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All lovers of “silent hunting” are familiar with saffron milk caps - a wonderful gift from the Russian forest and a natural delicacy. In the ranking of mushrooms of the first category, they occupy the top positions. Photos and descriptions of the camelina mushroom make it clear that this species combines excellent taste with an organic appearance. A bright, slightly velvety hat on a stocky stem indicates noble origin. Finding and putting a saffron milk cap in your basket is considered great luck. Since ancient times, salted and pickled red mushrooms have been considered a delicious dish of traditional Russian cuisine, served on tables both at court and among peasants.
Why was the mushroom called saffron milk cap?
The scientific name of the mushroom is Lactarius deliciosus, or delicious milkweed. It reflects the property of releasing tart milky juice when the pulp is broken.Another (folk) name - “saffron milk cap” - was given to the mushroom due to the corresponding coloring 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 extremely necessary for the human body.
Why are saffron milk caps called royal mushrooms?
Russia has always been famous for its salted saffron milk caps. 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. During the season when there was particular abundance, mushroom raw materials were poured with salt in large barrels. It is known that in the northern Olonets province alone up to 300 tons of saffron milk caps were salted annually. The so-called calibrated mushrooms, packaged in bottles, were exported. For this purpose, 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?
The delicious milkweed is a lamellar mushroom with a fleshy fruiting body. The hat and its leg are connected to each other tightly, without breaks. There is a clear boundary between them. The color can have different shades, depending on the variety and place of growth. Mushrooms growing in pine forests are the most brightly colored; spruce trees can be whitish, yellowish-ochre, gray-olive. The hat is decorated with green or dark red concentric circles radiating from the center.
Description of the camelina mushroom
Various types of saffron milk caps can be found in the forests of the center and north of the European part of Russia, in the Urals, the Far East, and Siberia. They form mycorrhiza with coniferous trees, settling mainly on their northern side. The exception is oak camelina, which lives in mycorrhiza with broad-leaved species. Milkweeds settle in large families, located on the north side of the tree.
Camelina is a sun mushroom. It settles in well-lit places - on hills, in clearings, in clearings and along roadsides. Colonies of this variety grow on sandy, moderately moist soils. Dry or too wet soil is not desirable. Milkers can form 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 last until November, until the start of frost. It is autumn specimens that have denser flesh that are suitable for salting and pickling.
The microelemental composition of these mushrooms is striking in its richness. A large amount of valuable protein makes them similar to meat products, and in terms of the variety of minerals and vitamins they can be classified as vegetables.
In addition to beta-carotene, which gives the mushroom an elegant hue, its pulp contains vitamins C, B1, B9, B12. Of the chemical elements, the most valuable are the following (approximate content per specimen):
- 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 function.To ensure that this chitinous polysaccharide does not harm the gastrointestinal tract, it is worth grinding the milkweed before cooking. Mushroom caviar or paste will bring maximum benefits and are easily absorbed by the body.
The mushroom is a unique source of an antibacterial substance - lactriviolin. This is a strong natural antibiotic that successfully fights a number of pathogenic bacteria, including Koch's bacillus. Many pharmaceutical organizations process camelina industrially to obtain lactriviolin in its pure form.
When collecting all varieties of saffron milk caps, you should pay attention to young mushrooms. They are usually clean, not susceptible to rot and attack by fungal worms. Old saffron milk caps quickly become rotten and wormy.
Description of the stem of the camelina mushroom
The saffron milk cap has a leg from 3 to 7 cm long, hollow in the middle. Its surface is smooth, slightly pubescent and covered with small cells, painted the same color as the cap or a little brighter. The pulp is brittle, greenish when broken, due to reaction with oxygen. The leg is narrower at the top and slightly wider at the bottom. Its diameter can reach up to 2.5 cm.
Description of the cap of the saffron milk cap
The cap of the saffron milk cap can reach 17 cm in diameter. In a young specimen it is hemispherical or flattened, later it becomes convex or convex-spread, with the edges turned down. With age, a funnel-shaped depression or small tubercle appears in the center of the cap, and its edges become straight. The surface is smooth or slightly pubescent. It is usually dry, but with high humidity it becomes a little slimy. An important distinguishing feature of saffron milk cap is its unique surface color. It is characterized by alternating light and dark concentric circles.
The mushroom has dense flesh that easily oxidizes when damaged. It has increased fragility due to the content of a large number of vesicular cells. Special milky hyphae contain milky juice, which appears when the pulp is broken. It has a thick or watery consistency and a tart or sweet taste.
