Common oak

Common oak, which is also often called olive-brown, belongs to the genus Borovik. Interestingly, this mushroom owes its name to the corresponding color of its hat. In addition, many mushroom pickers call the oak tree poddubovik, which is due to the texture resembling just a white mushroom (borovik). However, the common oak tree differs from the latter not only in its color, but also in its characteristic blue flesh when the mushroom is cut, as well as in the presence of a scaly net on the leg.

Common oak is a tubular mushroom. In other words, its spores, by which the fungus reproduces, are found on the inside of the cap in the tubes of the sporous layer. So, this layer is saturated orange-red. The velvety to the touch hat of an ordinary oak tree is distinguished by a dark yellow-brown color, sometimes brown-olive. The dense leg of this fungus is thickened downward and has a yellowish-orange color with a brown scaly net.

There is an ordinary oak tree, which belongs to the category of edible mushrooms, and an inedible double called satanic mushroom. A distinctive feature of a fungus suitable for food is the much darker color of the hat and the absence of the unpleasant smell characteristic of the flesh of satanic fungus. In addition, the flesh of the satanic mushroom on the slice initially acquires a bluish tint, after which it quickly restores its original color.

Common oak is an extremely rare mushroom, so not everyone can meet it in our latitudes. That is why the oak tree is ordinary and does not enjoy such popularity among mushroom pickers as borovik (white mushroom). Nevertheless, common oak is considered a very good mushroom, which in terms of taste and consumer qualities is classified as conditionally edible mushrooms of the II category.

The dense flesh of the common oak tree does not have much smell. It is colored lemon yellow, which turns blue when pressed or broken. It is recommended to consume common oak for food purposes after prior boiling, which lasts about a quarter of an hour. In addition, the common oak can be dried. When fresh, this mushroom is mostly fried, sometimes pickled or salted.

On the territory of Western Europe and in the Russian Federation, from the Far East to Kaliningrad, the common oak tree lives in coniferous and deciduous forests, in which oak and linden prevail. It begins to bear fruit in early June, and then disappears for a while and reappears in early August, while it can occur until the end of September.