Acquaintance with porcini mushrooms begins in... childhood. After all, it is the porcini mushroom that is most often depicted in children’s books, and in fairy tales the “old boletus” helps lost travelers in the forest. Borovik is one of the names porcini mushroom- just speaks of its place of growth.
The porcini mushroom is the king among other mushrooms. Because it is the most delicious, the healthiest, the most...
The mere fact that the porcini mushroom does not change its color even when dried remains white even in the form of mushroom powder, puts it at the highest level among other mushrooms.
And it’s not without reason that mushroom pickers, both experienced and beginners, dream of returning with mushroom hunting with a full bag of porcini mushrooms.
But the white mushroom is cunning! Despite the fact that it is found everywhere - from the Volga to the Far East, goes to the North, penetrating almost into the Arctic latitudes, not everyone manages to find it.
Where to look for porcini mushroom
Its very name - boletus, birch, oak - indicates that the porcini mushroom grows in forests: pine, birch, oak, spruce. But not in every one, but only in those where there are old-time trees no younger than fifty years old. So it will be problematic to find a mushroom in a young spruce forest or birch grove.
Porcini mushrooms do not grow densely. But if you come across a mushroom, you need to look for its friends and comrades.
The porcini mushroom loves sunny places, so it can be found on the edge of the forest, in clearings, among mighty trees, but with open crowns so that it gets as much light as possible.
The porcini mushroom grows on various soils - clayey, sandy, poor in humus, but these mushrooms do not grow on peat soil.
The porcini mushroom loves to grow among grass, lichens, ferns, and moss, but the porcini mushroom does not grow in dense forests or tall grass. But it is often found where the grass cover is interrupted by paths or where cattle are often driven. But on trampled soil without vegetation, this fungus is found in isolated cases.
The porcini mushroom loves moist soils, but not swampy ones. Loves warmth, but cannot stand heat. Therefore, during frequent rains he moves to drier elevations, and on hot, dry days he huddles closer to the trees, in the shade. The white mushroom grows well during periods when the temperature is between 10-18° Celsius, but during frosts the mushrooms disappear completely, although the mycelium itself remains viable even at extreme heat, and in the bitter cold.
Experienced mushroom pickers also pay attention to secondary signs by which they can determine whether there is a boletus mushroom in the immediate environment or not. A phenological indicator of the presence of porcini mushrooms are... fly agaric mushrooms. And also valui and nigella. If here and there these mushrooms peek out from the grass, then it means that a porcini mushroom is somewhere nearby.
When does the porcini mushroom grow?
The porcini mushroom, however, like the others, grows in “waves”, or as they call it in mycology – layers.
The first layer of mushrooms appears when the rye begins to ear. Approximately in June. Such mushrooms are called “spikelets”.
Early July a second layer of porcini mushrooms appears, which are called “stubbers”. It falls during the grain harvest.
The third layer of porcini mushrooms is for autumn - at the time of leaf fall. It is called “deciduous”.
All three periods of the appearance of porcini mushrooms are active in lowland forests. In high-mountain forests, the richest harvest of porcini mushrooms is in August.
In the northern forests, the white mushroom grows small, with a cap up to 5 cm in diameter.
IN middle lane Porcini mushroom caps range from 3 to 20 cm in diameter. But there are truly giant mushrooms, the weight of which reaches 3 kg. Once, near Vladimir, they found a white mushroom weighing 6 kg, and the cap of which was 46 cm in diameter!
But such huge mushrooms, of course, are wormy and cannot be collected.
What novice mushroom pickers should know
In the forests there are inedible and even poisonous mushrooms, which are very similar to porcini mushrooms. Therefore, you need to know the obvious signs of distinguishing porcini mushrooms from inedible ones.
