What do large white mushrooms look like? Types of false milk mushrooms

The cap of a milk mushroom with a diameter of 5-12 cm, at first convex, then concave-spread or funnel-shaped, often asymmetrical, with a folded, and over time with a lowered, wavy or lobed edge, dirty lilac-gray or brownish-lilac-gray with a lead color, with with darker concentric stripes or without them, dry, slightly sticky when moistened, darkens when pressed.

The plates are descending, thick, very sparse, with intermediate veins, often zigzag, light yellow-ocher.

Leg 3-8 X 1.5-3.5 cm, the same color as the cap, first compacted, then hollow. The pulp is yellowish-whitish, lilac-brownish under the skin, pungent and pungent, with a pleasant odor, the milky juice is white, pungent and pungent.

Spores are 7-8 X 6-6.5 microns, creamy in mass.

Milk mushrooms grow in deciduous forests, less often in coniferous forests. Fruiting bodies form in July - September. Damp and fresh forests and oak forests can be considered good criteria for growth. Occasionally found in damp subori. Rarely found in young animals. It is collected in middle-aged, mature and overmature plantings in depressions of the microrelief, small saucer-shaped holes under last year's fallen leaves, litter, and pine needles. Mushrooms slightly lift the litter, forming tubercles and hummocks.

Milk mushrooms grow in large colonies (groups) from several pieces to 2 - 3 10s. In 1 – 2 hours, a mushroom picker can collect several kg of milk mushrooms.

Milk mushrooms are significantly larger in size and weight than camelina. The average weight of 1 harvested mushroom is 120 g, and the size of the cap reaches 25 cm in diameter. But when harvesting, mushrooms with a cap size of up to 5 are classified as the first class, and mushrooms with a cap size of up to 5 cm are classified as the second class. The raw material base for harvesting is not limited to certain forest plant and taxation indicators. There are not enough places for constant fruiting of these mushrooms in Ukraine. It happens that in very similar forests, in the same forest conditions, milk mushrooms grow only in a certain area.

In most cases, Mushrooms are found in the transition zone from Polesie to the Forest-Steppe and in the Carpathian region (Ternopil, Khmelnitsky, flat part of the Lviv region), where the population collects mushrooms for their own needs. It has no poisonous counterparts. The common milk mushroom is similar to the pepper milk breast and Skripitsa, which, in contrast, has a dry cap with a bare edge, abundant white milky juice that does not turn yellow in the air. It has a dry, hairless cap and absolutely no milky juice. In the blue milk mushroom, which is also similar to the ordinary milk mushroom, the flesh actively turns blue at the break.

Milk mushrooms are most often eaten salted.

Other names: white milk mushroom, given milk mushroom, pravsky milk mushroom, raw milk mushroom.

The cap is large, up to 20 cm in diameter, milky white with a yellow color, slightly slimy, sticky, the edges are shaggy, steeply turned inward. On the surface of the cap there are faintly visible liquid concentric zones, often with brownish spots.

In young mushrooms, the cap is almost flat, depressed in the middle, with maturity it becomes funnel-shaped, slightly pubescent, and always wet.

The pulp is fleshy, juicy, elastic, strong, but brittle, white, does not change color when broken, with a specific pleasant “milk” smell. The milky juice is white, pungent, bitter in taste, and instantly turns yellow in air.

The plates are wide, very rare, descending along the stem, adherent to it, snow-white or cream. Spore powder is white. The leg is small, up to 6 cm, up to 5 cm wide, smooth, strong, hollow inside in mature mushrooms, white in color with rare yellow hollows. It grows in birch and oak forests or in plantations with an admixture of birch, oak, and linden.

This is a very valuable edible mushroom. White milk mushroom is an edible mushroom of the first category from the Russula family. It is considered one of the best mushrooms for pickling and is famous as the most famous mushroom Russian cuisine. Before salting, mushrooms should be soaked to remove the caustic juice. Cooking, drying and frying is not recommended; young mushrooms can be pickled.

Mushrooms grow in July – October. They bear fruit most of all in September - October, when the age of insects noticeably decreases, therefore less than other species are damaged by larvae. Fruiting bodies develop over a number of days.

The cap of the Dark Milk 5-20 cm in diameter, at first convex, then broadly funnel-shaped, with a hairy edge curved down, sticky, greenish-brown, sometimes almost dark, with faintly visible concentric zones. The plates are adherent or slightly descending, often, narrow, whitish, darkening. The stem of the mushroom is 4-8 X 1-3 cm, cylindrical, with spots - depressions, 1 color with a cap or lighter than it, hollow in mature fruits. The pulp is developed, whitish-fawn, turns brown at the break, with a snow-white milky juice that does not change in the air, has a pungent taste, without a particular aroma.

Grows in spruce, birch and mixed forests from early summer to late autumn, alone and in groups, often very large.

The mushroom is very tasty; it is used for pickling and pickling, with a mandatory preparatory long soaking in water. When salted, it acquires a beautiful dark cherry color.

Cap of a red-brown breast with a diameter of 3-12 cm, densely fleshy, convex or flat-spread, slightly pressed in the center, finely fibrous, then bare, cracking from time to time, dry, red-orange-brown, brown-red or red-red-brown , without zones, with a lighter edge curved down.

The plates are not uncommon, narrow, yellowish-whitish, over time light or reddish-ocher, turning brown when pressed. Leg 3-12 X 0.8-3.5 cm, compacted, the color of the cap or lighter, in the upper part it is usually lighter, naked, darkens on contact.

The pulp is whitish, yellow, turns brown when cut, then turns brown, has a herring odor and is pleasant to the taste; The milky sap is white, does not change color in air, and turns a little gray when dried.

Spores 8-12 X 7-11 microns, with rare warts. Usually grows under oak trees.

Fruiting bodies form in July - October.

Valuable edible mushroom. Used fresh, pickled, salted.

The cap of the Camphor mushroom is 2-6 cm in diameter, convex, then convex or flat-spread, usually funnel-shaped in the middle, often with a tubercle, first with a drooping, and then almost even, from time to time ribbed edge, reddish-brown, dark red, brown -violet, violet-brown-red, more black in the center.

The plates are adherent or descending, narrow, frequent, brick-reddish. The leg is 3-5 X 0.3-1 cm, slightly bent from time to time, the color of the cap is either lighter, dark purple or violet at the base, first thin tomentose, then bare, compacted or hollow.

The pulp is red, sweet, with a camphor smell; The milky juice is white, bitter, and does not change color in air.

Spores are 7-8.5 X 6.5-7.5 microns, yellowish in mass.

Grows in coniferous and deciduous forests. Fruiting bodies are formed in June - November, often in very large groups.

An edible mushroom of low quality, eaten salted.

Cap of the Fragrant Milk 2-8 cm in diameter, convex, flat or concave, sometimes with a tubercle in the center, dry or sticky, lilac-gray or lilac-meat-gray, and sometimes grayish-pink-brownish, fibrous or slightly scaly, occasionally with indistinct concentric stripes. The plates are light and then reddish-ocher.

The stem is 2-8 x 0.5-1.5 cm, cylindrical, hollow over time, at first whitish, then the color of the cap, turns yellow when pressed. The pulp is whitish, compacted, acrid, fragrant; The milky juice is watery-white, sweet or slightly spicy, and does not change in air.

