Slippery Jack & Other Suillus

The name Suillus meaning "swine" in Latin and it is used to define a genus of mushrooms. Several species of this fungi are edible when carefully cooked. Slippery Jack is often applied to a few members of Suillus. It is called "Slippery" because the mushroom's cap is slimy and sticky when moist.

Suillus genus is associated with Boletes. The species of both genera often share the same woods, growing under conifer trees. Also, they have similar features including convex brown caps and spongy yellowish-brownish pores. Like Boletes, Suillus is one of the easier mushrooms to identify.

Until the end of the last century, Suillus was a part of the Boletaceae family. However, the molecular taxonomic research conducted in South Korea identified that the Suillus fungi are separated from Boletaceae and moved them to Suillaceae family.

Currently, one hundred species of Sullius were reported worldwide and 70 in the United States. Slippery Jack and other mushrooms of the Suillus genus are widely distributed throughout the Pacific Northwest. These fungi grow on the ground under pine and spruce trees. Several species of Suillus are edible but considered as one of the low-quality fungi, but not everywhere.

Slippery Jack is highly prized in Eastern Europe. Known as "maslyata" in the Russian and "maslaki" in the Polish language that means "Butter Mushroom", they are often used in Italian, Polish, and Russian cuisines to prepare delicious meals.

However, some of them are bitter or can lead to gastrointestinal upset. Also, diarrhea can occur when the slimy skin of Slippery Jack isn't removed. Rarely, Suillus species can cause an allergic reaction.

Cap: Hemispherical to flat. Sticky when moist, yellow-brown to red-brown, 2-5 inches (5-12 cm) wide.
Cap's Underside: Sponge-like, rounded small pores. Whitish to yellow pores, darkening with age, not changing color where bruised.
Spore Print: Elliptical, brown.
Stem: Thick, brown-dotted with a white veil, 1-5 inches (3-12 cm) long.
Flesh: White, becoming yellowish.
Fruiting: In groups.
Habitat: Coniferous forest and lawns, plentiful in pine forests.
Season: September - December.

Similar species are Granulated Slippery Jack (Suillus granulatis) and Short-steamed Slippery Jack (Suillus brevipes) but these species do not have veils.

Cap: Hemispherical to flat. Sticky when moist, yellowish to brownish, 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) wide.
Cap's Underside: Sponge-like, yellowish when fresh subangular pores, darkening with age, staining brown when bruised.
Spore Print: Elliptical, brownish.
Stem: Solid with a veil or partial veil present, yellowish above annulus and orangish-brown not glandular-dotted below annulus, 1-4 inches (3-10 cm) long.
Flesh: Yellowish, staining reddish or brown when bruised.
Fruiting: In groups.
Habitat: Douglas-fir trees.
Season: September - December.

Methods of cooking: stir-frying, preserving, drying, or freezing. Do not keep Suillus mushrooms for a long time after harvesting. Use young and firm mushrooms. Carefully clean mushrooms. Remove the brown sticky skin off the caps to avoid gastrointestinal upset. If the mushroom is older, remove the spongy part to check for bugs.

Slippery Jack Preserving (1 lb /450 g)

Suillus - Slippery Jack Pickling — Pickled Slippery Jacks

Boil the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes in a large amount of water
Drain them
Marinade preparation: 1/2 pint (300 g) of water, 1 teaspoon of pickling salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 3 cloves, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 5 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf
Bring marinade to boil
Add the mushrooms and simmer all together for 8 minutes
At the end of simmering, add 1 tablespoon of 5% vinegar
Place mushrooms into a sterilized jar
Add marinade to cover mushrooms
Cool it and store in refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.

Serve with olive oil.

Poor Man's Slippery Jack (Suillus tomentosus) is also known as Woolly-capped Suillus or Blue-staining Slippery Jack. The mushroom's cap is yellow to orange-brown, fibrous scaly; the spongy layer is yellowish to cinnamon; stem is yellow to orange, thick and maybe club-shaped.

The fungi are found on the ground in mountain ranges and the coastal forests mostly near or under 2-needle pines. The mushrooms have an acidic taste and can cause gastric upset. Besides, Poor Man's Slippery Jack bears a resemblance to other blue-staining species that are poisonous.