Among all the mushrooms that grow in our forests, pine saffron milk cap is one of the most delicious. This mushroom has been known for many years. Its orange color is the reason for its interesting name. Moreover, this mushroom was almost never called by other “nicknames”.
Housewives make a lot of pine mushrooms from delicious dishes. There are many variations on this theme. To collect it correctly, you need to know its main features and areas of its growth. This knowledge will not hinder any person on a walk in the forest.
Appearance
Saffron milk caps, descriptions of which can often be found in various sources, are characterized orange hats. It's theirs business card. If the saffron milk cap is young, its cap will be flat or slightly depressed. The older he gets, the more he top part becomes like a funnel.
The diameter of the cap is 3-12 centimeters. Its surface is smooth. There are quite a few shades of pine saffron. These include orange (light or dark), rich copper and even green-bluish tones. Concentric circles, spots and stripes are visible.
The plates under the cap are also orange in color. Pine camel has a resinous odor. Its top is meaty. The juice is orange in color, but may turn green when exposed to air. The leg may also be orange. There are grooves and stripes on it.
Types of mushroom
In total, there are two forms of saffron milk caps. There are other varieties, but they are rarer. Pine or bog mushroom is the most common type of this mushroom. The cap reaches 5-10 centimeters in diameter. Mushrooms prefer sandy loam soil. Their color (even in cross-section) is bright orange. Copper-red shades may also predominate. Incision for a long time does not lose this color.
The second variety of mushrooms presented are spruce saffron milk caps. They are slightly smaller than their pine counterparts (the cap reaches a size of 5-8 cm), but their appearance is also quite bright. True, their color may be dominated by blue or greenish shades. This is especially true for the center of the cap.
The cut is also bright orange. But in the color of the legs and cap, more muted shades can be distinguished. Due to the small size of these mushrooms, they can be pickled even in a bottle with a narrow neck. Many housewives use this technique.
Rare varieties
Among the representatives of this group of mushrooms there are also rarer saffron milk caps. Their description will be interesting for mushroom pickers to study. Red saffron milk caps are slightly larger in diameter - 6-12 cm. It can have a color from orange-pink to a dirty salmon tone. Concentric circles are clearly visible on the cap. When exposed to air, the cut takes on a wine-red hue. The flesh of the mushroom can be described as brittle and yellowish-white in color. The mushroom does not have a pronounced odor.
Another rather rare variety is the milky red saffron milk cap. Its cap can reach from 3 to 10 cm. Its color is orange, but not bright. Zoning is expressed at the edges. The juice of the mushroom is characterized by an orange color. But from being in the air it turns red or burgundy. The leg is brittle. It's hollow in the middle. The smell of camelina in this group is also neutral. Its flesh is fragile and orange in color.
Inedible double
The varieties considered are edible saffron milk caps. They are eaten and subjected to various processing technologies. But they can be confused with another mushroom. This is an amber milky. The characteristic color makes this almost impossible for experienced mushroom pickers, but those who do not go into the forest often should take note of this information.
Saffron milk caps do not have poisonous doubles. Therefore, they can be collected even by inexperienced mushroom pickers. The amber milkweed has a reddish or yellowish-red color. Its difference can be easily determined by cutting the mushroom. The juice will be watery. It dries quickly in air. The juice tastes either sweet or bitter.
The difference is also in the smell. It looks like chicory or even a bouillon cube. IN fresh The amber milkweed is not eaten. But in dry form it can be used as a seasoning.
Where and when does camelina grow?
It is also necessary to know where and when pine mushrooms grow. They prefer shallow forest. From the name of the mushroom it is clear that they prefer pine or spruce groves. They grow in groups. They can be big or small.
Saffron milk caps appear in mid-summer. Sometimes they can be found in the forest even in mid-June. But this is rather an exception. A large harvest is harvested in August-September. In October, saffron milk caps can be found, but much less often.
This mushroom is not afraid of frost. In summer, saffron milk caps can be described as more watery. In the fall, when it starts to get colder, they become stronger. Mushroom pickers believe that it is during the cold period that saffron milk caps are the most delicious.
How to collect saffron milk caps?
You should look for the noble pine camelina in well-lit groves, along long ditches. Mushrooms are very well camouflaged, so finding them is not so easy. Bright colors should not be misleading. Sometimes you can tell that there are saffron milk caps here only by the crunch you hear under your feet. They begin to grow under the moss. Therefore, at first only a small bump is visible. Many mushroom pickers simply step on them without seeing the bright cap.
If you take a good look and find the treasured saffron milk cap, you need to pick it correctly. You can't cut it. This will damage the mycelium, and new individuals will not appear here. The right thing to do would be to just carefully pick the saffron milk cap. You can even unscrew it and then sprinkle the area with pine needles or moss. Drying out has a bad effect on the mycelium.
How to cook
Pine mushroom is delicious mushroom. Its taste has been appreciated for a long time. This mushroom can be pickled, fried, salted or stewed. Mushrooms retain their bright color even after processing.
According to their own taste qualities they are superior even to boletus mushrooms. According to the description, they are somewhat reminiscent of russula. They can be eaten even after just a few hours of salting, right in the forest.
If the housewife plans to fry saffron milk caps, only a few minutes are devoted to heat treatment. This variety is significantly different from other mushrooms.
It is believed that the smaller the mushroom cap, the higher its selling price. Rizhiki are even exported to nearby countries, to Europe. Some types of medicines are obtained from them.
Having become acquainted with such a mushroom as pine saffron milk cap, everyone can go into the forest for it. The day off will leave a lot of positive impressions. Prepare harvested Can different ways. This is a very tasty and healthy mushroom.