Before moving on to the story of the places where porcini mushrooms grow, it would not be amiss to mention that the phrase “porcini mushroom” is a collective one, and means not one specific fungus, but several. Their number, as it turned out, is not limited to ten. In total there are 18 subspecies, 4 of which are even trying to be defined as independent, individual species. Most of these mushrooms belong to the genus Borovik, but by a lucky chance one “sent Cossack” from the genus Obabok (white boletus) also found its way among the “noble” ones - because light color your hat. For the average mushroom picker, this information may seem scientifically tedious, or even completely useless, but it significantly explains why porcini mushrooms grow in a variety of forests - from coniferous to deciduous.
The diversity of forests in which porcini mushrooms grow is explained by the fact that their different subspecies “conclude” an alliance - and a very mutually beneficial one - with the most different trees. And they grow exactly where these trees are.
It would seem that to find places where boletus mushrooms should be found in fat herds, it is enough to write down the list of trees to which they gravitate and carry it with you on outings. But no - due to pickiness about the conditions, lion's share of all varieties of porcini mushroom turned out to be noticeably more “choosy” than the same boletuses and other boletuses. Give them not only “your” symbionts (and of a certain age), but also specific soil, as well as characteristic thermal and humidity conditions. That is why porcini mushrooms do not grow anywhere, but only in special forests. These are the ones we will now consider in detail.
Coniferous forests
Let's start, of course, with conifers, because these forests are the most dominant in temperate zone northern hemisphere of the planet, especially in its extreme northern part. In addition, they are the most characteristic landscape where porcini mushrooms grow.
Pine forests
Photo 2. Mountain Pine forest, rich in porcini mushrooms.
In such forests it is usually found white pine mushroom, entering into symbiosis is clear with which tree, less often with spruce and other (including deciduous) species. It differs from other boletus mushrooms in its sugary brown cap and stem, which sometimes also has a brownish tint. He likes sandy or loamy soil, but never waterlogged. That is, the mushroom definitely avoids swamps and damp lowlands, preferring dry forests to them. IN mountainous area loves to “climb” higher - there, apparently, the conditions for him are better.
You can figure out the places where pine porcini mushrooms grow not only by digging forest land with a spatula and finding grains of sand under the half-rotten litter. The main landmark is moss (sphagnum) or lichen “pillows”. Mushrooms usually appear here, especially if there are small openings in the trees that are more warmed by the sun than the rest of the surrounding area. They can also be found along the edges of clearings, clearings, and along the sides of forest roads.
Let me give you an example from my personal mushroom practice, when I managed to come across a whole “field” of porcini mushrooms, where they grew like cucumbers in a greenhouse and almost climbed on top of each other. It was a clearing bordering a forest and a river, and it was completely covered with moss and reindeer moss. From one square meter From this place, a bucket of mushrooms was instantly collected, and in total they managed to cut a dozen such buckets. How we then carried this wealth, and how we carried it home in general, is the topic of a separate story. I'll just say one thing - for the first time I felt everything fully negative traits own greed.
Spruce, fir or spruce-fir forests
Photo 4. Spruce-fir forest.
It grows here spruce porcini mushroom. Outwardly, it is almost indistinguishable from the pine boletus, except that the color of its cap is slightly less saturated. By the way, this mushroom is a type species, and therefore it is the “real porcini mushroom”.
Photo 5. Here he is - a handsome man, a typical representative of porcini mushrooms. Grew up on a bed of sphagnum moss.
The growing conditions of the spruce boletus actually correspond to its pine counterpart, with the exception that the former is more inclined towards spruce trees.
Just like the previous mushroom, the spruce boletus loves sandy or loamy, not waterlogged soils, and moss-lichen litter.
Deciduous forests
There are noticeably fewer of them than coniferous forests, however, this does not prevent them from occupying a very decent area. Deciduous forests are more developed in the southern areas; in the north they are, as a rule, an infrequent occurrence.
Birch forests
Photo 6. Birch forest. Place of growth of the birch variety of porcini mushroom.
It’s funny, but the true porcini mushroom has managed to form a subspecies here too - birch boletus, aka spikelet(this name is due to the fact that this mushroom appears exactly at the moment of heading the rye).
