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The mushroom is edible, yes, savoury looking, no, because this fungi sports a thick slime coating over the cap that looks, well, eww. So I’ve never picked it. Until today. All week I’ve been picking immature puffballs while on my bike ride, so I just couldn’t pass up the freshly sprouted Suillus, which would have no bug invasion due to its youth.
Of course I spent hours going over the reference books, again, to identify it, noticing discrepancies between books as I went. The ring was the big issue. Ring? No ring? In the end, that was only a minor point, because all the known look-a-likes, ringless or not, are also edible. The only contraindication is that this mushroom type can cause ‘allergic reactions’ and/or diarrhea in some people.
Well, all right. So, now what, slimy mushroom?
I went online to look for further information about this Bolete mushroom. And came across a quote from Michael Kuo at MushroomExpert.Com:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slimes and swallows of outrageous fungi,
Or to take arms against a sea of Suillus,
And, by opposing, end them.
Yes, that is the question. You can pick the ‘Slippery Jack’ (only one of those word is operative!), take it home, cook it up, and wish you hadn't -- or you can kick it, and all its slimy little friends, beat them all to a gooey pulp with your walking stick, smash them against trees, scream bloody murder at the top of your lungs . . .
On another page, Kuo also had this to say:
Though several Suillus species (especially Suillus luteus) are recommended as good edibles in many field guides, I will hang myself from the Begging Tree to differ. I would imagine that someone with a penchant for boiled okra, oysters on the half-shell, and escargot might really enjoy a good, slimy mess of Suillus…but if gooey globs of gunk gliding grossly down your gullet is not your idea of a good meal, then you would rather stick to the other edible boletes, as I do.
With those savoury images in mind I was not really motivated to cook up the mushrooms, giving them the good old fashioned go, even though I don’t mind okra, oysters, and escargot. I rather like them to tell you the truth. So I turned to Wildman Steve Brill, passionate forager and consummate recipe experimenter, for some inspiration. Here’s his recipe from The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook for:
Balsamic Boletes
When you bake the chicken-fat suillus or any of its relatives with herbs and balsamic vinegar, you’ll understand why people prize wild mushrooms so highly.
6 cups chicken-fat Suillus caps [or comparable Suillus]
3 tbsp corn oil
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tsp dried rosemary, finely crumbled
1-1/2 tsp dried tarragon, finely crumbled
1-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (3/4 tsp peppercorns)
3/4 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the mushrooms with all the other ingredients. Place the mushrooms cap side down on a wire rack placed over an oiled cookie sheet. Bake the mushrooms until they are lightly browned about 20 minutes. Serve hot.
I’m looking at my version of the recipe, baked sliced mushrooms left in the sauce, and I have to tell you. I’m not sure I’m trying them. They look and smell great, but I’m afraid I have that survival nausea repulsion sensation going on, which is probably an evolutionary strategy that’s kept humans alive through the eons. Or the direct result of Michael Kuo’s vivid Suillus bashing.
No matter. Suillus isn’t quite on the menu as of yet. Though nonslimy puffballs and morels definitely are, when in season. Now if I can just find a chanterelle patch. Divine.
Just remember don’t eat any wild mushrooms unless you’ve been out with an experienced picker, have researched the mushrooms of the region extensively, follow safe mushrooming practices, and are 500% sure that you’ve identified your mushroom. When in doubt, don’t!
Suillus Resources
- How to Pickle Slippery Jack Mushrooms
- Bolete Recipe [2/3 way down the page]
- Slippery Jack Recipe for those with funds, time, and technique
- Practically Edible: The Web’s Biggest Food Encyclopedia
Photo Credit:
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