Spores are 6-8 X 5-7 microns, yellow in bulk.

Grows in humid forests under birch and alder. Fruiting bodies form in August - September.

Used fresh, pickled, salted.

The cap of the aspen milk mushroom can reach 25-30 cm in diameter, even young mushrooms quickly grow to such sizes. At first, the shape of the cap is round, but later it becomes flat-funnel-shaped, retaining the turned-up edges inherent in milk mushrooms. The general color is white, with spots; during periods of heavy rain, red spots are created on the surface. In general, the surface is very polluted, the fungus develops underground for a long period of time, and only later, having reached a large size, appears on the surface. The spore-bearing layer is generally pinkish, but becomes discolored in wet weather. The plates are not rare, slightly descending along the stem. The leg is thick and very small, the flesh of the leg is very compacted and knotty. The pulp of the mushroom has a pleasant fruity smell and releases a burning milky juice when cut.

The aspen mushroom grows in small bushes, several mushrooms each. It often occurs in places rich in willow or poplar trees. Less often, the mushroom “adjacent” to the alder.

It is quite easy to confuse Aspen Milk Milk with others, but once you take a number of species of Milk Milk together, the difference becomes noticeable. In general, after a detailed acquaintance, it is difficult to confuse this species with others in the future.

The growth period begins in the middle of summer; closer to autumn, the mushrooms emerge to the surface, appearing as dirty white bushes of several fruiting bodies.

In terms of taste, the aspen milk mushroom is the main rival of the dark milk breast. It loses to it in only one way: the dirt on the surface of the cap sticks quite well, and scraping it off becomes problematic.

Among the variety of mushrooms, there are some that in the West are considered inedible, but in Russia they are considered one of the most delicious. For example, white milk mushroom. Dishes with this mushroom were considered central in traditional cuisine. For a long time it remained the most desirable prey for lovers of quiet hunting. Nowadays, real milk mushrooms are collected less frequently. Perhaps due to an unjustified fear of being confused with a double.

The real breast (Lactarius resimus) belongs to the genus Mlechnik of the Russula family. He can be found under different names. In the Urals it is called raw, in Kazakhstan – wet. In Siberia it is known as the Pravsky milk mushroom.

• The cap of the white milk mushroom is massive, reaching an average of 6 to 20 cm in diameter; meaty and dense. The shape is prostrate-convex, with a concavity in the center; in old mushrooms it is funnel-shaped, with a pubescent edge turned inward. The color, depending on conditions and age, varies from milky white to light yellowish; watery concentric circles are visible. The surface of the cap always remains wet, slimy, with adhered leaves and soil particles.
• The leg is short (about 5 cm on average), thick up to 5 cm in diameter, smooth, sometimes with pits, cylindrical; V mature age becomes hollow. The color is white, sometimes yellow spots or pits can be seen on the surface.
• Raw milk mushroom refers to agaric mushrooms. The plates are infrequent, in young mushrooms they are white or cream-colored, becoming yellowish with age; slightly descend along the leg.
• The pulp is fleshy, dense, white; fruity smell. When damaged, a hot-tasting milky juice is released, initially white, but when exposed to air it changes color to intense yellow.

Wet milk mushroom is a conditionally edible mushroom, as it requires additional processing.

Where it grows and how to collect it

White milk mushroom grows in the northern regions of the country; in other regions it occurs, but less frequently. Prefers deciduous or mixed forests in which birch trees are present. It is with this tree that it forms mycorrhiza. Large families sprout in glades, clearings, and slopes.

Peak fruiting, depending on the region, may occur in late summer or early autumn; and in hot years and in October. White milk mushrooms are collected with the arrival of cold weather. This mushroom prefers coolness and moderate humidity: fruiting bodies appear at soil temperatures of about 10 degrees. Prolonged rains inhibit their growth.

Raw milk mushrooms are found quite rarely, but they always form large families. The main thing when collecting these mushrooms is to find at least one. To do this, they inspect clearings in birch groves, the northern slopes of hills and slopes. They usually grow in the same places every year, so if you find a clearing, spot it.

This mushroom is shy, it hides under a layer of litter. The stem is so short that the cap, despite its bright color, is difficult to see from above. So get ready to bend and squat. Be careful when using a stick to push leaves. Firstly, you can accidentally damage the cap. Secondly, you can damage the mycelium, and then the mushrooms will disappear from this clearing for a long time. Once you find the first one, look around. The main thing is to move carefully so as not to step on his fellow creatures. This mushroom rarely gets worms.

Similar species and how to distinguish them from them

White milk mushrooms are similar to some mushrooms of the same family. Among the doubles are yellow milk mushroom, pepper milk mushroom, violin milk mushroom and others. But you shouldn’t be afraid of making a mistake - they are all conditionally edible and prepared using similar technology. The ability to distinguish white milk mushrooms from false ones will be useful, since they differ in taste.

Skripitsa is the most similar of the doubles. And the color, and the size, and the ratio of the cap and the stem are the same. But violin forms mycorrhiza mainly with beech (can be found under oak trees); The edges of her cap are not pubescent.

The milky juice of the pepper milk mushroom does not turn yellow when exposed to air, but turns green. His hat is smooth and velvety.

Aspen milkweed loves wetter places; it will never grow next to a white one, preferring shaded aspen groves to birch ones.

Another doppelgänger, the white volnushka, is easy to distinguish by its smaller size and “fluffiness.”

Well, the white podgrudok does not have milky juice. Despite their apparent similarity, all doubles have clear differences. It is enough to see once what a white milk mushroom looks like, and you will not confuse this mushroom with anything.

Primary processing and preparation

These milk mushrooms reveal their fullest taste when pickled. Salted mushroom acquires a beautiful bluish color and a unique taste, becomes aromatic and crispy. To fully appreciate the beauty of this dish, white milk mushrooms must be cooked correctly.

The fruiting bodies are thoroughly washed, removing adhering leaves and soil. There is no need to peel the skin. If the mushroom is old and the stem has become rough, it can be trimmed. After this, the white milk mushrooms are soaked in cold water within three days. The water is changed several times a day. This procedure allows you to get rid of the caustic milky juice.

Afterwards, the white milk mushrooms are boiled in salted boiling water for 20 minutes, and the broth is drained. Some mushroom pickers prefer to pickle this type of milk mushrooms raw, but most experts agree on the need for additional heat treatment. Having finished with preparatory stage, you can start cooking. If previously they were only salted, today they are more often pickled cold or hot.

Nutritional qualities, benefits and harms

It so happens that real milk mushrooms are considered inedible in Europe. In Russia, for their own taste qualities it received a place among the first category mushrooms. True, its culinary potential is a little limited. White milk mushrooms are delicious when marinated or salted. When fried or used in soups, their dense flesh becomes excessively tough, and the flavor is not fully developed.

White breast is a mushroom that belongs to high-protein products (35% easily digestible protein in the composition), surpassing even meat in this parameter. It does not contain sugars, so it can be present in the diet of people with diabetes. Its inclusion in the diet menu is also due: with a low calorie content, it provides the body with the necessary substances.

