The Mushrooms of Autumn (Porcini)

Boletus edulis, the Porcino, cèpe de Bordeaux or Steinpilz

In the past,huronensis has been considered “edible’, but within the past decade a number of cases have been reported where this mushroom has been associated with rather severe, though temporary  Gastro-Intestinal discomfort. Wheras identification of this mushroom often causes a headache, for many, ingestion causes a belly ache. Beginners and experst alike, beware.
If you are collecting for the pot, and not the herbarium the most important thing to look for is a substantial white reticulum on a white stem. That is the mark of  a porcino, cèpe, or steinpilz, three culinary names given to this “King Bolete” which is universally considered choice.

The most common misidentification is with Tylopilus felleus which has a brown not white reticulum and has a very bitter taste. Not everyone can taste this bitterness, but for those of us who can it makes this mushroom – and the whole dish prepared with it– inedible.

Tylopilus felleus, the Bitter Bolete: note pinkish pores, and conspicuous brown reticulum

The paramount rule of eating Boletes is to exclude any which have red tube mouths and quickly stain blue. The most poisonous are in this category. Boletus subvelutipes is the classic representative of this class in the Northeast.

Boletus subvelutipes. Note red tube mouths and the instant dark blue staining of this toxic mushroom.

PORCINI, THE WHERE TO FIND THEM. Porcini are ectomycorrhizal, which means that they grow in close association with certain classes of trees: Spruce, Pines, Hemlock, Oaks and Birch are the ones most often cited in the literature. You will therefore want to look to the forest or other places where mature trees have been allowed to grow, such as yards, parks, or cemeteries..

They will more or less come up in the same spot seasonally and to judge from our own yard in Maine, can be encouraged to colonize new areas by the discards of an over ripe or over ambitious foray collection, provided, of course, that there are suitable host trees where the collecting scraps are thrown.

As mentioned in the Chanterelle post, my best collections almost invariably come from areas of deep glacial deposits.

If you collect these fungi you will notice that some years are much better than others. Some seasons will produce only a few specimens no matter how hard and far you look: other seasons will fill your baskets and clog your fridge and dryer. And, Oh Yes: they are better dried than fresh!

HOW TO FIND PORCINI: Let’s face it. Everyone who collects porcini has her/his own favorite and highly secret locations. Short of placing a cell phone in the master collector’s car and then reading out the geo-coordinates, you will probably want to review the previous section of this post and search accordingly. There is no substitute for time in the field.

I have found members of this complex from May to November, collecting them with spring Morels, summer Lactarius, and autumn Grifola, but by far the fall produces the best collections.

Porcini and Morels anyone?

They are often abundant after the tropical storms of autumn have soaked the forest duff. This time of year also produces the collections with the least bug and slug damage. The only notable exceptions to this rule are those specimens which can suddenly appear in the middle of a drought. In these somewhat rare cases there are no insects to infect the newly emerging fungi. They will appear however, so you have to be there and act quickly.

The cepes of summer are usually infested with worms

Porcini do not always need an old forest in which to grow. It is often noticed that a thirty to forty year old tree will produce a remarkable flush.

A yard full of Porcini from one tree

So go out when you can, after a late summer or fall rain is great, and investigate mixed forests over glacial deposits where ectomycorrhizal trees are found. In fall get out before the leaves fall and cover the forest floor.

easiest spotting is before leaves fall

If you can’t determine the geo-coordinates of a successful collector, do the next best thing. Join a local Mycological Association and walk with them. See NAMA http://namyco.org for clubs near you.