Content
Golden boletus is a rare and very valuable edible mushroom, which is classified as noble. Although you can rarely find it on Russian territory, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the description and features.
What do golden boletus look like?
The cap of the golden boletus is of medium size, usually reaching about 12 cm in diameter, but in rare cases it can grow up to 20 cm. It is convex in shape, sometimes becoming almost flat with age, but usually retains a hemispherical shape. The surface of the cap is dry, smooth or slightly velvety; in adult fruiting bodies, cracks often appear on the cap.The lower surface is tubular, sponge-like and slightly depressed around the stalk, with large round pores.
The color of the cap of the golden boletus, or boletus, can vary from reddish brown to brown with a dark purple tint. The lower surface is usually yellow or greenish-yellow. A characteristic feature is that when pressed, the tubular lower surface does not turn blue, as happens with most mushrooms, but acquires a different shade of yellow.
The leg of the golden boletus can rise up to 24 cm above the ground, but more often it rises only 10-15 cm. It reaches an average of 2 cm in diameter, tapering slightly at the top. The leg is elastic and dense to the touch, and its color is yellowish, brownish or reddish, slightly lighter than the cap, but of a similar shade. The stem of young fruiting bodies is usually lighter; the color becomes darker with age.
The golden boletus is characterized by the presence of a distinct mesh pattern on the leg; longitudinal ribbed lines can be seen on its surface. In the upper part of the stem this pattern is more noticeable, but closer to the base you can see the white mycelium of the fungus. The leg is dry to the touch; it can only become sticky in damp weather.
If you cut a golden boletus, its flesh will be dense, pinkish-white or yellowish-white in color. When exposed to air, the pulp does not change its color or very slowly becomes greenish-brown. The golden boletus has no distinct odor, and the taste of the raw pulp is described as slightly sour.
Where do golden boletuses grow?
The golden boletus is considered quite rare in Eurasia.It is mainly distributed in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, and is also found in Taiwan. It is extremely rare to see it in forests in Europe, although there are reports that the mushroom was found in Lithuania, as well as in the Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions.
Golden boletuses grow mainly in coniferous and mixed forests near tree trunks; they mainly prefer spruce plantings. They can be found either individually or in small groups; the main fruiting occurs at the end of summer and beginning of autumn.
Is it possible to eat golden boletus?
Golden boletus is a completely edible mushroom and is widely used in cooking without complex pre-processing. True, experienced mushroom pickers do not rate its taste very highly, but they note that this disease is rarely affected by worms and insects even in adulthood.
False doubles
There are few duplicates of the golden boletus, but in the absence of experience it can be confused with other species. What is especially dangerous is that the false doubles of the golden boletus are inedible mushrooms, so making a mistake is very undesirable.
Gall mushroom
The most common false twin of the golden boletus in Russia is bitterling, or gall mushroom. The similarity lies in the structure - bitterling also has a strong, dense leg and a hemispherical cap of light brown color.
But it is quite easy to distinguish edible boletus from bitterweed.First of all, you need to take a closer look at the leg - in the gall fungus it is covered with veins that vaguely resemble blood vessels. In addition, bittersweet pulp darkens very quickly when cut.
If mustard gets into a soup or roast, the dish will be irreparably damaged.
Satanic mushroom
The golden boleth bears a strong resemblance to the inedible satanic mushroom. The latter is widespread in Europe and Russian Primorye, as well as in the Caucasus. The varieties are similar to each other in external structure - the satanic mushroom also has a high and thick stalk, topped with a very wide cap, sometimes reaching 30 cm in diameter. True, the color of the satanic mushroom cap is usually light gray or yellowish-white, but it can also be olive with a brown tint, which increases the likelihood of error.
The satanic mushroom can be distinguished by several characteristics. The leg at the bottom has a bright yellow-red color and a mesh pattern, and if you cut the mushroom in half, the flesh will quickly turn blue. An adult satanic mushroom can be recognized by its unpleasant odor; it emits the pungent aroma of rotting onions.
Beautiful boletus
This species is found mainly in North America, but it will be useful for novice mushroom pickers to familiarize themselves with its description. The beautiful or beautiful boletus has a wide hemispherical cap up to 25 cm in diameter and a high stem about 8 cm in thickness.It is similar in color to the golden boleth - the cap is light brown, and the leg is darker brown with a reddish tint. Despite its name, the beautiful boletus is poisonous and unsuitable for food.
You can distinguish it from the golden boletus by its pulp - when cut, it is not white, but yellow and quickly acquires a bright blue hue. Another characteristic feature of the poisonous beautiful boletus is the presence of a reddish mesh in the lower part of the leg.
Collection rules
Golden boletus can be collected throughout the summer, but it is more often found closer to autumn, from August to the end of September. Sometimes this mushroom is found alone, but it can also grow in small groups.
It is necessary to select for collection the cleanest forests with the presence of spruce. It is undesirable to collect mushrooms near highways and industrial facilities; the fruiting bodies will contain too many toxic substances and will not bring any health benefits. When picking mushrooms, you need to carefully twist the fruiting bodies out of the ground by the stem or cut them off with a knife. If you roughly pull the boletus out of the soil, you can damage the mycelium, and the fruiting body will not grow again in the same place; this is undesirable, given the rarity of the golden boletus in Europe.
The probability of meeting a golden boletus in the middle zone is not very high.
Use
The edible golden boletus has not only a pleasant taste, but also a very rich chemical composition.Its pulp contains useful vitamins - A, C, B1 and D, as well as iron, potassium, calcium and a large amount of protein. Eating the mushroom is useful for improving the functioning of the metabolic system, for strengthening joints and ligaments, for treating anemia and lack of body weight.
Although the golden boletus does not contain toxic substances, it cannot be eaten raw; the pulp must be thermally treated before use:
- The collected mushrooms are cleaned of soil and forest debris, washed in cold water, and then boiled twice.
- First, boil the boletus mushrooms for 5 minutes in unsalted water and drain the broth, and rinse the mushrooms again with cold water.
- After this, the boletus mushrooms are again filled with water and boiled in salted water for 20 minutes; the rising foam must be skimmed off.
After boiling, the golden boletus needs to be rinsed again. Boiled pulp can be used in salads or added to soups; golden boletus is also suitable for frying, salting and pickling. The mushroom is versatile, it has a pleasant taste and provides health benefits in any dish.
Pregnant women and children under 7 years of age should also avoid the mushroom; the body with hypersensitivity may perceive the mushroom pulp negatively.
Conclusion
Golden boletus can rarely be found in Russia, but in recent years it has been noted that its distribution area is becoming wider. A detailed description of the mushroom and a photo will allow you to recognize it when you meet it and distinguish it from other similar mushrooms.