(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: "R-A -143469-1", renderTo: "yandex_rtb_R-A-143469-1", async: true )); )); t = d.getElementsByTagName("script"); s = d.createElement("script"); s .type = "text/javascript"; s.src = "//an.yandex.ru/system/context.js"; s.async = true; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); ))(this , this.document, "yandexContextAsyncCallbacks");
Or gourmet (Lactarius deliciosus), is considered a first-class mushroom of the first category. It is not for nothing that it is called the “royal” mushroom. There are many legends and traditions associated with saffron milk caps. Few of the lacticiferous mushrooms can be pickled so in interesting ways. For example, there are calibrated tiny saffron milk caps that fit into the narrow neck of a bottle. At all times, vigorous saffron milk caps, salted in birch bark dishes, were highly valued.
The name of the mushroom is very accurate. This is both the red (or carrot) color tone and the emotional perception of the saffron milk cap. It is interesting that saffron milk cap either has no popular synonyms, or very few of them. Its “main” name is so colorful and succinct.
Real saffron milk cap (photo from Wikipedia)
Description of saffron milk cap
Hat. The cap of young saffron milk caps is flat or slightly depressed. Its edge looks down. Over time, the cap takes on the shape of a funnel. The diameter of the cap is from 3 to 12 cm. It is smooth. The color is rich in colors and their shades: orange, light orange, copper-red and bluish-green, copper patina, etc. Concentric stripes, grooves and spots are clearly visible on the cap. The skin of old mushrooms often turns green. The attached plates descending to the stem are orange; when pressed, they turn green. Their arrangement is dense.
The flesh of the cap is orange. It has a resinous smell. The milky juice cannot be called caustic; it is rather sweetish with some bitterness. Juice orange color, after a while it turns green from contact with air.
Leg. The color of the cylindrical hollow stem of the saffron milk cap matches the color of the cap. There may be grooves on the leg, their color is darker.
There are two forms of real (delicious) camelina: pine camelina and spruce camelina. According to another classification, this is individual species saffron milk cap
Pine (hog) saffron milk caps
These are strong, elegant mushrooms, the color of which is dominated by bright orange or copper-red tones. They have a strong, stocky leg. The cut of the boletus saffron remains bright orange for a long time. Judging by the fact that I often had to clean sand from these mushrooms, pine saffron milk caps often grow on sandy loam soil.
Spruce saffron milk caps
This form of saffron milk cap is somewhat smaller and has a less bright appearance. Spruce saffron milk caps are recognized by their color, which has more green tones and bluish tints. Sometimes you want to compare the color of the cap to copper covered with patina. central part the surface of the cap may be greenish-brown. The plates are grayish-orange or brown. There is a certain mutedness of the colors that are present in the color of the cap and stem of the mushroom. Sections of spruce saffron milk caps are red in color.
Spruce saffron milk cap (photo from Wikipedia)
Real saffron milk cap (delicacy) - not the only kind saffron milk cap There are several other edible, rarer species.
Inedible counterpart of camelina
Saffron milk caps have such a characteristic appearance that only “with a very strong desire” can one find a remote resemblance to the inedible amber milky (Lactarius helvus), what I am doing. An adult mushroom has a velvety skin on the cap. Its color is reddish-ocher or yellowish-reddish. The milk of the amber milkweed is watery and dries quickly when exposed to air. Taste descriptions range from sweet to bitter. Ocher colored plates. An adult mushroom has the smell of chicory or... a bouillon cube. Therefore, dried amber milkweed can be used as a seasoning. The mushroom is not eaten fresh.
Where and when does camelina grow?
Saffron milk caps often grow in spruce and pine forests. Especially in small forests. He also appears in deciduous forests, if at least a few pine trees or fir trees grow there. This mushroom is usually found in large or small groups. Some mushroom pickers first look for saffron milk caps on the north side of the trees. They believe that this is where the largest real saffron milk caps grow.
Speaking about it, we need to remember the same young pines or grassy edges of older ones pine forests, on which oil pine trees also grow. These are companion mushrooms. Where in June, July, and August you collect strong boletus, there in September and October look for vigorous saffron milk caps, like young carrots (V.A. Soloukhin “The Third Hunt”).
The saffron milk cap appears in mid-summer. In some years they are found at the end. The largest harvests occur in -. From the end of September, these mushrooms become smaller as well. We once picked a lot of wonderful, strong saffron milk caps in September, although that year there was frost on the grass in the mornings. Saffron milk caps are found in summer and autumn, but the mushroom has gained a reputation as an autumn mushroom. It is not afraid of autumn frosts, which are not an obstacle to growth. Summer saffron milk caps are more watery, autumn ones are stronger, they are vigorous and the most delicious.
Recently, saffron milk caps have become less and less common in the Moscow region. Find them - great luck. But in the old days:
Once I went to pick mushrooms in Barki, I thought, I’ll walk among the Christmas trees and look. I went behind the first Christmas tree, and there were flocks of saffron milk caps, rows in all directions, you couldn’t even walk. It’s a shame to go mushroom hunting. I will kneel down, choose around me, take one step. I crawl like this between the fir trees, but the saffron milk caps are not decreasing. I cut and cut, and there is no end in sight. The more I cut, the more saffron milk caps spill out around me. I got tired and went home to get my horse. Well, life was simple then. I harnessed Lenya (that is, my father Alexey Alekseevich) Golubchik and put the box on the dray. I picked up a whole box of saffron milk caps. I still remember these saffron milk caps. You will kneel down, and they will be around in lines, flocks in the green grass (from the memoirs of V.A. Soloukhin’s eighty-four-year-old mother).