Unlike previous varieties, the spikelet has a lighter cap, is not so picky about the type of soil, and grows almost everywhere, except perhaps avoiding outright swamps and peat bogs. It is very common and numerous, for which we are especially adored by fans of “silent hunting”. In fact, it can end up in any birch forest, preferring edges and boundaries between overgrown and open areas.
There are three signs by which you can accurately determine whether porcini mushrooms grow in a birch forest. First of all, these are grass tussocks. Or popularly - white grass.
Photo 8. Where there are similar grass tussocks, porcini mushrooms will definitely grow.
The other two signs are neighboring mushrooms. Red fly agaric and chanterelle. As a rule, both of them accompany the porcini mushroom, and even begin to bear fruit with it at approximately the same time.
Dubravy
Photo 9. A small oak forest with a slight admixture of birch and dark coniferous species (the eastern border of the pedunculate oak).
The area is not entirely typical for the Urals, however, and it is worth mentioning, because, after all, we have small oak groves in the southwest, and this is the territory where porcini mushrooms of the oak variety grow. However, this variety is controversial - some scientists distinguish it as an independent species - bronze boletus. It differs from the previous ones in the darkest color of the cap, sometimes it even has a black, mold-like coating. In France, this fungus is popularly called “negro’s head.”
Photo 10. Oak “ceps”, also known as bronze boletus, also known as “negro’s head”.
It grows in warm forests and tends to the southern regions. In mountainous areas it is rare or completely absent. According to rumors, it also happens here, but very rarely.
Elm forests
Vyazovniki, also known as elmovniki. There are others like that. A specific breed of porcini mushrooms that prefers these particular forests has not yet been observed. However, pine and spruce species are occasionally found in these forests, and sometimes birch is also found.
Scientists from mycology unanimously claim that it is difficult for porcini mushrooms to form a symbiosis with elm due to certain specific nuances of the biology of this tree. That is why they are so rare there, and if they are found, it is in small quantities.
I want to add one thing: elm forests are those forests where porcini mushrooms do not grow. No matter how much I wandered around in these places, I never saw boletus mushrooms, although I did come across some other edible mushrooms there.
It’s another matter when elm grows mixed with linden and birch trees, or even fir and spruce. But this is already -
Mixed forests
Which I mentioned for a reason, because their share among our forests is very noticeable. So, it is in them that you most often come across large clusters porcini mushrooms. What this is connected with is unknown. I can only assume that the “hodgepodge” of symbiont trees somehow provides mushrooms best conditions for growth. And perhaps the original undergrowth of mixed forests has some influence here.
Although... B mixed forests Often there is a tree such as birch, and therefore there is everything for the growth of the birch variety of porcini mushroom - the most numerous of all. Maybe it ensures the “productivity” of mixed forests?
Something about the minimum age of trees
It is noticed that what older forest The more pristine and primitive it is, the greater the chances of coming across large accumulations of porcini mushrooms. But in young forest plantations you will most likely be with the old ones, but not with the white ones. For the latter require a huge period of time (according to some sources - from 20 to 50 years) to form a well-developed mycelium capable of bearing fruit on a maximum scale. Although, small harvests of whites sometimes occur in relatively young forests, but that’s just the point: they are small.
conclusions
Well, now is the time to sum up all of the above. So, where porcini mushrooms grow, there:
- There are birches, pines, spruces, fir and oaks. And also other trees, but the number of mushrooms here will be noticeably smaller.
- The trees are “mature”, that is, at least 20 years old, but older is better.
- In relatively dry, non-wetlands.
- Along the borders of forests and open areas, in places where trees are less common.
- In the mountains.
- On sandy, sandy loam and loamy soils.
- Where mosses (sphagnum, cuckoo flax) and lichens grow on the ground.
Knowing these seven rules, you can safely go into the forest and quite successfully discover places where porcini mushrooms grow. However, I strongly recommend that you be observant and record any interesting points and draw your own conclusions regarding the places where mushrooms grow. And the more often you walk through the forest, the more mysteries and secrets it will reveal to you. And you will always come back with full baskets.