A whole complex of minerals and vitamins, substances with antibiotic properties, were found in real milk mushrooms. Eating this mushroom helps eliminate toxins, improves immunity, tones and improves the overall emotional state (thanks to vitamin D). It should be remembered that beneficial features are revealed only with proper processing. If the acrid milky juice remains in the mushroom pulp, it will have an unpleasant bitter taste and may cause an eating disorder.

Milk mushrooms are excellent pickling mushrooms. There is no need to be afraid of them. Despite the large number of doubles, a possible error does not entail serious consequences. In addition, it is enough to read the description of the real milk mushroom, and you will not confuse it with anything. These mushrooms are easy to collect: they grow in large families, have dense pulp and big sizes. And there is little that compares to the taste of salted and pickled milk mushrooms.

As already mentioned, from a scientific point of view, milk mushrooms belong to the genus Lactrius, or milky. If you break off or cut off a piece of a mushroom, droplets of liquid, sometimes white and similar to milk, will immediately be released from the pulp. So they called it milky juice, and the mushrooms were called milkmen. This genus includes not only milk mushrooms, but also mushrooms such as volushki, nigella, bitters, rubellas, serushki, smoothies and many others. And even royal mushrooms -! Milkies are a fairly numerous mushroom people. There are about five dozen species of them in our country. There are no poisonous milkweeds, but almost all species have pungent and bitter juice. That’s why many milkweeds in many other countries are considered poisonous!

Not all milkweeds have white juice; it can be yellow, orange, and even blue (if we talk about America). In some milkweeds, when exposed to air, the juice instantly changes color: it turns green, purple, or red, while in others it remains unchanged.

The most prized among milk mushrooms is the raw or real milk mushroom, called Lactarius resimus; somewhat inferior to it is the black milk mushroom, Lactarius necator. Some mushrooms from the russula genus look similar to milk mushrooms, for example, milk mushrooms (Russula delica), which is sometimes called dry (that is, not secreting milky juice) milk mushrooms - they are so similar. But the very first cut makes it easy to distinguish milk mushrooms from milk mushrooms by the absence of milky juice.

And we will begin our acquaintance with representatives of the glorious milk mushroom tribe with white mushrooms. These mushrooms are most often found in huge thickets in mushroom season, and it takes a lot of effort to distinguish them from each other. Because some of them are edible and tasty, while others are bitter and salty, and taste most like sawdust.

Real breast milk, white, raw (Lactarius resimus)

First-class, truly Russian milk mushroom, considered one of the best mushrooms in Russia. In the Volga region and the Urals, real milk mushrooms are called raw milk mushrooms due to the slightly mucous surface of the cap. In Siberia, this mushroom is called pravsky, that is, real.

The cap of a young mushroom is white, the cap of a middle-aged mushroom is creamy, and that of an old one is yellowish, with barely noticeable watery zones around its circumference. Even in dry weather, the surface of the cap is cool and moist.

The caps of young milk mushrooms are flat, slightly depressed in the center, while old mushrooms turn into huge funnels with a shaggy edge of yellowish-ocher fibers. All kinds of forest debris constantly stick to the wet surface of the cap: leaves, twigs, lumps of soil, dry blades of grass. You won't find pure milk mushrooms.

The white, acrid-tasting milky juice of milk mushrooms turns yellow when exposed to air. The smell of milk mushrooms is very characteristic, “milk mushrooms”, and to some it resembles the smell of fruit. The plates of young mushrooms are frequent, pure white, but with age they become wide, sparse, and yellowish. On the short, thick white leg, yellowish depressions and notches are noticeable along its entire length. The leg is hollow inside.

You can find white milk mushrooms in birch forests or mixed with birch, with which the milk mushrooms form mycorrhiza. In general, most milk mushrooms, like native Russian mushrooms, form mycorrhiza with the native Russian birch. That is why in Rus' villages were placed mainly next to birch forests: you will always have not only firewood, but also mushrooms.

You just need to know the loading areas; you can walk by and not notice the mushroom until it, already huge and aged, crawls out from under a layer of old leaves and dry grass. It happens that you are walking through the forest and a milk mushroom suddenly becomes fragile under your foot and shows its whitish side. And the aroma in milk mushrooms is special, only milk mushrooms smell like that! Milk mushrooms do not grow alone; they prefer to group and sit tightly under the foliage. The real milk mushroom does not like damp, swampy places.

The real milk mushroom has edible but tasteless twin brothers: the violin milk mushroom and the pepper milk mushroom. Actually, they can be called doubles with a big stretch, since their main difference is very striking: the absence of fringe along the edge of the cap and the characteristic surface of the cap - felt-woolly. And on the caps of these mushrooms there are no concentric zones - rings.

Violin (Lactarius vellereus)

A large, white, very stocky mushroom, which is characterized by a dry, pure white, later slightly ocher cap with a velvety surface, sparse plates and a short thick stalk, somewhat narrowed at the base. The pulp is rough, white, slightly yellow at the break. The milky juice is extremely hot and does not change color in the air.

The mushroom got its name from the sound similar to the squeak it makes when you run something over the cap.

Violins grow everywhere in large numbers throughout the summer and fall. Mycorrhizae usually form with birch trees. They attract mushroom pickers with their massiveness, strength and worm-free nature. When salted, the bitterness in the mushrooms disappears, but the violin tastes more like wood, no matter how much you soak, boil, or season with spices. Of course, there are those who claim that when pickled, the mushroom becomes strong and acquires a mushroom smell. But do we really need a piece of wood with the smell of mushroom?

Pepper milkweed (Lactarius piperatus)

A close relative of the violinist, very similar to her. The pepper milk mushroom lives in broad-leaved (especially oak) and mixed forests. The violin is somewhat less common.

It differs from the skipapa in the smooth, non-velvety surface of the cap, on which brownish spots appear in old mushrooms. In addition, the milky juice of this milk mushroom becomes greenish, gray-green or bluish when exposed to air. You can also distinguish them by their plates: in the violin they are much rarer, but this is visible only in adult mushrooms. Young milk mushrooms cannot be distinguished, although who needs this? Pepper milk mushrooms aren't as woody as violin mushrooms, but no matter what you do with them, you can't eat them. Although, it is possible - but only if there is nothing else at all.

Blue breast (Lactarius glaucescens)

The glaucous milk mushroom is very similar to the violin milk mushroom and the pepper milk milk, sometimes even described as a form of the pepper milk milk Lactarius piperatus var. glaucescens. It is distinguished by its white milky juice, which gradually coagulates in air and becomes grayish-greenish when dried.

The cap of the mushroom is white, velvety, dry, and with age creamy spots and cracks appear. The plates of the mushroom are very frequent, matching the cap or creamy. Some authors describe the smell of the mushroom as follows: “if you want to recognize this mushroom by its smell, it may remind you of the smell fresh sawdust, Rye bread or a faint honey aroma."

In terms of edibility, the bluish milk mushroom is similar to its twin brothers: the violin milk mushroom and the pepper milk mushroom. Moreover, after cooking, the mushroom takes on an unappetizing bluish appearance.

Aspen, poplar, white milkweed (Lactarius controversus)

This mushroom is large, like a real milk mushroom, sometimes with a light fluff along the edge of a white, slightly pinkish cap, with watery areas on it. The cap of the milk mushroom is very large and fleshy, reaching up to 30 cm in diameter (larger specimens are also found).

