Milk mushrooms: description of edible and inedible species

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Milk is the most valuable forest mushroom, from which delicious delicacies are obtained. It is salted, pickled, boiled, fried, added to the filling for pies and pies. In folk medicine, these mushrooms have occupied an important place for many centuries, thanks to their beneficial composition. Different types of mushrooms are found in the forest: they are unique and not all are edible.

Description of different types of mushrooms

General description of mushrooms

The milk mushroom looks different, depending on the species. But their "family" has some common features.

Milk mushrooms belong to the genus Mlechnik, included in the russula family of the Agaricomycetes class. The mushroom has a concave or funnel-shaped cap with a diameter of 6 to 12 cm, a "terry" edge. The hymenophore is lamellar, the plates are frequent, descending along the pedicle. The legs are thick, similar in color to the cap. They become hollow with age. The pulp is yellowish, the milky juice is white and acrid, the spores are creamy.

Milk mushrooms grow mainly in damp deciduous, sometimes in coniferous forests. They are often found under spruce, poplar or birch trees. They are collected from under fallen leaves and needles, colonies sometimes number several dozen specimens. Considering their large size (50–120 g), one successful trip to the forest can bring a splendid harvest. The richest mushroom areas are the northern ones.

Usually they collect and sell real milk mushrooms. The genus Mlechnik includes many other types of weeds: yellow, black, aspen, raw. Sometimes Chinese shiitake mushrooms are also classified as belonging to this genus, although this is not the case.

Europeans consider any type of milk mushroom poisonous, but in fact, only false milk mushrooms are really dangerous. Before using edible species, processing is required: they are very bitter.

All milk mushrooms are conditionally edible, Russian people have considered them a delicacy since ancient times, their usefulness is at a high level.

Spread

Nigella can be found in almost all forests, the milk mushroom forms mycorrhiza with birches. This mushroom prefers well-lit areas, so it can often be found along roads and in forest clearings.

The optimal period for collecting nigella is after a light rain, then they reach sufficient size, but remain dense. But after significant precipitation, it is better not to take mushrooms, since they acquire a flabby consistency, which accelerates their deterioration.

The black lump grows from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Usually these mushrooms grow in large groups.

Load black

Description of species

Varieties of mushrooms have their own characteristics, differ in size, color, method of preparation. They prefer birch or poplar forest - they are difficult to spot.

Mushroom picking is like hunting: you need to go out early, move slowly through the forest and carefully examine the land under the trees, stumps. Search time comes with cool, wet weather. Typically, the growth period begins in July-August and lasts until October-November.

The most delicious milk mushrooms are white, yellow and black. Island, aromatic and other varieties are interesting, but not as popular.

If you buy already harvested milk mushrooms in the store, it is important to learn how to distinguish between them.If in doubt, it is better to show the product to experienced mushroom pickers so that they can determine if it is inedible.

Real milk or white

Milk mushrooms are difficult to find under a layer of foliage.

Real milk mushrooms are also called "raw", "white" or "wet". It is one of the largest mushrooms in Russia, but it is difficult to find it in the forests. It grows in birch forests, under stumps and trees, often completely hiding under fallen leaves and snuggling tightly to the ground.

A mushroom of this species looks like this:

1. Hat: it can reach a diameter of 4 to 25 cm. At first it is flat, but with age it becomes funnel-shaped, with a noticeable depression in the center. The edge is wrapped in and shaggy. The surface is sticky and wet to the touch.
2. Hat peel: white or yellowish in color, sometimes with a brown spot, forest debris adheres abundantly to it.
3. Hymenophore: lamellar, the plates forming it are white and wide. Spores are yellow.
4. Pulp: in a raw white breast, it is dense, white, with a fruity odor. The caustic milky juice released from it quickly turns yellow when exposed to air.
5. Leg: thick, 3-7 cm high, becomes hollow in old age. The color corresponds to the color of the cap, but spots or pits are visible on it.

For your information. Gray-pink milky mushrooms are also similar to wet mushrooms - inedible and dangerous mushrooms, but unfortunately with a sweet taste of pulp. They grow in the same places and have similar shapes. The main difference between false milk mushrooms is the pink tint of the cap and legs.

Raw milk mushrooms are harvested in June-September. Before use, they are soaked in water with salt for 3 days. The liquid is changed several times every day. After processing, the real milk becomes suitable for use in food.

The white lump looks typical for its "family". Other species are similar to it, including a watery-zone mushroom and an oak mushroom, which has a nutty or yellowish color on the cap and the flesh turns pink on the cut.