Rizhik and medicine
Common camelina and red camelina contain substances of the azulene series, therefore they are raw materials for the production of the antibiotic lactarioviolin. It inhibits and stops the growth of the tuberculosis bacillus and the development of a number of pathogenic organisms. Some azulenes are antioxidants. In addition, saffron milk caps contain a lot of carotene.
This is a very tasty mushroom, but it is interesting to know that after eating it, the urine may turn the same color as its milk.
Pickling saffron milk caps
Rizhik - which can be salted, pickled, stewed and fried. The flesh of pine saffron milk caps is denser than the pulp of spruce saffron milk caps. The bright color of pine saffron milk caps is preserved even when pickled.
Few people have not heard about how good salted saffron milk caps are. We tried them for the first time in hiking conditions. Before our eyes, the saffron milk caps were wiped with a paper napkin, then with a dry cloth, the stem was separated, and the cap was cut into several parts. The small caps were left intact. After this, the caps were placed (plates up) in a small bowl on a thin layer of salt. Some of the salt was poured onto the plates of the cap. The bowl was covered with a plate on top and left for a couple of hours.
During this time, the saffron milk caps gave juice. Excess salt and juice were removed with a paper napkin. After that, everyone began to eat saffron milk caps and praise their taste. Of course, it was a little scary, because we had to eat a completely raw forest mushroom. Its taste seemed interesting, a little spicy. We not only survived, but since then we began to pickle saffron milk caps in this way.
Ryzhikov in forests near Moscow less and less, so sometimes it is possible to pickle only a few mushrooms, putting them in a separate container in the forest. Many mushroom pickers pickle saffron milk caps in an accelerated way. They sprinkle the plates of the caps with salt, keep them “under the salt” for half an hour, and then eat them with black bread. They say that this snack is better than pickles.
I put carefully selected, without a single worm hole, without a spot, and only the youngest specimens of the caught saffron milk caps on a plate, salt them and eat them right away. I didn’t notice, but for children’s taste there is not only bitterness in raw saffron milk caps, but a spiciness, a pungency, as if they had been lightly peppered. I find this food not only unusual in taste, but also very healthy, and every year I can’t wait for the time when I can pick up fresh saffron milk caps and enjoy them raw (V.A. Soloukhin “The Third Hunt”).
Strongly salted saffron milk caps turn out great in tubs. A forester once shared this recipe with Vladimir Alekseevich Soloukhin. I take the liberty of retelling it based on the text of the work “The Third Hunt”.
1. First of all, you need to prepare the tub. It is washed and impregnated with the spirit of juniper, i.e. Place juniper branches in it and pour boiling water over them. The tub with juniper is covered with a cotton blanket and left for a while. The blanket is lifted several times and hot stones are thrown into the water to create a lot of steam. At the same time, the process of disinfecting the tub occurs.
2. The saffron milk caps are cleared of debris, wiped with a dry cloth and placed in a tub in layers. Between the layers there should be herbs (horseradish leaves, dill), oak and cherry leaves, garlic, etc.
3. Place a wide bag (made of gauze) with coarse salt on top of the mushrooms so that it can cover the entire surface. The bag of salt is pressed down with a wooden circle with a weight (stone).
4. When the circle with the stone begins to sink and mushroom juice comes out on top, some of the liquid needs to be scooped out.
5. Mushrooms are eaten after two months. You can do it earlier, but aged saffron milk caps taste fantastic. During this time, they are not only well salted, but also slightly fermented.
Saffron milk caps, pickled in bottles
You can read about tiny saffron milk caps, which are pickled in bottles. works of art. Here is one such description:
Saffron milk caps, like their companions in young pine forests, never grow alone, but always in flocks and ribbons. And the secret is that there will be incredibly fungi on the plate later. small size. Of course, you would never see such a mushroom in isolation in the grass. But when you cut a string, along with the big ones, the little ones also come under the knife. Where there are a lot of saffron milk caps, in the Nizhny Novgorod or Vyatka forests, they like to pickle saffron milk caps in bottles. The whole point is that only those mushrooms that are able to fit into the narrow neck of the bottle go into pickling. In general, saffron milk caps in northern places, for example, in the Vologda region, are most often salted in birch bark dishes, in large and small containers (V.A. Soloukhin “The Third Hunt”).
These saffron milk caps, the size of a three-kopeck coin, are pickled without any spices. Without dill, garlic and horseradish leaves. Just mushrooms and salt. They are kept in the cold. The taste of mushrooms salted in this way may be disappointing at first. But wait a few months, and the tart aroma of the autumn forest will appear.
Pickled saffron milk caps also very tasty. They don’t need a lot of table vinegar, but it’s better to add more sugar and spices (cloves, allspice, bay leaf, cinnamon). Mushrooms are cooked for a very short time, 5 - 10 minutes.
Fried saffron milk caps
Saffron milk caps are special Forest mushrooms. They are fried differently from other mushrooms. Main difference The advantage is that it only takes a few minutes to fry. There are many recipes. I like caps of saffron milk caps fried in a frying pan (covered) on both sides over medium heat. After this, they need to be salted (to taste). Can be eaten with herbs and garlic. The saffron milk caps are cooked together with the rest of the mushrooms.
The other recipe is also good. Its essence lies in the fact that the caps of saffron milk caps are pre-cooked for two to three minutes in salt water. After this, they are rolled in breadcrumbs, flour or batter and fried on all sides until a crust appears. The legs can be cut into rings, fried and served along with the caps. I was told that the most delicious are saffron milk caps, which are fried in a batter containing flour and beer. The result is saffron milk caps with a crispy crust.
