid-autumn, boletus grows in deciduous forests

A classic edible mushroom with a mild taste and aroma is boletus. It has a rather distinctive appearance and is not at all difficult to prepare. The name of the mushroom obviously indicates where it grows - most often it can be found under birch trees. It mainly grows in deciduous forests and birch groves. The first boletus mushrooms may appear at the end of May along with boletus and porcini mushrooms.

Boletus collection time

Since they love moisture, a particularly large boletus harvest occurs in humid and warm summers and autumns. Boletus mushrooms rarely hide in the grass, being more often located in plain sight, on the edges of birch groves, in ravines, in forest clearings, and in forest belts.

Beginning mushroom pickers are interested in when to collect boletus mushrooms. The former can be found in early summer, while the latter survive until October.

Varieties of boletus

Common boletus

This is the most valuable and tastiest of the boletus varieties. In young mushrooms, the cap is hemispherical and light brown in color, while in mature mushrooms it becomes dark brown and cushion-shaped, not exceeding 15 cm in diameter. In rainy weather, the cap becomes a little slimy.

The white, sometimes slightly pinkish, dense pulp does not change color when cut and does not darken. The gray-whitish leg is solid, up to 15 cm high, covered with longitudinal dark scales. In old mushrooms, the flesh of the stem becomes fibrous and tough. It grows in birch forests, including young trees, on forest edges.

Black boletus

This edible mushroom is also from the Boletaceae family of the genus Tabaceae. The diameter of the cap is up to 8 cm, and the color is black-brown or almost black. The tubular layer is grayish or off-white. Smooth spindle-shaped spores of olive-brown color. This is a rather rare variety of boletus that grows from July to September. It has a whitish 15-centimeter leg with longitudinal black or black-brown scales and whitish, dense flesh.

Black boletus grows in swampy outskirts, in damp places, and in forests where birch and pine trees predominate. Habitat: from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia. They can be collected from July to September. Having figured out what black boletus looks like, it is worth adding that when fried and boiled, it is not inferior in taste to boletus. It is also salted, dried and pickled. The popular name for this mushroom is blackhead. However, it can be confused with the gall mushroom, which has a reticulate pattern on the stalk, like the white one, but the tubular layer is dirty pink and has a very bitter taste.

White boletus or marsh boletus

So that the word “marsh” does not confuse you, you should study the photo and description of this boletus mushroom. Of course, it does not grow in swamp slurry, but prefers sphagnum - green moss, which can grow in different places: in a damp forest, in a swamp, in a damp meadow. The caps of marsh boletuses do not grow more than 10-15 cm, the color is pure white, but sometimes with a gray or bluish tint, and the surface is dry. True, the caps of old mushrooms often become gray-green. At first, the tubular layer is white, but darkens with age, reaching dark brown in older mushrooms. The white leg is covered with the same white scales, but with age it and the scales noticeably darken.

The stem can grow disproportionately long and thin in comparison with the cap (reaching 20 centimeters), the reason for this is that the mushroom has to make its way up through a thick moss cushion. These mushrooms have white and tender flesh that does not change color when cut, but at the base of the stem it can acquire a greenish or bluish tint, so they say that such boletus turns blue when cut.

Most often, this species grows in swampy forests or swamps, where birch trees and always sphagnum are present. They usually grow one at a time. This species of boletus is rarely found in our forests.

The boletus boletus has no counterparts among either edible or inedible or poisonous mushrooms. Only for people who are not at all knowledgeable about mushrooms, its general white color or habitat can cause a gross misconception that since the mushroom is suspiciously white, then it is probably a pale toadstool. Then such would-be mushroom pickers, not knowing what the boletus mushroom looks like, add their own “... or better yet, trample it” to the completely correct principle “if you don’t know the mushroom, don’t take it.”

Video about what boletus looks like

Swamp boletuses have pulp with a characteristic mushroom smell and taste. Perhaps, this type of boletus can only be eaten fresh, since its watery pulp becomes very boiled when you try to stew or fry it. It is not at all recommended to pickle or cook boletus boletuses, since the result will be an unattractive-looking dark mush in which not even a piece of mushroom will be found. They grow from May until the persistent frosts of November. The taste properties of the marsh boletus are noticeably inferior to the taste of the ordinary boletus.

Boletus pinkish

It grows in damp areas of birch groves and pine-birch forests in small groups, bearing fruit from June to October. This mushroom belongs to the second category of edible mushrooms; it can be dried and pickled. The cap of the pink boletus is usually small, but can sometimes grow up to 15 cm in diameter. In young mushrooms it has a convex shape, and in mature ones it becomes cushion-shaped.

A characteristic feature of this variety of boletus is that their flesh, when broken or cut, first turns pink and then darkens. Hence the name of this subspecies. The mushroom has a short white stalk with thick black-brown scales. The cap has a light spotted or yellow-brown color, but sometimes takes on a dark brown color. In young mushrooms the tubular layer is whitish, while in old ones it is dirty gray. The thin and elongated stem is thickened at the base and often bends towards greater light, like plants. Mycorrhiza of pink boletus is associated with birch, especially in damp places where it grows. More often, mushrooms grow in isolated groups. The habitat is very wide - the forests of Eurasia and North America. Collection time is from June to October.

Tundra boletus

This variety of boletus is an excellent edible mushroom. Among all his closest relatives, he is the smallest. This is understandable, since it has to grow in the tundra zone next to dwarf birches. In more temperate climates, although very rarely, it can also be found near a birch tree. Its cap does not grow more than five centimeters, often becoming covered with cracks. Its color can be white or off-white. Over time, the whitish stripes darken, becoming brownish. The leg is only a couple of centimeters, but is also covered with gray or white scales. It is not the most productive mushroom, and you cannot collect too much of it. But it cannot be confused with either poisonous or other edible mushrooms.

The difference between boletus and gall mushroom

There are false boletuses in the forest, so it is very important to know how to distinguish them from edible mushrooms.

One of the most common look-alikes, the gall mushroom, can sometimes be mistaken for boletus by inexperienced mushroom pickers. But it does not have such “hairy” legs with black scales as the common boletus or light and less noticeable ones like the marsh variety. And the tubular layer of the gall mushroom cap is slightly pinkish. Once you cut the gall mushroom, its flesh turns red when it comes into contact with air. But the main thing is that the gall mushroom tastes extremely bitter and can, once in a pan, ruin the taste of all normal mushrooms.

Video about where and when to collect boletus mushrooms

Useful properties of boletus mushrooms

The main nutritional value of boletus mushrooms is that they contain well-balanced proteins, including tyrosine, glutamine, leucine and arginine. These mushrooms also contain a lot of vitamins - C, B, PP, E, and D. Boletus mushrooms absorb dietary fiber in the intestines and then remove many toxins from the body. Boletus mushrooms exhibit excellent antioxidant properties, are effective in the treatment of the nervous system, kidney pathologies, regulate blood sugar levels, and have a beneficial effect on the condition of the mucous membranes and skin. They provide a lot of phosphorus, which is necessary for the synthesis of enzymes that promote the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

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