Milk yellow

The yellow milk mushroom is popular in Russia, and its harvesting season lasts from July to October. It grows in mixed and coniferous forests, under birches and spruce. It looks almost like white, it is prepared for use in the same way. Its other name is yellow wave.

1. Hat: reaches 8 to 25 cm in diameter. It is funnel-shaped, its fluffy edges are wrapped inward. The color is yellow, sometimes orangeish. The hats are sticky and slimy in rainy weather.
2. Hymenophore: represented by narrow plates, which are creamy at first, with age - more yellow. Spores are creamy or white.
3. Pulp: dense white with acrid and thick milky juice. Unlike the real milk mushroom, the yellow milk mushroom does not have a clear fruity aroma. The pulp tastes spicy and spicy.
4. Leg: 4-6 cm long, cylindrical. The color is the same as that of the cap, but slightly lighter, with brown spots.

This mushroom looks like a blue or canine milk mushroom. He also has a yellowish cap, but the milky juice and the plates have a purple tint. Another similar species is the marsh mushroom, which grows in the lowlands and has red-colored caps.

Black milk

Black spruce breast is great for pickling. The picking time for mushrooms usually begins in August and lasts through October-November inclusive. This is done in birch and spruce groves. It grows in large families in the forest floor. For milk mushrooms, he has a unique appearance.

1. Hat: rather large - from 8 to 20 cm, convex in youth, becomes funnel-shaped with age. The skin is dark olive or brownish, slippery and sticky to the touch in wet weather. The edges of the cap are "felt".
2. Pulp: white, with caustic milky juice.
3. Hymenophore: lamellar, fork-branched. Spore powder, cream.
4. Leg: up to 8 cm long, one color with a hat. Thin plates descend along it (or, as the mycologists say, run down).

Spruce mushroom has a unique pungent taste and pleasant smell. It is usually salted or used fresh after soaking.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

Collecting a black lump is still half the battle, but the real thing is to bring it "to mind", that is. properly prepare, so that those sitting at the table only salivate from one type of these mushrooms. And it is important to make sure that these milk mushrooms do not taste bitter. Soaking in cold water will help. The time of the procedure depends on a number of factors, including the method of salting - cold or hot. If you want to make cold pickling, black milk mushrooms (and not only them) are kept in water for 5 days, with hot - only 3 days. But in any case, there is a regular change of water.

So how are black milk mushrooms prepared for salting? For this:

1. Carefully scrape off the film from the surface of the cap.
2. Most of the leg is cut off (a stump no more than 1 cm long remains - at the level of the cap).
3. Rinse thoroughly and soak in salted water (1 tablespoon salt per 1 liter of water). So that the fruit bodies are completely submerged in water, they can be covered with a lid and pressed down with a load.
4. The water is changed 2-4 times a day.

For your information. Boiling (most often) and blanching (in cold salting) are behind the recipes for high-quality preparation of black milk mushrooms in winter. Blanch black milk mushrooms for 5-7 minutes in boiling water with vinegar or citric acid. Boiling is carried out for 30-45 minutes.

After processing, this mushroom takes on a purple or purple color.

Parchment milk

The parchment milk mushroom is very similar in appearance to the pepperoni. Both species often grow side by side. The harvesting season is from August to September.

1. Hat: with a diameter of 5 to 20 cm, on average - 10 cm. Initially flat-convex, it gradually takes the shape of a funnel. The skin covering it can be smooth or wrinkled, it is white, but turns yellow over time.
2. Hymenophore: lamellar, plates are frequent, yellowish, running down the stem.
3. Pulp: white, bitter. At the site of the break, white milky sap is released, which does not change color upon contact with air.
4. Leg: up to 10 cm tall, with frequent yellowish plates. Narrowed downwards.

Parchment milk is used only for salting, after a long soaking.

Fragrant lactate, or fragrant milkman

The mushroom grows in birch forests

The aromatic milk mushroom is considered less tasty and healthy compared to other types. This mushroom forms mycorrhiza with birches and grows in mixed and deciduous forests. The "hunt" for him begins at the end of August.

1. Hat: beige, gray-crimson, yellowish or slightly brown cap. It is small, about 7 cm in diameter. The shape is concave, with a small tubercle in the middle. The surface is uneven with concentric circles.
2. Hymenophore: represented by frequent thin plates.
3. Pulp: fragile, white, smells like coconut or fresh hay. Milky sap is white, does not change color.
4. Leg: with a diameter of 0.5-1 cm, its length may be equal to half (or slightly more) the diameter of the cap. Smooth, becomes hollow with age, somewhat lighter in color than the cap.