V.A. Soloukhin, whom I quote a lot today, recalled how as a boy he fried raw saffron milk caps on a fire, impaled on a thin twig.
© A. Anashina. Blog, www.site
© Website, 2012-2019. Copying texts and photographs from the site podmoskоvje.com is prohibited. All rights reserved.In accordance with their taste, all representatives of the mushroom kingdom are divided into several categories. Among those that have been classified by gourmets in the first category are saffron mushrooms. Simple agaric, known to almost every mushroom picker, received a “prize” place for a reason.
Saffron milk caps are a group of mushrooms belonging to the genus Lactarius, which includes several subspecies. Each of them has common features, characteristic features of the group, so mushroom pickers do not strive for accurate identification.
Camelina mushrooms look recognizable: the caps are brightly colored, with yellow, orange-red and pinkish tones predominating. The shape of the cap is round, often broadly funnel-shaped with age; the leg is proportionate. The pulp, which is typical for all milkweeds, secretes juice. All saffron milk caps are edible; moreover, in a number of countries they are considered a delicacy.
Real or pine (Lactarius deliciosus)
Pine camel, or true one, grows in pine or spruce forests. It has a fairly large cap (from 4 to 18 cm in diameter); at the beginning of development, the cap is convex with a notch in the middle and tucked edges, then it straightens out, taking on a funnel-shaped shape. The skin is shiny and smooth, slightly sticky when wet. Unevenly colored, mottled with spots and circles, the main color is from yellowish-orange to dark orange.
The leg is proportionate (1.5-3 cm in diameter, height from 3 to 7 cm), matching the cap; cylindrical, smooth, tapering towards the base. The surface is often pitted; the leg is hollow inside.
The plates are thin, not sparse, and slightly descend onto the stem. They are painted in a bright orange-red tone and turn green when pressed.
Real camelina has orange-yellowish flesh that turns green in the air. Produces abundant and thick orange milky juice.
Spruce (Lactarius deterrimus)
The spruce mushroom prefers to settle in places with generous spruce litter; Peak fruiting occurs in August and September.
It has a small cap, from 2 to 8 cm in diameter; in young mushrooms it is convex in shape with a small depression and the edges are tucked downwards, then flat-concave. The skin is smooth and dry, slimy in wet weather.
The color varies from pale pink to dark orange. Darker spots of blue-green and greenish color and faint concentric circles are clearly visible on the surface.
The leg is from 3 to 7 cm long, thin up to 2 cm in diameter, cylindrical, quickly becomes hollow; painted to match the hat.
The plates are frequent, slightly running down the stem, slightly lighter than the cap, orange-yellow in color, sometimes with spots of greenish and blue-green shades. When damaged they turn green.
The flesh is brittle, orange in the cap, and whitish in the stem. When damaged, it abundantly secretes orange-red milky juice that turns green in the air.
Red (Lactarius sanguifluus)
Another representative of the group is the red saffron milk cap. The species is not very common, it settles only in mountainous areas, in coniferous forests. These saffron milk caps appear in the summer (starting in July) or autumn (until October) after heavy rains.
They have a medium-sized flat, less often convex, fleshy cap with a depressed center. Young mushrooms have folded edges. The skin is smooth and shiny, concentric circles are visible; becomes sticky in wet weather. Colored in orange, often light red.
The leg is low (from 4 to 6 cm in length), narrows towards the base, and becomes hollow with age. Color can vary from orange-pinkish to purple. The surface is often dotted with red pits and covered with a powdery coating.
The plates are frequent, bifurcated, not wide, significantly descending down the stem. In young specimens they are buffy or pinkish-orange, then deep red.
The pulp is dense and brittle. Unevenly colored: mostly whitish with dark red streaks and spots. When damaged, it produces a thick blood-red or purple-brownish milky sap.
Distribution, how to collect
Saffron milk caps are mushrooms that grow in pine or spruce forests on a bed of pine needles. Saffron milk caps are collected in the summer, starting in July, and in the fall, until October. Fruiting bodies germinate only with sufficient moisture, so they begin active growth after heavy rains. In dry years, fruiting will most likely not occur.
Saffron milk caps do not grow alone, but gather in families. They prefer illuminated ones, which means more warm places. You need to look for saffron milk caps on the edges and clearings. At the same time, they hide under a layer of litter, sometimes in the grass. Despite their bright coloring, these mushrooms are not so easy to notice - which is why inexperienced mushroom pickers rarely “come across” them.
To collect saffron milk caps, you need to arm yourself with a long stick to push apart the grass and “suspicious” tubercles, and tune in to collecting this particular mushroom. If you just wander around, collecting everything you come across, you are unlikely to find saffron milk caps (as well as porcini and many other mushrooms). You need to purposefully look for clearings where saffron milk caps grow (or could grow), and carefully, centimeter by centimeter, inspect them.
Young mushrooms with caps of small diameter are most valued. Their flesh is denser and tastier. In addition, saffron milk caps worm very quickly, so adult, large specimens will most likely be infected with insects.
Mushroom look-alikes
The real saffron milk cap, like other representatives of the group, has no poisonous counterparts. These mushrooms can be confused with the conditionally edible pink mushroom (Lactarius torminosus). Indeed, the external resemblance is quite strong, so that volnushki can even be called false saffron milk caps. They are distinguished by the pubescent surface of the cap and light milky juice.
