The rainy season of early autumn beckons avid mushroom pickers to go to the forest to collect their harvest. This simple task is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. After all, many representatives of the inedible mushroom kingdom strive to disguise themselves as an edible product. Thus, the false boletus successfully passes itself off as its edible counterpart. Therefore, it is very important to be able to distinguish them from each other.
For a clear example, take a look at the photo of the false representative of the boletus mushroom, and also carefully study the external outlines of the inedible forest mushroom.
Gall mushroom Among many mushroom representatives, boletus is highly valued for its health benefits and taste. It got its name due to the fact that it is mainly found in forests under the birch tree.
This product is rich in proteins, vitamins and various amino acids. Excellent for a variety of cooking methods. In terms of its nutritional value it is in second place after porcini mushroom.
However, even an experienced mushroom picker can sometimes be deceived by the appearance of an inedible fellow.
Although false boletus is similar in appearance to a good mushroom suitable for food, its taste is completely different. This product will immediately be felt in the dish, as it has a very unpleasant bitter aftertaste. It’s not for nothing that it is also called gall mushroom or mustard.
This bitter taste is significantly enhanced by heat treatment, which makes it impossible not to notice it and to eat a lot. This, of course, will not lead to death, but it may well cause intestinal upset.
Therefore, before collecting everything in a basket, you need to find out in detail what false boletus looks like and how it differs from edible species.
What is false boletus
The false boletus mushroom has another name - gall mushroom. It is very similar to the edible one: a speckled or gray leg, a white-gray cap, and the like. However, unlike the ordinary boletus mushroom, the false mushroom has an incredibly bitter taste. Once you try it, you will definitely understand your mistake in the collection process. Of course, symptoms of poisoning are unlikely to manifest themselves. Because you won't be able to eat even one spoon because of the taste.
However, if you cook it with types of common boletus, then the entire portion will have to be disposed of. Because the rest of the mushrooms will also become bitter. Even if a poisonous mushroom lies in a basket with others for a long time, they can also become bitter. In order not to have to throw away all your many hours of work in the form of collected boletus mushrooms, you need to know how to distinguish a false boletus mushroom from an edible one. But first, let's look at what an edible mushroom looks like.
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.
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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.
Description of the real boletus
A true boletus can be identified by a combination of several characteristics. So, this mushroom has a brown cap with a slightly muted tint. At the same time, the top of the boletus is soft, and the leg is even a little thin. Usually the mushroom chooses a sunny meadow with slightly moist soil. As a rule, birch trees always grow nearby. The boletus belongs to the boletaceae family and has more than 40 varieties.
Description of the real boletus
Places of distribution
Real podobki grow in sunny places with moist soil, from which they take nutrients. The territories that boletus mushrooms prefer to choose for their habitat depend on the subspecies. Common boletus grows in clearings, forest edges and birch forests near young trees. They prefer mixed forests and plantings of spruce interspersed with birch trees. They are collected from early summer to late autumn. Gray boletus can often be seen in the Caucasus.
Common boletus grows in clearings, forest edges and birch forests near young trees.
It most often grows under hornbeams, but can also be found next to hazel, poplar or birch . Fruiting begins in June and ends in October. The hard-bodied plant avoids the neighborhood of birches and grows near poplars and aspens. It lives either alone or in a small group. Prefers loamy, sandy and calcareous soils. Fruiting occurs from early July to mid-October. False boletus most often grows in dark places near swamps, near forest streams and rotting stumps.
Important! After harvesting mushrooms, they must be processed the same day as they are a perishable product.
Types of boletus
We looked at the popular varieties of boletus in more detail in this article. If you are interested in their description of appearance and distinctive features from each other, then I recommend that you read that publication. In general, more than 40 varieties of boletus have been discovered in the world. But in Russia only a few of them are most common. For example:
- common boletus (Leccinum Scabrum);
- boletus boletus (Leccinum Holopus);
- brown boletus (Leccinum Duriusculum);
- boletus variegated (Leccinum Variicolor);
- pink boletus (Leccinum Roseafractum);
- gray boletus (hornbeam) (Leccinum Carpini);
- black boletus (black cap) (Leccinum Melaneum).
