otterbob Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 I have never picked and eaten a wild mushroom but would like to do so. I have looked at a lot of information for my area, pictures, and description. I have been told that there a lot of the bolete mushrooms on the mountain but have not been able to fine anyone that would point them out to me. On a hike last weekend I found these and am asking if anyone could tell me if they are good to eat and if they are the bolete. There are enough of them that I could dry some for the pantry. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks. Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmw Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Bob that is an interesting mushroom you have there. The honest answer is without more information a true ID is not likely or even impossible to give with any certainty at all. . It would be important to know at the very least where the mushroom is growing, what kind of trees it is growing around, we would also need to see the underside of the mushroom to determine wether or not it is a Bolete or gilled mushroom, Seeing the stem is also important, and the flesh color of the mushroom. From the top it looks like it could be a bolete, but I wouldn't even say that with confidence. Additionally, with boletes there are staining properties to note, in ideal circumstances a spore print, and an ammonia test. The more information the better, and I am sure I there are other identifiers that I failed to mention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 >It would be important to know at the very least where the mushroom is growing, south central Colorado front range. >what kind of trees it is growing around, A lot of spruce and pine some kinnikinnick as ground cover and very rocky soil >we would also need to see the underside of the mushroom sorry but the last picture is the best I have of that. >to determine wether or not it is a Bolete or gilled mushroom, Seeing the stem is also important, and >the flesh color of the mushroom. White flesh yellow to green underside seems to be determination of age as the green begains to get a little slimy with the yellow much more firm bottom appears to be mini-holes not gills . >>>Additionally, with boletes there are staining properties to note, in ideal circumstances a spore print, and an ammonia test. This I have not heard not understand Thanks, Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplanets Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Otterbob, can you get more pictures up close? Maybe take one that is sliced in half? But realistically, it'll be very difficult to provide a 100% identification this way. And it could be dangerous to advise you to consume the mushroom without expert identification. I'd recommend you take it to someone in your area that have harvested these type of mushrooms (maybe guard the exact location so you don't lose your harvesting spot and try for a positive ID that way. As much as boletes are yummy, there are also ones that can make you sick. I'm no expert, but hope that helps you a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmw Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Bob for some reason the last time I looked at this post I looked for quite a while and the photos of the underside where not present. Anyway, It does look like a Bolete. Which Bolete is a different question and if it is edible is unknown. You would need to cut the stem, bruise the pores, and cut a little on the cap to see if there is any staining. In other words when cut does the flesh or pores change color. Blue staining in a Bolete is in general not a good sign. This could be an easy Bolete to ID, but Bolete's in general can be be tough to ID. You could also drop a dot of ammonia on the cap, stem, and pores and record any color changes. Last would be a spore print which you can look up on google and is easy to do. This would be a start. Boletus pinophilus grows in your area I believe and is edible. Based on the info we have I would not tell you that this is what you have though. Ultimately if you are interested in eating Boletes in your area the only good answer is to find somebody in your area who collects and eats them who is knowledgable. The wrong bolete can make you sick or at best taste aweful. I imagine that somewhere near you there is a Mushroom Hunters Club or Mycology Club. If you take all the info you aquire on this mushroom to them they can give more certain answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Otterbob, can you get more pictures up close? Maybe take one that is sliced in half? I will try to get to the trail head with the jeep on sunday, weather permiting. I'd recommend you take it to someone in your area that have harvested these type of mushrooms (maybe guard the exact location so you don't lose your harvesting spot and try for a positive ID that way. I have not been able to find anyone in my area over the last few years that is why I decided to post here. Thanks, Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Bob for some reason the last time I looked at this post I looked for quite a while and the photos of the underside where not present. I was having trouble uploading the original post with pic , so you may have seen the post before the pics arrived. >>Anyway, It does look like a Bolete. Which Bolete is a different question and if it is edible is unknown. You would need to cut the stem, bruise the pores, and cut a little on the cap to see if there is any staining. In other words when cut does the flesh or pores change color. Blue staining in a Bolete is in general not a good sign. << I did try cutting one up on the mountain and noticed no staining . This could be an easy Bolete to ID, but Bolete's in general can be be tough to ID. You could also drop a dot of ammonia on the cap, stem, and pores and record any color changes. Last would be a spore print which you can look up on google and is easy to do. This would be a start. >>Boletus pinophilus grows in your area I believe and is edible. Based on the info we have I would not tell you that this is what you have though. << could this be the Boletus barrowsii (White King Bolete)? >>Ultimately if you are interested in eating Boletes in your area the only good answer is to find somebody in your area who collects and eats them who is knowledgable. The wrong bolete can make you sick or at best taste aweful. I imagine that somewhere near you there is a Mushroom Hunters Club or Mycology Club. If you take all the info you aquire on this mushroom to them they can give more certain answers. << As mentioned above I have not been able to find anyone in my area to help me . I would be willing to show this to others as there are more then enough to share and they are huge. If edible I could fill my pantry in a mater of minutes. Thanks , Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplanets Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 2 clubs in Colorado: Colorado Mycological Society Pikes Peak Mycological Society Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyflyfsh Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 It is possible it could be Boletus barrowsii as that is an all white form of edulis type bolete and the pore surface turns yellow as it matures. It is certainly a bolete but hard to say which one. This time of year the edulis is fruiting all over the higher elevations in CO and NM. Most will have a darker redish cap but some will be more pale like what you have there and when a little older, the pore surface turns