• 
  2009

  Nov 11
  17
  Ziza

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  Boletus forest about a month ago.
  The dinner was excellent, and since I survived you can trust I know boletus when I see it…
  (W)ink, (w)ink
  tags: boletus | drawing | forest | ink
   

Comments

• 

  roseindigo 10:31 am on November 11, 2009 | #

  My mother used to be a “mushroom expert” and she could find them when no one else could because she could smell them long before she could see them. I haven’t tasted the like since I was a child because the cultivated mushrooms we buy in the store here don’t hold a candle. But I don’t know enough about the wild ones to take the risk, so CONGRATULATIONS if you know them that well. What a treat!

• 

  Andrew Spanoudakis 10:33 am on November 11, 2009 | #

  beautiful line drawing… it has real depth to it.

• 

  j. stremikis 2:19 pm on November 11, 2009 | #

  ah-ha !
  a superb drawing !

  and now, the next time I see these in the nearby forest or woodlots, I’ll know what I’m looking at — and with confidence I will treat my family and myself to a huge and excellent dinner — with these boletus as the main course ! a great reference for “the safe ones” !
  (wink) (wink).

• 

  Nikira 10:17 pm on November 11, 2009 | #

  Nice sketch, I like the angle. I pick mushrooms on my friends lot, and eat it whenever she cooks it and I am near. Main thing is to lick it, and if its bitter – it bad. In russian restaurants it is one of the main dishes.

• 

  ziza 2:05 am on November 12, 2009 | #

  Thank you gals and guys. Boletus is one of the most delicious mushrooms, and it’s almost impossible to confuse it for poisonous one (even then it wouldn’t be fatal – all you could get, if too careless, would be good vomiting). Testing mushrooms by licking is, I’m afraid, not the method I’d recommend. There are edible ones which are quite bitter when fresh, and poisonous ones that have pleasant taste. But most of all the problem is that if you lick Amanita phalloides you could even die from it – which rules out this procedure. But this one is, when young, commonly mistaken for Agaricus bisporus (white mashroom – “champignon”) when found in nature. It doesn’t look anything like boletus.
  The best guide is to do as follows:
  1. Download my drawing
  2. Make a print of it
  3. Carry it always with you
  4. When spotting a brownish mushroom in the forest take that print out of your pocket
  5. Compare the actual mushroom with that on the print (my drawing)
  6. If it looks EXACTLY the same – it’s edible boletus
  7. Pass it with desire (and perhaps take a photo for future reference)
  8. Next time take a real mushroom guide-book along and make sure someone who knows what to do is also present – and only then pick them in environmentally friendly way!
  I hope this piece of advice was helpful to you!
  Was it helpful?
  YES □
  NO □

• 

  ziza 2:15 am on November 12, 2009 | #

  BTW, all the mushrooms are edible.
  Though some of them are edible only once!

• 

  j. stremikis 2:26 am on November 12, 2009 | #

  Ziza – many thanks for the followup comments. yes, very helpful.

  is “boletus” the same, everywhere ? does this boletus
  (and rabbit) look exactly like what you have drawn for us ?

• 

  j. stremikis 2:27 am on November 12, 2009 | #

  sorry, the previous message was cut short when I went to “Post Comment”.

  Here is the link, again:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpKGIvn9KjI

• 

  ziza 2:40 am on November 12, 2009 | #

  J. Stremikis, yes boletus is the same everywhere (although there are tens of subspecies – all edible) There are some mushrooms that are known for being edible in certain parts of the world, and not-so-edible elsewhere. Eg., there is one which growing near Birch trees (I dunno its English name) which poisoned many Russian soldiers in 1945 when “liberating” parts of Yugoslavia. Apparently, the same mushroom was edible in Russia. Or perhaps slivovic was not proper substitute for vodka!?
  Unfortunately, I can’t check youtube from my office (site provider restriction). I’ll check it from home and then reply to that part of your question…

• 

  Ziza 3:26 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  J. Stremikis, I’ve seen the video. Actually it is filmed here in the neighborhood where we spent 2 years as a family (in Zagreb). This mount Sljeme which is mentioned in the clip is nothing but a little hill comparing to the mountain where my forest is. Still, mushrooms are the same (mine were even fresher) and of course I did them a justice in my presentation. Roger Rabbit was hiding behind the tree, while I was sketching! (blink, blink, wink, wink, nudge, nudge…)

• 

  j. stremikis 8:14 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  Ziza -
  thanks for the details – and, thanks also for telling about Roger Rabbit. I thought Roger only lives in our imagination (and in Youtube, of course). It’s great knowing that he’s alive and well in your forest.
  do you have morel mushrooms in your forest ?
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella
  we have, in our forests and farmers’ woodlots. a gourmet treat !

• 

  Nikira 8:19 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  J.stremikis, I never saw such mushrooms, it looks so exotic. It says grows in Poland. Where are you?

• 

  j. stremikis 8:26 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  Nikira –
  yes, these mushrooms are incredible. to hunt and find is a real art.
  they can be eaten fresh (not raw, but fried or added to meats or soup, for example.). they can also be frozen or dried. I like to dry them on a string hung in a dark room – the smell is intoxicating. And, then to powder the dry mushroom flesh.
  we are living here, in the middle of US. Belleville, Wisconsin.

• 

  Nikira 9:02 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  I never saw it here, In Catskills.

• 

  j. stremikis 9:18 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  Nikira -
  When you have an opportunity, you must try them.
  But, please be aware of Ziza’s comment above about the Russian soldiers, and slivovic – this may also be true here in the USA, and with the morel mushrooms.
  I know from practical life experience that morels can be toxic, if eating too many. And, may be toxic if consumed with alcohol as part of the meal.
  The toxic part is removed by cooking. But I know that even cooked morels can cause mild poisoning symptoms for some of us – with wine, beer, or other alcohol.
  It’s not true for everyone at my table, or my neighbours, but it’s true for me.

• 

  roseindigo 10:08 pm on November 13, 2009 | #

  One year I had hundreds of morels growing right in my driveway and under the apple trees, but I didn’t pick them because my knowledge of mushrooms is limited. However, a fellow from the forest service who was here to trim some trees saw them and asked if he could have them. He picked them all and he’s still alive, so I’m assuming they were OK. Since then I’ve never seen them here again.
  My mother, who knew all the wild edible foods in Germany, never picked anything here she wasn’t absolutely sure about, because there are differences and things that look the same may not be. So beware!

• 

  Ziza 5:00 am on November 14, 2009 | #

  Morel is what we call “smrčak” and is very delicious mushroom which can be found in the spring (say April). There is “black” and “white” one – both good. Russian soldier story is not applicable here – it is edible everywhere! There is however similar dangerous non-edible sort – but it has brian-like wrinkles rather than small holes (as one in your link). This one is “black” one – in the spring I found some half-a-dozen and they were delicious (but boletus is the KING)!

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