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Edible and Good
Leccinum insigne
(Aspen Scaberstalk)
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Leccinum insigne is a beautiful mushroom that appears in the aspen groves in the late summer and fall in the mountains of the southwest. As with all members of the genus it is a reasonably safe mushroom to pick because it is easily identified down to genus by the scabers on the stalk. All members of the Leccinum genus are considered edible though they are reported to cause gastric distress in some individuals. I have encountered a few other species of Leccinum in the southwest but never often and never many. When you find a patch of L. insigne be sure to revisit it often as they will continue to fruit as long as the rainy season lasts and often appear in the same places year after year.
Aspen.
Photograph by Brother Alfred Brousseau, St. Mary's College
© 1999 Saint Mary's College of California
Contents of Page:
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Leccinum insigne
English: Aspen Bolete, Aspen Scaberstalk, Red Cap, Aspen Rough Stems
Leccinum aurantiacum
French: bolet orangé
Slovenian: trepetlikov turek
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Watling, Roy, Leccinum Revisited (including a key to Leccinum in Scotland)
Field Key to the Boletes of California
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
The Boletes of California: LECCINUM INSIGNE var. INSIGNE Smith, Thiers, and Watling, Mich. Botan. 5:160. 1966
Arizona Mushroom Club Leccinum insigne (The Aspen Bolete)
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Arizona Mushroom Club - Leccinum insigne (The Aspen Bolete) (text in English)
Arizona Mushroom Club - Treasure Hunting in the Forest (part II) (text in English)
Natural-list: Home Aspen Scaberstalk (Leccinum insigne)
Natural-list: Home Aspen Scaberstalk (Leccinum insigne)
Cornell Center for Fungal Biology Leccinum insigne Smith, Theirs and Watling
Beug, Michael W., Morels, Truffles and other Spring Mushrooms Leccinum insigne
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
THE MANDATORY DISCLAIMER
On Mycophagy:
There is a saying in German that translates roughly as "All mushrooms are edible, but some kinds only once." Put another way, there are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters. Be absolutely sure of your identifications before eating wild mushrooms.
All Leccinum are considered to be edible and are readily identifiable by the blackish scabers on a white stalk below a brown to orange or brick-red cap containing normal bolete-style tubes (rather than gills). When cut the flesh of Leccinum insigne turns a slight bluish-gray to purple-gray or fuscous, another good point to use in identification. Some caution should be exercised in that some Leccinum are reported to have caused gastric distress in a few individuals. Consuming only a small quantity until you determine the particular strain of Leccinum will not cause problems for you should avoid any serious problems in this regard. Some persons have blamed undercooking for reactions to members of this genus. As with all wild mushrooms it is unwise to mix species unless you have eaten each of the species being mixed several times without adverse reaction. If you do react adversely to a particular species you will want to know which one so as to be able to avoid it in the future. As with all wild mushrooms, do not eat them unless you are sure of the identification. At a minimum consult two field guides and preferably confirm your identification with a more experienced mushroom hunter. Also as with all wild mushrooms, moderation is the key to enjoyment. Consuming excess quantities of even the best of edible mushrooms is likely to result in a tummy ache.
Zanda from Latvia reports she particularly likes Leccinum pickled.
Leccinum insigne can be used for most recipes calling for boletes. Unfortunately Leccinum caps are mostly tubes and as a result they don't grill as nicely as Boletus edulis or barrowsii. All Leccinum tend to blacken during cooking, a characteristic that leads some to avoid consuming them. That is fine because it leaves more for me. As with many boletes the flavor of fresh Leccinum is concentrated by drying to the extent that I find reconstituted dried L insigne often preferable to fresh ones. The flesh of L. insigne tends to be somewhat sweeter than that of B. edulis or B. barrowsii, particularly after drying. The stems of L. insigne are substantially more fibrous than the cap (unlike in B. edulis and B. barrowsii where there is rarely any textural difference between cap mand stem) though still quite edible and good. The larvae of mushroom gnats like L. insigne quite as much as other boletes, though they seem to have a preference for the tubes which they attack first. Often if one peels off the infested tubes one finds the remainder of the cap quite usable.
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Recipes which specifically call for Leccinum seem to be quite rare on the web. If you know any I should add let me know by email.
English
Mushrooms with brain, Rumanian style
Portuguese:
Perdiz grelhado com palmito fresco e risoto com porcinello
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Recipes on the Web Calling for Boletes Generally:
Veal steaks with mustard sauce and mushrooms
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
My favorite Leccinum insigne recipe:
Serves 4-6
Any type of dried bolete can be used in this soup with good results but my favorite is Leccinum insigne. I have also had good results using dried Suillus kaibabensis/Suillus granulatus. Sherry or port can be used instead of Madeira but I prefer the flavor produced by using Madeira. If you can't get fresh flat-leafed Italian parsley the curled English variety can be used but the flavor will not be quite the same.
1 oz. dried sliced Leccinum insigne
1-1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsps. butter
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and mince
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tbsp. flour
1 12 fl. oz. can evaporated milk
3 cups water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup Madeira wine (or sherry or port)
Soak dried mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. When thoroughly rehydrated stir the mushrooms in the soaking water well to remove any dirt. Remove mushrooms from soaking water and cut up if pieces are large (I usually dry mushrooms in thin slices and further cutting is usually not necessary). Gently pour soaking water into another container except the very bottom portion to remove any sand of dirt that has settled to the bottom. Reserve decanted soaking water (discard the grit and dirt that settles to the bottom). In a pan large enough to hold the liquid to be added later sauté onion and garlic in butter until transparent. Add half the chopped parsley and cook, stirring, one minute more. Sprinkle flour over contents of pan and cook, stirring, until flour is cooked through (1 or 2 minutes). Add water, evaporated milk and reserved decanted soaking water and mix thoroughly. Bring almost to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add Madeira. Stir to mix. Pour into serving vessel or individual bowls and garnish with remaining chopped Italian parsley.
See also Getrocknete Körnchenröhrling mit Semmelknödeln (Dried Granulated Slippery Jacks with Bread Dumplings) which can also be made with Leccinum insigne.
NOTE REGARDING INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE
The preceding information and links are compiled by B.W. Freyburger of Gallup, New Mexico, who regularly collects and dries Leccinum insigne during the late summer and fall in the mountains near there. Please notify him of persistently dead links, additional links regarding this species, or errors in information or links herein through email. This site contains links to other sites which are not authored by or controlled by the webmaster of this site. Unfortunately these sites sometimes diasppear or or are reorganized or moved leaving the link nonfunctional. I try to check for dead links and update or remove them as often as possible. Information, recipes, photographs, illustrations, and other material on these sites is likely subject to copyright protection. Please respect the legal rights of persons creating this material. This site also utilizes some clip art obtained from sources which identified it as public domain or authorized for use on non-commercial sites. If you notice any material on this site which you believe to be used in violation of copyright laws please notify the webmaster immediately. Some clip art appearing here is original. All original material contained on this page not otherwise copyrighted is ©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All rights reserved.
Page Last Revised: August 30, 2001
