Milk man

Milky mushrooms (Lactarius) are a separate genus of agaric fungi with a very large number of species. The most famous of them are milk mushrooms, saffron milk mushrooms, volnushki. Their name comes from the Latin word, which in translation means “milk” or “giving milk.” All these mushrooms belong to the russula family. As a rule, in Europe, most species of these mushrooms are considered inedible, and some are even poisonous. While in Russia, many are eaten after undergoing additional processing, such as salting or pickling. Such mushrooms are called conditionally edible. The mushroom about which the story will go is just one of them – the common milkweed.

a brief description of

Milkweed, smooth, spurge, hollow, podolshanka, blue breast, smoothie … This mushroom has quite a few names. It belongs to the numerous species of milkers, the russula family. The main difference between the mushrooms of this seeing is the secretion of pulp or a spore-bearing layer of juice, similar to milk. Milky fruits have a specific bitter taste. Like many other representatives of this species, smooth mushroom is considered a conditionally edible mushroom. Mycologists attributed it to this species, since it requires additional processing before use and has some cooking restrictions.

In European cuisine, where everyone likes to use it in its natural, raw form, the milkweed is classified as a poisonous mushroom and is forbidden to be eaten. And in our area, conditionally edible mushrooms are subjected to prolonged soaking, salting or repeated boiling, with repeated removal of the broth. And only then, such mushrooms can be eaten.

The milky one has a rather wide hat, sometimes reaching up to 18 cm in diameter. Just one of its names – smooth – got it precisely because of the smooth, fleshy hat. When it rains, it becomes slippery. In young mushrooms, it is more convex, and with age it settles and is pressed. The color varies from purple-lilac to fawn or even fawn-brown. In older varieties, it fades and becomes pale lilac or yellowish-brown with barely visible concentric zones, or without them at all. The leg is straight, cylindrical in shape. Has the same color as the hat. With age, it loosens and becomes hollow. The lactiferous plates are often light, when damaged they get a dark grayish color, mainly due to the milky juice. The smooth pulp is dense, strong, white in color with a slight creamy tint. The juice that stands out from it is white, milky in color. When dry it becomes olive-yellow. The pulp is very bitter in taste and has a specific smell. Spores are elliptical with ridge-like or warty ornamentation. Spore powder is pale, yellowish or cream in color.

Distribution sites and similar species

Smooths are widely distributed in deciduous and coniferous forests of Eurasia. They often form mycorrhiza with trees such as spruce, pine or birch. They love high humidity, so they can often be found in large groups along swamps or on moss-covered soil, where conditions for growth and reproduction will be the most optimal. The common milkweed is one of the most common species of the milky genus. It grows in temperate latitudes, so it can be found with equal success in the forests of Europe, and in Siberia, and in the Urals, and even in the Far East. The peak of smooth fruiting occurs at the beginning of August and lasts until the end of October – the time when the greatest amount of precipitation falls. Cool autumn evenings, filled with the aroma of the freshness of warm rain – this is their favorite time of appearance.

Smooth, or common lactic, a fairly recognizable mushroom, but it is often confused with such representatives of the same species as the serushka (Lactarius flexuosus) and the meat-red lactic (Lactarius hysginus). But if you look closely, you can notice some, not immediately evident, differences. So, for example, the surface of the cap of the serushka is dry to the touch, the stem is solid, narrowed towards the base, and short. It tastes much sharper and sharper. And the meat-red milker is distinguished by a dark, terracotta color and a corrosive strong aroma. The smoothness also has a resemblance to the sluggish lactic (Lactarius vietus), the juice of which, under the influence of the external environment, turns into gray. And also with the gray lilac milky (Lactarius uvidus), the juice of which in the air acquires a lilac-violet hue.

Composition and useful properties

The nutritional value of mushrooms depends on many different conditions. For example, young varieties contain much more nutrients, while fresh ones contain almost 90% water. Milky proteins contain such valuable amino acids as: tyrosine, glutamine, leucine and arginine. They are easily absorbed by the body and do not spend much on breaking down. Mushroom fats include such a useful substance as lecithin. Their number ranges from 0,1 to 0,9%. They also contain fatty acids:

• palmitic acid;
• stearic acid;
• butyric acid;
• acetic acid.

Milky, like other representatives of this genus, contain phosphatides, essential oils and lipoids. In terms of carbohydrate composition, mushrooms are very close to vegetables, but there are others that are typical only for this class: glycogen, sugar alcohols, fiber. Their content reaches 16%. They do not contain starch, but glycogen is present, which in its composition resembles animal glycogen. In the mineral composition, lactic acid is rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium. They also contain trace elements such as iodine, zinc, copper and arsenic. They also contain substances such as mycoinulin and parodextrin, which are responsible for covering mushrooms with mucus during long-term storage, as well as tregasolite and lycosote, which provide their taste and nutritional value.

