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Mushroom picking is a very exciting activity for both amateurs and avid mushroom pickers. Mushrooms are not only tasty, but also useful as a source of protein: nutritionists jokingly call them “forest meat”, one of the most famous types of which are russula. They are ubiquitous and easy to collect. They are fried, boiled, salted, marinated. But not everyone knows whether it is necessary to clean the russula and how to do it correctly so that they remain intact and do not fall apart.
How to process russula after harvest
Russula, like all other mushrooms, is a perishable product, and after harvesting, they must be cleaned quickly. If you do not follow this rule, the processes of decomposition of protein compounds and the formation of toxic substances will begin in them.
The collected russula immediately after collection must be subjected to primary processing – cleaned of debris, dirt, moss and rinsed well before cooking. Methods for cleaning russula will depend on their condition and place of growth. If they were collected in moss or grass, it will be enough to remove the worms, for the rest, lightly scrape the hat and rinse thoroughly with water. If the russula were found on sandy areas, it is necessary to first clean the legs from the earth and sand, then cut off the edges and only then rinse.
How to wash russula mushrooms
Washing will help to thoroughly clean the mushrooms from various debris. Russula are very fragile and tender. If you do not handle them carefully enough, they will literally crumble in your hands. To prevent this from happening, after collecting them, they must be cleaned by placing them in a large spacious container filled with water. Some of the dirt will float or settle to the bottom. After a while, the water should be changed. Soaking is repeated until all mushrooms are completely cleaned.
Hats are covered with a sticky film, which is able to collect a lot of forest debris. To get rid of it, after soaking, the mushrooms are placed under a stream of clean water. This will help clear them of adhering dirt, leaves and blades of grass.
Russula cleaning
Cleaning russula is no different from cleaning other mushrooms. And it should start already at the collection stage. This will take a certain amount of time. Large russulas, unlike small ones, should be cleaned more thoroughly. You need to pay attention not only to the legs, but also to the hats. This must be done correctly, following a certain sequence of actions.
Do I need to clean the russula from the film and skin
Small mushrooms can be eaten without removing the film and skin. This will not affect the taste of the finished dish. Large instances are recommended to be cleared of these elements. When cooking, salting or stewing, the film and skin begin to become very bitter.
It is not easy to remove the film from the cap, but sometimes it is more expedient to leave it. The film preserves the integrity of the mushrooms and does not allow them to fall apart during cooking. But it is she who is the reason that after cooking, bitterness appears in mushroom dishes, which can be eliminated if the water in which the soaking was carried out is drained, poured in a new one and boiled russula for 20 minutes.
Why clean the hats of russula
The ubiquity of mushrooms makes them dangerous to human health without proper cleaning and processing. The film covering the hats, like a sponge, absorbs all harmful substances from the environment. Chemicals, exhaust gases are concentrated in large quantities in mushrooms. Therefore, before you start cooking, in order to observe the precaution, you should remove the film from the russula.
In addition, old russula are not recommended for collection. They are easy to identify by the color of the pulp; in unsuitable mushrooms for food, it becomes yellow. Even if outwardly such an instance looks whole and strong, it is not worth collecting it.
How to properly clean russula mushrooms
To properly clean the russula, so that they do not break, you should follow a few simple steps:
- Cleaning the mushrooms requires a knife, paper napkins, and a colander.
- It is necessary to cut off the tips of the legs and clean them of adhering sand and earth.
- If worm-like passages are visible on the cut of the leg, such mushrooms must be thrown out immediately.
- Darkened areas should be cut out.
- To clear the adhering forest debris, it is enough to lightly scrape it with a knife. Dirt often collects in the tubular layer, so it is also important to quickly and carefully clean it with a knife.
- After each mushroom, wipe with a dry cloth, which will remove the remaining small debris and remove excess moisture.
- Remove the film from the cap with a knife and peel the russula from the skin, moving in the direction from the edges to the center. Do not worry if some part can remain in the center. But the hats of red and bright blue should be tried to clean completely. They have a high bitterness.
- Place in a colander and rinse well under running cold water.
Soaking russula
One of the points of processing and cleaning large russula after collection is their soaking. The procedure is simple and does not require any special efforts. But the gifts of the forest processed in this way can be safely used for cooking. All bitterness will be removed from them, as well as all insects hiding in the deepest parts of the lamellar hats.
Is it necessary to soak russula
Depending on how the russula will be prepared in the future, a decision is made on the need to soak them. Before frying, it is recommended that all agaric mushrooms be soaked and boiled, as there is a high possibility of getting poisoned. Before cooking russula, simply rinse thoroughly and clean under running cold water. Mushrooms intended for drying should not be soaked. They are cleaned with a dry brush.
Soaking mushrooms takes a lot of time. If this is not possible, it is recommended to boil them in salt water before cooking.
How to soak russula
In order to clean and soak the mushrooms, it is necessary to prepare a special saline solution from the following components:
- 1 tsp. salts;
- 1/3 tsp citric acid;
- 1 L of water.
After that, combine everything, mix thoroughly and pour the mushrooms cleared of debris with the resulting composition. During the day, the saline solution must be changed three times.
How much russula to soak
For pickling mushrooms, the soaking time is usually 10-12 hours. This is enough to remove bitterness and clean insects.
If the mushrooms are harvested for subsequent frying, the soaking time can be reduced to 30 to 60 minutes. During this time, they will have time to get wet and cleared of specks and blades of grass, and further heat treatment will neutralize the taste of bitterness.
Useful Tips
In order for the collected russula to retain its integrity and delight with a rich mushroom taste after cooking, you must follow the advice of experienced mushroom pickers and properly clean and process them:
- If the russula cannot be processed and cleaned immediately after collection, they must be sorted out, those in which worm tracks are found should be thrown out, and the rest laid out in one row and put away in a cool place. This will keep them fresh for several hours.
- Russula deteriorates very quickly and therefore it should take no more than 5 hours to clean and process them.
- So that the russula does not crumble in the hands during the cleaning process, it is recommended to place them in boiling water for 15 minutes before processing. This will give them elasticity and density.
- To reduce home cleaning time, leaves and large debris should be removed from the legs and hats while still in the forest.
- Agaric mushrooms cut in half will help to determine the presence of worms in them on the spot. They should not be stacked with the rest, much less carried home.
- The lamellar caps are easy to clean with a soft bristled toothbrush. She will gently sweep the debris out of all the folds without destroying the fungus itself.
These simple tips will help you properly clean the russula, keeping their shape, freshness, useful properties and taste.
Conclusion
Cleaning russula is not as interesting as collecting. But if you follow certain rules, this process will be effective, will not take much time and effort, and will protect future mushroom dishes from the presence of insects or the taste of sand on your teeth.