Yes, yes! Just don't forget to sharpen your knife well.
White mushroom (lat. Boletus edulis) is a type of fungus that belongs to the department Basidiomycetes, class Agaricomycetes, order Boletaceae, family Boletaceae, . This is the most colorful representative of the mushroom kingdom. The abbreviated name of the mushroom is simply “white”, some call it boletus. Not even experienced mushroom pickers They easily recognize the “forest celebrity” and fill their baskets with it.
Why is the porcini mushroom called white?
The white mushroom got its name in ancient times, when mushrooms were often dried rather than fried or stewed. The marbled pulp of the porcini mushroom, even after heat treatment and drying, remains perfectly white. People noticed this feature and called the mushroom with a dark cap white. Another version of the name is associated with the contrast of the porcini mushroom with the less tasty and less valuable “black” mushrooms, the flesh of which darkens when cut.
White mushroom - description and photo, characteristics and properties
hat
All mushrooms of the boletus genus have a strikingly delicate aroma and piquant taste.
The brownish-brown cap of a mature porcini mushroom grows on average to 7-30 centimeters in diameter. But in certain latitudes, subject to heavy rainfall and mild temperatures, porcini mushrooms with a cap diameter of 50 centimeters also appear.
Determining the age of a mushroom is quite simple: the cap of a young porcini mushroom has an almost artistically designed convex shape, while overripe mushrooms are flatter, sometimes even prostrate in appearance. The surface of the porcini mushroom cap in most cases has a pleasant to the touch, slightly velvety texture; the upper skin is tightly connected to the pulp, so it is difficult to separate from it. In dry and windy weather, the cap becomes covered with a network of small but deep wrinkles or cracks, which leads to damage to the internal pores of the mushroom. IN rainy weather a thin film of mucus can be seen on the top of the cap. The color of the porcini mushroom cap can vary - from reddish-brown to almost milky white. How older mushroom, the darker and denser the cap becomes, and the skin acquires a characteristic roughness.
Pulp
The pulp of a ripe porcini mushroom is dense, juicy and mostly fleshy, with an attractive white color. In old mushrooms, it turns into a fibrous structure, the shade of the pulp acquires a slightly yellow or light beige tone.
Leg
The height of the leg of the porcini mushroom is small, on average reaching 12 centimeters, but you can also meet “tall” representatives, the leg of which reaches 25 centimeters in height. The diameter of the leg is 7 cm, less often – 10 cm. Distinctive feature porcini mushroom is the shape of its stem: it is barrel-shaped or club-shaped, over time in old mushrooms it becomes cylindrical, slightly elongated in the center and thick at the base and cap. Its color varies from white to deep brown, sometimes with dark red spots. There are porcini mushrooms, the colors of the caps and legs of which are almost completely identical. Often, at the base of the cap, the stem has a network of light, thin veins, sometimes almost indistinguishable against the main background of the skin.
Blanket and spore powder
There are no remains of the porcini mushroom’s cover – the base of the stem is perfectly clean.
The spore powder is a juicy olive-brown hue, the spores of porcini mushrooms themselves are shaped like a spindle, their dimensions are amazingly tiny: 15.5 x 5.5 microns. The tubular layer is light, then turns yellow, acquiring an olive green hue.
Where do porcini mushrooms grow?
Porcini mushrooms grow on all continents, with the exception of too dry Australia and cold Antarctica. It is found throughout Europe, Northern and South America, in Mexico, in the territories of China, Japan and in northern regions Mongolia, in North Africa, in the British Isles, in the Caucasus, Kamchatka, Far East, in the middle and southern latitudes of Russia. Very often, porcini mushrooms can be found in the northern taiga, in the European part of Russia and in the Far East.
When and in what forests do porcini mushrooms grow?
