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Golden boletus is a rare and very valuable edible mushroom, which is classified as noble. Although you can rarely meet it on the territory of Russia, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the description and features.
What golden boletuses look like
The cap of the golden boletus is of medium size, usually it reaches about 12 cm in diameter, but in rare cases it can grow up to 20 cm. It is convex in shape, sometimes becomes 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 stem, 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 underside is usually yellow or greenish-yellow. A characteristic feature is that when pressed, the tubular bottom 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 by only 10-15 cm. It reaches an average of 2 cm in diameter, and narrows slightly in the upper part. To the touch, the leg is elastic and dense, and in color it is yellowish, brownish or reddish, slightly lighter than the cap, but of a similar shade. The stem of young fruiting bodies is usually lighter; with age, the color becomes darker.
The golden boletus is characterized by the presence of a distinguishable mesh pattern on the leg, on its surface you can see longitudinal ribbed lines. 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 mushroom. The leg is dry to the touch, it can become sticky only in wet weather.
If you cut the golden boletus, then the flesh will turn out to be dense, pinkish-white or yellowish-white in shade. From contact with air, the pulp does not change its color or very slowly turns greenish-brown. There is no pronounced smell in golden boletus, and the taste of raw pulp is described as slightly sour.
Where golden boletus grow
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. In the forests of Europe, it is extremely rare to see it, although there are reports that the mushroom was found in Lithuania, as well as in the Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions.
Golden boletus grows mainly in coniferous and mixed forests near tree trunks, predominantly prefer spruce plantings. You can meet them both singly and in small groups, the main fruiting occurs in late summer and early autumn.
Is it possible to eat golden boletus
Golden boletus belongs to completely edible mushrooms and is widely used in cooking without complex pre-processing. True, experienced mushroom pickers do not appreciate its taste too highly, but they note that this pain is rarely affected by worms and insects, even in adulthood.
False doubles
There are few twins in the golden boletus, however, in the absence of experience, it can be confused with other species. It is especially dangerous that the false counterparts of the golden pain relate to inedible mushrooms, so it is very undesirable to make a mistake.
Gall mushroom
The most common false twin of the golden boletus in Russia is bitterness, or gall mushroom. The similarity lies in the structure - the bitter pot also has a strong dense leg and a hemispherical cap of a light brown color.
But it is quite simple to distinguish edible boletus from gorchak. 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, the bitterness flesh darkens very quickly when cut.
If bitterness gets into a soup or roast, the dish will be irreparably spoiled.
Satanic mushroom
Golden pain has a strong resemblance to the inedible satanic mushroom. The latter is widespread in Europe and the Russian Primorye, as well as in the Caucasus. The varieties are similar in appearance to each other - the satanic mushroom also has a high and thick stem, 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.
There are several ways to distinguish a satanic mushroom. Its leg in the lower part 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 gives off a pungent aroma of rotting onions.
Boletus wonderful
This species is found mainly in North America, but it will be useful for novice mushroom pickers to familiarize themselves with its description. A fine or beautiful boletus has a wide hemispherical cap up to 25 cm in diameter and a high leg about 8 cm in thickness. In color, it looks like a golden ache - the cap is light brown, and the leg is darker brown with a reddish tint. Despite its name, the fine boletus is poisonous and unsuitable for food.
You can distinguish it from golden boletus by the pulp - on the cut it is not white, but yellow and quickly acquires a bright blue tint. Also, a characteristic feature of the poisonous beautiful boletus is the presence of a reddish mesh in the lower part of the leg.
Collection rules
You can collect golden boletus throughout the summer, but more often it is found closer to autumn, from August to the end of September. Sometimes this mushroom comes across singly, it can also grow in small groups.
It is necessary to choose the cleanest forests with the presence of spruce for collection. It is undesirable to pick mushrooms near highways and industrial sites, the fruit bodies will contain too many toxic substances and will not bring any health benefits. When collecting mushrooms, it is necessary to carefully twist the fruit 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, it is undesirable to do so, given the rarity of golden pain in Europe.
The probability of meeting golden boletus in the middle lane is not very high.
Use
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 metabolic system, for strengthening joints and ligaments, for treating anemia and underweight.
Although golden boletus does not contain toxic substances in its composition, it cannot be eaten raw, the pulp must be thermally processed before use:
- The collected mushrooms are cleaned of soil and forest debris, washed in cold water, and then boiled twice.
- First, boil mushrooms for 5 minutes in unsalted water and drain the broth, and rinse the mushrooms again with cold water.
- After that, the boletus is again poured with water and boiled in salt water for 20 minutes, while the rising foam must be removed.
After boiling, the golden boletus must be rinsed again. Boiled pulp can be used in salads or added to soups, and golden boletus is also suitable for frying, pickling and pickling. The mushroom is versatile, it tastes good and brings health benefits in any dish.
Also, pregnant women and children under 7 years of age need to give up the mushroom, an organism with increased sensitivity can perceive the mushroom pulp negatively.
Conclusion
Golden boletus is rarely found on the territory of Russia, but in recent years it has been noted that its distribution area is becoming wider. A detailed description of boletus and a photo will allow you to recognize it when you meet it and distinguish it from other similar mushrooms.
