King Bolete: Boletus Edulis
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Call it a Porcini, Cep or King Bolete, Boletus Edulis is a prized edible mushroom around the world.
On the West Coast it often can be found growing in pine forests, but it also grows easily in coniferous forests.
Boletus Edulis sprout in the summer at higher elevations and during the fall at lower elevations.
Identifying the species can be fairly easy under certain circumstances. The top picture, for example, shows a large mushroom with light brown cap, pores and hefty, club shaped stipe or stem.
Not pictured is the fact that the pores did not bruise when brushed with a fingernail, and it was growing in proximity to another similar specimen measuring the size of a dinner plate. Typically these field clues are sufficient for identification.
Perhaps as many King Bolete recipes exist as the species population.
Remove the pores, cut the mushroom into bite sized pieces and pay fry or sautee them in oil or butter.
© 2008 Patricia A. Michaels