The growth cycle of porcini mushrooms is very variable and depends on the place of growth. Porcini mushrooms begin to grow in May or June, and the abundant appearance of mushroom islands ends late autumn– in October-November (in warm regions). IN northern regions the white mushroom grows from June to September, and mass gathering begins in the second half of August. Growth phase white boletus quite long: it takes only a full week to reach adulthood. Mushrooms grow in families or ring colonies, so meeting even one porcini mushroom in the forest often promises sure success for a mushroom picker.
Porcini mushrooms grow in both coniferous and deciduous or mixed forests under trees such as spruce, pine, oak, birch, hornbeam, and fir. Porcini mushrooms can be collected in places covered with moss and lichen, on sandy, sandy loam and loamy soils, but these mushrooms rarely grow on swamp soils and peat bogs. White mushroom loves sunlight, but it can also grow in dark areas. The mushroom grows poorly when the soil is waterlogged and daily air temperatures are low. Whites rarely grow in the tundra and forest-tundra, forest-steppe, and in steppe regions whites are not found at all.
Types of porcini mushrooms, names and photos
Among porcini mushrooms, the following varieties are considered the most famous:
- Porcini mushroom (net boletus) (lat.Boletus reticulatus )
Edible mushroom. It looks similar in appearance, has a cap of brown or ocher color, sometimes with an orange tint, located on a short cylindrical stem. The mesh on the mushroom stem is white or brown. The cap has a diameter of 6-30 cm. The flesh is white.
The reticulated porcini mushroom is found in beech, oak, hornbeam, and chestnut forests of Europe, North America and Africa, in Transcaucasia. Occurs in June-September, but not too often.
- White mushroom dark bronze (copper, hornbeam) (bronze boletus) (lat. boletus aereus)
An edible type of porcini mushroom, it is distinguished by a very dark brown color of the cap and stem - sometimes they are almost black. On the leg there is a mesh, first white, then walnut. The leg has a cylindrical shape. The flesh of the bronze porcini mushroom is white, does not change color when cut, is dense, with a pleasant smell and taste.
The dark bronze porcini mushroom can be found in oak, beech, oak-hornbeam forests from July to October, and is common in western and southern countries Europe, often found in the United States.
- White birch mushroom (spike mushroom) (lat. Boletus betulicol a )
A special feature of the species is the very light, almost white color of the cap, which reaches 5-15 cm in diameter. Less commonly, its color has a slightly creamy or light yellow tint. The stem of the mushroom is barrel-shaped, white-brown in color, and has a white mesh in its upper part. When cut, the mushroom does not turn blue; the flesh of the mushroom is white.
It grows exclusively under birch trees and is found throughout its habitat, where there are birch forests and groves, along roads and on the edges. Fruits from June to October singly or in groups. It often grows throughout Russia, as well as in Western Europe.
- White pine mushroom (pine mushroom, boletus pine-loving) (lat. Boletus pinophilus)
A type of porcini mushroom with a large, dark-colored cap, sometimes with a purple tint. The cap has a diameter of 6-30 cm. The flesh of the mushroom under the thin skin of the cap has a brownish-red color; in the stem it is white and does not turn blue when cut. The stem of the mushroom is thick, short, white or brown in color, and has a light brown or reddish mesh.
White pine mushroom grows in pine forests on sandy soils and in the mountains, less often in spruce forests and deciduous forests, found everywhere: in Europe, Central America, Russia (in the northern regions of the European part, in Siberia).
- White oak mushroom (lat. Boletus edulis f. quercicola)
A mushroom with a brown cap, but not with a brownish, but with a gray tint, sometimes light spots are “scattered” on the cap. The pulp of this species is loose and less dense than that of other white varieties.
Oak porcini mushroom can be found in the oak forests of the Caucasus and Primorsky Krai; it is often found in central Russia and its southern territories.
- White spruce mushroom (lat. Boletus edulis f. edulis)
The most common type of porcini mushroom. The leg is elongated and has a thickening at the bottom. The mesh reaches a third or half of the leg. The hat has a brown, reddish or chestnut color.
The spruce porcini mushroom grows in fir and spruce forests in Russia and Europe, except Iceland. The white mushroom appears in June and bears fruit until autumn.