The mushroom is conditionally edible, has an unremarkable taste, so it is rarely harvested. It looks like a brown, but edible counterpart.

Aspen milk

The names of this mushroom are tallow, aspen, poplar or willow. These names are not obtained by chance - they correspond to the place of its growth: it is often found under these trees.

1. Hat: white fleshy, sometimes reaching a diameter of 30 cm. On average, its size ranges from 8 to 20 cm. It is depressed in the middle, and the edges of young specimens are curved and shaggy.
2. Hymenophore: consists of rare plates.
3. Pulp: spicy to taste, pleasantly fruity smell. White and brittle.
4. Leg: low, dense.

The "quiet hunters" do not particularly appreciate the mushroom: although it is large, it has too typical taste.

Cooking use

Black milk mushrooms are part of many dishes.However, they should be soaked before use. To do this, the mushrooms are put into a container with cold water, which is changed 3 times a day.

The procedure takes 3 days. This is enough to get rid of toxic substances. After that, it remains to drain the water and dry the product.

You can pickle milk mushrooms cold or hot. In the second case, before being placed in a jar, the mushrooms are boiled for half an hour and infused in hot water for 20 minutes.

As a result, their readiness comes one month faster. Ready-made black milk mushrooms can be added to salads. Or use it as a standalone snack.

To summarize: there is no single view of black milk mushrooms. Some consider them hazardous to health due to the content of toxic substances.

Others appreciate it for its medicinal properties and taste. Therefore, you can collect and cook these mushrooms, taking precautions.

White load

Podgruzdok is an unusual mushroom. He, unlike other representatives of the russula family, does not emit milky juice, his hat is not sticky.

1. Leg: white and short stem.
2. Hat: with a depression in the center, with rolled and wavy edges. The color is white, but turns yellow with age.
3. Pulp: dense, with a pleasant smell.
4. Spread: it grows in many forests, including mountainous ones. He especially loves river banks. In appearance, it is similar to the green podgruzdok with a greenish tint of the plates.
5. Preliminary processing: before salting and drying, the varieties must be thoroughly washed and soaked for a long time.

False doubles

Among the false doubles, there are really no ones with which you can confuse nigella. For example, pepper and felt milk mushrooms have completely white caps. The camphor lactarius is reddish brown, and the golden breast is light yellow in color. In addition to the camphor mushroom, which emits an unpleasant odor, the rest can be eaten, the main thing is to properly prepare and soak beforehand.

Interesting! The black nest is a poisonous mushroom, but it differs from the black one in beige color, and therefore it is impossible to confuse them.

An inattentive mushroom picker can confuse a pig with a black load, but the differences are quite obvious. The latter has the following characteristic features:

Podgruzdok black

• a hat with a gray tint;
• no milky juice;
• the flesh on the cut becomes reddish;
• after touching the cut, the fruit body takes on a black tint;
• strong moldy smell.

Podgruzdok is also considered a conditionally edible species and is soaked before salting. After salting, it turns black. Stunted and rotten specimens should not be put in a basket.

Beneficial features

Milk mushrooms are healthy foods suitable for a variety of diets. Frozen and salted, they do not lose their medicinal properties. The calorie content is low: they contain only 19 kcal per 100 g. The calorie content of pickled milk mushrooms is slightly higher - 26 kcal. It contains a lot of vitamins and proteins.

The benefit is that the data that mushrooms help against neuroses and depression, inflammatory processes, and stomach problems. They are suitable for diabetics and those who are losing weight: the proteins of the mushrooms are well absorbed by the body, and they also normalize blood glucose levels.

The benefits of nigella (black milk mushroom) and treatment

The benefits of nigella are more pronounced if it is used in a salted form, when the anti-inflammatory properties of mushrooms are released during fermentation, and this natural remedy can be eaten 3 times a week, thus getting rid of even purulent wounds. Mushrooms serve as an excellent prevention of liver diseases, prevent the development of kidney stones, restore the body after illness, and help to quickly gain strength when exhausted.

For those who are prone to depression, nervous breakdowns and unexplained mood changes, it is also advisable to include nigella in their diet, because due to the presence of vitamin B, mushrooms gently calm the nervous system. Vitamin D from mushrooms will help maintain the health and beauty of skin and hair.

