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All lovers of “quiet hunting” are familiar with mushrooms – a wonderful gift of the forest and a natural delicacy. In the ranking of mushrooms of the first category, they occupy the highest positions. The photo and description of the camelina mushroom make it clear that this species combines great taste with an organic appearance. A bright, slightly velvety hat on a stocky leg betrays a noble origin. Finding and putting a camelina in your basket is considered a great success. Since ancient times, salted and pickled ginger mushrooms have been considered the most delicious dish of traditional cuisine, served on the tables, both at the court and among the peasants.
Why is the mushroom called saffron
The scientific name of the mushroom is Lactarius deliciosus (lactarius deliches), or gourmet lactarius. It reflects the property, to highlight the tart milky juice on the break of the pulp. Another (popular) name – “saffron milk cap” – the mushroom received due to the corresponding color of the fruiting body.
Just like chanterelles, the bright color of this type of mushroom is provided by the unsaturated hydrocarbon contained in their pulp – beta-carotene, or vitamin A, which is essential for the human body.
Why mushrooms are called royal mushrooms
Our Country has always been famous for salted mushrooms. They were so popular that this variety was given the proud status of “royal mushrooms”. They were served at the royal table and exported to Europe. In the season when there was a special abundance, mushroom raw materials were sprinkled with salt in large barrels. It is known that only in the northern Olonets province, up to 300 tons of saffron milk mushrooms were salted annually. The so-called calibrated mushrooms packaged in bottles were exported. For this, small neat specimens were specially selected. Such bottles looked very aesthetically pleasing and were in great demand among Europeans, although they were quite expensive.
What do saffron mushrooms look like
Milky delicacy – agaric mushroom with a fleshy fruiting body. The cap and its leg are interconnected tightly, without breaks. There is a clear boundary between them. The color may have different shades, depending on the variety and place of growth. Mushrooms growing in pine forests are most brightly colored, spruce forests can be whitish, yellowish-ocher, gray-olive. The hat is decorated with green or dark red concentric circles radiating from the center.
Description of mushroom mushroom
Various types of mushrooms can be found in the forests of the center and north of the European part of Our Country, in the Urals, the Far East, and Siberia. They form mycorrhiza with coniferous trees, settling mainly on their northern side. An exception is the oak camelina, which lives in mycorrhiza with broad-leaved species. The milkers settle in large families, located on the north side of the tree.
Ryzhik is a solar mushroom. It settles in well-lit places – on hills, in clearings, in clearings and along roadside shoulders. Colonies of this variety grow on sandy, moderately moist soils. Dry or too wet soil is not desirable. The milky ones can form the so-called “witch circles”, since the threads of their mycelium grow radially – from the center to the periphery.
The ripening period begins in the second half of summer. The main harvest time is early autumn (from the second half of September to mid-October), but it can continue until November, until the start of frost. It is autumn specimens that have denser flesh that are suitable for salting and pickling.
The microelementary composition of these mushrooms is striking in its richness. A large amount of valuable protein makes them similar to meat products, and according to the variety of minerals and vitamins, they can be attributed to vegetables.
In addition to beta-carotene, which gives the mushroom an elegant shade, its pulp contains vitamins C, B1, B9, B12. Of the chemical elements, the most valuable are the following (approximate content per copy):
- potassium – 397 mg;
- Calcium – 9 mg;
- phosphorus – 166 mg.
The mushroom contains a large amount of easily digestible amino acids. But the substance fungin, located in the cell walls, makes it difficult for the liver to work. In order for this polysaccharide of the chitinous series not to harm the work of the gastrointestinal tract, it is worth grinding the milkers before cooking. Mushroom caviar or paste will bring maximum benefits and are easily absorbed by the body.
The fungus is a unique source of an antibacterial substance – lactriviolin. It is a strong natural antibiotic that successfully fights a number of pathogenic bacteria, including Koch’s bacillus. Many pharmaceutical organizations process camelina in an industrial way to obtain lactriviolin in its pure form.
When collecting all varieties of mushrooms, you should pay attention to young mushrooms. Usually they are clean, not subject to rot and attack by fungal worms. Old mushrooms quickly become rotten and wormy.
Description of the stem of the camelina mushroom
Ryzhik has a leg 3 to 7 cm long, hollow in the middle. Its surface is smooth, slightly pubescent and covered with small cells, painted in the same color as the hat or a little brighter. The pulp is brittle, at the break it is greenish, due to the reaction with oxygen. Narrower at the top, the stem slightly widens downwards. Its diameter can reach up to 2,5 cm.
Description of the cap
The cap of the camelina can reach a diameter of 17 cm. In a young specimen, it is hemispherical or flattened, later it becomes convex or convex-prostrate, with edges turned down. With age, a funnel-shaped depression or a small tubercle appears in the center of the cap, and its edges become straight. The surface is smooth or slightly pubescent. Usually it is dry, and with high humidity it becomes a little slimy. An important distinguishing feature of camelina is a peculiar surface color. It is characterized by alternation of light and dark concentric circles.
The mushroom has a dense pulp that easily oxidizes when damaged. It has increased fragility due to the content of a large number of bubble-shaped cells. Special lactiferous hyphae contain milky juice, which is shown on the break of the pulp. It has a thick or watery texture, tart or sweetish taste.
