Having been fed some delicious home-made Porcini soup by visitors to Balintore Castle a few days ago, today I believe I have myself discovered, at an undisclosed location in the vicinity, a baby Porcini.
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| the candidate Porcini |
I am waiting for it to grow up, and if no one pre-empts me, I shall cull for consumption. Can anyone advise on the identification (for the obvious reasons)? :-)
The Porcini for the soup was discovered in a wood on an impressive hike from Balintore to Glen Clova. If only I was that fit. The second half of the hike follows the famous "Minister's Path" which is a shortcut over the hills that the 19th Century peripatetic minster would take from Glen Prosen Church to Glen Clova Church. This path has been on my bucket list for some time.
I pick and eat porcini often, and this looks like a porcino. The chicken-wire pattern in the body is a strong sign. The head doesn't look so healthy though, so either it's infected, or dried and rained-on. In any case wait until its head turns a healthy chocolate brown with a leathery texture, in contrast to the current slimy one suggested by the picture. In Sweden the only mushrooms you can confuse Porcini with are also edible, mostly delicious, and some bitter, but none are poisonous, therefore it's safe to pick and eat them. But to eat this one I'd consult to a local mushroom book. It's strange with mushrooms, there are varieties you can pick in mainland Sweden with confidence, but if you see the same mushroom in the Gotland island it might be a poisonous kind and visually indifferent from the edible one.
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