The milk mushroom's plates are very dense and creamy-pinkish. The pulp is dense, white. The milky juice is abundant and white in color and does not change in air. The leg is short. It is found quite often and very abundantly from August to the end of October in aspen or birch-aspen forests, also in poplar plantings, less often in willow forests. It grows in large piles and bushes containing several mushrooms. It can be collected not only with baskets, but also with carts (currently with trunks :)).

The mushroom forms underground and only its cap peeks out to the surface, abundantly covered with lumps of dirt, leaves and grass. And before you start washing these large mushrooms, you must clear them of forest debris. It doesn’t soak well in water and you have to scrub the mushroom cap with a hard sponge. Although this is on the first day, if you let the mushrooms sit for two days in water, changing the water first, then all the dirt on the cap can be easily washed with a sponge and there will be no need to scrape the top layer of the mushroom.

Unlike its twin brothers: skyripitsa and pepper milk mushrooms, pickled aspen milk mushrooms are slightly inferior to raw milk mushrooms, and some (including us) like them better than black milk mushrooms.

And now a little educational program on the topic "how to distinguish them."

It is difficult to confuse a real milk mushroom - the shaggy edge gives it away completely.

To distinguish the others, first of all we pay attention to the tone of the records. In the aspen milk mushroom they are pinkish, and the cap is often covered with pinkish concentric circles. We also look at the collection site - aspen mushroom grows under aspens and poplars, preferring plantings along roads. The milky juice of the aspen milk mushroom is white, abundant and pungent, and does not change color.

If there is no pinkishness, then we check for rusty spots and whether the flesh turns yellow when scrapped. If so, then it's a violin. They say that the cap is covered with white fluff, but it is not always possible to see it.

If the milky juice turns green when scraped, then it is a parchment milk mushroom (or bluish). If neither the pulp nor the milky juice changes color, but the juice is not liquid, but thick and viscous, then we have a pepper milk mushroom.

So we dealt with the white milk mushrooms. The next ones we will meet are milk mushrooms of other colors.

Black breast, nigella (Lactarius necator)

Nigella is a large mushroom that, perhaps, cannot be confused with any other. The black milk mushroom is squat, its color is camouflage, and in a dark forest among last year’s foliage it is not so easy to find. Greenish-olive caps with dark, almost black centers, on which concentric brown zones are faintly visible, are almost always sticky, lumps of soil and dry leaves stick to them. IN at a young age the surface of the cap is lighter, yellowish. The velvety, curled edges of the cap are also yellowish. Although the mushroom is called black, a small shade of marsh color in the cap is visible through the brownish, almost black color.

Chernushki grow in old birch and mixed pine- or spruce-birch forests. The main wave of mushrooms occurs in August-early September, and they sometimes appear in such huge quantities that you get tired of picking. And sometimes mushroom pickers make special “chernushka forays” into the forest.

When pickled, black milk mushrooms acquire an appetizing burgundy color, like a ripe cherry. The mushrooms begin to turn red on the second day of pickling. They remain strong and crisp for two to three years.

All milk mushrooms have their own sharpness in taste, sourness - their own individual milk mushroom taste. But somehow things didn’t work out for the black milk mushrooms. Although its milky juice is caustic, the causticity disappears both when salted and when fried, and nigella remains just a crunchy salted mushroom. Black milk mushrooms do not have their own zest in taste, so when pickled they are preferred to be flavored with various spices, seasonings, currant and oak leaves, to add aroma and aftertaste. This mushroom is not for everybody, although it can be either salted or fried.

Yellow breast (Lactarius scroboculatus)

It is found both in mixed and in spruce and spruce-fir forests. We encountered yellow milk mushrooms in small quantities in the deciduous forest, along oak and maple trees. The surface of the cap of the yellow milk mushroom, like that of the true milk mushroom, is felt-woolly, slimy in wet weather, golden or straw-yellow, yellow-ocher, often with darker, barely noticeable concentric zones, slightly darkens when pressed, brownish indentations on the short stalk . When broken or cut, it releases abundant thick milky juice, which quickly turns yellow in air.

Salted yellow milk mushrooms are in no way inferior to real milk mushrooms, so they can be salted together. But when pickled, the yellow milk mushroom is strong.

Purple breast, blue breast (Lactarius repraesentaneus)

This mushroom is a colored double of the yellow milk mushroom; it is popularly called “dog milk mushroom.” The lilac milkweed is a northerner, a resident of the taiga and forest-tundra. It can also grow in the tundra among dwarf birch trees. But most often it is found in rather damp taiga-type forests.

The cap of the milk mushroom is yellow with protruding villi and a shaggy edge; when pressed, it acquires a characteristic purple color. The milky juice is white, quickly turns purple in air, with a mild taste, slightly bitter.

Due to its mild taste, purple milk mushroom is considered a delicacy, and it is not only salted, but also fried. The taste is a little spicy.

Pink volnushka, volnyanka, volzhanka (Lactarius tirminosus)

Pink Volnushka is a very beautiful mushroom. The cap of the wave is pink-red with a shaggy edge and dark concentric circles. Pink moths grow in deciduous and mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with birch trees, mainly young ones. They often appear at the edge of the grass in very crowded groups, literally overlapping each other. And if in one flock of milk mushrooms you can see mushrooms of all ages, then the little mushrooms pour out almost simultaneously, as if especially for a mushroom picker - the same size, as if selected.

The name of the mushroom volnushka, volzhanka, volnyanka comes from the ancient Slavic word "vlna" ("wave"), which means wool, sheep's wool. The furry edges of the caps are very reminiscent of real fur!

This shaggy pink mushroom is considered by Western mycologists to be poisonous mushrooms. Yes, in their raw form, volnushki are very bitter. Maybe something will happen to your stomachs if you happen to eat raw trumpets. But it’s unlikely that a bitter mushroom will whet anyone’s appetite. Although one or two mushrooms can be added to the overall mushroom stir-fry, they will enhance the taste of the dish with a slight bitterness, like a seasoning. Traditionally, volushki are salted, and usually in a hot way - with boiling. However, with proper salting - cold - the mushrooms will be just like milk mushrooms, except perhaps less fragrant. But unlike milk mushrooms, salted milk mushrooms do not like long-term storage; they become very sour. So it’s better to eat salted trumpets in the first six months.

White trumpet (Lactarius pubescens)

The white volnushka is more inconspicuous than the pink one, more squat with a very short leg. The cap of the mushroom is whitish, only pinkish-fawn in the center; in older mushrooms it becomes yellow. The concentric rings on the cap are almost invisible. There is a thin fluff along the edge of the cap.

It prefers to grow in young birch forests and wetlands, but is found in deciduous and mixed forests, forming mycorrhiza with birch. Waves appear throughout the summer and autumn, but the August wave is especially productive. In open places among young birch trees there are so many ripples that sometimes there is nowhere to step, and if you do step, it will definitely be on a family of mushrooms hidden in the grass.

For salting, choose small or medium-sized frills with edges curved inward. Unlike old mushrooms with funnel-shaped caps, whose flesh is loose and too watery, young mushrooms are strong and beautiful. Some fans boil mushrooms in boiling water for about 10 minutes to remove bitterness. This is where another name for tremors appeared among the people - decoction, although in different places are called almost all low-quality mushrooms.

