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Gray-pink milkweed belongs to the Russula family, genus Milky. It has a fairly large number of other names: common milkweed, amber or roan, as well as gray-pink or inedible milk mushroom. The Latin name is lactarius helvus. Below is a photo and detailed description of the gray-pink milkweed.
Where does the gray-pink milky mushroom grow?
Active fruiting of this species occurs at the end of August and beginning of September under favorable conditions, but it occurs until the end of October until the first frost.The amber milky plant, the photo of which is presented below, grows everywhere and prefers a temperate climate. It forms mycorrhiza with coniferous trees, especially pine or spruce, and less often with deciduous trees, in particular birch. As a rule, it settles on acidified soil and is found in marshy areas and in mosses.
What does an amber milky look like?
In most cases, this species never grows alone
The gray-pink milkweed is presented in the form of a large cap and a thick stem. The size of the cap in diameter varies from 8 to 15 cm. At the initial stage of maturation, the cap is round in shape with curved edges downwards and gradually straightens. In the central part, depressions or, on the contrary, a tuberous outgrowth may form. As the fungus develops, it is possible that two signs will appear simultaneously.
Painted beige-gray with pink or brown tints. The surface of the cap is velvety and dry. On the lower side of the cap there are descending, medium-frequency and thick plates. At a young age they are milky in color, and over time they acquire darker shades that match the color scheme of the cap. Spore powder is yellow.
The pulp of the gray-pink milkweed is white, thick and brittle. It has a bitter taste and a pronounced spicy aroma. The milky juice secreted from the fruiting bodies is watery, scanty, and may be completely absent in old mushrooms.
The next photo clearly shows the rather stocky leg of the amber milkweed.
As a rule, the leg is straight, in rare cases it is slightly curved at the base
Its length can reach about 8 cm, and its thickness in diameter is 2 cm. It is painted in lighter colors than the cap.In young specimens it is solid and strong; in mature specimens, uneven cavities form inside. The surface is smooth without any additional growths.
Is the gray-pink milkweed edible or not?
The edibility of this species is a rather controversial issue. Thus, in foreign literature it is classified as a mildly poisonous mushroom, but the opinion of domestic experts is divided. Some attribute it to conditionally edible, others to inedible. As practice shows, due to the pungent taste and pungent aroma, not everyone dares to eat such a specimen.
It is worth noting that the gray-pink milkweed is edible. However, long soaking is required before use.
False doubles
The mushroom emits a strong aroma reminiscent of chicory
This species is quite difficult to confuse with other forest products due to its specific smell. However, inedible milk mushrooms are similar in appearance to some other varieties, photos of which are presented below:
- Oak milk mushroom - refers to conditionally edible. Most often found in deciduous forests. Similar in size and shape of fruiting bodies. A distinctive feature is the color of the cap, which varies from yellow to brick color with darker patterns.
- Gorkushka – belongs to the category of conditionally edible mushrooms, but long soaking is required before use. It differs from the species in question in the small size of its fruiting bodies. Thus, the double’s cap is no more than 12 cm in diameter. The bitter stem is noticeably thinner and longer, reaching about 10 cm.In addition, it is painted in a darker, reddish-brown tone.
- Milky zoneless – is a small-sized conditionally edible mushroom. Unlike the specimen in question, the double’s cap is flat, and its color varies from sand to dark brown with a grayish tint. The leg is cylindrical, the length of which ranges from 3 to 7 cm, and the thickness is 1 cm in diameter.
Collection rules
When going in search of gray-pink milkweed, a mushroom picker should know:
- You need to put the gifts of the forest with their caps down. Permitted sideways if the specimens have a too long stem.
- To extend the shelf life of mushrooms, it is advisable to use well-ventilated containers; wicker baskets are best suited for this.
- When removing the mushroom from the soil, you can twist it or rock it slightly.
How to prepare gray-pink milkweed
Before eating gray-pink lacticaria, like other relatives of this family, mushrooms must be pre-treated. It is as follows:
- After collection, it must be cleared of debris.
- Cut off the legs.
- Soak the gifts of the forest in water for at least a day.
- After this time, they are transferred to a pan and cooked for at least 15 minutes. Mushroom broth cannot be used for further use.
After completing the basic steps, inedible milk mushrooms can be fried, and they are especially tasty when salted with the addition of spices.
Conclusion
The gray-pink milkweed is quite widely known both in Russia and abroad. Despite this, not every mushroom picker is happy with such gifts of the forest due to the pungent odor and unpleasant bitter taste.However, this species has been assigned category 4 nutritional value, which means that it is edible, but only after long-term processing.
