Bay Bolete

Xerocmus badius – Edible

Pine forests, spruce forests. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies medium-sized. Cap 5-8 (12) cm across, fleshy, reddish-brown or even blackish-brown in colour. Stem up to 12 cm long, 1-2.5 cm thick, without a network, firm, yellowish-brownish, paler near the tubes and at the base, of uniform thickness. Characteristic features: flesh white, with a pleasant smell and taste, turning blue when pressed or cut, eventually fading. Grows in smaller or larger groups, less often singly, in mossy coniferous forests. A tasty, valuable mushroom, loved by everyone. Fairly common. Used dried, fresh, pickled. This mushroom is often also called šilbaravykis (pine-heath bolete).