Milk mushrooms have always enjoyed special respect among avid mushroom pickers. Collecting mushrooms is not easy. It is even more difficult to store salted milk mushrooms after salting. But compliance with elementary rules makes this fragrant snack available on the table almost all year round.
How to store fresh mushrooms
As a rule, milk mushrooms cannot be stored fresh, nor are they frozen. The breast has a slight bitterness, and when frozen, it disappears. The main storage method is salting and pickling for the winter. These are the only options for having this delicacy on the table in winter. Duration of storage even in a cool room does not exceed a day. If the milk mushrooms lie longer, then they begin to produce toxic toxins. The temperature of the room where fresh mushrooms are located should be between +2 о C to + 10о C. It is still allowed to store in such conditions for a very short time. Milk mushrooms must be preserved or cooked, for example, boiled or fried.
Where to store raw milk mushrooms
Milk mushrooms are recommended to be kept in a cool room, usually a cellar, a canopy or a refrigerator. Pre-cleaned and washed mushrooms are placed in water for soaking. In this state, the future delicacy can lie down for another day or two, if there is no time to start salting right away.
How long fresh milk mushrooms are stored
The shelf life of freshly cut mushrooms is very short, about 12 hours. If it is not possible to preserve immediately, you can save milk mushrooms until the next day by placing them in a flat container and not closing it. Immediately before salting, they need to be sorted out again and make sure that there are no rot and worms.
How to store milk mushrooms after salting
To keep milk mushrooms for the winter with all the properties and taste, you need to follow simple conditions.
Purity is the key to maintaining taste for a long time. The dishes in which the pickled mushrooms are located must be perfectly clean. As a rule, these are wooden tubs, enameled pots and buckets. A good storage option is three-liter jars. The containers should be washed very well, poured over with boiling water and dried, glass jars should be further sterilized.
A very important point is the choice of the premises where the finished products will be stored. It must be dry and cool. If this is an apartment, then it is good to keep the mushrooms in the refrigerator. In the old Khrushchev-type apartments there is a special niche under the window in the kitchen where you can store canned food. You can place containers in a loggia or on a balcony, but for this you need to create conditions: you will need to put unnecessary wadded blankets or sawdust in wooden boxes. They prevent severe freezing. Freezing salinity is not allowed. This leads to the fragility of fruiting bodies, and the taste of frozen pickles noticeably deteriorates. With an abundance of containers with blanks, there is no more suitable place than a cellar or basement.
An important component of long-term storage is the temperature regime. The air in the room should not exceed +6 о C. Minus temperatures are also not allowed. In a warm place, blanks are more likely to sour or mold. The brine must not be allowed to stagnate. Shaking jars and other utensils containing pickles regularly is the best way to mix the brine.
Salinity can be transferred to other containers if necessary. If mold appears, it must be removed immediately with a slotted spoon. If there is a lot of mold, the brine must be drained, and the milk mushrooms should be thoroughly washed in water, put in a clean dish and a new brine should be added.
How to store milk mushrooms after cold pickling
Raw milk mushrooms are preserved by the cold method. The canned product will be ready for sampling and serving in 30-40 days from the date of salting. The main storage condition is maintaining the desired temperature. It must be kept in the range from 0 to +5оC.
Harvested products in large containers, and these can be wooden tubs or enamelware, are stored in the cellar. This option requires constant monitoring. The brine must necessarily cover the fruiting bodies, at the same time it should not be too much, otherwise the mushrooms may float. Mushrooms placed in jars are covered with cabbage leaves on top and corked with plastic lids. Such blanks are easily placed in the refrigerator.
How to store milk mushrooms after hot salting
Preservation after preliminary boiling is considered hot salting. The blanks are laid out in glass jars, closed with polyethylene lids. You can store mushrooms salted in this way in the refrigerator. After a week of exposure, the products can be tried, but it is better to wait 30 or 40 days after salting. During this period, they are well salted and acquire a unique taste.
How long can you store salted milk mushrooms
The shelf life of salted milk mushrooms is approximately six months after salting. A product that has stood for more than this time becomes inedible. When used, there is a risk of poisoning. It should also be noted that salted milk mushrooms can stand longer in the cellar than in the refrigerator. The most optimal period of use is the first three months after salting.
How long can you store salted milk mushrooms in the refrigerator
The workpieces are allowed to be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. It is imperative to top up the brine, otherwise it starts to rot.
How long are salted milk mushrooms stored in a jar in the cellar
It is necessary to comply with sanitary standards for storage periods. At ambient temperature from 0 to +5 о You can store salted milk mushrooms in jars for 6 months. Suspicious-looking canned food with an unusual odor, color, or gas bubbles should be discarded immediately.
Useful Tips
Experienced mushroom pickers have their own secrets, the knowledge of which allows you to make tasty and healthy preparations.
For example, you can not store fresh milk mushrooms in a plastic bag: without air, mold may appear.
In the room where there are jars or other utensils with pickles, there should be good ventilation and no dampness.
A very important point is the choice of dishes for storing pickles. Suitable containers:
- three-liter jars;
- enameled pots and buckets;
- wooden barrels and cadys.
It is not allowed to store pickled and salted milk mushrooms in clay, galvanized, aluminum, tin and plastic containers.
Conclusion
Keeping salted milk mushrooms after salting is an art that not all housewives master. If this succeeds, then relatives and friends, as well as guests, can appreciate the culinary skills and try real masterpieces.