How to properly handle white milk mushrooms
Milk mushrooms are one of the most popular mushrooms among lovers of "quiet hunting". Historically, in some countries they are classified as inedible or conditionally edible species. Although processing mushrooms is a troublesome business, mushroom pickers respect them for their high nutritional value and excellent taste, especially in pickled or salted form.
Correct handling of mushrooms
Collection and preparation for use
Milk mushrooms are white in color mushrooms with a cap diameter of 5-20 cm. From under the foliage and dry grass, mushroom pickers do not always manage to notice them. These mushrooms are harvested with a stick. She is stirring up the forest floor in search of a trophy. Young specimens of small and medium size are considered the most valuable.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Raw, or white milk mushrooms are not common, but they always form large families. When looking for these mushrooms, it is important to find at least one and then you will find others. In search of representatives of this species, mushroom pickers examine glades in birch groves, as well as the northern slopes of hills and slopes. Fruit bodies grow from year to year in the same place. The good news is that worms do not really like milk mushrooms for their milky juice. In comparison with the hat, the leg of this species is simply tiny, so it can be quite difficult to see the hat. Arming yourself to search with a stick, you need to take into account the fact that you can accidentally damage the cap with it or, even worse, the mycelium. In the second case, for several years, you will have to forget about the coveted place.
To make it easier for themselves in the future, they begin to process and clean the milk mushrooms even during the collection period, i.e. already in the forest. To do this, before cleaning, the cut mushroom is inspected for damage by worms. Small ones are carefully pruned, and with significant ones they get rid of the whole mushroom.
Hidden insects and slugs are removed under the fringe. They also need to be cleaned of debris adhering to the cap and the earth at the bottom of the leg.
Fried or boiled milk mushrooms are eaten infrequently. The bitterness that milky juice gives to the finished dish is to blame for everything: do not forget that white milk mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms. Salted mushrooms are appreciated for their wonderful taste: meatiness, juiciness and unique aroma.
Cleaning the mushrooms collected in the forest begins with the rejection of unusable, loose and old ones. Instances are divided by type: different types will be salted or pickled separately. Then they are washed under running water and soaked for a day. The container with mushrooms is placed in a cool room, the water is changed several times. During this time, all the milky juice comes out.
After the soaking procedure, the milk mushrooms begin to be cleaned. To do this, use a brush with stiff bristles (you can use a toothbrush), a sponge with a rough surface or a sharp knife. The mushrooms are carefully scraped out to a white state, cutting off in the process the places spoiled from a long stay in water. Then washed again under running water.
How to pickle milk mushrooms
To obtain a finished product of high quality and excellent taste, there are several types of culinary processing of mushrooms. The most popular is their salting.
For salting white milk mushrooms, two methods are used:
- Hot: pre-prepared mushrooms are boiled in an enamel bowl for about half an hour. Then they are taken out of the water, allowed to cool and drain, and then placed in the already prepared boiling brine (2 tablespoons of salt, black pepper and seasonings are added to 1 liter of water). They are allowed to boil for 25-30 minutes, garlic and horseradish are added, carefully laid out in a separate container, covered and oppression is placed on top. The water that comes out of the mushrooms should cover them. So they stand for 3-4 weeks, then they are laid out in jars and covered with nylon lids.
- Cold: the milk mushrooms are cut into slices, filled with water and placed under oppression. So they are soaked for about a week with daily water changes several times. Then they are washed, tainted areas are removed and sprinkled with salt. The oppression is again placed on top for three days, periodically stirring the mushrooms. Then they are laid out in jars, brine is added, covered with nylon lids and placed in a cold place.
Mushrooms must be washed well before use.
Pickling milk mushrooms
One of the varieties of the preparation of mushrooms is their pickling, based on the effect of acetic acid as a preservative and its ability to kill putrefactive microorganisms. Acetic acid of low concentration is used in pickled dishes, therefore, milk mushrooms prepared in this way are stored exclusively at low (but not minus!) Temperatures.
For pickling mushrooms, the following proportions of ingredients are used:
- 1 kg of prepared milk mushrooms;
- 6 tbsp. l. 9% table vinegar;
- 1 liter of pure water for the marinade;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- green leaves of cherries and currants;
- spices (bay leaf, allspice and peas, 2-3 cloves of garlic, cloves - optional).
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
When pickling milk mushrooms, it is important not to forget a few simple secrets:
- Mushrooms that are too soft for pickling are not suitable.
- You need to pick mushrooms of about the same size for pickling. If you have mostly large specimens, you can cut them into pieces.
- Boiled milk mushrooms are sent to the marinade as soon as it boils and cooked in it for 15 minutes over low heat with occasional stirring.
- Banks are sterilized at a temperature of + 100 ... 120 ℃ in the oven or at maximum power in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, pouring a little water into them.
- The lids are boiled in a separate bowl.
Cooking milk mushrooms: Carefully sorted out, peeled and washed mushrooms are poured into a large enamel pan, poured with water, brought to a boil and boiled for 10-15 minutes. In the process of boiling, be sure to collect foam. Then the mushrooms are thrown into a colander, washed well under running water and allowed to drain off excess liquid.
Preparing the marinade: water in proportion to the weight of mushrooms prepared for pickling, put on fire, bring to a boil, add salt, sugar, milk mushrooms. All are boiled for 15 minutes. At the end of cooking, add vinegar.
Preparing cans: for this they are washed, sterilized, garlic, spices and leaves are placed on the bottom. The jars are filled about 3/4 full with boiled mushrooms. Pour in hot marinade and roll up.
Rolled up cans are turned over onto lids, placed on a flat surface and wrapped to warm up. Leave them in this form until they cool completely. The finished rolled product is stored in a cool, dark place.
Conclusion
Salted and pickled white milk mushrooms are a favorite delicacy in the diet of many regions of our country. To get a tasty and nutritious dish from these mushrooms, you should not neglect their thorough and correct cleaning. If pre-treatment is carried out correctly, they not only will not lose their properties, but will also delight you with a wonderful taste and benefit the body.
