The black mushroom, which is called the nigella, is highly valued by lovers of quiet hunting. Not only does this forest dweller have excellent taste characteristics, but it is also rich in nutrients.
The ability to harvest for quite a long time adds to its popularity. The season starts in August and ends in November. Despite a number of stereotypes indicating that this mushroom is not edible, experts have long noted this myth. On the territory of the countries of the former USSR, it is this variety that is regularly included in the TOP of the most collected.
This is explained by the fact that people know exactly how to cook the harvest. Moreover, in most cases, the preparation involves winter preparations with canning.
Where to look and how to collect
Before you go to restock the cellar, you need to figure out what the future goal looks like. They grow in mixed forests, or spruce forests, birch groves, wild parks. Nigellas prefer group living, so some aces generally collect them, looking for them crawling.
The reason for this is the desire to find young specimens, which often hide under a small layer of earth, fallen leaves. To find the best options, you have to crawl, picking suspicious tubercles near the trees with a spatula. Experts say that salting only from babies really justifies the effort invested in their search.
If the forest dweller really likes the soil, then in one place they will literally run into each other. In addition, each hat in diameter will be from five to fifteen centimeters. With luck, you can find a giant with 20 centimeters in girth, but such representatives are considered old and many prefer not to cut them. Inside they are often wormy.
The description of the young is slightly different from the adults. The young received a smooth, slightly convex hat, while the “parents” are funnel-shaped. The skin usually has a brown tone with a reddish tinge. Even rarer are weakly pronounced rings, or blackish spots that have a greenish tint. This is acceptable. After they are cooked or sent to marinate, the color will quickly change to a rich cherry tone.
If you go on a quiet hunt immediately after the rain, you can meet the accumulated moisture right on the hat. But the plates of young mushrooms, regardless of the weather, have a creamy tint. As they grow older, the color becomes more saturated, and in some places even with greenish tints.
One of the most important methods of determining that a real edible forest dweller has been found is considered to be a cut test. Immediately after excision, the flesh pleases with a pleasant whiteness, but rather quickly turns gray and / or turns brown. An additional fact in favor of safety is the release of white caustic juice.
The leg sometimes reaches a height of up to 6 cm, and the girth is 3 cm. Only if the young legs are stocky, then the old ones are hollow, which makes their salting useless.
Crispy gifts of nature have a characteristic aroma that cannot be confused with anything, as well as a specific taste, which manifests itself especially brightly if various salting methods are used.
Despite the fact that the presented mushroom was sent to the third or fourth category, this does not reduce its benefits, nutritional value, and taste. You just need to spend a little more time on the preparatory procedures, which involve a preliminary long soaking. But if you know how to salt, you can save useful components and smell.
Sometimes the classic nigella is confused with the black one, which likes to live in pine forests more. But although they belong to the group of russula, they differ in many ways. It can also be eaten in bulk, but it is better in canned form with a long soak before being sent to barrels.
medical approach
Nutritionists insist on the inclusion of black mushrooms in the diet of those who seek to get rid of extra pounds. The reason for this is the ability of the pulp to quickly cover the feeling of hunger, supplying the body with various minerals.
This representative of the wooded area is valued for:
- substances that became the basis for the creation of drugs for tuberculosis;
- the ability to stabilize sugar levels, which diabetics will like;
- high fiber content, which has a beneficial effect on natural emptying;
- vitamin B group, which stabilizes the functioning of the nervous system;
- diuretic effect, which will appeal to patients with urolithiasis;
- composition recommended for use in diseases of the biliary tract, renal failure;
- vitamin C, which has a positive effect on strengthening the immune system, which is especially important during seasonal illnesses, or problems with hair, skin.
Some people think that cooked mushrooms become useless, but this is not so. Recipes using proven technology salting help maintain anti-inflammatory and anti-sclerotic properties.
Amid the many benefits, some forget about the possible harm that makes itself felt if the eater is too addicted to harvesting for the winter. Because of this, doctors recommend including treats in the diet no more than once a week, even with the reservation that the levels of fats with carbohydrates are within normal limits.
It is also necessary to carefully monitor compliance with all points of the cooking instructions, whether it be hot salting or another method. Otherwise, you can play out until hospitalization in intensive care due to food intoxication, since mushrooms still belong to the category of conditionally edible. To turn them into a delicious delicacy, you need to boil the workpiece for at least a quarter of an hour.
Another important precaution is to harvest only in ecologically favorable areas away from:
- industrial facilities;
- busy roads;
- landfills.
Since chernushki methods quickly absorb not only toxins like heavy metals, but also radiation, it is better to refuse to collect them in the territories near former factories.
But even with such precautions, you still have to soak the contents of the basket for at least 30 hours before cooking.
Classic recipe
Traditionally, many hostesses use the hot method to replenish winter supplies. It does not require many skills:
- First, the ingredients are washed well, soaked. After that, they are sent to boil, and after boiling they are taken out with a slotted spoon. The first water is poured out.
- The semi-finished product is poured with fresh water, adding coarse salt to the pan. There is no exact dosage, then the solution should turn out really well salty.
- Cooking lasts about an hour, and at the end, bay leaves, cloves, and allspice are thrown into the broth.
- As soon as the broth cools, the bay leaf is thrown out of it, and the milk mushrooms are poisoned in a sterilized jar. Salt is added there.
- The final step is the addition of chopped dill with garlic.
The jar is put in the refrigerator without touching for five days. After the expiration date, you can taste the dish, seasoning it with chopped garlic.
Experienced hostesses advise cutting the main components into large pieces, leaving only the babies intact. But if you don’t feel like messing around, you can send even huge specimens to cook.
Cold brew
Despite the simplicity of the hot method, experienced fans of silent hunting prefer to pickle in a cold way.
To do this, you need to prepare an enameled deep container like a bucket. The washed and soaked blanks are stored with their hats down, sprinkling each layer with 2,5 tablespoons of salt (based on 1 kg of mushrooms). Also, spices are laid out on each layer to taste, and it is recommended to lay washed blackcurrant leaves with horseradish on the bottom.
At the end of the procedure, a clean rag is placed on top, then a plate with a load and a kitchen towel to cover the container. The brine will appear in a couple of days, but if it is not enough, then you can add salt water at the rate of 1 tablespoon of salt per 0,5 liter of liquid. The fabric needs to be washed periodically. And to try the delicacy collapses after forty days.
You can add spices as you wish.