There is a distant resemblance to the inedible amber or gray-pink milkweed (Lactarius helvus). This mushroom has a velvety surface, colored reddish-ocher or brownish-pink. Its leg is longer and has no narrowing. The smell is pungent, one might say unpleasant. But there is no need to worry about the apparent similarity. Knowing what saffron milk caps look like, it is difficult to confuse them with other Milkies.
Primary processing and preparation
Rizhik is a mushroom belonging to the first category. This is one of the Milkies that does not require additional soaking before cooking. You can cook any dishes with saffron milk caps: they are fried, boiled, pickled, salted and frozen. Goes great with vegetables. When salted they turn greenish-brown. By the way, salted or pickled saffron milk caps can be used in okroshka.
Before cooking, the fruiting bodies are cleaned of adhering particles of litter and soil. Moreover, many mushroom pickers advise using a soft brush rather than water for this: after washing, the caps become fragile and the aroma is partially lost. Check the mushrooms for the presence of worms, removing the affected areas.
The pulp has a bitter aftertaste, for which this mushroom is loved. If you want to get rid of the bitterness, you can lower the fruiting bodies into boiling water for a few minutes.
Nutritional quality
In terms of nutritional and taste qualities, saffron milk caps are no different from other first-class mushrooms. Their pulp contains vitamins A, B and other microelements necessary for humans.
Biologically found in mushrooms active substances, which help improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and natural antibiotics (in particular, lactarioviolin). This dietary product. 100 grams contain only 23 kcal, of which only 15 are fats and carbohydrates.
Benefits and harms
Ryzhiki are not only tasty, but also healthy. First of all, the natural antibiotic included in the composition helps suppress pathogenic microflora. The amino acids and proteins they contain are easily digestible, so saffron milk caps can be recommended as a dietary supplement for people who abstain from eating meat.
Like any mushroom, saffron milk can also cause harm. People with pancreatitis, cholecystitis and other gastrointestinal diseases should avoid this delicacy.
Rizhik has earned the love of mushroom pickers due to its massive fruiting and excellent taste. It is worth trying this unique mushroom once - and it will become the most desirable and long-awaited delicacy.
Rizhik, thanks to its taste and appetizing appearance, is deservedly considered one of the best mushrooms of the Russula family. You can find several species in the forests and, having spotted any of them, you need to hurry up and collect delicious orange mushrooms, since they quickly become worm-like and age, crumbling into dust.
These mushrooms got their sonorous name not only for the bright color of their skin, but also for their inherent carrot-orange color of milky juice.
Main types of saffron milk caps
Grows in pine forests and mixed forests, comes across more often than others, is distinguished by the reddish-red color of the fruiting bodies and strong, stocky appearance mushrooms The orange-yellow cap is round, 5–18 cm in diameter, with dark concentric zones, initially convex, over time the edges rise, forming a wide funnel. The hat is slippery to the touch and sticky in rainy weather. The plates are frequent, narrow, yellowish. The height of the hollow leg is up to 9 cm.
At the break of the pulp, an orange, milky, sweetish juice emerges with a pungent taste and smell of resin, which quickly turns green in the air. When removed, the mushroom acquires a slightly greenish tint, especially in places where it is touched.
The pulp is dense and when pickled, these mushrooms look very attractive.
Spruce mushroom (Lactarius deterrimus)
Spruce mushrooms form mycorrhiza with the roots of spruce trees and grow only near these trees. The color of the cap is light orange, with darker rings and spots, and over time it acquires a dark green, coniferous hue. Under the sun, the skin tends to fade and become whitish. The stem is thin, 3–7 cm high, brittle, the cap is fragile, especially at the edges, which is why spruce trees often wrinkle and break in baskets.
Milky reddish juice is released in large quantities, it tastes good, and turns green in the air. When salted, spruce trees are very tasty and fragrant, but acquire a dark, greenish-brown hue.
The species is common in pine and spruce forests, characterized by a dense cap of reddish-pink or orange color, up to 10 cm in diameter with folded edges and a depression in the center, without an adhesive coating. The flesh is light, with a pinkish tint and burgundy spots. The milky juice is rich red in color, darkens over time, acquiring a red-brown color.
The leg is strong, up to 6 cm high, narrows at the base, covered with a characteristic powdery coating and small crimson pits over the entire surface. The color of the leg varies from yellow-orange to lilac tone. The species is edible, suitable for pickling and preparing a variety of mushroom dishes.
This beautiful bright mushroom is found near pine trees. The cap is fleshy, up to 9 cm in diameter, flat, with a slightly depressed center and folded edges. The skin is light orange, pink at the edges, and over time a greenish tone appears at the center. The plates are frequent, narrow, orange in color with a characteristic pink tint; in an aging mushroom they become reddish.
The milky juice is orange at first, then turns red and green. The taste is pleasant and soft. Hollow leg up to 7 cm high, narrow, fragile. The pulp is brittle, orange, and turns greenish when broken.
Places of distribution and time of collection
Saffron milk caps of all types prefer coniferous forests, but can also grow in mixed plantings under pine or spruce trees. Favorite places– edges, forest clearings, clearing areas, young spruce and pine forests. These mushrooms are most often found in northern regions, forests of the Urals and Siberia.
Finding saffron milk caps can be difficult - they hide in groups under fallen soft pine needles, in dry weather there are almost no of them, and after drizzling summer and autumn rains they suddenly appear en masse, raising their shelters of pine needles and grass, shining orange warm color to match the color of pine bark.
Harvesting begins in July, the main harvest falls in August and lasts until September. Experienced mushroom pickers notice where they grow orange mushrooms and after each rain, fragrant forest harvests are collected again and again.