The pulp perfectly absorbs all the forest aromas that surrounded the mushroom during the development period. This is a fruity smell, and the smell of fallen leaves, preli, moss. And mushrooms collected in ecologically difficult areas become dirty and unsuitable for food.
The cap has a lamellar hymenophore with thin, slightly branching plates, slightly converging on the stem. Raw mushroom can taste bitter, tart, astringent or sweetish.
What are redheads
Numerous variations of the milkweed differ somewhat in nutritional value and appearance. Below are several photos of mushroom varieties with a description.
Real mushrooms
Pine mushrooms, or real ones, are the most valuable. They grow in pine forests, they are very beautiful in appearance, they have the perfect shape of an edible mushroom and a bright color – all shades of orange and red. As they age, the lactifers turn green. In a young mushroom, the hat is glossy, slightly rounded, evenly colored. This variety has a long collection period – until the November frosts.
Spruce camelina
This ginger has a darker color, but fades over time. It is smaller – the diameter of its cap does not exceed 8 cm. A rather deep funnel forms on the cap over time, the edges remain straight. The pulp is highly susceptible to oxidation. The circles on the hat are slightly pronounced. Spruce usually has a slightly bitter taste.
Red saffron
Red camelina also lives in coniferous forests. This dry mushroom is distinguished by the absence of milky juice at the break and mucus on the surface of the cap. Its leg is covered with a powdery coating with red streaks, the color can vary from orange to purple. The pulp is pinkish, characterized by strong brittleness.
Japanese ginger, fir
Japanese camelina grows in the south of Primorsky Krai, in the forests of Japan. He lives in mixed forests, making mycorrhiza with fir. The period of active collection falls on September and October. This is a small mushroom, its cap does not exceed 8 cm. In young specimens, the shape of the cap is flat with rolled edges, while in adults it is funnel-shaped. The upper skin is light brown in color. The hymenophore plates are pinkish-orange. The leg reaches 7 cm in length. The pulp of the mushroom is light, red-orange, oxidized in air. The mushroom does not have a pronounced taste.
Ginger oak, or oak breast
Oak camelina is found in deciduous forests in the European part of Our Country, as well as in Finland, France, and Great Britain. It belongs to conditionally edible mushrooms, grows in oak groves. This species is harvested from early July to mid-September.
The mushroom has a flat, irregularly shaped red-orange cap with dark, concentric rings. With age, it acquires a funnel-shaped depression in the center. The leg is brighter, thickening downwards, reaching a height of 7 cm. White flesh becomes pink over time. A bitter white juice stands out on the cut. Before cooking, the mushroom needs to be soaked.
Ginger wine, or wine red
It is a variety of red camelina and has a dry, glossy hat of a wine-red hue, decorated with rings. His hymenophore plates are narrow, darken over time. The flesh is white at the break, at the skin it changes color to dark, in the air oxidation occurs with a change in color. When broken, dark red juice is released. The leg of this species is up to 3 cm thick, reaches a height of 6 cm, has an orange-pink hue with red pustules.
Finnish ginger, blue
Finnish camelina is found in mixed forests in Karelia and northern Our Country. It grows next to old fir trees.
The mushroom has a cap with a diameter of up to 8 cm, brightly colored in the center in olive color and fading towards the center. The hymenophore has narrow pale orange plates. The flesh, white in the center, turns orange towards the edge and turns blue when cut. Orange milky juice also oxidizes in air. The stem of the mushroom reaches 11 cm in length. It thickens at the base.
How to identify mushrooms
You need to know what a camelina looks like in order to be able to distinguish it from similar mushrooms. Twins can be conditionally edible, inedible or poisonous specimens.
Differences from the pink wave
Volnushka refers to conditionally edible mushrooms. She settles in birch groves, is in a symbiotic relationship with old birch trees. Unlike the ginger, it has a pale pink hat with rounded fringed edges. Its pulp is dense, white, does not darken when broken, gives a light milky juice with a bitter taste.
Differences from inedible breast
An inedible mushroom, or amber milky, has a white leg, solid on the cut. His hat is pinkish-brown, without circles. The hymenophore plates are light. The yellow flesh does not change color when exposed to air. Such an instance has an unpleasant odor and a bitter taste. Its milky juice is watery, bitter in taste and also does not oxidize.
Differences from fox
Chanterelle is a wonderful edible mushroom, similar in nutritional value to camelina. Mushrooms can be confused, although the differences between the two species are quite significant. In the chanterelle, the shape of the cap has a pronounced funnel shape, and there are no concentric rings on it. The cap smoothly passes into the stem, while the camelina has a clear border between the cap and the stem.
Differences from the pale grebe
A very dangerous poisonous mushroom has some similarities with camelina. The main difference is the presence of a thin pale leg with a characteristic skirt. The hat is also pale, has rounded edges. There are no concentric circles on it.
Conclusion
The photo and description of the camelina mushroom testify to the diversity of representatives of this species and the wide range of its growth. Red royal mushrooms can be found in any forest. However, you should not buy them from your hands, it is better to assemble them yourself and at the same time make sure that there are no large industries or busy highways nearby. This is the only way to be sure that the mushrooms that have fallen into the basket are clean and will not bring anything but good.
