It is not for nothing that mushroom picking is called quiet hunting, because in order to get the result, mushroom pickers need to be extremely careful and careful. The first season of this activity is in the middle - the end of spring. It was at this time that only greened forests and clearings were filled with birch trees. And frequent spring rains only contribute to the multiplication of their number. In order for the baskets to fill up quickly, you should know exactly what this mushroom looks like and what habitats it chooses. This will be discussed in the article.

Boletus

Brown birch trees can often be found in deciduous forests (usually in a birch forest), in young shoots near a forest, and also along the edges of glades - in places where there is enough moisture and sunlight. The peak of the largest number of these mushrooms occurs in mid-late May.

There are many varieties of boletus, and the most common are:

1. Ordinary - The most common and valuable species. The cap of such a boletus has a light brown or dark brown color, and its diameter can reach 15 cm. The pulp is dense, has a pleasant mushroom aroma, excellent taste characteristics and does not change color on the cut. It is most often used in preservation and drying, and is also well suited for frying.
2. The black - grows on wetter soil (on the edge of a swamp or in a pine). It starts growing from July until the end of summer. The hat has a dark brown or black color, diameter - 6-8 cm. A characteristic black flake is present on the leg. It is also an edible species, however, the loose structure of the pulp reduces its value.
3. Marsh (also called white) - grows along the edges of the swamp or in mixed overgrown forests. The hat has a pale brown color, its diameter can reach 15 cm. The foot of the swamp birch is thin and somewhat elongated. On the cut, the flesh does not change its color. The mushroom of this species has a weakly expressed mushroom aroma and taste, which is why it is much lower than the common birch.
4. Turning pink - found in forests with excess moisture in the soil. The mushroom cap has a pillow-shaped, dark brown or brown color. Its diameter reaches 13-15 cm. The leg is thin. The pulp is white, characterized by density. A characteristic feature of the mushrooms is the slight pinking of the pulp in the places of cut.

In total there are three periods in the year when you can collect boletus:

• end of May (beginning of June) - you can focus on the flowering of mountain ash;
• mid-June - end of July, during the flowering period of linden;
• mid-August and until late autumn.

Important! The birch bark has a poisonous double called bile mushroom. It can be distinguished by the pink color of the tubular layer under the hat, the acquisition of a cut-off place in a red tint, and also by the bitterness in taste.

Useful properties and taste

The birch bark has a pronounced mushroom taste and aroma, as well as a somewhat harsh flesh.These mushrooms have long been known for their beneficial properties - their composition is a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. In addition to the valuable vitamins of groups B, C, PP and E, these mushrooms contain a wide range of organic acids, as well as a number of micro and macro elements (phosphorus, iron, potassium, manganese, sodium and others).

An important fact is also the low calorie content of this product - 100 g contains only 31 kcal. At the same time, proteins - 36%, fats - 5%, sugar - 15%, fiber - 23%. According to scientists, it is proved that the protein of this fungus is able to make a complete replacement for a protein of animal origin. In addition, it is completely split and has the ability of easy absorption.

Due to the high fiber content, the use of this product leads to a quick cleaning of the intestines from the accumulated "slag". But mushrooms also belong to indigestible food, and therefore, in order to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract, portions should always be moderate.

Did you know? In total, there are about 2 million varieties of mushrooms in the world, of which only 100 thousand species are known.

How to collect and process mushrooms after harvest?

When collecting mushrooms, it is necessary to adhere to several recommendations:

• the mushroom should be carefully cut with a knife at the base, and not pulled out of the ground (preserving the mycelium, next year we can expect a rich harvest of birch bark in the same place);
• to increase the shelf life, it is better to collect in the morning;
• it is not recommended to collect old or overgrown mushrooms, since they accumulate a large number of products harmful to the human body from the environment;
• mushrooms harvested in rainy summers are not suitable for drying because they are too saturated with water.

