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Experienced mushroom pickers know that it is necessary to clean mushrooms and prepare them for processing in a special way. These are autumn mushrooms that can be found in mixed, coniferous and birch forests until the end of October. In European countries, this mushroom is considered conditionally edible, since when cut, a thick, oily juice is released, which has a bitter and acrid taste. However, with proper processing, you can completely get rid of the bitter taste.
Do I need to clean the waves?
Like all other mushrooms, it is, of course, necessary to clean the mushrooms collected in the forest, because lumps of earth, pine needles and grass remain on them. Since this species is classified as conditionally edible, simply cleaning the mushrooms from adhering dirt is not enough; they require special treatment before salting or pickling. The milky, pungent juice that appears at the cut site can spoil the taste of the finished dish and even cause food poisoning.Therefore, these mushrooms, although they belong to the Russula family, should absolutely not be eaten raw.
Shelf life of tremors after collection
Freshly picked trumpets are a perishable product, so it is important not to delay cleaning and processing them:
- if the waves are collected in rainy weather, they should be processed immediately upon arrival home;
- fresh, unpeeled mushrooms can be easily stored for 6 hours at room temperature;
- To increase the shelf life of collected mushrooms, they are laid out in one layer in a dark, cool place so that, if possible, they do not come into contact with each other. This will allow you to preserve the unrefined product for up to 15-18 hours.
Already cleaned and washed volushki can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. In this case, it is better to place them in a colander or sieve so that they have access to air.
How to clean volnushki after collection
Volnushka mushrooms collected in the forest should be cleaned immediately on the spot. The cut mushroom, before being sent to the rest, is removed from adhering grass and leaves to prevent rotting processes. Usually, forest litter is simply removed by hand; no special tools are needed for this. If you neglect this rule, the shelf life of the product is noticeably reduced.
Next, upon arriving home, the mushrooms need to be processed. They are sorted by size and the spoiled and wormy ones are thrown away. Then rinse in cold water and use a knife or a stiff brush (you can use a toothbrush) to remove the adhered dirt. The film on the cap is thin and is usually not removed, but the stem is hard and rough, so 2/3 of its length is cut off.
How to clean volnushki before salting
Young mushrooms are used for pickling because they are less bitter. It is necessary to properly clean the trumpets before salting, observing the following rules:
- mushrooms are cleaned of forest debris, placed in a colander and washed under running water;
- sort through and sort the white ones from the pink ones - it is advisable to salt them separately;
- soak in cold water for 3-4 hours, after which the soaked dirt is removed from the fleecy cap with a brush.
After this, the peeled mushrooms should be processed in a special way to remove the specific taste. To do this, they are soaked in cold water for 3 days, changing it every 4-5 hours. In addition, this process makes the fragile flesh more dense.
Is it necessary to clean fringe from waves?
Before cooking, pickling or salting, ordinary mushrooms get rid of the rough skin on the cap. However, there is no need to peel the skin from the volnushki, because it is very thin and not at all hard. And the fringe on the cap is the hallmark of these mushrooms. Whether to remove it or not depends only on aesthetic preferences; many value these mushrooms not only for their taste, but also for their extravagant appearance.
How to process volnushki after collection so that they do not taste bitter
To neutralize the acrid taste of the poisonous juice, additional treatment of the hornets after cleaning is necessary - soaking or cooking.
The mushrooms are soaked in salted water for 2-3 days, after which they are subjected to further processing. This method is used if there are a lot of them.
To get rid of bitterness, boil the volushki several times for 15-20 minutes, draining the water and replacing it with clean water. The number of boils depends on the size and age of the mushroom: small and young ones require less heat treatment time.You can taste the water during the process; if the bitterness is gone, then you have cooked enough. This method allows you to process the mushrooms and get rid of the acrid taste faster than with soaking, and it is used with a small amount of them.
How to rinse trumpets and prepare them for salting and processing
The horns should be washed with plenty of running water to completely get rid of sand and adhered lumps of soil. These mushrooms prefer sandy soils and are lamellar, so they should be washed thoroughly, otherwise grains of sand will be found in the finished product.
After the mushrooms are washed, they need to be further processed. They are sorted, the spoiled areas are cut off and washed again, after which they are placed in a colander. Large ones are cut into several pieces, after which they are soaked or boiled.
For salting or pickling, the soaking method is often used, as this will make the structure of the pulp more dense. If the product is intended for frying, it is better to cook first and then fry.
Below is a video on how to clean the mushrooms and prepare them for pickling.
Conclusion
Cleaning the mushrooms is not at all difficult and this process does not take much time, since the mushrooms grow on dry sandy soil. It is important to properly process before salting or pickling - this allows you to completely get rid of the bitter taste. And since the volushki are incredibly tasty, the efforts made are completely worth it. Therefore, knowing the rules for processing these mushrooms, you should not be afraid of their supposed toxicity and feel free to collect them in the forest.
