dumb guy question

albula

albula

We are all Bozos on this bus
Forum Supporter
Do any of you fungi collectors know what these are?PXL_20241029_223134087.jpgPXL_20241029_223159609.MP.jpg
 
I see that king bolete are edible and harvested. The fact that I found a place with a bunch of these in a readily accessible area and the fact that they were still there made me think I should not give them a try. I am tempted however. Maybe I'll grab a bag of them this afternoon and see if the bag dies.
 
That doesn't look like one I would stop and pick or eat. You need to cut the stem and see what color it bleeds to know more.
 
"Spore prints" can be helpful with identifying mushrooms. It's an interesting subject and actually quite fun to make "spore prints". That being said, Boletes can be very tricky. King Bolete, Queen bolete, all the other boletes etc.... In Northern California, the King Boletes were heavily harvested. A single mushroom could weigh several pounds. Some had maggots, some were too young to accurately identify (buttons) and some just looked like they might not be the real Gamboni.
 
I am no expert, but the mushroom in the OP would definitely be left behind by me. Also, I was taught to cut the mushroom at the base with a knife. This allows for future mushrooms. Boletes often need the bottom of the stem to be trimmed (to get rid of any maggots). Many times I have parked and seen the trimmed pieces on the ground. This is a sure sign that another mushroom hunter had parked there.. and had success.
 
Last edited:
I would like to add....if you are out cutting mushrooms, trying to learn how, and what to harvest, you MUST be careful that your knife blade is properly cleaned each time to avoid poisons from bad mushrooms contaminating the good ones.
 
I'd also like to add that King Boletes are extremely tasty. Far different from the usual mushrooms you get at Safeway. The nutty flavor that they have is hard to describe. Mushroom Swiss cheese burger, Mushroom pizza, stuffed mushroom caps, mushroom omelettes etc... These mushrooms are an incredible culinary treasure. And if you live where they do I highly recommend you educate yourself sufficiently (with the help of a seasoned mushroom hunter) and go hunt for them. It's like Easter egg hunting for a woodsman.
 
I will also add...finding these particular mushrooms can be aquatinted to a fly fisherman that has become masterful at the art. The mushroom hunter is very keen to rainfall, sunlight, air temperature and most importantly the species of trees to look under. A lifetime of memories regarding what places and, at what times produce results. A mushroom hunter will never follow the trail, they crash through the wet forest, spider webs, and steep slopes in an almost maniacal search for the prey. They keep the secrets that they learn closely guarded (no hot spotting whatsoever). But it is mostly all in good fun, and I have found that the best mushroom hunters are quick to make jokes and even quicker to make friends.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zak
Paige said:
Unless it has a blue ring around the stem, I aint touching it :p:eek::oops:o_O:sleep:
Click to expand...
You want your world to become “aquatinted,” perhaps with some art. I get it. Shades of gray man, shades of gray.
 
Wait a second here...about these mushroom hunter dudes...

They sound quite a bit like otters...maniacally crashing through the forest leaving a barren, fungi free parking lot wasteland behind them...
But they're funny...so I guess it's OK.


😁
 
No King Boletes but a few photos of what I have found around Mt Baker. Chanterelle, Lobster, Chicken Of the Woods.
 

Attachments

  • 465B2C28-C7B9-46CA-8976-69E348794708.jpeg
    465B2C28-C7B9-46CA-8976-69E348794708.jpeg
    551.4 KB · Views: 13
  • 5F2F255E-27F5-4D2E-B39A-226590F79A8F.jpeg
    5F2F255E-27F5-4D2E-B39A-226590F79A8F.jpeg
    633.7 KB · Views: 13
  • 778FE69E-3000-4FD4-9215-A32EE417605C.jpeg
    778FE69E-3000-4FD4-9215-A32EE417605C.jpeg
    555.1 KB · Views: 13
Edible mushrooms are much like apples on an apple tree. They are the fruit of the mycelium. The Mycelium is, in essence, the apple tree. Although invisible, this mycelium "tree" can live for hundreds of years, producing the edible mushrooms that we harvest (much like apples) This is why a mushroom hunter will use a knife to not injure the mycelium. This insures more abundant harvest for years to come.
 
Jim in Anacortes said:
I'd also like to add that King Boletes are extremely tasty. Far different from the usual mushrooms you get at Safeway. The nutty flavor that they have is hard to describe. Mushroom Swiss cheese burger, Mushroom pizza, stuffed mushroom caps, mushroom omelettes etc... These mushrooms are an incredible culinary treasure. And if you live where they do I highly recommend you educate yourself sufficiently (with the help of a seasoned mushroom hunter) and go hunt for them. It's like Easter egg hunting for a woodsman.
Click to expand...
Only tasted them once, and I must agree they were absolutely delicious. One of the restaurants I worked at years ago had "a guy" for everything, to include a local mushroom hunter. One day, our mushroom guy brought us king boletes and black truffles. The wine guy brought a sample of an amazing Columbia Valley Cabernet. We sautéed some of those shrooms in a bit of that wine and made fettuccine in a cream sauce with shaved truffles, and we were all in heaven for a few minutes there.

Chanterelles, oysters, and lobsters are all I've found in my limited foraging experience, so I'm no expert. I do know enough to agree it's a really good plan to start a thread like this before trying something you're not 100% sure is edible.
 
I love mushrooms. They are so tasty. I could eat them as a meal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top