It is worth noting that all varieties are not very different from each other. Therefore, we will take the classic or otherwise ordinary boletus as a basis. We will compare it with it in order to figure out how to distinguish edible boletus from false boletus. If you have little experience, it is better to take a detailed description of the mushroom with you on your hike. Better yet, call an experienced mushroom picker to supervise you and share his experience.
How to cook
Since boletus is one of the three most delicious mushrooms, it is clear that a large number of dishes are prepared from them. These mushrooms are consumed immediately or stored for the winter. Either way, they are so good that it is worth trying them fried, marinated and in various dishes.
To prepare it, we need a standard set: potatoes, onions, carrots, as well as herbs, salt, butter and, of course, boletus.
Redheads are cleaned, washed, dried on a napkin. Then they need to be cut into slices and thrown into boiling water. You will have to cook them for 15 minutes, constantly removing the foam on the surface. If the mushrooms are dried, then you need to cook for half an hour. Then you can add onions, fried until golden brown in butter. At the same time, you can add chopped potatoes, preferably young ones. After 25 minutes, it’s time to add spices, and after another 5 minutes, turn off the soup. Before serving, it is advisable to let it brew for another 10-15 minutes.
Fried
Frying boletus mushrooms is very simple, but they will turn out incredibly tasty. To do this you will need half a kilogram of mushrooms, butter and vegetable oil, onion, herbs, sour cream, salt and pepper.
First, the onions are fried in butter and vegetable oil, then peeled, washed and chopped mushrooms are added to it. Simmer everything until the liquid evaporates. After this, fry the boletus until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add spices and sour cream, mix everything. Now keep it on low heat for another 5 minutes with the lid on. You can serve with any side dish of your choice.
Pickled
There is no tastier winter snack than beautiful pickled boletus. To prepare these, you need to wash the mushrooms well, clear them of forest debris, and then rinse them well.
If the mushrooms are small and young, you can leave them whole, then they will look very beautiful on the table. It is still better to cut large mushrooms into pieces.
Cook the redheads for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam. Then drain the liquid and add marinade.
This is how he prepares. For 1 liter of water you will need:
- salt (1 tbsp.),
- sugar (3 tsp),
- bay leaf (2 pcs.),
- allspice (5 pcs.),
- black peppercorns (5 pcs.),
- the same number of cloves and garlic cloves.
All this is combined and cooked for 10 minutes. Then pour the mushrooms into the marinade and cook for about 20 minutes. At the very end, after removing the pan from the heat, add 2 tsp to the mushrooms. vinegar.
Boletuses are packed tightly into sterilized jars along with brine. You can pour 2 tbsp on top. l. vegetable oil, pre-boiled.
This will extend the shelf life of the mushrooms. You need to roll up with hot lids. It is necessary to cool for a long time, wrapping the jars in a blanket.
Then the mushrooms should be served with chopped onions, adding a couple of drops of vegetable oil on top.
Freezing
To properly freeze boletus mushrooms, you need to follow a few simple rules. The first thing is to correctly select and clean the redheads. This means that the mushrooms should be no more than a day old. They must be thoroughly cleaned of debris.
It is important to wash the boletus well, but do not soak it, so as not to gain excess moisture. We select only beautiful young mushrooms so that they are firm
Secondly, you can freeze fresh mushrooms. To do this, simply lay them out entirely on a flat surface, such as a board or tray, and put them in the freezer, in the quick-freezing section. Only after this we put it into bags and containers. It is advisable to defrost such mushrooms at low temperatures - in the refrigerator. This way they will not lose their aroma, they will be as if they were fresh from the forest.
