(boletus edulis)
The Penny Bun Mushroom is a delicious, and meaty mushroom that grows all over the world. It has many names such as King Bolete, cep, porcini, steinpilz and many others. This mushroom is a favourite subject that is drawn, painted, or sculpted by artists. The Penny Bun is often very large with a thick club-like stem, and thick cap, it is a very beautiful mushroom. They are also known as the King Bolete.
These Mushrooms are mycorrhizal and are most commonly found within conifer forests that have lots of hemlocks growing. Look where sphagnum mosses are found. I find many in spruce forests here on the Island.
No mushroom is more satisfying. The Penny Bun can have a yellow, red to brown cap atop a thick white or brown stalk, and grows individually or in small clumps on the ground in coniferous forests. They can be found in all parts of the Pacific Northwest. They are very delicious.
Furthermore, they are not just a hearty meal though, these mushrooms are immuno-stimulating and contain lots of vitamin B, thereby helping to maintain a balanced nervous system.
It grows in conifer forests where it, just like all other mushrooms, has an association with the roots of the trees, aiding them in absorbing nutrients while receiving sugars from the tree’ in return. There is much more going on here that we are just beginning to understand.
You will have a hard time finding them in the Pacific Northwest without maggots in them unless the mushroom is young and small, they’re the best-tasting ones anyway. Vancouver Island has lots of them, you can find them growing from sea level right up to 1000 meters. The little mushrooms can be difficult to find because they barely poke their caps above the soil surface. This elusiveness is further enhanced by the fact that sometimes they do not even push above the needles that have accumulated on the floor of the forest. Experienced shoomers look for small humps in the litter that indicate these choice mushrooms are hiding underneath. But the mere presence of these mushrumps does not mean Boletus Edulus is underneath. Many kinds of mushrooms do this. The pine mushroom also does this, also known as the Matsutake mushroom, which is another very choice mushroom.
As with any mushroom, you must be sure what you’re harvesting, never eat a mushroom unless you can identify it with no mistakes because making a mistake when harvesting mushrooms could kill you. The Boletus edulis is fairly easy to identify, once you get the hang of it, although it has many variations in colour, size, and shape. The stem of these mushrooms will have a pattern on them that looks like the skin patterns on a giraffe.
Penny Bun mushrooms are excellent sautéed or fried. The flesh is a bit crunchy with a slightly nutty flavour. Boletus edulis is a great mushroom for the dehydrator, they are almost as good as fresh when you reconstitute them before use. Drying concentrates the flavour and removes any bitterness. You can dry and powder them for use in soups and gravies.
To ensure you have the Penny Bun, chew on a piece of the cap, If it tastes bitter, this is not one. If it has a nutty flavour and is quite meaty, you have found a Penny Bun, enjoy.
Hello Bud,
Thanks for all the information here.
Could you tell me when the spring king boletes and the Admirable Boletes (velvet top boletes) might start to appear here on the southern /central part if Vancouver Island!
Thanks so much.
Eve