After cooking, the volushki become gray. But when salted in a cold way, they almost do not change their color and remain slightly yellowish. And with this salting, they have a richer taste.

Camelina (Lactarius deliciosus)

Most delicious mushroom from cargo bags. Saffron milk caps grow in coniferous forests and plantings. Their orange outfit cannot be confused with any other mushroom. There are several types of saffron milk caps: spruce, pine, real and red. More details about saffron milk caps can be found in the article "".

Rizhik is a mushroom that can be eaten raw, but it is also tasty when fried. Its bright orange milky juice is not at all bitter, sweetish-spicy with the most pleasant smell Christmas tree

Oak milkweed (Lactarius insulsus)

A bright red cap with noticeable concentric circles and wavy, uneven edges. If you look at the mushroom from above it looks like a saffron milk cap, from the side it looks like a milk mushroom. Due to its external resemblance to saffron milk cap, the oak milk mushroom is sometimes called “mushroom” or “oak saffron milk cap”. The plates of the mushroom are light cream in color. Very bitter, white milky juice does not change color in air. This fungus forms mycorrhiza with oak, beech and hazel.

Some mushroom pickers compare oak milk mushrooms in taste to bitters. But after soaking and proper hot salting, the mushroom becomes quite edible. True, its smell is not the same as that of raw milk mushrooms. Not that it's less pleasant, just different.

Serushka (Lactarius flexuosus)

A dense mushroom with a dry pink-gray, grayish cap with a slight purple tint. On the surface of the cap, weakly defined concentric circles are visible, sometimes there are small depressions and holes. The edges of the cap are almost always uneven and wavy. Serushka's plates are thick, sparse, uneven, yellowish. Serushka is a warm- and light-loving mushroom, most often found in birch and mixed with birch forests, in open grassy places: clearings, forest edges, and the sides of forest roads.

The milky juice resembles milk heavily diluted with water, not very abundant, and bitter. When pickled, the sorushka does not have a special taste or aroma, and it is better to salt it in a mixture with other mushrooms (nigella, volnushki, white mushrooms).

Gladysh, hollow (Lactarius trivialis)

Other names: alder, common milkweed.

The cap of the mushroom is always wet and smooth, which is why it is called smooth in some areas. In wet weather, the surface of the cap is sticky, slimy, and the concentric circles on it are often intermittent. The color of the cap varies from gray-violet to brownish-yellow. Young mushrooms are darker, dense, and fleshy. The old ones fade greatly and change color to pale yellow with a pinkish tint, their flesh becomes loose and brittle. The plates are thin, frequent, whitish-cream. The stem of even a young mushroom is hollow, with rather thin walls, “hollow”. Therefore, the most common name for this mushroom is nest, or yellow hollow.

This mushroom is found in mixed forests under coniferous trees, especially near pine trees. However, it can settle in thickets of raspberries, buckthorn, forest honeysuckle, and among young birch trees in a pine forest. Loves to grow in moss.

When pickled, the mushroom turns bright yellow. Bright raspberry salted nigella with bright yellow hollows look very beautiful on a plate. In the northern part of Russia, duplyanka is considered an excellent mushroom; in the European part it is less common and hence less known.

Euphorbia, milkweed (Lactarius volemus)

Other names: common wood, smoothy.

A large mushroom with a yellowish-orange or brick-colored fleshy cap and pale yellow frequent plates. The cap grows up to 10 centimeters in diameter. The stem of the mushroom is powerful and dense, the same color as the cap or slightly lighter. Thick white milky juice appears very abundantly on the damaged areas; in the air it immediately turns brown and becomes viscous like soft rubber. The milky juice does not taste pungent, like most milk mushrooms, but is soft and sweetish. The pulp is white with a specific odor.

Euphorbia is not found often; it grows in groups of several mushrooms or singly. Its habitat is deciduous, often broad-leaved forests. He loves hazel bushes, which is why he got the name hazel. Not only this species is called Gladysh, but also several other laticifers, which are described in this article.

IN Western countries Euphorbia is considered "good" edible mushroom"and is compared with saffron milk cap, a mushroom that can be eaten raw. Mushroom pickers have different opinions about the taste of milkweed: it is considered simply pleasant, sweetish, and is compared to herring or lobster. Old mushrooms acquire bad smell, which has been compared to the smell of rotten herring. So the mushroom is very much for everyone.

We have been collecting red milk mushrooms for quite a long time, but unfortunately, we have never found a Latin name. Externally, the mushroom is similar to some species: spurge, rubella, non-caustic milkweed, but still this mushroom differs from them. So we’ll call it the red mushroom. Or maybe you recognize this mushroom? Then we will be happy to read your version.

Red mushrooms grow individually or in small groups of several mushrooms in deciduous forests, forming mycorrhiza with oak.

The cap of the mushroom is smooth, in young mushrooms it is flat-convex, and with age it becomes funnel-shaped, without obvious concentric zones. The color of the cap is red-brown, burgundy, sometimes with a yellowish tint, diameter is 4-12 centimeters. The leg is the same color as the cap, up to 10 centimeters high and up to 3 centimeters in diameter. The plates are the same color but lighter; with age they acquire the color of the cap. The milky juice is white, non-caustic, sweetish, with a slight bitterness, and does not change color. The flesh when cut is slightly lighter than the cap in young mushrooms and dark in old ones, does not change color when broken, the smell is pungent, characteristic mushroom. Found from July to October in light deciduous forests under oak trees, sometimes in large numbers.

A tasty mushroom, good raw, lightly salted. Place the clean caps of young mushrooms with the slices facing up, sprinkle with salt, wait for the salt to be absorbed - and the appetizer is ready. Red milk mushrooms are also delicious in... Like all milk mushrooms, they are very tasty if eaten. When pickled, red milk mushrooms have their own incomparable taste and a pleasant milk mushroom aroma.

Other

Here we come to those milkweeds that are rarely collected various reasons. Firstly, the sizes are small. Secondly, more interesting mushrooms grow at this time. Thirdly, in appearance they are very similar to each other, and until you start to specifically understand, you will not find out how many completely different small milky creatures of a creamy-orange-red-brown color are actually found. In fact, much more than you might imagine. We will meet some of the representatives.

Bitterweed (Lactarius rufus)

Bittersweet can be found in swamps, damp pine forests, and among mosses. It exists both in the tundra and high in the mountains. Bitterweed grows throughout the summer and forms mycorrhiza with pines, spruces, and fir trees. The mushroom is small, and many people mistake it for a toadstool and do not collect it. The cap grows from 3 to 10 centimeters in diameter. This mushroom is easy to recognize by the clearly visible tubercle in the center of the cap. The cap is dry, velvety, red-brown in color, without zones. The flesh of the mushroom is gray-white in color and becomes brown with age, with a faint, unclear odor, which some consider unpleasant. The white milky juice is very bitter and burns the lips; it does not change color when exposed to air.

The mushroom is productive and rarely wormy, but a bitter mushroom is a bitter mushroom. Its bitterness does not completely disappear even after several months of pickling. Therefore, bitters are salted in a mixture with other mushrooms.

