Milky neutral (Oak): description and photo, cooking methods

Milky oak (Lactarius quietus) is an agaric fungus belonging to the Syroezhkov family, the Milky genus. Its other names:

• milky neutral;
• breast milk or milky calm;
• oak breast;
• underlay, undercoat.

Oak lactarius family (lactarius quietus) in a forest clearing

Where does oak milkweed grow?

The oak mushroom is widely distributed in the temperate climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere – in Our Country, the Far East, Europe, and Canada. Settles mainly near oaks, in deciduous forests. The mushroom picker bears fruit abundantly from June to September-October. He likes shady places, grassy forest glades, neighborhood with old trees. It grows in large groups, occupying vast areas.

What does oak milky look like

Mushroom lactic neutral has a neat appearance, a detailed description of its structure and photo:

1. Only the fruiting bodies that have appeared resemble miniature bolts with round smooth caps. The edges are noticeably bent down, a small wavy depression and a tubercle are visible in the center. As it grows, the cap becomes umbrella-straight, the depression is more noticeable, rounded cup-shaped. In overgrown specimens, the edges straighten, becoming almost straight, the hat takes on a funnel-shaped appearance. The surface is dry, slightly rough or smooth. The skin adheres tightly to the pulp.
2. The color of the hat is uneven. The middle is darker, round-spotted, sometimes concentric stripes are visible. Cream-beige, brown-ocher, reddish, shades of milk chocolate, slightly pinkish. The diameter can be from 0,6 to 5-9 cm.
3. The hymenophore plates are even, thin, slightly descending along the stem. The color is beige, white-cream, reddish with brownish spots. The pulp is thin, breaks easily, releasing white milky juice. Its color is cream, over time, scrapping acquires a pinkish tint. The spores are light, almost white in color.
4. The leg is even, thin, cylindrical in shape, slightly thickened towards the root. Its diameter is from 0,3 to 1 cm, length – 0,8-5 cm. Smooth, dry, often covered with a grayish-white fluff. The color is similar to the hat, slightly darker from the ground. The pulp is easy to break and cut, the structure is longitudinally fibrous, hollow inside.

Calm milk mushrooms are clearly visible against the background of the forest floor, since their dry hats do not collect a variety of rubbish

Is it possible to eat milky oak

Neutral mushrooms are classified as conditionally edible mushrooms. Its pulp has a specific grassy aroma and a neutral taste. After soaking, wonderful pickles are obtained from these fruiting bodies.

False twins of the calm lactic

In rare cases, these fungi resemble representatives of their own species. To distinguish an oak milker from twins, you should see their photo and description.

Milky watery milky. It is classified as an edible mushroom of the IV category. It has a more saturated, burgundy-brown color of the cap.

In mature specimens, the surface of the cap becomes pimply and curves in waves.

Milky dark alder (Lactarius obscuratus). Inedible, can cause serious gastrointestinal upset. It is distinguished by a thin hat of an open-umbrella shape, a dark brown or reddish-black leg, a rich olive or brownish hymenophore.

This species forms mycorrhiza with alder

Serushka or gray milky. Conditionally edible. It is distinguished by caustic milky juice, a purple-lilac color of the hat and a light leg.

The plates of the gray-lilac milk mushroom have a delicate white-cream shade

Rules for collecting neutral lactic acid

Collecting these fruiting bodies does not require special skills. If a family of several closely knit specimens is found, you should carefully look around: most likely, there will be more within 1-2 m. Babies often hide completely in the grass, peeking out with the very tip of the hat.

Mushrooms should be cut at the root with a sharpened knife or carefully unscrewed from the nest. Spoiled, moldy, overgrown pods are not worth taking. In order to bring the harvested crop to the house and not to wrinkle, the mushrooms should be laid in rows, separating the legs, plates up.

The legs of the lactic oak often grow together, forming a single organism

How to cook oak milky mushroom

Oak milky is suitable only for salting, it is not used in any other form. These fruiting bodies require pre-soaking:

• sort mushrooms, clean from earth and litter;
• rinse, lay plates up in enameled or glassware;
• pour cold water, cover with an inverted lid or dish, put a jar or bottle of water as oppression;
• soak, changing the water twice a day, for a minimum of 2-3 days.

At the end, drain the water, rinse the mushrooms. Now they are ready for further cooking.

Milky oak cold salted

This recipe is universal for all edible lactic types.

Necessary ingredients:

• milky oak – 2,4 kg;
• salt – 140 g;
• garlic – 10-20 cloves;
• leaves of horseradish, cherry or currant (what is available) – 5-8 pcs.;
• dill stalks with umbrellas – 5 pcs.;
• a mixture of peppers to taste.

An appetizing snack that will delight all family members

Method of preparation:

1. Put the mushrooms in a wide enamel bowl on the leaves with the plates up.
2. Sprinkle each layer 4-6 cm thick with salt and shift with leaves, garlic, spices.
3. Finish with leaves, press down with an inverted lid, a wooden circle or a plate, put oppression on top so that the juice that comes out completely covers the contents.

After 6-8 days, mushrooms salted in this way can be transferred to jars and corked with lids, stored in a cool place. After 35-40 days, a great snack will be ready.

Flabby, overgrown or moldy specimens should not be eaten.

Conclusion

Oak milky forms mycorrhiza exclusively with oak, so it can only be found in deciduous forests. It is ubiquitous in the temperate latitudes of the Eurasian continent. Grows in large groups from July to October. In Our Country, these fruiting bodies are salted for the winter, in Europe they are considered inedible. The oak miller is distinguished by the mild taste of the juice that stands out and the original hay smell of the pulp, so it is quite easy to distinguish it from its counterparts. These mushrooms make a good preparation for the winter.