Beneficial properties of porcini mushrooms, vitamins and minerals
Due to its high mineral content, porcini mushroom is one of the most popular and healthy mushrooms. What are the benefits of porcini mushroom?
- First of all, the pulp of the porcini mushroom contains the optimal amount Selena, capable of curing cancer in the early stages.
- Ascorbic acid, which is contained in white, is necessary for the normal functioning of all organs.
- The aromatic, delicious white pulp contains calcium, vital for the human body iron, and phytohormones, allowing to reduce inflammatory processes in organism.
- Riboflavin, which is part of the porcini mushroom, helps normalize work thyroid gland, and also improves hair and nail growth.
- B vitamins contained in white have a beneficial effect on nervous system, energy metabolism, memory and brain function, protect skin and mucous membranes from infections, are responsible for sound sleep, good mood and appetite.
- Lecithin porcini mushroom is beneficial for atherosclerosis and anemia, helps cleanse blood vessels of cholesterol.
- The value of porcini mushroom also lies in the presence B-glucan, an antioxidant that protects immune system human and fights fungi, viruses and bacteria.
- Ergothioneine as part of porcini mushroom, it stimulates the renewal of body cells, and is also beneficial for the kidneys, liver, eyes, and bone marrow.
- The porcini mushroom also perfectly stimulates the secretion of digestive juices.
Porcini mushroom is low-calorie, consists of 90% water, is perfect for drying, it is fried and stewed, and pickled for future use in the winter. The taste of the cooked pulp is unusually soft; immediately after cleaning, it emits an attractive mushroom smell, which only intensifies after heat treatment. The white mushroom has the strongest aroma after proper drying when the pulp gradually loses moisture.
Any mushroom is quite difficult for human digestion. But it is dried porcini mushrooms that are most accessible for digestion, since in dried form, the human body absorbs up to 80% of porcini mushroom proteins. This is the form of the mushroom that nutritionists recommend.
Harm of porcini mushroom
The white mushroom is edible mushroom, but they can also be poisoned in several cases:
- Porcini mushroom contains chitin, which is difficult for children, pregnant women, and people with diseases of the digestive system and kidneys to digest. Even porcini mushroom broth can lead to exacerbations.
- Porcini mushrooms, like any other mushrooms, accumulate toxic heavy metals contained in the soil. That is why you need to be careful and under no circumstances collect mushrooms growing within the city or near industrial enterprises, landfills, waste, or near highways.
- Third reason feeling unwell when consuming porcini mushrooms – this is the occurrence allergic reaction for fungal spores.
- And, of course, poisoning can result from the consumption of poisonous and dangerous double white mushroom, which is called gall mushroom or bitter.
The simplest advice for people who do not understand mushrooms and may confuse a porcini mushroom with a gall mushroom is not to collect mushrooms that turn blue (pink, red) when cut and have a bitter taste!
False porcini mushroom (gall mushroom). How to distinguish a white mushroom from a false one?
- Pulp
One of the main differences between porcini mushroom and false gall mushroom is the color of the cut. When cut, the flesh of the gall fungus darkens and becomes pinkish-brown. The pulp of the porcini mushroom does not change color and remains white.
- Leg
The gall mushroom has a rather bright mesh-like pattern on its stalk, which the edible porcini mushroom does not have.
- Hymenophore
The tubular layer of the false porcini mushroom is pinkish in color, while that of the true porcini mushroom is white or yellow.
Tubular layer of porcini mushroom
- Taste
The false white mushroom is bitter, unlike the edible white mushroom. Moreover, the bitter taste of the gall fungus does not change when boiling or frying, but may decrease when pickling due to the addition of vinegar.
Read about the poisonous false porcini mushroom.
False white mushroom
Many mushroom pickers are interested in where porcini mushrooms grow now? And this is not surprising, because fans of “silent hunting” are in awe of this macromycete, which is called a miracle mushroom kingdom. Therefore, the question “where they grow” is far from idle. Any mushroom picker with great joy will put them in his basket.
