ISO information/help on bolete mushrooms

[melsgarden]

Have any of you heard of the boletus mushrooms? They aren't gilled, but like a sponge under the bottom and are supposedly related to porcinis. I have a bunch in my yard that are exactly the description the mushroom internet experts talk about. It turns bluish when bruised and they say that these particular mushrooms are safe. I have cooked a small one in olive oil and it doesn't have a lot of flavor until you add salt and pepper. There are a lot, and if safe, I would like to dry them (need info on how to do that) because they say the flavor is much better in the dried form.


Let me know if you have heard about them! Photos attached. hope you can view them.

 

[kitchenelf]

Hi melsgarden and welcome to Discuss Cooking. I have no first-hand knowledge but did run across this which should give you the information you requested.

 

[QSis]

Hi mels,

My Polish grandmother and aunts taught me to pick mushrooms when I was a very little girl and I've been doing it ever since.

The mushrooms you are describing (I don't see the pictures) have an excellent flavor when dried.

Separate the caps from the stems. Clean off the caps with a damp paper towel and scrape down the sides of the stems.

Slice caps and stems as if you were going to use them in a dish. If you have a dehydrator, follow the manufacturer's instructions until the mushroom pieces are completely dried.

If you don't have a dehydrator, place the slices on cake racks and put them directly on your oven racks. Turn the oven on to the lowest setting, but keep the oven door open a crack (you want to DRY them, not COOK them) to circulate air. Depending on how thickly you sliced the mushrooms, they should be dried sometime between 1 and 2 hours. They will smell WONDERFUL! They will turn very dark, sometimes black, when dried.

Store the dried mushrooms in a cheesecloth bag and hang them in a dry (not humid) spot.

Use in gravies, soups and pot roasts.

I envy you!

Lee

 

[melsgarden]

mushrooms

Thank you, Lee! I guess I need to get busy, they'll be gone before I know it. This type of mushroom is very different from the gilled type we're used to.
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My mushrooms did not dry totally dark/black. The body is still light color, and I am a little worried since our extension agent finally came back and said that some boletes are poisonous and not to take a chance. Pooh!

I have eaten the ones that I cooked in olive oil and butter (about 3 med. sized) and have had no problems. How long do you think it takes to have a difficulty and how many days? I think some folks are too afraid of wild foods, but I just want to be sure before I use them in recipes that have for meals with other folks.

Thank you for your advice, I am new to this, but they are delicious!!! I wish my photos had gotten through to you, maybe this site is saving space somehow, or I don't know how to do it, I am totally new to this.

Mel

 

[sparrowgrass]

Hold it, guys--my mushroom books say that blue staining boletes are mildly poisonous, and may make you sick.

Check it out here:

America's COOLEST Mushrooms - AmericanMushrooms.com

 

[melsgarden]

Bolete mushrooms

Thanks, sparrowgrass. I read that on the 'net, but these do not turn blue immediately and are less red, more pale brown. They are delish! I am drying them as we speak, some of them are as big as my open hand! I also discovered you can cook them in oil and butter and freeze them. I don't have a dryer and here in NC it is too humid to dry them anywhere but the oven. So my prep work goes on and on.... (there must have been 10 pounds!) Won't get a chance like this again, I bet! We will continue to do research before we eat many at one sitting.

 

[Aurora]

It should also be noted that at least one mushroom in the Boletus family (Boletus luridus) more info at:

Boletus luridus (MushroomExpert.Com)

which contain a chemical called Coprine which when combined with alcohol will make you sick.

To quote MushroomExpert.com:

[FONT=Arial, Verdana, Sans Serif][SIZE=-1]Boletus luridus is poisonous; no red-pored, blue-staining bolete should be considered for the table.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[melsgarden]

mushrooms

Thank you, I attach photos. I believe this is safe, but let me know your further thoughts. I have checked with many authorities, including Tom Baroni. He has been a big help.

Mel

 

[QSis]

Hi mels,

Here is a photo of one short walk in a good mushrooming year.



The mushrooms with the non-white stems are the blue-staining boletes. I only pick the ones with the yellow sponge under the caps.

I do not pick the ones with red or orange underneath the caps.

Mushrooming is one of my very favorite things to do - it's like a treasure hunt, every time I go!

Enjoy!

Lee

 

[melsgarden]

Bolete mushrooms

Qsis, It took me awhile to get back to you on this. The mushrooms did not turn totally black, especially the main body/central part, it stayed light. Is that a problem?

Mels

 

[QSis]

Mels, there is a wide variety of boletes, and they behave differently from one another. Yours sounds fine.

Lee