Rubella (Lactarius subdulcis)

Rubella is very similar in appearance to bittersweet; it also prefers to grow in damp places among moss in coniferous and deciduous forests. The cap is thin and fragile, red-brown, burgundy in color with a darker middle and a small tubercle; the yellowish plates become brownish-red with age. Adult mushrooms have a cap up to 8 centimeters in diameter. It differs from the bitter mushroom in its red-yellow pulp and non-caustic watery-white milky juice, which in adults begins to taste bitter.

Young redfish are used for pickling.

Lactarius camphoratus (Camphor milkweed)

This mushroom is smaller than bitter, its flesh is thin, brittle, reddish-brown, the plates and stem are the same color. White, non-caustic milky juice appears abundantly, as soon as you touch the plates, and is clearly visible against their dark background. The cap of this milkweed also has a tubercle, but not as prominent as that of the bitterweed. The edges of the old mushroom are very thin and wavy.

Camphor milkweed grows in coniferous and mixed forests in large groups from July to September.

Since the mushroom has non-palatable pulp, it makes sense to collect it - it’s not suitable for pickling, but for roasting.

Lactarius spinosulus (Lactarius spinosulus)

Outwardly it looks like an unsightly, emaciated wave: on a pink cap, dark pink waves-circles. But both the cap and the stem are thinner and more fragile; there is no hairy fringe along the edge of the cap. The pink leg is often curved. The pulp turns green, gray and even black when cut. These mushrooms grow in damp birch or forests mixed with birch in August-September.

Despite the non-acidic pulp, it is considered inedible, although it can be salted with other milk mushrooms; when pickled, it is no worse than other “small milk mushrooms”.

This mushroom is found in deciduous forests with an admixture of oak, with which it forms mycorrhiza. The cap of the mushroom is brown-cream, dirty brown, with a darker center and fuzzy dark concentric circles. The leg is up to 6 centimeters long and 0.5-1 centimeter thick. The plates are frequent, cream-colored and become covered with brownish-rusty spots with age. The flesh is light cream when broken and exudes a watery white non-caustic milky juice.

Although the mushroom is common, it is not particularly popular; some people do not like its very peculiar smell. And the edible mushroom is salted after preliminary procedures.

Lactarius uvidus (Wet or lilac milky)

This milkweed grows in deciduous forests. The mushroom cap is moist, smooth and sticky in wet weather, grayish-brownish, with faint concentric zones. The flesh of the mushroom is medium fleshy, dense, whitish or yellowish, and turns purple when cut. The plates turn purple when pressed. The milky juice is not caustic, bitterish, white.

Lactarius helvus (Grey-pink milky plant)

Although the mushroom is called gray-pink, it rarely has caps of this color. Regular color- reddish, sometimes more yellow, sometimes more red. The cap is large, 6-15 centimeters in diameter, with a small tubercle. The surface of the cap is dry and velvety, there are no concentric zones on it. Leg up to 8 centimeters high. The milky juice of the mushroom is completely colorless, transparent, like water, you won’t notice it right away.

This mushroom prefers marshy places among moss and cranberries. In pine forests it chooses the lowest, dampest places with wild rosemary and blueberries and always grows in large groups.

This mushroom cannot be confused with other mushrooms due to its pungent smell - cloying, bittersweet. The mushroom is considered inedible. But there are mushroom pickers who are not bothered by the smell. Although the unpleasant smell remains after boiling, it also transfers to other mushrooms when pickled.

Lactarius vietus (Lactarius vietus)

It grows in damp birch and forests mixed with birch, often found in August-September. Outwardly it looks like a hollow mushroom, but the mushroom is very flimsy, thin-fleshy, and brittle. A small cap 3-7 centimeters, with a thin wavy edge, sometimes with a small tubercle, lilac-gray, grayish-flesh color with barely noticeable zones. Its juice is acrid and white and turns gray in the air.

Of course, you can collect these mushrooms; when pickled, they taste similar to yellow milk mushrooms, but... there is a high probability that you will bring home a bunch of grayed pieces from the forest.

Lactarius pyrogalus (Holly milkweed)

A small mushroom with a grayish-flesh cap, similar to Lactarius vietus (milky faded), but it does not grow in typical places for milk mushrooms - under birch and spruce trees, but in bushes, among forest roads, and is found in gardens. Mycorrhiza forms with hazel. Milky juice is caustic. The smell of this mushroom is characteristic of milk mushrooms - slightly fruity. But even though they appear en masse, picking these mushrooms will tire your back, and the result will be meager.

Although the name of the mushroom is scary, the mushroom is edible, and its pungency disappears when pickled.

Of course, the list of mushrooms of the genus Lactarius is incomplete, but either these species are not found in Russia, or they are so small and thin that they are not worth mentioning.

Salting milk mushrooms

As already mentioned, the fruiting body of the milk mushroom is formed underground, and when the mushroom appears on the surface of the soil, there is always a lot of forest debris on its cap: lumps of soil, leaves, blades of grass, twigs. And although some mushrooms are lucky with the places where they grow, such as saffron milk mushrooms, which grow in moss and pine litter and remain clean, most milk mushrooms are dirty.

So it’s not enough to collect milk mushrooms - they also need to be cleaned. And when to clean them, if during the mushroom season the harvest is counted by cartloads? While the women washed one batch of milk mushrooms and placed them in wooden tubs and sprinkled them with salt, the rest of the milk mushrooms were filled with water, so as not to spoil and soak off the dirt, changing it every day for fresh ones. Milk mushrooms can be stored “soaked” for several days, so you have time to process and pickle the entire harvest of milk mushrooms.

But such folk way preparing milk mushrooms for pickling was forgotten, and now in many cookbooks about mushrooms you can find a description that “the milk mushrooms need to be soaked before pickling, for at least three days!” And it would be fine in spring water - but not in the chlorinated water of a city apartment! In fact, there is no need to soak milk mushrooms; mushrooms without excess water will be richer and tastier.

By the way, pickling mushrooms is not just soaking mushrooms in salt! In fact, this is a complex biotechnological process - just like sauerkraut, for example. In a brine of the correct concentration, of all the microflora, only the “necessary” lactic acid bacteria are able to multiply, which convert - ferment - the mushroom glycogen into lactic acid, which gives the mushrooms a sour taste and protects them from mold and other harmful microorganisms. During the fermentation process, carbon dioxide is also released, so the container with salted mushrooms should not be sealed.

Hot way

With the hot method, the washed mushrooms are first boiled for about 10 minutes, and the broth is drained. Then the mushrooms are salted. Salts are added 5-6% of the weight of mushrooms. As a seasoning for mushrooms, you can add garlic, peppercorns, horseradish leaves, currants, oak, and dill umbrellas. Although this method is simpler and boiled mushrooms become edible faster - after just a few days, they have a less pronounced taste and are inferior in aroma to cold-pickled mushrooms. If it still somehow suits violin mushrooms and pepper milk mushrooms, then boiling all the other milk mushrooms will only spoil it, and the bitterness and acrid taste disappear during the pickling process (even without soaking!). Just wash them and you can salt them. In this way (it’s called cold) you can salt all milk mushrooms and milk mushrooms, as well as white mushrooms - with the exception of saffron milk caps.