Third, freeze the prepared mushrooms. You can store boiled or stewed boletus this way. In this case, you only need to cook for about 5 minutes. Then these mushrooms are good to fry
It is important to drain the liquid and only then freeze it. Can be immediately in bags, but must be laid out in portions
Some people freeze fried boletus. They are fried until the moisture has completely evaporated, about 20 minutes. Then they are put in bags and sent to the freezer.
These are such beautiful and delicious mushrooms - boletus. Collect them and cook with joy!
What mushrooms can boletus be confused with?
What mushrooms can boletus be confused with
? White toadstool is a mushroom similar to boletus. But the key word is “similar.” Only a real beginner who didn’t even look at the photos before the hike can confuse them. However, if you skip it and cook it with the rest of the mushrooms, there will be almost no difference in taste. Moreover, this fungus is the most dangerous, so all signs of poisoning will appear: nausea, headache, vomiting, weakness, and so on.
Most often, boletus mushrooms are confused with gall mushrooms. They are very similar to each other. However, people are rarely poisoned by gall fungus. The fact is that it tastes very unpleasant. After boiling or frying, you won’t even be able to swallow a couple of grams. Therefore, most people are simply forced to drain and dispose of the entire portion of mushrooms, including edible boletus mushrooms. To avoid this, it is important to know the differences between false mushrooms.
Treatment
If liver problems occur after poisoning, then this organ needs to be restored. The tactics and duration of treatment are selected by the doctor. The patient is examined and the necessary tests are performed. It is imperative to take medications that restore liver function.
Usually, with such poisoning, it is enough to adhere to the correct diet. It is also necessary to restore the disturbed water-electrolyte balance. For this purpose, you should drink plenty of mineral water.
Poisoning puts a lot of strain on the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, you should try to eat something light so as not to further burden the digestive system.
Do not eat fatty, fried foods, smoked, salty, spicy foods. Eat stewed vegetables, fruits, baked chicken, low-fat fish, and you can also drink jelly.
If you are poisoned by mushrooms, also avoid lemons and other citrus fruits, because their acids can greatly irritate the stomach.
Differences between false boletus and regular boletus
Differences between false boletus and ordinary boletus
The first sign may be the bitter taste of false boletus. Of course, there is no need to try raw mushrooms in the forest. But you can pay attention to the inside. If the egg is perfectly clean, that is, there are no worms or other fungal parasites inside at all, then this may be the first alarm bell. True, this method of determination does not provide a 100% guarantee - suddenly you are very lucky and have found an untouched ideal edible mushroom.
Other signs and distinctive features of the gall fungus are much more accurate:
- there is no “birch pattern” on the leg;
- the leg is decorated with veins resembling blood vessels;
- the presence of a green tint in any place;
- pink lower part of the cap (the edible one is white);
- velvety hat to the touch;
- pink mushroom fracture.
All the signs from the list are characteristic of false boletus. If you find at least one of them, then it is better to throw this representative of the mushroom kingdom as far as possible. This way you will save not only your many hours of work and good mood, but also the gastrointestinal tracts of all family members. Let me note once again that beginners in the mushroom business are advised to take experienced mushroom pickers with them on their hikes.
Why is false mushroom dangerous?
As mentioned above, gall fungus can spoil the entire dish with its unpleasant bitter taste. Just imagine: you collected 10 kilograms of mushrooms, and immediately threw them all to boil, and among them there were 1-2 gall mushrooms. Even this small amount will be enough to force you to dispose of all the other boletus mushrooms collected. Since it will be impossible to eat them - they have a very unpleasant taste.
Why is false mushroom dangerous?
If someone, despite the taste, eats the dish to the end or it contains pale toadstools, then such a person will face severe poisoning. True, the body can cope with a small amount of poison, especially if it is an adult with a well-functioning gastrointestinal tract. But still, if a person eats a large number of poisonous mushrooms, he will suffer from poisoning.