Description
In the white mushroom early age the cap is hemispherical, but over time it straightens, becomes more convex, and sometimes flattens. Its diameter can reach 20 cm or more. The color of the cap varies from light brown to dark brown. The color directly depends on the place where the porcini mushrooms grow. In coniferous forests, the caps are chestnut-brown with a reddish tint or a dark brown tint. In deciduous forests their color is pale yellow or light. The color scheme also depends on the light level. In the sun, the mushroom seems to tan - its surface becomes darker.
In young ones the layer is matte white. Over time, the color becomes slightly yellowish, somewhat with a greenish tint. Young macromycetes have a barrel-shaped stalk, light gray or light brown. As it grows in height, it acquires a cylindrical shape. Its diameter is up to 7 cm, height - up to 15 cm. The pulp is white, strong, and does not change its color when broken. Fresh mushrooms do not have a specific smell. Rich in vitamin D.
These macromycetes are found everywhere in mixed, deciduous and coniferous forests. They are collected from June to October. The most interesting thing is that you can determine where porcini mushrooms of a particular subspecies grow by the color of their fruiting body. According to this characteristic and “forest registration”, there are about twenty varieties of macromycetes. So, they distinguish between spruce and birch, pine and cow, as well as others. All these macromycetes belong to highest category. They grow on all types of soil, except peat. In some regions these mushrooms are found in very large quantities.
Porcini mushrooms form mycorrhizae with some tree species. They bear fruit in waves. The first wave begins in early June, the second - closer to mid-July, the third - in August, etc. The yield varies. As a rule, the first harvest is the leanest. Mushroom pickers believe that this macromycete is somehow connected with Where the porcini mushroom grows, you can also find a poisonous beauty. Moreover, white accompanies fly agaric. If the latter bears fruit, it means that a porcini mushroom has appeared. True, the reliability of this information is difficult to verify.
Porcini mushrooms are eaten pickled, stewed, fried, boiled, or dried. Countless dishes are prepared from them. And if a fresh specimen does not have a special smell (as already mentioned), then the aroma of dried macromycetes is simply unique. Some mushroom pickers believe that any other use of this product is blasphemy. By the way, if you keep dry porcini mushrooms in lightly salted milk for several hours, they again become as if they were fresh. These macromycetes are twice as nutritious as chicken eggs.
The porcini mushroom (boletus) is the real king of mushrooms and perhaps the most desirable prey during a “silent hunt”. To know where porcini mushrooms grow and when exactly the mycelium produces the largest harvest - cherished dream and the goal of any avid mushroom picker.
The porcini mushroom is considered the most valuable, tasty, aromatic and nutritious.
The boletus has won enormous popularity and even the love of many admirers of one of the most “natural” types of leisure not only for its appearance, regal bearing and rich taste. It is very practical to prepare and prepare in a variety of forms - dried, salted and pickled. In addition, searching for it in the forest is in itself an exciting activity that develops in a person the healthy qualities of a true seeker.
But before we go to the places of the most widespread, traditional habitat of this spore plant, let’s briefly get acquainted with their varieties and their distinctive features.
White mushroom and its main types
There are several versions of why this mushroom was popularly called white (although it also has another, more official name - boletus). But despite the diversity of all versions, most likely, the etymology of the usual name is associated with unique property this forest beauty- it is the only one among the huge kingdom of various tubular mushrooms that retains its pleasant white color during drying, heat treatment, and also in cut areas.
According to tradition, experienced mushroom pickers easily distinguish white mushrooms by their special color scheme and shape of the cap and stem, as well as by the density of its pulp and excellent taste.
Moreover, in size and shape different parts we can determine whether the mushroom in front of us is young or old.
So, at its early age, the boletus has an almost spherical cap. The legs of the noble mushroom “young growth” are usually characterized by a pronounced barrel shape, regular color legs - either light gray or light brown.