The pulp perfectly absorbs all the forest aromas that surrounded the mushroom during its development. 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. A raw mushroom may taste bitter, tart, astringent or sweetish.
What types of saffron milk caps are there?
Numerous variations of the milkweed differ somewhat in nutritional value and appearance. Below are several photos of varieties of saffron mushroom with descriptions.
The saffron milk caps are real
Pine mushrooms, or real ones, are the most valuable. They grow in pine forests, are very beautiful in appearance, have the ideal shape of an edible mushroom and a bright color - all shades of orange and red. As they age, lacticifers turn green. The young mushroom has a glossy cap, slightly rounded, and evenly colored. This variety has a long harvest period - until the onset of November frosts.
Spruce saffron milk cap
This saffron milk cap has a darker color, but fades over time. It is smaller - the diameter of its cap does not exceed 8 cm. Over time, a rather deep funnel is formed on the cap, the edges remain straight. The pulp is highly susceptible to oxidation. The circles on the cap are slightly pronounced. Spruce usually has a slightly bitter taste.
Red saffron milk cap
Red camelina also lives in coniferous forests.This dry mushroom is distinguished by the absence of milky juice on the fracture 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 and highly brittle.
Japanese camelina, fir
Japanese camelina grows in the south of Primorsky Krai, in the forests of Japan. It lives in mixed forests, forming mycorrhizae with fir. The active collection period is 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 curled edges, and in adults it is funnel-shaped. The upper skin has a light brown tint. The hymenophore plates are pinkish-orange. The leg reaches 7 cm in length. The pulp of the mushroom is light, red-orange, oxidizing in air. The mushroom does not have a pronounced taste.
Oak milk cap or oak milk mushroom
Oak camelina is found in deciduous forests in the European part of Russia, as well as in Finland, France, and Great Britain. It belongs to the conditionally edible mushrooms and grows in oak groves. This species is collected from early July to mid-September.
The mushroom has a flat, irregular red-orange cap with dark, concentric rings. With age, it acquires a funnel-shaped depression in the center. The leg is brighter, thickening towards the bottom, reaching a height of 7 cm. The white flesh becomes pink over time. When cut, a bitter white juice is released. The mushroom needs to be soaked before cooking.
Camelina wine, or wine-red
It is a variety of red camelina and has a dry, glossy cap of a wine-red hue, decorated with rings. Its hymenophore plates are narrow and darken over time.The pulp is white at the break, at the skin it changes color to dark, and oxidation occurs in air with a change in color. When broken, dark red juice is released. The leg of this species is up to 3 cm thick, reaches 6 cm in height, and has an orange-pink hue with red pustules.
Finnish saffron milk cap, turning blue
Finnish camelina is found in mixed forests in Karelia and northern Russia. It grows next to older spruce trees.
The mushroom has a cap up to 8 cm in diameter, brightly colored olive in the center 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 mushroom stalk reaches 11 cm in length and thickens at the base.
How to identify saffron milk caps
You need to know what saffron milk cap looks like in order to be able to distinguish it from similar mushrooms. Look-alikes can be conditionally edible, inedible or poisonous specimens.
Differences from the pink wave
Volnushka is a conditionally edible mushroom. She settles in birch groves and has a symbiotic relationship with old birch trees. Unlike the saffron milk cap, it has a soft pink cap with rounded, fringed edges. Its flesh is dense, white, does not darken when broken, and produces a light milky juice with a bitter taste.
Differences from inedible milk mushrooms
The inedible milk mushroom, or amber milkweed, has a white stem that is solid when cut. His hat is pinkish-brown and has no circles. The hymenophore plates are light. The yellow pulp does not change color when exposed to air. This specimen has an unpleasant odor and bitter taste.Its milky juice is watery, bitter in taste and also does not oxidize.
Differences from chanterelle
Chanterelle is an excellent edible mushroom, similar in nutritional value to saffron milk cap. Mushrooms can be confused, although the differences between the two species are quite significant. The shape of the chanterelle's cap is distinctly funnel-shaped, and there are no concentric rings on it. The cap smoothly turns into the leg, while the saffron milk cap has a clear boundary between the cap and the leg.
Differences from the pale grebe
A very dangerous poisonous mushroom has some similarities with saffron milk cap. The main difference is the presence of a thin pale leg with a characteristic skirt. The cap is also pale and has rounded edges. There are no concentric circles on it.
Conclusion
Photos and descriptions of the camelina mushroom indicate the diversity of representatives of this species and the wide area of its growth. Red royal mushrooms can be found in any forest. However, you should not buy them secondhand; 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 in the basket are clean and will bring nothing but good.
