Now for the identification I must stress that you not go by photos alone! I will give a brief description of the various parts here, but please, ask someone who knows, or use a mushroom guide for certainty.  (It is a good idea to have more than one book for cross-referencing.)  Now all that aside, this is a pretty easy mushroom to identify. The cap is generally red to reddish brown, with the young ones an inch or two across, and the larger, more mature ones averaging around seven or eight inches, with some upwards of twelve. The cap should feel dry and slightly tacky, although after a rainstorm it can be sticky or slimy.

Next look under the cap. All mushrooms in the Bolete family have pores, where we are usually familiar with gills. These pores look and feel like a sponge, and for the King they will be anywhere from white to yellow to yellowish green. The stalk can be short or tall, but almost always fat, especially as it nears the base. It is white with yellow and tan streaks increasing closer to the base. There are also fine raised lines looking a bit like webbing on it.

Once you are positive you have the King Bolete you can begin your harvesting. For myself, I like to just pluck them from the ground, dirt covered base and all. Others like to slice the stem parallel to the ground, leaving the dirty part behind. You only want specimens that fell firm and solid, with few if any bug holes. Also, these are heavy-duty mushrooms, so you can pick all day and they will be fine when you get home.

Now for the processing of your mushrooms. This can take awhile, especially if you picked a lot of them. If you cannot get to them right away, you can store them wrapped in a paper bag in the refrigerator for a night or two.

To clean and prep, I like to remove the cap from the stem. Gently rinse the top of the cap while lightly scrubbing off any dirt. Also if the cap is slimy you'll want to peel off the thin skin of color.  Then trim off the exposed pores, leaving most attached to the cap. For the stem, you should slice off the outer layer that was in the ground, almost like sharpening a pencil. Now give the stem a quick rinse scrubbing off any remaining dirt. Cut out any parts of the stem or cap that have bug holes, and you can now slice these up and cook them up!

There are various options on what to do with them. You can use them right away, throwing them in soups, stews, sauces, or whatever you fancy. If you would like to store them you can sauté them, portion into freezer bags, and freeze. Another nice idea is to dry them. You can use either a dehydrator or your oven set as low as it will go. Just make thin slices and line them up on your racks, or if using the oven, you can put them on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you use the oven method, be sure to prop the door open with a wooden spoon or something to let moisture and heat out.