False saffron milk caps (doubles)
Saffron milk caps are valuable edible mushrooms of the Milky genus, which, when broken, secrete abundant orange-red milky juice. The advantage of this characteristic feature is that they cannot be confused with inedible and dangerous species.
However, due to inexperience, other, not so tasty and aromatic mushrooms of this genus, classified as conditionally edible, can be mistaken for the noble saffron milk cap.
It is characterized by white milky juice that does not darken in air. This mushroom grows in deciduous forests at the roots of birch trees and is more common in northern regions. Except white milky juice, the pink wave is distinguished by a soft pink cap with curled down fringed edges and whitish flesh at the break.
Consumption of food that is not properly cooked or salted for less than 45 days can cause disturbances in the functioning of the stomach and intestines.
Another conditionally edible mushroom of the same genus, growing in coniferous forests, often on light sandy loam. It is distinguished by a grayish-brown dry cap and white milky juice that does not darken in air. The pulp is white, brittle; if you rub it between your fingers, you can smell a faint coconut smell.
This species is used for food after soaking and prolonged salting.
A small mushroom with a cap diameter of up to 6 cm, which is characterized by a beige or ocher color and rolled up edges. The pulp is light, the milky juice is white, does not change color, the smell is strong, coconut.
It is used as a spicy additive to other dishes and in pickled form.
Beneficial features
The orange flesh of saffron milk caps is so brightly colored due to the presence carotene or provitamin A, which acts as a powerful antioxidant, strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of cholesterol plaques, and supports the barrier function of mucous membranes.
In addition, fungal tissues contain B vitamins(thiamine and riboflavin), ascorbic acid and a whole group of minerals necessary for the body - iron, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
A natural, potent antibiotic has been discovered in saffron milk caps, this natural treasure trove of useful substances. lactriovioline, which inhibits many harmful bacteria, including the tuberculosis bacillus. It is the presence of this antibacterial compound that determines the harmlessness of the mushroom, which can be eaten during mushroom hunting directly in its raw form, adding a little salt or lightly frying over a fire.
In the old days, red mushrooms were prepared very simply - wiped with a canvas cloth, they were loaded into cedar barrels, fumigated with juniper branches, and pickled directly in the forest, immediately after collection.
The satiety and nutritional value is due to the presence of easily digestible amino acids and as a source of protein, these mushrooms are comparable to the best varieties of meat. In terms of calories and energy content, they are superior to beef, poultry and even chicken eggs. Therefore, orange mushrooms are a desirable product on the table of vegetarians or during fasting.
Contraindications
Nutritional value ‒ important feature mushrooms, which should be taken into account by people suffering from obesity and kidney or liver disease. In this case, mushroom dishes are consumed with caution.
Other contraindications are inflammation of the pancreas or gallbladder, insufficient secretion of bile, as well as gastritis of any type, in particular with low acidity of gastric juice.
Recipes for cooking dishes from saffron milk caps
Knowledgeable mushroom pickers believe that real saffron milk caps should be eaten salted without spices, then they acquire an incomparable forest taste, giving off pine needles and a slight bitterness of pine resin. Therefore, mushrooms are pickled immediately after collection, wiped with a clean cloth, placed tightly in a container and generously sprinkled with salt. These pickles are eaten after 10–14 days.
The need for rapid harvesting of saffron milk caps is justified not only by their excellent taste, like other mushrooms, it is a perishable product that should be processed as soon as possible.
Salted saffron milk caps with spices
At home you can prepare delicious savory mushrooms, which are obtained by cold pickling. To do this, for 1 kg of saffron milk caps, take 40 g of salt, a little bay leaf and black currant leaves, allspice and ground black pepper to taste.
Mushrooms are doused with boiling water twice, first poured onto a sieve, and then poured over cold water, and leave to dry a little.
Place salt and spices at the bottom of the container, mixing them and spreading them in a thin layer. Then lay out the saffron milk caps, caps on top, in rows up to 7 cm thick, each layer is salted and peppered. Place all the remaining spices on top. The workpiece is covered with a piece of cotton fabric, a wooden circle, pressed down with pressure and taken to the basement. It is convenient to use a glass bottle of water as a pressure.
After a few days, brine appears and, if it is not there, the severity of the oppression is increased. Excess brine is drained if necessary. These spicy mushrooms can be eaten after a month, and the snack is stored in the refrigerator.
Baked marinated saffron milk caps
This delicious, original appetizer will serve as an excellent decoration. festive table. And in terms of juiciness and forest aroma, it cannot be compared with any store-bought delicacies.
To prepare the marinade take:
- 1 liter of vinegar 3.5% strength;
- 20 g sugar;
- 20 g salt;
- 5–7 bay leaves;
- a little clove.
All components are mixed and brought to a boil.
Place the peeled saffron milk caps, washed under running water, on a baking sheet and place in a hot oven for 10–12 minutes. Then they take it out of the oven, cool it a little, put it in jars while still warm and pour it with hot marinade.
After this, the jars are sealed with plastic lids and, as soon as they have cooled, they are placed in the refrigerator. For long-term storage canned food is covered with metal lids, sterilized for 30–40 minutes, and then sealed.
Saffron milk caps in sour cream
Classic mushroom dish It turns out especially tasty when using saffron milk caps. To prepare, follow these steps:
- Finely chop the onion and fry until golden brown.
- Mushrooms are cleaned, washed, large ones are cut into halves, lightly sprinkled with flour and fried.
- Combine mushrooms and onions, add sour cream and heat until boiling.
The dish is salted, ground pepper, finely chopped dill and other spices are added to taste.
