Slippery Jack

Suillus luteus I have adopted the American name for this fungus as we do not have a good English name for it. There are quite a few species in this group (Suillus) which are edible but this is the largest of them. They all grow in association with conifers of one sort or another; this one is generally with pines, as is Suillus bovinus. Another common edible species, the LARCH BOLETUS Suillus grevillei, is always found with larches.

Slippery Jack and other members of the Suillus genus all have a sticky, glutinous coating on the cap which has to be removed by peeling. If cooked fresh they tend to be rather soggy and unpalatable but the flavour is very good, so the answer is to do as the middle Europeans do: peel and dry them and then, when you come to use them, powder the dried pieces to make a soup or add them to casseroles.