Over time, the cap of a growing boletus straightens out more and more, often so much that it becomes almost flat. At its maximum, the cap of this plant sometimes reaches a size of 20-30 cm. Noticeable metamorphoses also occur with the stem. As it grows, it becomes more and more elongated in height and therefore gradually turns from barrel-shaped into a fairly slender cylinder. On average, the height of the porcini mushroom stalk reaches 10-15 cm, and its diameter reaches 5-7 cm.
Usually its strong, fleshy pulp is white in color and has a pleasant, pronounced mushroom aroma.
Porcini mushrooms form in their “colonies” forest area mycorrhiza - a symbiosis of mushroom mycelium with tree roots, mainly spruce, pine, oak and birch. Due to the fact that the mycelium penetrates into the roots higher plants, both “cohabitants” receive mutual benefit.
Most often white birch mushroom can be found on the edges and along roads.
By the way, the color of its cap depends on which tree the boletus forms a close connection with, the spectrum of which ranges from light brown to brown and dark brown. In total, there are 3 main varieties of porcini mushrooms:
- Birch. Most often it grows in small groups or singly. Its cap is usually either white or light yellow. The pale brown stalk of the birch porcini mushroom has characteristic difference from the stems of other porcini mushrooms - the light mesh on it can only be distinguished near the cap.
- Oak. A characteristic feature of this species is its fairly large size, light-colored legs of brownish, ocher or coffee color, and the presence of a velvety skin. A white (brown) mesh completely covers the entire cylindrical leg.
- Pine. The most brightly colored type among all the described varieties. IN mature age its cap grows up to 20 cm in diameter and takes on the color of dark red wine. The tubular layer of the cap is olive-colored, and the leg is covered from bottom to top with a reddish mesh.
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When and where do boletus grow?
Oak porcini mushroom grows in deciduous forests: under oaks, hornbeams, beeches, lindens and chestnuts.
Porcini mushroom in general is enough capricious creature. The fact is that it is extremely sensitive to the temperature conditions of the area in which it grows, to the level of humidity and other climatic parameters. This main reason, according to which boletus usually does not produce too much harvest.
At the same time, if climatic conditions They suit him, he grows quite quickly. The period of growth and full maturation takes only a few days, and within a week (maximum 10 days) aging begins with all negative consequences- loss of unique taste qualities, enhanced by worminess and the accumulation in the body of the fungus of toxic waste products of microorganisms, which, just like people, love this plant.
Therefore, the mushroom picker should prepare in advance for active “ quiet hunt"and try to catch the period when this can be done with maximum results. Of course, you need to know exactly where to look for the “mushroom king”.
If we talk about the distribution area of the boletus, it can be noted that almost the entire world has been “mastered” by it. The only exceptions are Australia and the polar (Arctic) zone. True, in Russia this mushroom is occasionally found in the southern regions of the tundra on the Chukotka and Kamchatka peninsulas, in the Khibiny tundra.
Mostly pine white mushroom grows in coniferous forests in the summer-autumn period.
Colonies of this noble plant grow quite actively in Siberian taiga. But the richest porcini mushroom harvest in the Russian Federation is traditionally European part countries where they thrive especially well in vast mixed forests. The most unloved areas for boletus are the steppe regions.
Boletus can grow in both old and young forests. However, he loves the first ones more. It is in them that abundant mosses and lichens are often found. At the same time, this mushroom also does well on loamy and sandy soils, which predominate in coniferous forests.
Wherein different types Boletus mushrooms demonstrate individual preferences regarding the place of their settlement. Thus, white birch trees grow mainly along forest roads and paths, on forest edges. The oak species, in addition to oak forests, also gravitates towards lindens, chestnuts and hornbeams. Pine boletus gets along equally well both in fairly light and warm meadows and in the shade of dense tree crowns. It should always be borne in mind that this mushroom never grows in completely open areas.
You can search for our forest delicacies from June to September inclusive. However, the most productive period is traditionally considered to be the second half of August, when almost ideal conditions for development are observed with short but heavy rains and warm nights with fogs. However, if the spring turned out to be quite warm and rainy, the appearance of young mushroom shoots is possible in May.
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