Content
Saffron milk caps are widespread mushrooms popular in “quiet hunting.” They have their own characteristics, the study of which will make it easy to recognize this species in order to reap a good harvest. Saffron milk caps grow in coniferous and mixed forests in areas with a temperate climate. However, the main necessary condition for this is the presence of coniferous trees.
Where do saffron mushrooms grow?
Ryzhiki are edible delicious mushrooms belonging to the genus Milky. They have round caps that become funnel-shaped with age. They come in bright yellow, orange, or pinkish colors, but there are other rarely seen color varieties. The stem of the mushroom is proportional to the cap; yellow or orange juice is released from its pulp, which changes color in the air.
Where do saffron milk mushrooms grow in Russia?
Edible red mushrooms are collected throughout most of Russia, but there are few truly mushroom places.In Russian forests, saffron milk caps are especially common in the following regions:
- in the Moscow region - in the forests along the Savelovsky direction, in forests near Torbeevskoye Lake, on the northern side of Gremyachey Falls, near Ashukinskaya station;
- in pine forests of the Voronezh region;
- in the forests of Saratov and Samara regions;
- in Transbaikalia;
- in the vicinity of lakes Shchelkun (Sverdlovsk region) and Allaki (Chelyabinsk region), located along the Chelyabinsk tract;
- in the Ochersky and Elovsky districts of the Perm Territory;
- near the village of Minderla near Krasnoyarsk.
In which forest do saffron milk caps grow?
These mushrooms grow mainly on sandy soils. A nearby river creates optimal soil and air humidity for them. The most suitable young forests for saffron milk caps are:
- pine;
- spruce;
- cedar;
- fir;
- mixed birch-spruce-fir;
- other mixed forests with an abundance of conifers.
Such mushrooms are rarely found in deciduous forests where there are solitary coniferous trees. They can grow not only in natural conditions, but also in artificial spruce plantings or self-seeding in fields.
Under what tree do saffron milk caps grow?
Saffron milk caps grow under spruce, fir, pine or cedar up to 5 m high. The peculiarity of these mushrooms is that they form a symbiosis with a coniferous tree. The mycelium penetrates the root of the plant and entangles it. Additionally, thanks to the fungus, the tree receives moisture and microelements and supplies the camelina with carbohydrates and amino acids that are not found in the soil.
Its color depends on the type of tree under which the camelina is located, forming mycorrhiza. It can vary from light orange to a rich copper hue. Old mushrooms have a greenish color on their caps.
Where do saffron milk caps grow?
Experienced mushroom pickers know that they should look for saffron milk caps in small forests. A dense thicket is not suitable for them because there is not enough light in it. Places where red-haired representatives are often found:
- young coniferous plantings in fields;
- forest edges and clearings;
- young forest clearings.
You can often collect a lot of saffron milk caps on hillocks and small hills overgrown with short grass or moss. Dew also creates good conditions for the development of mycelium.
Typical places for these mushrooms are:
- open and illuminated meadows;
- overgrown fields with small shrubs and spruce trees;
- verges of clearings and forest roads;
- long ditches, well lit by the sun.
At what temperature do saffron milk caps grow?
Saffron milk caps grow in the summer - from July to September. In warm weather they begin to appear as early as June. The last mushroom can be found in the first ten days of November. After autumn frosts they disappear.
These are heat- and sun-loving mushrooms. They begin to actively develop when there is sufficient sunlight and at a temperature of at least 10 0C. They grow well under certain conditions:
- temperature 15 - 27 0WITH;
- relative air humidity 50 - 60%.
How quickly saffron milk caps grow
Saffron milk caps grow quickly after heavy summer rain. During this period, air temperature and soil humidity become optimal. The development features of these fungi are as follows:
- the mycelium can extend to a depth of 15 cm and develop from mid-spring to late autumn;
- drought and frost dehydrate the mycelium, but it does not die, but becomes more stable;
- The fruiting body of the fungus reaches its maximum size on the 12th – 14th day after emergence.
The active growth phase of saffron milk caps begins after warm and heavy summer rains. You can go in search of young and small mushrooms on the 5th - 6th day after the rain, and sometimes on the 3rd -4th.
When to pick saffron milk mushrooms
You can collect saffron milk mushrooms both in summer and autumn. Typically, the season for saffron milk caps is in August and September. The collection of some varieties of these mushrooms, depending on the climate, begins as early as July, and ends before the first autumn frosts at the end of October - November.
