Young slippery jack (Boletus portentosus or Suillus luteus) showing dark ring of veil attachment. Pine collected at site for innoculation.
Underside showing yellow sponge of spore tubules, cap and veil peeled; specimen was cooked and eaten.
An older slippery jack in situ showing slimy cap and wormhole – inspect slippery jacks carefully for slugs etc! The pine roots it is mychorizal to penetrate the grassy area. The trees were about ten metres north and moss in the grass testify to the dampness of the area. Other mushrooms were growing in the area including another similar bolete and the poisonous fly agaric – more id notes to follow april meeting.
Fried in butter with basil and served with sourdough, chickpea sprouts and marinated goat feta, red grapes, lettuce. It has a delicate texture and flavour that goes well with lemony herbs.
Apr11
Hi,
We are mushroom forages from Sydney.
I came across your blog whilst researching an unidentified and very similar specie of the slippery jack mushroom.
I have been picking slippery jacks for over 30 years, however the other week we found what looked like a slippery jack mushroom however was more grey in colour on the top and white underneath and a slightly heavier mushroom.
I am interested in what type of similar bolete you came across that my have looked like a slippery.
Thanks,
Bella
hi Bella, haven’t found any boletes matching your description. Presume you consulted a book or two and a few webpages. Normally I would send a photo in to a forum if i am that interested in a find and can’t identify a mushroom confidantly from a website or book – have only had to do that once. If you want to definitively identify a mushroom you need to take very good pictures, spore print and send a FRESH specimen to a mycologist – usually the local university would have someone interested. take a note of exactly where you found it and what it was growing under and on.
PS the other bolete turned out to be suillus granulatus – they often grow together. It is edible, drier and easier to peel. Also take a note if your bolete changes colour to red or blue when bruised – the edible jacks do not do this. It occurs to me the cep which i have never seen is a lighter colour underneath, and often a fat heavy set little mushroom but it is a nice brown on top. Very vaguely sounds a tiny bit like your description Try looking up ‘porcini’. It is only on forgeign trees, usually birch.
I would like to know where is the best place to pick slippery jack surround Hobart?
sorry, I’m up north. You could ask the forestry guys where they have radiata pine forests with these – suggest you go in person as they aren’t as nice as the visitor center in Oberon NSW; they never reply to any of my email enquiries.