yellow. Boletus edulis when fresh will have pure white pores. If it smells mushroomy and sweet smelling and you taste a small piece on the end of your tongue and it's not bitter, then it is most likely not poisonous. The red pored boletes are the ones you really have to watch out for. There are some blue stainers that are edible but best for beginners to not begin with red pored blue stainers! Given where you are, this is either B. barrowsii or possibly a Suillus sp. Neither of which is poisonous. It would be nice to see a closeup of the pores and mushroom in general. Is there reticulation on the stalk? This time of year you should be finding tons and tons of Boletus edulis, the occasional B. barrowsii and hawks wings and chanterelles at 9-10,000' . The B. barrowsii will be found at lower elevations than the B. edulis. Spruce is key for edulis and ponderosa pine for barrowsii with the occasional spruce. Look at the stalk and is it reticulate? I will show you what I mean with a photo of a Boletus edulis from Montana this summer. Look at the netted looking reticulation on the stalks. Does yours have that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 2 clubs in Colorado: Colorado Mycological Society Pikes Peak Mycological Society Yea, These are a ways away, and the meetings are not available on my schedule. Thanks, Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 It is possible it could be Boletus barrowsii as that is an all white form of edulis type bolete and the pore surface turns yellow as it matures. It is certainly a bolete but hard to say which one. This time of year the edulis is fruiting all over the higher elevations in CO and NM. Most will have a darker redish cap but some will be more pale like what you have there and when a little older, the pore surface turns yellow. Boletus edulis when fresh will have pure white pores. If it smells mushroomy and sweet smelling and you taste a small piece on the end of your tongue and it's not bitter, then it is most likely not poisonous. The red pored boletes are the ones you really have to watch out for. There are some blue stainers that are edible but best for beginners to not begin with red pored blue stainers! Given where you are, this is either B. barrowsii or possibly a Suillus sp. Neither of which is poisonous. It would be nice to see a closeup of the pores and mushroom in general. Is there reticulation on the stalk? This time of year you should be finding tons and tons of Boletus edulis, the occasional B. barrowsii and hawks wings and chanterelles at 9-10,000' . The B. barrowsii will be found at lower elevations than the B. edulis. Spruce is key for edulis and ponderosa pine for barrowsii with the occasional spruce. Look at the stalk and is it reticulate? I will show you what I mean with a photo of a Boletus edulis from Montana this summer. Look at the netted looking reticulation on the stalks. Does yours have that? All good to know and I will check the suggested points , As mentioned above I will try to jeep up to the trail head on sunday time and weather permiting. {it has been raining each day on the mountain so there should be even more of them. Thanks, Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 It was a tough day on the mountain, but I did get a some photos and an assortment of what to me appears to bethe same mushroom from very young to very old. We found and abundanceof other mushrooms but tried to gather only this one variety. Some are broken from picking, some were broken for photo. There is no blue staining at all , no red anywhere, and the very young does show a “net” pattern on the stalk. The very young are very firm with a white bottom (and white top) (all white) as they ageit appears the bottom turns to a yellowish to tan color and the veryold the bottom change to a yellow green and the bottom will separateeasily from the older ones. Thanks, Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitog Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 This certainly looks like Boletus barrowsii, as already suggested. Even if it isn't, if it doesn't taste bitter, then it should be safe to eat, starting with a small amount at first, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyflyfsh Posted August 12, 2013 Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 Boletus barrowsii. Of course you don't want to eat one that is full of worms, but if there aren't too many, you can slice them and dehydrate for later use. Lucky, lucky you to be finding these. I like them even better than Boletus edulis. Great photos to show off your mushrooms. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 I agree with theBoletus barrowsii suggestion for the last group of photos. But the original group of photos seems to show a yellow-pored mushroom, and the texture on the surface of the stalk is difficult to grasp. Also, there appears to be a bluish mark on the pore surface, possibly the result of handling the mushroom. The tight yellow pore surface and the blue bruising --if correctly interpreted from the photos-- may point toward a different type of bolete, maybe something like B. pseudosensibilis...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyflyfsh Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Dave, the pore surface on Boletus barrowsii turns yellow pretty quickly and you see yellow pores in the photos at the bottom. The "bluish mark" on the pore surface looks to me just like a dirt smudge. I don't see blue bruising at all. I'm sticking with older B. barrowsii but no conclusive from the photos provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2013 Ladyflyfsh is correct that in the firstphotos that was a dirty spot. None of the first mushrooms were savedas I was not confident enough to risk usage. On the second trip to the trail-headeverything was well tested for blue staining and nothing produced anystaining at all, however it was noted that the mushrooms are all white whenyoung and appear to darken to as much as a yellowish green as theyget very old. There were very few young ones so it appears I havemissed the season peak and will need to return a month earlier nextyear in order to fill the pantry. I am in hope of scoring enough for thisyear with the late ones. I did clean and dehydrate the onesgathered for the last photos. I did taste test the dehydrated batchand, yep, lived, and no bad effects. I had been wondering what theymight taste like and I can report that it did not taste like chicken,but it did taste like ,,,well,,, a mushroom. Thanks so much to all who have helpedidentify a great resource for the pantry and or lean times. I hope to find and get help with moreedible mushrooms. Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterbob Posted August 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2013 If I understand correctly , if I am inthe middle of the Barrowsii then it is very possible to be in themiddle of the Edulis in another 1000 to 2000 feet elevation on themountain ? Otterbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyflyfsh Posted August 15, 2013 Report Share Posted August 15, 2013 Otterbob, the B. barrowsii will mostly be found in and around Ponderosa pines at lower elevations like 8-9,000' but edulis will be at and above 10,000'. I have friends at the Telluride Mushroom Festival and they are all showing photos with tons and tons of edulis. Also chanterelles are showing in that area. B. edulis will be found in and around spruce at the edges of forests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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