The best time to collect is early morning, before the dew evaporates. Covering the mushroom cap, it is reflected in the sun's rays and helps draw attention to it.
How to find saffron mushroom
Saffron milk caps very rarely grow one at a time, much more often in large groups. Having discovered one mushroom, you should carefully examine the surroundings. There will always be several more copies nearby.
It is believed that large and strong saffron milk caps can be found on the northern side of coniferous trees. Additionally, their growth is indicated by companion mushrooms - boletus growing under pine trees.
You need to walk through the forest carefully, looking at your feet. Some mushrooms grow in plain sight, while others can hide in the grass or pine needles. To push it apart, it is convenient to use a long thin straight branch. Small hills under spruce or pine trees, sunny edges are the places that are examined in search of saffron milk caps first.
There are many varieties of these mushrooms. The table provides some recommendations that will help you decide on the choice of place and season for collecting saffron milk caps:
Variety | Characteristic | Where does it grow | When to collect |
Ordinary (real, pine, delicacy, pine) | Bright red color and spotted cap. | In young pine forests: under pine trees, along the edges of clearings, clearings, in sunny mossy and grassy places. | Mid-summer – early autumn. |
Spruce (green) | Smaller than pine saffron milk cap, with fragile flesh and a light-colored cap, which always has a bluish-green coating. | Distributed everywhere in spruce and mixed forests and plantings under spruce trees. | Beginning of August - end of October. |
Red | Uniform reddish color, the spots on the cap are weakly expressed, the leg has a light powdery coating, its milky juice is almost cherry in color. | It is found in the Urals, Siberia, the European part of Russia, and the mountainous Crimea under Scots pine or Siberian pine. | July – November. |
Semi-red (pine red) | A distinctive feature is the orange milky juice, which quickly darkens to a dark red hue. The caps of young mushrooms are orange, while those of adults have a greenish tint and a pattern in the form of pronounced concentric circles. | In the temperate zone in pine and mixed pine forests; considered rare in some places. | July – October. |
Alpine (salmon) | A large cap with a diameter of up to 20 cm is bright orange, the flesh is salmon-colored. | Fir forests from the Western Urals to Northern Europe. | August – October. |
Finnish (blue) | When cut, it turns blue to a rich shade of indigo. The outer color is brownish or olive with a reddish tint, the plates are bright orange. | On the edges and boundaries of clearings of spruce forests in North-West Russia and Karelia. | August – October. |
Japanese (fir) | Pale color and mycorrhiza only with whole-leaved fir. | In the Far East, in China, in the north of the Korean Peninsula, in Japan - in forests where whole-leaved fir grows. | September October. |
Dark | The cap is gray, with a faint orange tint, the plates under the cap are bright orange. When cut, the milky juice changes color from carrot to greenish. | Pine and mixed forests of the northern part of Russia. It is considered a rare mushroom. | August – October. |
Wine | The color of the fruiting body ranges from dark red to lilac. Young specimens have a rich color, while mature specimens have a light color. | The northern part of the temperate zone in forests with Scots pine. The mushroom is rare. | July – October. |
A more dangerous double is the inedible amber milkweed. It has a pungent unpleasant odor. It has a longer, without narrowing, leg. The surface of this mushroom has a velvety texture and is colored in brown and pink tones.
How to properly collect saffron milk caps
To collect these particular mushrooms, you should, without wasting effort on other varieties, purposefully look for those places where saffron milk caps grow or can grow. When a suitable area is found, it is carefully inspected, step by step, pushing apart the grass and pine needles with a long stick.
Mushrooms are collected by saffron milk caps in any convenient way. They can be cut with a knife, twisted or torn off. This, contrary to popular belief, does not affect mycelium and mycorrhiza: in order for the fungus to stop growing in its usual place, it is necessary to cut down the tree and uproot its roots.
The video clearly shows how you can organize the collection of saffron milk caps in the forest:
Conclusion
Knowing the signs of how saffron milk caps grow will make it possible to quickly find a place with a lot of these mushrooms. To do this, several conditions must be met. They grow under coniferous trees in forests where there is a pond nearby. Saffron milk caps need increased light and soil that retains moisture. But both heavily swampy and dry areas are not suitable for them. They are usually collected after rain - in summer or early autumn.
