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Saffron milk caps are collected in coniferous forests in late summer or early autumn. These mushrooms are known for their unique appearance and taste. Another feature of them is that they quickly deteriorate. Therefore, you need to know about ways to preserve saffron milk caps for the winter.
Features of storing saffron milk caps
There are 2 main storage methods. You can keep saffron milk caps fresh after harvesting. However, the shelf life is short. Another option is to make preparations for the winter.
First you need to clean the harvested crop from contaminants. The procedure must be carried out with caution, since saffron milk caps are very sensitive to mechanical stress and are easily damaged. Therefore, they must be collected, transported and washed very carefully.
You can use any container for storage. It is best to choose a low container, as it will be more convenient to remove mushrooms from it, and the likelihood of damage is reduced.
How to preserve saffron milk caps for a day
It is recommended to process the harvested crop immediately after returning from the forest.But if there is no opportunity to immediately start harvesting, you can save the saffron milk caps until the next morning.
To keep saffron milk caps fresh for a day, you do not need to rinse them first. All you have to do is clean it from dirt, then place it in a non-metallic container and cover with cling film. This prevents the absorption of foreign odors. The container is placed in the refrigerator. However, it is not recommended to place saffron milk caps in close proximity to herbs, onions, garlic or other products with a strong odor.
Another method of preservation involves heat treatment of saffron milk caps.
Cooking steps:
- Clean the saffron milk caps from dirt.
- Place them in a container (whole or crushed).
- Bring to a boil in salted water.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, adding a pinch of citric acid to the water.
- Drain the water through a colander and leave to drain.
After cooking, you can store saffron milk mushrooms in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. But it should be borne in mind that heat treatment affects the taste and can negatively affect it.
How to preserve saffron milk caps for the winter
It can be preserved for a long time only in the form of various preparations. There are a lot of canning recipes, so you can choose the most suitable way to preserve saffron milk caps for the winter.
The classic version involves cooking by frying. After heat treatment, the finished dish is rolled up in jars, and it is stored for many months.
For preparation you will need:
- saffron milk caps – 1 kg;
- vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt – 2 tsp.
The mushrooms are pre-washed and chopped to the size required for comfortable storage in a jar. After rinsing, be sure to let the liquid drain so that no water gets into the pan.
Cooking steps:
- Place the saffron milk caps on a dry, heated frying pan.
- You need to fry for 3-5 minutes, allowing the released liquid to evaporate.
- Then add vegetable oil and fry for 10 minutes.
- Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, add salt and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
The finished dish is placed in pre-prepared jars. There should be 2-3 cm left to the top. This space is filled with the oil remaining after frying. If there is not enough of it, you should heat an additional portion in a frying pan.
A proven method of sterilization is steam treatment.
Filled jars are covered with lids and left to cool. It is recommended to cover them with a blanket or cloth to prevent the heat from escaping too quickly. After cooling, the preservation can be moved to the basement or other place where it is convenient to store fried saffron milk caps for the winter.
An alternative option is stewing with tomato paste and vinegar. The recipe for such a snack is very popular, including because it allows you to preserve the original taste for a long time.
List of ingredients:
- saffron milk caps – 1 kg;
- tomato paste – 200 g;
- water – 1 glass;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf - 3 pieces;
- vegetable oil – 4 tbsp. l.;
- vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt – 1-1.5 tsp;
- black pepper – 3-5 peas.
First, the fruits are boiled in water for 10 minutes. Then the water is drained, and the saffron milk caps are placed in a frying pan with vegetable oil.
Cooking steps:
- Fry for 10 minutes.
- Add water mixed with tomato paste.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Salt, vinegar, sugar, pepper and bay leaf are added to the dish.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes, then pour into jars and close.
Another option involves salting. You need to wash the saffron milk caps and place them in a non-metallic container with the caps facing down. They are sprinkled with table salt in layers. You can place something heavy on top to compress them. Then more mushrooms will fit into the container.
Primary salting lasts 14 days at a temperature of 10-20 degrees. After this, the container is taken out to the cellar for a month and a half, where the temperature is up to 5 degrees. This method allows you to store saffron milk caps in the refrigerator or basement for up to 1 year. You can also see another recipe for pickled mushrooms for the winter
Freezing is considered a universal harvesting method. Any modern refrigerator is equipped with freezers, which are very convenient for storing mushrooms. The harvesting process is very simple. It is enough to place the pre-cleaned saffron milk caps on a tray. It is placed in the freezer for 10-12 hours, and then the frozen product is transferred to a bag or container. The date of preparation is indicated on the packaging.
You can also freeze boiled saffron milk caps. They are placed in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes. Readiness is indicated by the fact that the mushrooms settle to the bottom. Then they are removed from the water, cooled, placed in bags or containers and frozen.
If you need to save saffron milk caps until the next day, they should be placed in the refrigerator raw or boiled. However, if you need to preserve it for a long time, then drying is one of the solutions.
Small specimens can be harvested whole, while large ones are recommended to be chopped into several parts. Large and small mushrooms cannot be dried together, otherwise they will dry unevenly.
It is necessary to preheat the oven to 45-50 degrees. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet in a thin layer. When the saffron milk caps stop sticking, you can increase the temperature to 80 degrees. It is recommended not to close the oven door completely so that the fruits evaporate. Periodically, you need to turn the saffron milk caps so that they retain their natural color and do not burn.
Dry mushrooms are not fragile, but slightly elastic, which is noticeable when bent. If they stretch strongly, this indicates that it is not completely dried. The fact that the camelina is overdried is indicated by its fragility and hardness. Such a product will not last long and may soon become moldy.
How long are saffron milk caps stored?
The shelf life of mushrooms depends on numerous factors. The main ones among them are the methods of preparation and adherence to the recipe.
The best way to preserve saffron milk caps for the winter is preservation. This is due to the fact that this method preserves the taste. Methods such as pickling, drying and freezing make it possible to obtain long-lasting mushrooms.
They can be stored for up to 2-3 years, depending on climatic conditions. But the taste will be very different from fresh or canned saffron milk caps. Therefore, it is recommended to consume mushrooms fresh, and, if necessary, make preserved preparations.
Conclusion
After a successful trip to the forest, any mushroom picker has a question about how to preserve saffron milk caps for the winter.They can be kept fresh for no longer than 1 day, as they quickly begin to deteriorate. Therefore, it is recommended to make preserves from such mushrooms. They can also be salted, frozen or dried. These methods allow you to preserve the harvested crop for a long time at home.
