Though mushroom season....

Though mushroom season appears to be winding down, it is hard to let go, and there are still many around to appreciate- none more so than boletes! The bolete family, which comprises hundreds of species . . . is easily recognizable because the underside has a spongy pore layer rather than gills. And there are many boletes out there worth getting to know.

The estimable 'Mushroom Jim', who graces Royal Roads with the inspired Can I Eat that Mushroom course every fall, distills his considerable bolete wisdom thus: "Timing is everything. It may well be that there is only a part of one day that any bolete or bolete patch is truly at its peak". Indeed. Though it varies by region and by species, wiley harvesters have come up with a variety of climatic cues to tip them off to this peak- three weeks after the first rain; or two weeks after an inch of rain has accumulated. Many boletes are prone to parasites and may quickly rot once they are past their prime, prompting some harvesters to collect early in the morning ("before the insects wake up").

It is certainly not too late to find young fat jacks (Suillus caerulescens / ponderosus, not to be confused with matte jacks, slim jacks, or tamarack jacks), which are still popping up amongst the fir trees on Royal Roads grounds. If the slippery (when wet) top doesn't deter you, they can make fine eating, though they don't quite attract the rave reviews of some of their relatives. Fat jacks have golden-tan caps and a yellow sponge layer. Some boletes will stain a blue or green colour when you scratch their spongy surface; this species does not, though if you cut the base of the stalk it may gradually develop a green hue.

The king bolete (Boletus edulis) is one of the most sought after mushrooms worldwide- "delectable... no mushroom is more substantial or satisfying!" states David Arora, fungal authority extraordinaire. The king has a yellow-to red-to brown cap atop a thick white or brown stalk, and grows individually or in small clumps on the ground in coniferous forests. This species is also known as porcini, because it is 'plump as a little pig'. As one of the official weighers at the Bamfield Mushroom Festival's biggest-bolete competition, I got to admire and handle many of these (all-too-often rotting) kings, and the prize-winner was just shy of three pounds! Not just a hearty meal, king boletes are immuno-stimulating and contain lots of vitamin B, and thereby help to maintain a balanced nervous system. There is also, by the way, a Queen bolete (B. aereus) which has a darker cap when young and grows more commonly among hardwoods in states to the south. Its flavour is preferred over the king by some, but dismissed as bland by others.

Admirable boletes (B. mirabilis) are another gem- they are a respectably sized maroon mushroom with a yellow pore layer, an affinity for hemlock trees, and a lemony flavour.Then there are the birch and aspen boletes, Leccinium scabrum & L. insigne, described as tasty and as excellent respectively. There are also the 'wonderfully dense' butter boletes (B.appendiculatus), and we're just gettign started.

It must be explicitly stated though, that not all boletes are edible. Satan's bolete (B. satanas) is a species best enjoyed from a distance; it has a red sponge layer that stains blue when scratched (if that's not the work of the devil...) and causes severe gastro-intestinal distress. It has never been recorded to cause death though, which cannot be said of the red-pored bolete (B. pulcherrimus), a reddish brown specimen which also grows amongst conifers in British Columbia.

Back to the ones we like to eat though- all of them have high moisture content, so dry-sauteeing them (cooking them without any grease at high heat until they give off water) is a good way to concentrate their flavour. The sponge layer is particularly damp, and some people do away with it altogether (leaving this part it in the forest can both increase the mushroom's reproductive potential and reduce the sliminess of your harvest). Some connoisseurs find this to be the most flavourful part though, and dry it for use in soup stocks.

This recipe is from "Wildman" Steve Brill, who claims that you'll find it difficult to conceive that food can taste so good:

Recipe: Broiled boletes (fit for a king!)

1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. chili paste or 3/4 tsp. cayenne hot pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. mellow miso
1 tsp. rosemary, ground
1/2 tsp. thyme, ground
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. juniper berries, ground (optional)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
10 cups king bolete, other choice bolete caps, or other mushrooms

Puree all ingredients except the mushroom caps in a blender and toss with the mushroom caps. Broil on a rack in a broiler 4-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Broilers differ greatly, so check often to make sure the boletes don’t begin to burn. Turn with a spatula, tongs, or fork and broil 4-8 minutes, or until you’ve lightly browned the other side.

Caution: Never, ever, harvest, serve, or eat any mushroom without being certain of the species and its edibility. King boletes can accumulate cadmium, copper, lead, and mercury, so make sure to choose clean harvesting sites.