Slippery Jack or Suillus luteus is a variety of Boletus mushroom that grows in symbiotic relationship with pine and spruce trees. It's name derives from a thin film of slime that coats the cap. As a young kid I would accompany my Polish grandfather and father on expeditions to seek out and pick these wild mushrooms. My mother and grandmother would then prepare them by pickling them in a marinade of vinegar and spices with slices of carrot and onion. The slime would give the pickling liquid a mucus like consistency and eating the mushroom was not unlike eating a raw oyster. This has become, for me, one of those gustatory experiences that invoke nostalgic memories from my youth, especially at the Christmas season which was one occasion where they were always served.