Contraindications and harm

Even edible mushrooms are forbidden to eat without preliminary processing. They are first soaked or boiled for a long time, and only then they are salted or pickled. The reason is too caustic milky juice. All types of milk mushrooms are contraindicated for pregnant and lactating mothers, children under 7 years old, as well as people suffering from stomach ulcers, liver and pancreas diseases. The product can be harmful: cause an acute allergic reaction.

When picking mushrooms in the forest, it is easy to stumble upon poisonous specimens. The type of milk mushroom camphor is unsuitable for eating even after soaking, it contains the same substances as fly agaric. He has a small cap, up to 7 cm in diameter. Camphor mushroom looks similar to other species, but it has brown flesh, it smells brightly of camphor or coconut, and it is easy for them to be poisoned.

How to distinguish a false milk from a real one

Nature has a rather insidious character - in the forest it is quite possible to find a poisonous specimen that looks just as attractive as an edible mushroom and has common external features with it. For experienced mushroom pickers, making the right choice is easier than for just beginning seekers of forest gifts.

To avoid undesirable consequences after using false milk weights, it is worth carefully studying the descriptions of all their varieties.

It is also necessary to take into account a number of characteristics inherent in poisonous twins. Let's consider them in the table.

Surface	Has a fibrous, felt structure. Small scales are sometimes present.
Color	Dirty pink with ocher or gray tint, brownish pink. Vague spots often appear in mature decoys.
Leg	Mealy, covered with villi at the base. Diameter up to 3.5 cm.
Pulp	Yellow-red color, no distinct aroma, sweet taste.
Milky juice	Does not change color when exposed to air.

Application

Milk mushrooms are delicious pickled

The real milk mushroom is used to create drugs against tumors and various diseases. Usually the product is salted or pickled, cooking fresh milk mushrooms is also possible.

Salting, pickling and frying

To remove the bitterness, the mushrooms are pre-cooked. To do this, they are first sorted out, the wormy and spoiled ones are removed, then the surface is carefully cleaned with a brush. They are sorted into groups: mushrooms are put on one side for drying, on the other - for pickling and salting. They are transferred to warm water and soaked for several days, changing the water several times every day. This method helps to remove all the bitterness and make the food suitable for further cooking.

There are several ways to pickle mushrooms. The presented methods are suitable for preparing a real or white milk mushroom.

Method number 1. Hot salting

For 1 kg of mushrooms take:

• table salt (coarse grinding) - 40-50 g;
• laurel and blackcurrant leaves - several pieces;
• dill umbrella - 2-3 pcs.;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• allspice - 10 peas.

1. Prepare white milk mushrooms: clean and cut off the legs (leaving 1 cm), rinse in running water. Small ones are left intact, and large ones are cut into several parts.
2. Transfer all the mushrooms to a saucepan and cover with water. Let it boil, cook for 5 minutes, constantly skimming off the foam. Sometimes mushrooms turn black or green after cooking. To prevent this from happening, it is worth adding a little citric acid to the water. Another option is to boil them several times, 15 minutes each time. Even if they still turn black, green or become gray, it's okay.
3. The finished mushrooms are removed from the pan (the broth is left), washed in cold water under the tap and left in a colander to drain excess moisture.
4. A little spices and herbs are placed in the jar at the bottom, a layer of mushrooms is tightly laid on top with the caps down. Cover with spices again and continue to fill the container to the end. Pour in broth, let stand for a while, cork and move to a cold place.
5. Milk mushrooms will be completely ready for use after 1.5 months of storage. This delicacy has a royal taste.

Method number 2. Cold salting

For this method of salting, the same ingredients are used as for hot. All peeled mushrooms and herbs are put in layers with salt and spices in a saucepan, covered with gauze on top, a wooden circle or a plate of the corresponding diameter is placed on it and only then pressed down with a load. The container is rearranged for a week in a cold place, then laid out in banks. Cold cooked milk mushrooms are ready in a month and a half. All types of mushrooms are salted in the same way.

As a side dish for fried milk mushrooms, mashed potatoes or pasta are suitable.

Fried milk mushrooms with sour cream

For frying raw milk mushrooms, take:

• mushrooms - 1 kg;
• sour cream - 2 glasses;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - for frying.

For breading: salt, pepper, flour.

