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Description
PENNY BUN (Boletus edulis)

The Boletus edulis is a species common throughout Italy and in all temperate zones of Europe and the world. In Italy it is known as the Porcini Mushroom. From a gastronomic and alimentary point of view, some of the boletus Mushrooms are one of the most esteemed species of mushrooms (perhaps the most esteemed), especially after drying.

Penny bun is fairly common in the UK. It prefers woodland with oak, beech, birch and coniferous trees, especially open ground – particularly wood edges and grassy clearings.

Value to wildlife
It is a popular food for red squirrels, slugs (including the scarce lemon slug (Malacolimax tenellus), several species of mushroom fly, as well as other insects and their larvae.

Boletus edulis is mycorrhizal: it is in a mutualistic relationship with the roots of plants (hosts), in which the fungus exchanges nitrogen and other nutrients extracted from the environment for fixed carbon from the host. Other benefits for the plant are evident: in the case of the Chinese chestnut, the formation of mycorrhizae with B. edulis increases the ability of plant seedlings to resist water stress, and increases leaf succulence, leaf area, and water-holding ability.

Benefits

The primary health benefit of eating king bolete is nutritional; like many mushrooms, they have no cholesterol or fat and are low in calories. The king bolete is a good source of protein, and is an excellent source of both dietary fiber and iron. It is also a good source of some minerals, such as selenium, manganese, and zinc, as well as B-complex vitamins

Boletus toxicity
Foragers do need to exercise caution, for while most look-alikes are edible, some are unpalatable or even dangerous
For the novice forager there are three rules of identification for edible Boletes that will keep you safe:

1. Make sure you have a Bolete, an upright mushroom with a stem and with sponge like pores instead of gills under the cap and growing in soil, not on wood.

2. If there is any red colouring on the mushroom, that includes the stem, pores or cap, avoid as this can be the sign of a toxic Bolete.

3. Slice the mushroom in half vertically, if the flesh turns vivid blue quickly after or immediately on cutting, again avoid due to possible toxicity. The pores on a few edible Boletes can discolour to green or blue but it is the flesh changing colour rapidly that is a sign to avoid the mushroom.

Description
PENNY BUN (Boletus edulis)

The Boletus edulis is a species common throughout Italy and in all temperate zones of Europe and the world. In Italy it is known as the Porcini Mushroom. From a gastronomic and alimentary point of view, some of the boletus Mushrooms are one of the most esteemed species of mushrooms (perhaps the most esteemed), especially after drying.

Penny bun is fairly common in the UK. It prefers woodland with oak, beech, birch and coniferous trees, especially open ground – particularly wood edges and grassy clearings.

Value to wildlife
It is a popular food for red squirrels, slugs (including the scarce lemon slug (Malacolimax tenellus), several species of mushroom fly, as well as other insects and their larvae.

Boletus edulis is mycorrhizal: it is in a mutualistic relationship with the roots of plants (hosts), in which the fungus exchanges nitrogen and other nutrients extracted from the environment for fixed carbon from the host. Other benefits for the plant are evident: in the case of the Chinese chestnut, the formation of mycorrhizae with B. edulis increases the ability of plant seedlings to resist water stress, and increases leaf succulence, leaf area, and water-holding ability.

Benefits

The primary health benefit of eating king bolete is nutritional; like many mushrooms, they have no cholesterol or fat and are low in calories. The king bolete is a good source of protein, and is an excellent source of both dietary fiber and iron. It is also a good source of some minerals, such as selenium, manganese, and zinc, as well as B-complex vitamins

Boletus toxicity
Foragers do need to exercise caution, for while most look-alikes are edible, some are unpalatable or even dangerous
For the novice forager there are three rules of identification for edible Boletes that will keep you safe:

1. Make sure you have a Bolete, an upright mushroom with a stem and with sponge like pores instead of gills under the cap and growing in soil, not on wood.

2. If there is any red colouring on the mushroom, that includes the stem, pores or cap, avoid as this can be the sign of a toxic Bolete.

3. Slice the mushroom in half vertically, if the flesh turns vivid blue quickly after or immediately on cutting, again avoid due to possible toxicity. The pores on a few edible Boletes can discolour to green or blue but it is the flesh changing colour rapidly that is a sign to avoid the mushroom.