Also, in order to avoid poisoning, the mushroom picker should alert the following signs of a boletus:

• blue or too bright pink cut of the mushroom;
• massive mushrooms, whose sizes are much larger than the usual boletus;
• too saturated leg color - pink or red;
• a mesh pattern throughout the fruit body resembling a vascular network;
• uncharacteristic location - near stumps, in ditches and more.

You should also be aware that unpeeled boletus are spoiled quickly, and therefore they must be processed after collection as soon as possible - within 12 hours. This procedure will help preserve all the vitamins and beneficial properties of the mushrooms. An important point is the gathering place.

Important! It is believed that the larger the mushroom has, the higher the concentration of harmful substances it contains.

If the mushrooms were cut in the forest, then it is enough to clean them from the accompanying garbage (grass, dirt, etc.). If the clearing or the edge acted as a gathering place, then there will be practically no dirt on them, however, since mushrooms absorb dust well, cleaning must be carried out with great care.

How to clean the boletus, do I clean the leg?

Before cleaning the mushrooms, they should be sorted by size, age and quality.

Further, the procedure consists of several steps:

• you can clean with a knife or an old toothbrush;
• from the hat and legs it is necessary to remove all forest debris (for example, needles or leaves);
• the lower base is completely removed;
• peel is removed on the leg;
• the mushroom is inspected or cut in half to check for the presence of worms.

Many people wonder whether it is worth cleaning the legs of the birch bark or rinse them well enough. To answer it, you need to remember that mushrooms quickly absorb all the garbage, and therefore often washing is not enough. In order to avoid a significant decrease in the taste characteristics of mushrooms, as well as related problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it is strongly recommended that thorough processing of the entire mushroom be done before cooking.

How to soak boletus, is it necessary?

It is believed that in order not to spoil the structure, birch trees are not steeped.

However, there are situations when it is necessary:

1. Under the condition of large contaminants or the presence of worms inside, the legs are separated and cut in half, then poured with strong saline (1-3 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water). The exposure time is 2-3 hours. After this, the mushrooms are removed and dried until all the water has drained.
2. Since the birch trees quickly darken, they need to be cooked almost immediately after harvesting. If this is not possible, to prevent loss of appearance they are poured with slightly salty and acidified water.

Preliminary Cooking Procedures

Starting to cook mushrooms, the question arises: how to properly process the product and how long it will take.

Did you know? The life expectancy of a boletus is only 10 days, but the peak it reaches maturity already on the sixth day, after which it begins to age, losing both taste and beneficial properties.

Each method of cooking boletus (whether frying, pickling, pickling, freezing, etc.) is distinguished by the subtleties of heat treatment:

1. Before freezing, mushrooms are boiled in the following way: peeled, washed and cut into small slices. After being placed in a pan, pour water and bring to a boil. Cooked boletus for 40 minutes. (in this case, the resulting foam should be constantly removed). Then the broth is drained, and the mushrooms are dried, after which they can be frozen.
2. Before salting, the boletus is subjected to heat treatment twice - the first time it is boiled in a brine for about 30 minutes, the second time - in a new brine for no more than 10 minutes. After that, you can proceed directly to the salting.
3. Before cooking dried mushrooms, the boletus is soaked in water for 2 hours, and then boiled for about 2 hours over low heat.

Before frying, mushrooms can be prepared in two ways:

1. After cleaning, the birch bark is poured with cold water and brought to a boil over high heat, after which the fire is reduced to medium and cooking is continued for another 1 hour (while remembering to constantly remove the foam).
2. It is poured with cold water, boiled for 5 minutes, after which the procedure is repeated (filled with cold water, brought to a boil), but you need to cook for 20 minutes.

Despite the fact that boletus ’belong to the category of noble mushrooms, thorough cleaning and boiling before the main cooking are integral procedures that can protect human health from unpleasant consequences. Many mushroom pickers refuse heat treatment, since it significantly reduces the saturation of taste. However, you should always remember that mushrooms are a sponge that inevitably absorbs environmental toxins, and you can’t get rid of them without cooking.