Video about saffron mushrooms
Saffron milk caps cannot compete in taste and popularity with the recognized kings of the mushroom world - white mushrooms and milk mushrooms. But still, these are fragrant, satisfying, extremely healthy gifts of nature that deserve the most close attention mushroom pickers and should definitely take their place in home cooking, among the jars of winter pickles.
Ryzhiki are mushrooms that are often equated in taste and useful qualities to boletus mushrooms. They are used to prepare a variety of dishes in many European countries. The most popular among these forest mushrooms are spruce, real and red camelina.
Experienced mushroom pickers can always determine where saffron milk caps are located in the forest. They can mainly be found in well-lit areas near young coniferous trees. Saffron milk caps usually grow in the same place every year.
These forest mushrooms develop in whole families on sandy soil in moss or grass. Very often they grow in forest clearings or open clearings. The largest mushrooms grow at the foot of pine trees on the north side.
To recognize a saffron milk cap in the forest, just look closely at the mushroom cap. Thanks to its pronounced reddish-red color, these mushrooms got their name. On the surface of the smooth cap, stripes are clearly visible, diverging from the center to the edges.
In the forest you can find saffron milk caps of different shades. Color ranges from light orange tones to rich copper color. The surface of an old mushroom sometimes turns green. The caps themselves are flat in shape with the edges turned down. In the middle there is a small depression, which increases with the age of the mushroom and becomes like a funnel.
The surface of the saffron milk cap is moist and slightly sticky to the touch. The size of the mushroom cap can reach eighteen centimeters in diameter. The flesh of the mushroom is also orange in color and emits a distinct resinous aroma. Since saffron milk cap is a mushroom from the genus Lactaceae, when you press on the cap, an orange liquid comes out of it. This juice turns green when exposed to air.
The stem of the mushroom is the same color as the top. Its optimal length is ten centimeters, and its thickness is two centimeters. The cylindrical stem sometimes has small indentations, which are usually darker than it.
Varieties of saffron milk caps
The most common are three types of saffron milk caps - red, real and spruce. They differ slightly in appearance and grow in different forest areas. The main features of each type are:
Spruce saffron milk cap
Lactarius deterrimus - Spruce mushroom Among the varieties of saffron milk caps, this mushroom is relatively small in size. The height of its stem usually reaches only seven centimeters, and the diameter of the cap is no more than nine centimeters. Such mushrooms appear among the spruce trees in August and grow until the beginning of October. Is different spruce saffron with its color. The light orange cap has greenish tints, which is why it is sometimes called green saffron milk cap.
Red saffron milk cap
The mushroom is bright pink or deep orange in color with a strong stem slightly widened at the top, a height that can stretch up to nine centimeters in height. Red saffron milk caps grow in the forests among deciduous trees. Mushroom pickers begin collecting them in the middle of summer and finish in the middle of the first month of autumn. The stem of this type of camelina often has small powdery coatings or small indentations.
It is not difficult to see such an adult mushroom in the forest thanks to its wide cap, up to fifteen centimeters in diameter, and a high stem - ten centimeters. The surface of the true camelina can be various shades of orange and red. A shiny hat with rims characteristic of saffron milk caps, and sometimes with a white coating. These mushrooms grow in moss among pine trees from June to the end of September.
False saffron milk cap
Also false saffron milk caps are amber milkweeds that are not suitable for fresh consumption. The color of the cap of this mushroom is reddish-red. The juice from the pulp flows amber in color. This watery milk dries out in the air. This false camelina smells like chicory. Sometimes it is dried and used as a seasoning.
Inexperienced mushroom pickers sometimes confuse saffron milk caps with pink mushrooms. It qualifies as a conditionally edible mushroom that has no beneficial properties. nutritional values. It is easily distinguished by the colorless liquid released when pressed and the pubescent cap.
These mushrooms contain many valuable vitamins. The main component of camelina is water, of which it contains about ninety percent. All other elements are useful for human body substances:
- vitamins – A and B1;
- cellulose;
- ash;
- minerals - calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium and sodium;
- proteins;
- carbohydrates;
- amino acids.
Ryzhiki are a nutritious, easily digestible product. Their dietary value is seventeen kilocalories per hundred grams of mushrooms. In terms of protein content, they are equal to meat.
Common and red camelina contain substances that I use to obtain lactarioviolin, an antibiotic that stops the growth of tuberculosis bacillus. All components of the mushroom, especially vitamins, are good for the health of hair and skin. In addition, saffron milk caps are highly valued because of the carotene they contain in considerable quantities. The younger the mushroom, the greater its saturation with useful components.
Mushrooms are very healthy, but like any product, they have several caveats to their use. It is not recommended to add saffron milk caps to the diet for people with diseases;
- chronic constipation;
- cholecystitis;
- low level of gastric acidity;
- pancreatitis.
You should not eat mushrooms after removal of the gallbladder and if you are individually intolerant to this product. Overweight people should not eat salted mushrooms, as this product has high level calorie content. Best for dietary nutrition Low-calorie fresh saffron milk caps are suitable.
Such mushrooms in their raw form are not suitable for consumption, but some mushroom pickers like to eat fresh mushrooms, experiencing all the subtleties of the mushroom taste. Ryzhiki have no bitterness and are suitable for preparing any dishes.
These mushrooms should not be cooked for a long time. It is enough to pour boiling water, wait until they release the juice and boil for fifteen minutes. After this, you can simply eat them with a little salt or use them in various culinary recipes.