Cold way

The milk mushrooms are washed, cleaned, the stems are cut off from the caps and the caps are placed in layers on top of the plates in a container. If there is no wooden tub, then glass jars or large plastic buckets will completely replace it. You can salt the milk mushrooms without any additives, just put horseradish leaves on top to prevent the mushrooms from molding. And only then, when the mushroom’s own taste is understood, you can gradually begin to add spices. Salt is added 4% by weight of mushrooms. If there are a lot of milk mushrooms, they are salted in a barrel, then total salt is divided into 3-5 parts, if there is not enough, for example a jar, then all the salt can be poured on top. Small baby food jars filled with water are great for pressing into a 3-liter jar, and a lid from a mayonnaise bucket cut to the diameter can be used as a circle.

With the cold method, the mushrooms will be ready in a month and a half. If they turn out to be too salty, they can be soaked in milk for 20 minutes, after which the excess saltiness will disappear.

Dry method

They say that only saffron milk mushrooms are salted dry, but we also salt red milk mushrooms and all the others that we managed to collect clean. With this method, the mushrooms are not washed so as not to become saturated with water, but only cleaned of adhering needles and blades of grass; in the worst case, you can lightly wipe them with a damp sponge. Salt is added to 3% of the weight of mushrooms for saffron milk mushrooms, and 4% for red milk mushrooms. And - no spices! The mushrooms themselves are so rich in flavor that they don’t need any spices.

Ryzhiki can be consumed after just 2-3 days, lightly salted, red milk mushrooms - after a week.

For our taste...

Almost every year we conduct a tasting of different types of salted milk mushrooms, and each type (those collected) was given its place in the list of delicacies:

First place We divided the real milk mushrooms, saffron milk mushrooms and red milk mushrooms. Each one is delicious in its own way. The breast is real - sour, fleshy, strong mushroom, very tasty when salted. Saffron milk caps are saffron milk caps, these brightly colored mushrooms can be eaten raw and lightly salted. When salted, they are tasty for the first week, then they become over-salted and become less crispy. Red milk mushrooms are aromatic, their taste cannot be compared with any milk mushrooms, they have their own taste.

Second place- aspen milk mushroom, yellow milk mushroom. Aspen milk is comparable to white milk, but less aromatic when pickled. We came across yellow milk mushrooms in very small quantities, so we were not able to really taste their taste. When salted, yellow milk mushrooms darken, acquiring a greenish tint.

Third place- waves. Freshly salted volushki are more sour, but juicy and crispy, but it is better to eat them in salted form in the first six months, after which they become overly sour.

Fourth place- black milk mushroom, gray milk mushroom, pale milkweed. Apart from its beautiful burgundy outfit, the black milk mushroom has no advantages, nor its taste. Yes, it’s crunchy and salty, but the taste doesn’t stand out at all. Serushka is a light mushroom flavor, very diluted. The faded milkweed tastes like trumpet, but... all the mushrooms collected in half an hour were placed at the bottom of a 100-gram jar

Skripitsa, pepper mushrooms - don’t flavor them with any seasonings; when salted, they are inedible: tasteless in taste and unpleasant in consistency.

White milk mushroom is one of the types of mushrooms that are considered the most delicious in Russian cuisine. In Rus', milk mushrooms were prepared in barrels; it was a mandatory treat on the festive table. In order for the dish to be truly tasty and harmless, it is important to be able to determine which milk mushroom is false and which is real. The most delicious and fragrant are the white milk mushrooms. There are several rules for how to distinguish them from false ones.

How to distinguish white milk mushroom: the benefits of the mushroom and its external signs

The benefits of white milk mushrooms are great.

1. Their composition contains a large amount of protein. It is its quantity that is most valued in them.
2. Breast milk is the only plant product that is rich in vitamin D.
3. It does not increase glucose levels and can be consumed by diabetics.
4. Milk milk cleanses the body of toxins and has a diuretic effect, thereby removing excess fluid from the body.
5. Restore nervous system You can prevent the development of stress and depression by eating milk mushrooms regularly.

White milk mushrooms: how to distinguish from false ones?

In addition, they are useful during colds and infectious diseases. They have an antibacterial effect and increase immunity.

Because of the wet and slippery cap, the milk mushroom is popularly called “raw.” Young mushrooms have a smooth cap, but as they grow, a hollow similar to a funnel appears in the center. The cap is white, sometimes it is yellow with dark dots. At the bottom of the cap there are white plates, the edges are fluffy. The stem of the mushroom is dense, white in color. If you break it, you can smell the mushroom aroma. It's hollow inside. During the salting process, the mushroom becomes bluish.

How to distinguish white milk mushrooms from false ones?

To avoid mushroom poisoning, you need to be able to distinguish false ones from edible ones. False mushrooms that can be mistaken for white milk mushrooms include:

• peppery,
• violin.

Pepper when cut, emits a pungent smell of pepper. When cut, you can see the juice, which is initially white and then turns green or blue. The cap of the pepper milk mushroom is white and dry; at the bottom it does not have the edge characteristic of white milk mushrooms. This species is non-poisonous, you will not get poisoned, but you will spoil the taste of the dish.

The violin also has no edge; its cap is white and dry. You can distinguish it by its characteristic creaking sound, which can be heard if you touch it with any sharp object. The violin's leg is different from the real one, it is longer. At the cut site, the juice turns from white to brown. If at least one fungus you collect causes mistrust in its authenticity, it is better not to eat it.

In the past, milk mushrooms were considered very common not only because of the ability to reap a bountiful harvest, but also because this species has a pleasant taste and is especially suitable for pickling. Most novice mushroom pickers prefer to avoid them for fear of confusing it with poisonous doubles, but if you know how to distinguish an edible specimen, you can please your family with delicious dishes and preparations from white milk mushrooms.

In this article we will look at a detailed description of this mushroom, and the photo will help you study its external features, so that you can quickly find your way in the forest and collect only edible specimens. In addition, we will provide descriptions of the poisonous counterparts of the white milk mushroom, which will help beginners in “silent hunting.”

White milk mushroom: photo and description

White mushroom belongs to the lamellar mushrooms. This means that under its cap there are not tubes that form a pulp resembling a washcloth, but fragile plates (Figure 1). It is noteworthy that it is found in a wide variety of climatic regions.

Note: In Kazakhstan this mushroom is called wet, in the Urals - raw, and in Siberia it is better known as pravsky milk mushroom.

Many novice mushroom pickers prefer to avoid agaric mushrooms because they are afraid of confusing them with poisonous species. Indeed, if you do not know the distinctive characteristics of the species, it can be confused with its poisonous counterparts and even the pale grebe, the consumption of which can be fatal. To prevent this from happening, you need to know the distinctive external features of the edible species. Next we will look at its most characteristic features.

Leg of white mushroom

A characteristic feature is a short stalk, the height of which does not exceed 5 cm. It is noteworthy that the width of the stalk is the same, which makes the mushroom seem squat (Figure 2).

The leg is smooth to the touch, but sometimes small indentations may form on it, especially in adult specimens. In young mushrooms it is dense inside, but as it matures it becomes hollow. The color of the leg is white, but sometimes spots and pits of a yellowish tint can be seen on its surface.

Special attention should be paid to the hat. It is quite large, since depending on the age of the mushroom it can reach 6-20 cm in diameter. At the same time, it is quite dense and fleshy, and in the center there is a characteristic notch. The color of the skin depends on the age of the mushroom and its growing conditions. In most cases it is milky white, but it can also take on a light yellow tint.