Use
Since the taste of the delicious fruiting bodies is second only to porcini mushrooms, mushrooms are used truly everywhere in cooking. Boiled mushrooms are added to salads and snacks, birch and aspen mushrooms are fried and eaten with potatoes and meat, their legs and caps add an unusual and very pleasant taste to hot soups. Also, the fruiting bodies are often dried and pickled for the winter - you can enjoy the taste of the fruit even in the cold winter months.
Edible fruit bodies do not require special processing before cooking. There is no need to soak them, just clean the mushrooms from debris, remove the skin from the stem and cut off the tubular layer on the cap. After this, the raw materials are washed and immediately sent to boil in salted water for 30-40 minutes, and after the first 5 minutes of cooking, the water is drained and replaced with fresh water.
In addition to cooking, birch and aspen trees are used for medicinal purposes. They are suggested to be used in many folk health recipes. It is believed that infusions and tinctures of these mushrooms:
- have a beneficial effect on kidney health;
- help get rid of inflammatory diseases;
- have a good effect on diabetes;
- have a calming and relaxing effect.
Low-calorie fats can be found as part of weight loss diets. Due to their high protein content, aspen and birch trees fill you up well and help get rid of hunger. But it is impossible to gain weight on mushrooms if you eat properly, so for weight loss the effect will only be positive.
Poisoning and first aid
This condition is usually accompanied by severe nausea and vomiting, weakness and malaise. Sometimes the disease may be accompanied by fever, heavy sweating, headache and dizziness. In this case, the pills will not help. Hallucinations may occur, and if untreated, loss of consciousness, coma, or even death may occur. But the main symptom is abdominal pain and vomiting.
Poisoning and first aid
Symptoms of poisoning and first aid
If first aid is not provided in time, the patient may die. I want to tell you right away: this happens quite rarely. But it’s still better not to take risks. At the first signs of poisoning, call an ambulance or take the person to the hospital yourself. If you decide to wait for the doctors at home, then the patient needs to be laid on the bed, brought a basin and given plenty of water to drink. The more he vomits, the better. In this case, tablets will not help, since they cannot even be digested.
To summarize
Now you know what false boletus looks like, what the main differences are, why it is so dangerous, what happens if it is poisoned, and how to provide first aid. This knowledge will definitely be useful to you if you often go to the forest to pick mushrooms or buy boletus mushrooms from uncertified sellers. Therefore, be sure to remember the main differences, and it is better to take an experienced mushroom picker with you. Write any questions in the comments if you have any questions after reading the article. And good luck searching and collecting boletus mushrooms in the forest!
Reviews about collecting boletuses
★★★★★
Marinka, 42 years old. An avid mushroom picker. I love boletus mushrooms!
This is my favorite mushroom! During a trip to Karelia in July 2022, we found ourselves at the very peak of the mushroom harvest and mowed down redheads without leaving the camp. I have never found so many mushrooms in my life! They could even go out into the forest in the evening (after 21:00) and pick a basket, fortunately, the boletuses are clearly visible on the green carpet of moss. It is extremely rare to see wormy specimens. They made soup from boletus mushrooms, fried them with potatoes, and took several cans with them. Perfect mushrooms! ★★★★★
yana86, 32 years old, Voronezh. Every year at the end of summer and beginning of autumn I come to the dacha to pick mushrooms.
My sister and I go to our favorite place, a birch grove, where there is a lot of tall grass and moisture. Mostly boletus mushrooms are found there - delicious mushrooms that are easy to find. Among them we came across false specimens that tasted bitter. If you break off the cap and taste the pulp on your tongue, it will immediately become clear what is wrong. We simply threw away such mushrooms; we only got 2-3 out of the entire basket. Hide
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Knowing how to distinguish real aspen trees - regardless of the color of their cap, stem and place of growth - any mushroom picker will be able to get a truly valuable trophy from the forest, and not a mushroom with dubious taste, which can also cause harm to health. Knowing what a good mushroom should and should not look like, a fan of the “quiet hunt” will not make a mistake.
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