1. Mushrooms are soaked so that bitterness leaves the raw milk mushrooms. Boil them, chop the onions finely.
2. Mix flour with spices and salt, breaded mushrooms in it. Preheat the pan and fry the mushrooms in vegetable oil for 5 minutes. Add the onion, continue cooking for a while.
3. Add sour cream, stir, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

The best storage method is salting

Milk is considered one of the main salted mushrooms. Salting black milk mushrooms is quite simple, while the taste of the finished dish is simply excellent. All other methods of preparing black mushrooms involve the use of already salted mushrooms.

Very rarely, black milk mushrooms are used fresh. As an example, we can cite the Georgian woman - a special roast of milk mushrooms. Fresh milk mushrooms, added during frying to other edible mushrooms, will add spice and piquant, bright taste to the dish.

Previously, black and white milk mushrooms were usually salted in a large barrel, and the faint smell of oak wood was mixed with the peculiar aroma of these wonderful mushrooms.

Salted milk mushrooms are one of the hallmarks of the national Russian cuisine. One has only to remember the famous pies with milk mushrooms, which were baked in Orthodox families on the days of fasting.

One of the advantages of using mushrooms in salting is that they do not require preliminary heat treatment, which greatly simplifies and speeds up the process.

A feature of black milk mushrooms is that when salted, they acquire a very pleasant dark cherry color. The mushroom begins to turn red about the second day. Black milk mushrooms reach their highest taste characteristics two or three years after salting.

Unlike other types of milk mushrooms, black ones after salting do not have a characteristic bitter-pungent aftertaste. Therefore, salty black milk mushrooms taste like other types of mushrooms, differing only in the characteristic crunch.

Application in medicine

The white mushroom and other species of the genus Millechnik are widely used for medicinal purposes. Milky sap is added to some medicines. The nutritional and energy value of the species is high, which makes the milk mushroom the most useful product for the body. For the best effect, you should consume 500 g of these mushrooms per week.

Salted and pickled, they are no less useful than fresh. They contribute to the resorption of warts and tumors. To do this, they are applied to the damaged area for 10-15 minutes several times a day. The treatment course lasts about a week.

Why are they classified as conditionally edible?

This group includes mushrooms that can be eaten after a certain treatment. Or having an unpleasant aftertaste that can be eliminated.

The toxin mutagen noncatorin was found in milk mushrooms. In fresh mushrooms, its concentration is up to 20 mg / kg. After processing, it remains 4 times less, which does not lead to the manifestation of symptoms of poisoning.

However, you should not eat these mushrooms that have been cooked in the wrong way. Milk can be harmful to people with a sick stomach. It is also dangerous to eat mushrooms collected in the city or in an ecologically dirty area.

Growing at home

Growing milk mushrooms is not difficult. The description of the whole process is similar to the propagation technique of other types of cap mushrooms. First, prepare a site in the country, then purchase a mycelium and start preparing the substrate. Any plant debris and straw act as the latter. It is also sold in specialty stores. Young trees are needed: poplar, birch or willow, good soil.

The mycelium is sown from May to September. The pre-sterilized soil is mixed with the substrate and sawdust. Dig holes next to the root system of the trees, half fill them with a part of the prepared substrate, and spread the mycelium on top. Cover with the remaining mixture, lay out the moss collected on the top, where the mushrooms of the planted species grow. The tree is regularly watered, the site is shaded from the sun. This will create conditions conducive to the growth of any mushrooms.

It will be possible to grow milk mushrooms at home. To do this, the substrate is mixed with crushed mycelium and laid out in large bags, cutting into holes on one side. The room should be kept at a constant temperature (no more than 21 ° C) and high humidity. Soon it will be possible to collect a bucket or two crops.

Where do milk mushrooms grow when they harvest

Milk mushrooms do not like loneliness. Places of mushroom families are chosen near lindens and birches. Harvested in late summer and autumn in deciduous or mixed forests. Fungi form vast colonies in glades where there is white clay near the surface.

Milk mushrooms are harvested from July until the first frost. Autumn harvests at a special price. Milk mushrooms at this time are not pungently bitter.

Milk mushrooms form symbiotic relationships with higher plants. Root systems exchange nutrients. Most species of mushrooms create colonies near birches. Fewer species prefer coniferous forests. The older the tree, the higher the likelihood of finding a mycelium near it.

In young woods as tall as a man, milk mushrooms cannot be found. The older the forest, the higher the chance to catch these mushrooms.

For the growth of mushrooms, the following conditions are important:

• soil type;
• moisture in the earth;
• like the sun heats the ground.

Most species prefer places that are warmed by the sun, moderately moist with grass, moss or a litter of rotting leaves, they do not like dry and swampy areas.