Another characteristic feature is that the surface of its cap, at any climatic conditions remains wet and slippery, so small leaves or soil particles are often poured onto it. This feature allows mushrooms to camouflage themselves very successfully in the forest.

According to the botanical classification, white milk mushroom belongs to lamellar mushrooms. This is explained by the fact that on the inside of its cap there are sparse plates that smoothly turn into a stalk. The color of the plates directly depends on the age of the mushroom: in young ones they are white or cream, and as the specimen matures they become yellowish (Figure 3).

It is considered especially valuable due to the unusual smell and pleasant taste of the pulp. It is quite dense and fleshy, the color is white and does not change when mechanically damaged or cut. Unusual is the fact that the smell of the pulp is not mushroom, but fruity. This is what led to the enormous popularity of the mushroom in the past.

It is noteworthy that abroad they are not considered edible, while in our country they are considered a real delicacy. Most likely, this trend is due to the fact that they require special heat treatment, and when cut, a burning milky juice is released from the pulp.

Double milk mushrooms

It is worth noting that there are no false and deadly poisonous milk mushrooms as such. All of them are suitable for food with certain preparation and proper heat treatment. In most cases false species are not capable of causing death or food poisoning, but some of them are extremely unpleasant to eat (Figure 4).

Among the main doubles of the white milk mushroom are:

1. Peppery: grows in small groups or rows in deciduous forests, and prefers high humidity and dense shade. The diameter of the cap reaches 20 cm, has a creamy color that becomes slightly lighter at the edges, and in the presence of mechanical damage, the flesh quickly becomes covered with brown spots. This species is not poisonous, but becomes suitable for consumption only after prolonged soaking with frequent changes of water and during the salting process. The fact is that the pulp has a pronounced hot taste, so a spicy seasoning is often prepared from dried pepper.
2. Camphor (milky): found mainly in coniferous forests on the remains of old wood or moss. The cap is relatively small, only 5-6 cm in diameter. Its skin is glossy and smooth, reddish-brown in color. Below it are plates that have pink tint in young specimens and turn brown in old mushrooms. The leg is thin, no more than 5 cm in height. The camphor species has extremely brittle and loose pulp, which has a red-brown tint and a pronounced unpleasant camphor odor. When cut or mechanically damaged, white juice is released from the pulp, which does not darken when in contact with air. Despite the fact that this mushroom is not poisonous, it cannot be eaten because of the unpleasant odor that does not disappear even after prolonged soaking.
3. Felt (violin): also refers to the conditionally edible species that grow in oak and birch forests. Prefers to grow in large groups. The cap is white, fleshy, and with age takes the shape of a funnel, and its diameter can reach 25 cm. Feature- presence of villi on the surface of the cap. The pulp is white and extremely fragile, and when damaged, milky white juice is released. Despite the fact that the height of the leg can reach 8 cm, it is almost completely buried in the ground, which is why violin caps are usually collected. Since the pulp has a pungent taste, the violin is soaked in water for a long time before cooking, but even after such preparation it will only be suitable for pickling.
4. Golden yellow (golden milkweed): another conditionally edible species. It is found in damp coniferous and mixed forests, and can grow either singly or in small groups. The cap is fleshy, has a light yellow tint, and when touched by hand or mechanical damage becomes dark purple. The plates have a light yellow tint and gradually turn into a stalk. The pulp is white, has a pleasant smell, but produces yellow juice, so the golden-yellow variety can only be eaten in salted or pickled form after long soaking.

All of these species are not capable of causing death, but since they require long soaking and preliminary preparation for cooking, many mushroom pickers prefer to avoid false species.

Where does milk mushroom grow?

White milk mushroom grows mainly in northern regions, but can occasionally be found in other climatic regions. If you are going to " silent hunt“It is these mushrooms that you should know that they prefer to grow in deciduous and mixed forests, and are most often found near birch trees, since the fungus forms mycorrhiza with the roots of this particular tree (Figure 5).

Note: It makes no sense to look for these mushrooms more often, since they prefer moist and moderately lit clearings, clearings and edges.

When going into the forest for these mushrooms, you should also know that their peak fruiting occurs at the end of summer or beginning of autumn (depending on the climatic region). But, if the autumn is warm, they can be found in October. It should also be taken into account that in hot weather the fruiting bodies develop poorly, so it is better to go for prey with the onset of cool, rainy weather.

It is worth noting that white milk mushroom is considered a rather rare mushroom, but it forms large families, so if you are lucky enough to find a place where it grows, you can immediately reap a rich harvest. In addition, it should be borne in mind that they grow in the same places every year, so if you manage to find such a clearing in current season, be sure to remember this area and visit it again next year.

It should also be taken into account that these mushrooms are very skillfully camouflaged in the area. Their short stem is almost completely in the ground, and leaves and soil particles often stick to the cap. Therefore, if you find one specimen, carefully examine the entire clearing: it is possible that you will be able to reap a very rich harvest. At the same time, try not to damage the fragile cap or the mycelium itself, since in this case the mushrooms will stop growing in this place.

Eating milk mushrooms

In many foreign countries, milk mushrooms are not eaten, although in fact they are considered conditionally edible mushrooms. This means that the fruiting bodies will be completely suitable for consumption after certain preparation and heat treatment (Figure 6).

Note: White milk mushrooms are considered a real delicacy, but it is best to salt them. Only in this case will the unusual taste and aroma of their pulp be fully revealed.

To properly prepare these mushrooms, follow these instructions:

1. Rinse the entire crop thoroughly under running water to rid the fruiting bodies of adhering leaves and soil particles.
2. During the cleaning process, only large contaminants are removed. There is no need to remove the skin from the cap. Particular attention should be paid to old specimens: their stems often become coarse, so it is better to cut them off or completely remove them.
3. Next, the mushrooms need to be soaked in cold water for three days. In this case, the liquid must be constantly changed so that the caustic milky juice is completely removed from the pulp.
4. After this, they are boiled in boiling salted water for 20 minutes. The resulting broth should be drained.

In the future, you can proceed to direct salting, and for this you can use both cold and hot methods. Some mushroom pickers prefer to pickle these mushrooms raw, but practice shows that their rich taste is fully revealed only after preliminary heat treatment. These mushrooms will be no less tasty after marinating.

How milk mushrooms are used in folk medicine

White milk mushrooms are valued not only for their pleasant taste, but also for a huge number of beneficial properties. Firstly, this mushroom is rich in protein, so it can be used in dietary nutrition as a complete replacement for meat or fish. Secondly, the pulp contains a lot of vitamin B, ascorbic acid and carotene, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems. In addition, these mushrooms contain a lot of sodium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, which are quickly absorbed by the body.

Note: Pepper species, which are considered conditionally edible, actually contain active antibacterial substances that can effectively fight tuberculosis and kidney diseases.

Despite the numerous beneficial properties of these mushrooms, they should be eaten in moderation. The fact is that any mushrooms are considered quite heavy food, and if consumed too much large quantity may cause heaviness in the stomach.

It is worth noting that even in ancient times they were used not only as a tasty delicacy, but also as medicine. It is believed that this mushroom can cure tuberculosis, diabetes and emphysema. At the same time, you should prepare medicines and salt milk mushrooms only after thorough soaking and proper heat treatment.

From the video you can learn how to properly look for white milk mushrooms in the forest.