Some of the representatives of this class, due to their useful properties and valuable chemical composition, are used in the field of medicine. So, for example, the antibiotic lactarioviolin, which has a negative effect on bacteria – the causative agents of tuberculosis, was identified from the present camelina and red camelina in the process of isolating its milky juice. Other types of lactic acid have a positive effect on gallstone disease, acute and purulent conjunctivitis, and other visual impairments. And some even contain antibiotics that inhibit the development of pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus.

Cooking application

Milkweed is a first-class mushroom for pickling and pickling. In the process of such processing, fermentation proceeds quickly in it, due to which smoothness acquires its characteristic sour taste, which is so valued in Russian pickles. The mushroom is quite fleshy, which allows it to be used after preliminary boiling for cooking various dishes. Most of the bitterness of the lactic acid disappears during heat treatment, so well-done mushrooms can also be eaten without being boiled first. In the finished dish, such smoothies will have a piquant spicy, slightly bitter taste, like mushrooms seasoned with black pepper. Northern peoples have long revered this mushroom and often use it for culinary purposes. After all, their natural bitter taste repels pests, so milkers are less susceptible to damage by insect larvae and worms than other fungi. And in Finland, for a long time there has been an original recipe for making smoothies baked on a fire or grill.

Salting lactic acid

Immediately before pickling, mushrooms should be soaked in water for several days. The water that has been infused at the same time needs to be changed periodically. This is done in order to eradicate bitterness. After that, the milkers blanch for about 10 minutes. The correct course of the primary processing process is important, since its violation can lead to unnecessary consequences in the form of loss of taste of the fungus or intestinal upset. Cold and hot methods are used for salting the common milkweed. Hot is characterized by preliminary boiling of mushrooms after primary processing. The cold method omits this process.

Korean mushrooms

To prepare the dish you will need:

• smoothies or other bitter mushrooms;
• soy sauce;
• sugar;
• vinegar;
• ground coriander;
• garlic;
• hot red pepper;
• sesame;
• cilantro.

Mushrooms pre-boil several times, draining the processed water. It is desirable to leave a slight bitter aftertaste for piquancy. Season prepared milkers with soy sauce, add sugar and sprinkle with vinegar. Mix all this and try the marinade to adjust the taste. Sprinkle generously with spices afterwards. Sesame seeds are pre-fried in vegetable oil and pour the resulting mixture into mushrooms. Add fresh green cilantro, stir and set aside. After that, the Korean-style mushrooms are ready and can be served at the table. Ordinary, not bitter mushrooms are not suitable for such a recipe, because having their own delicate taste they will simply get lost in spices and the dish will not give the desired taste and effect.

Harm and Hazardous Properties

Since the common lactic acid belongs to the conditionally edible class of mushrooms, it cannot be eaten without prior processing. This must be done in order to neutralize the effect of the bitter milky juice, which, if it enters the human body, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and an eating disorder.

Collection and storage

It is good to pick mushrooms in dry weather, as they can spoil faster if they are picked in rain or damp. It is best to do this in the morning when their flavor is stronger and the texture is firmer.

Mushroom pickers must comply with several conditions:

• collect only known types of mushrooms;
• use wicker baskets in which mushrooms are well ventilated and stay fresh longer;
• lay with hats down, and long-legged – sideways.
• when collecting, twist or swing, then they are easier to separate.

It must be remembered that cutting mushrooms with a knife is not recommended, otherwise it can lead to decay of the entire mycelium.

Fresh mushrooms are a perishable product. You need to store them in a cool, ventilated area, or outdoors under a canopy. Usually they are scattered in a thin layer on a specially prepared surface: on tables, clean flooring, tarpaulins. Do not pile them in a pile, keep them in barrels, expose them to direct sunlight or high humidity. The shelf life of milkers before pre-treatment should not exceed four hours.

Conclusions

The common milky, or smooth, is a mushroom that only true mushroom pickers or gourmets can appreciate. But if it is cooked correctly, using the preliminary primary processing of the product, it can make itself fall in love with the average consumer. It turns out divine in a salted form, but for this it requires a long and laborious preparation process. These mushrooms bear fruit for quite a long time, when other mushrooms are already moving away, so in fact they have no competitors. And due to their high yield, they often appear on the tables of hospitable hosts and even on store shelves.

Some of the representatives of the lactic species have found wide application in modern medicine. Valuable antibiotics are extracted from their milky juice, which help in the treatment of such unsafe diseases as tuberculosis and staphylococcus aureus. Also, their beneficial properties allow you to fight purulent infections of the eyes and are effective in cholelithiasis.

It is important to remember how to properly collect and store these mushrooms so as not to expose yourself to the risk of poisoning or causing an eating disorder. And also, do not forget that in European countries this mushroom is poisonous, and only thanks to careful primary processing, it is allowed to be used in our regions.