These mushrooms go well with potatoes, sour cream and vegetables. They fill any food with their aroma. Often saffron milk caps are stewed with meat. Many people love mushrooms with apples. They are also used as a filling for dumplings or pies. Saffron milk caps give the soup a unique special aroma and taste.
These mushrooms are popular in many countries. They are valued in Italy, Poland and France. Spicy saffron milk caps are often prepared from mushroom sauce, the taste of which complements many dishes. Many people love salted or pickled mushrooms, which always decorate the table in winter.
Pickled mushrooms are very delicious snack, which is usually prepared for the winter. Before preparing saffron milk caps for marinade, you must first prepare for pouring:
- sort out the mushrooms and remove any debris;
- wash well in running cool water;
- trim the legs from below by no more than three centimeters;
- sterilize glass jars.
For two kilograms of mushrooms you will need:
- fifteen grams of salt;
- three hundred milliliters of water;
- three grams of citric acid.
To prepare the marinade, add salt and citric acid to boiling water. Place the prepared saffron milk caps into the boiling marinade and cook for twenty-five minutes. Then remove the mushrooms and fill the jars with them.
Then pour in the liquid in which they were cooked. Roll up the jars with sterilized lids and set them to cool upside down on flat surface. This snack is not only tasty, but also very healthy. It preserves many substances with which fresh saffron milk caps are enriched.
Saffron milk caps are usually salted in wooden barrels. First they prepare. To do this, you need to pour boiling water into it and wrap it in warm material. After half an hour, the water is drained. To pickle saffron milk caps you need:
- mushrooms cleared of debris are placed in a barrel in layers, which consist of saffron milk caps, horseradish leaves, dill sprigs, oak leaves, cherries and garlic cloves;
- The mushrooms are covered on top with a gauze bag with salt in the middle;
- The salt is pressed down with a circle cut out of wood, and a heavy weight is placed.
Gradually the wooden circle lowers and the mushrooms become covered with juice. Saffron milk caps are salted for two months. Properly salted mushrooms have excellent taste. One hundred grams of this product contains a little more than twenty-two kilocalories.
Many people think that to freeze mushrooms it is enough to collect them, wash them and put them in a bag in the freezer. To ensure that the product is suitable for consumption after freezing, you must follow all the rules for storing mushrooms at low temperatures.
Initially, the saffron milk caps are sorted out and cleared of forest debris. Then only whole mushrooms, without wormy parts or other lesions, are set aside for freezing. Young, strong saffron milk caps are best suited for this.
Mushrooms should not be washed, as they will become saturated with moisture and will become unsuitable for storage in the freezer. To remove dirt, you need to wipe the camelina with a slightly damp cloth, and then dry it with a towel.
Only such properly prepared mushrooms can be placed in plastic bags and stored in the freezer. Saffron milk caps are stored in this form at a temperature of eighteen degrees below zero for six months. It is advisable to use them during this time. At maximum frosts with minus temperatures below twenty-five degrees, the product can be kept for up to a year.
You can prepare various dishes from frozen saffron milk caps. They are boiled or fried in a frying pan. Also, from such mushrooms it turns out very tasty soup, which is easy to prepare according to the recipe:
- Thaw half a kilogram of saffron milk caps and fry in butter;
- Place the fried mushrooms in a pan of boiling water and leave to cook for half an hour;
- then add peeled potatoes cut into cubes - five pieces;
- then put onions and carrots into the mushroom broth, after grating them and frying them in oil;
- salt and pepper the soup to taste;
- cook until done.
This saffron milk soup is served with sour cream and herbs.
Very delicious mushrooms with sour cream. This combination of products gives the dish an exquisite taste. To prepare fried mushrooms with sour cream sauce you need:
- wash and clean the mushrooms from dirt;
- simmer over low heat for at least fifteen minutes;
- drain the water through a colander;
- cool and cut into small pieces;
- put mushrooms and prepared fried onions into a frying pan with butter
- cover with a lid and simmer for twenty minutes over low heat;
- pour sour cream on top and fry for ten minutes.
Ingredients used to prepare this dish:
- a tablespoon of butter;
- ten pieces of large saffron milk caps;
- a glass of high fat sour cream;
- one onion;
- salt to taste.
You can sprinkle grated cheese on top of the still hot saffron milk caps. These fried mushrooms are very tasty and nutritious.
To prepare this soup you need to prepare:
- three hundred grams of fresh or frozen saffron milk caps;
- one hundred grams of fat sour cream;
- four large potatoes;
- one processed cheese;
- medium sized onion;
- one small carrot;
- a spoonful of butter;
- greenery;
- salt and pepper.
Prepare wild saffron milk cream soup according to the step-by-step recipe:
- wash the boiled mushrooms and cut into four parts;
- fry them in butter until a light crust forms;
- pour two liters of water into a saucepan and boil;
- add mushrooms to the water;
- chop the onion and carrots and sauté in oil;
- Boil potatoes separately;
- Mash all cooked vegetables until pureed;
- add the resulting mass of onions, potatoes and carrots to the water with mushrooms;
- Bring the mixture to a boil and add grated cheese into it;
- Dilute flour in half a glass of mushroom broth and pour into the soup, stirring constantly;
- add pepper and salt to taste;
- sour cream is poured into the soup five minutes before the end of cooking.
The finished dish is allowed to brew a little. This puree soup has a delicate consistency, very tasty and aromatic.
Silent hunt……. on saffron milk caps: video
Rizhiki are the highest grade of mushrooms in terms of nutritional value and taste. It contains many substances beneficial to humans. But, nevertheless, going into the forest for this valuable product, you should know exactly all the inherent external characteristics saffron milk so as not to become a victim inedible mushrooms.
Loading...
