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To process saffron milk caps after collection, they need to be sorted, dirt removed, soaked in cold water for half an hour and allowed to drain. After this, the mushrooms can be cooked immediately or sent for pickling. If you plan to dry or freeze saffron milk caps, you do not need to wash them - remove the soil and debris with a brush, sponge or napkin.
What to do with saffron mushrooms after harvesting
Primary processing can be carried out in the forest. To do this, spoiled areas are cut off from the fruiting bodies, dirt is removed, and remnants of grass and leaves are removed. It is useful to immediately cut off the tips of the legs, which are always stained with soil.
After collection, processing of saffron milk caps is carried out at home:
- The brought mushrooms are laid out and sorted.
- Remove rotten, wormy, too old saffron milk caps.
- All rejected mushrooms are thrown away, normal mushrooms are put together.
- Healthy saffron milk caps can be divided by size immediately after collection - small and large.
- Then they are processed in the chosen method, depending on further plans (cook immediately or pickle, dry, freeze).
How to process saffron mushrooms
The choice of method depends on what needs to be done with the saffron milk caps in the future. In some cases, the mushrooms are thoroughly washed, while in others they can simply be cleaned with a damp cloth.
For cooking
It is not necessary to soak mushrooms after picking. But if you want to completely remove even slight bitterness, you can pour cold water over the saffron milk caps immediately after cleaning for literally 1.5 hours. You should not do this all night, because the pulp may begin to sour. In addition, the mushrooms will lose their pleasant forest aroma.
Processing saffron milk caps before cooking is generally quite simple:
- They are cleared of soil and debris.
- Place in a container and fill with cold water for half an hour.
- Remove the liquid and rinse under the tap.
- Place in a colander and wait until all the liquid has drained.
- After this, the mushrooms can be cooked immediately or sent for pickles.
You can also process mushrooms after harvesting under pressure. Detailed instructions can be seen here.
For freezing
In this case, the fruiting bodies are not washed. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The caps are separated from the legs and placed in different containers.
- The outside of the hats can be wiped with any damp cloth. This could be a clean dishcloth, sponge or toothbrush.
- The ends of the legs are cut off and laid parallel to each other on a tray. Sprinkle them on top with a small amount of fine salt.
- Place the caps and stems in different plastic bags and place them in the freezer (it is enough for them to sit for 3-4 hours at the minimum temperature).
- Then take out and squeeze out all the air from the bags. They are put back into them and sent back to the freezer for storage.
For pickling
There are 2 methods of processing saffron mushrooms for further pickling - cold and hot. In the first case, they act like this:
- The mushrooms, cleared of contaminants, are thoroughly washed and the water is drained.
- Lay out on a clean towel to dry a little.
- Select a container (not metal), place the saffron milk caps and add water so that it completely covers the mushrooms.
- Add salt at the rate of 2-3 tablespoons (50-60 g) per 1 kg of saffron milk caps, stir and leave for 5-6 hours.
- Rinse again under running water, lay out on a towel and begin salting.
The hot processing method after collection involves boiling. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- The fruiting bodies are placed in a saucepan, poured with cold water so that it completely covers them, and a few pinches of salt are added.
- Wash thoroughly with your hands, sorting through the fruiting bodies so that the sand completely comes out and settles at the bottom.
- Rinse under the tap, removing any remaining grains of sand.
- Take an enamel pan, pour in 2 liters of water, and bring to a boil.
- Add 2 tablespoons of salt and a little citric acid (at the tip of a spoon).
- Place pre-washed mushrooms into boiling water and immediately turn off the stove.
- Cover the pan and allow the water to cool completely.
- Then they drain it and start salting.
For drying
The preparation is quite simple:
- Dirt and debris are removed manually; you can also help yourself with a brush. All actions are performed carefully so as not to break the pulp.
- Large mushrooms are cut into several parts, small ones are left as is. As a result, all pieces should be approximately the same size.
- After this, they immediately begin drying in the oven or in the sun.
Useful tips for processing saffron milk caps
Despite the fact that the methods for preparing saffron milk caps after collection differ from each other, there are general processing rules that are worth paying attention to:
- It is better to process saffron milk caps after harvesting in the forest - then not so much dirt will be brought home, and it will be easier to work with mushrooms.
- Processing should be carried out immediately after collection. Cut saffron milk caps quickly lose their elasticity, and most importantly, when warm, their forest aroma disappears.
- Saffron milk caps are considered fairly clean mushrooms, so processing them is not that difficult. But special attention should be paid to the plates and the surface of the caps - this is where the most dust accumulates.
- If the mushroom is wormy or rotten, throw it away completely without cutting off these parts.
- For pickling, it is better to use young saffron milk caps with beautiful, healthy fruiting bodies.
- After collection, large mushrooms and broken bodies are sent to prepare first and second courses. They can also be processed for further salting, drying and freezing (here appearance does not matter).
Conclusion
Processing mushrooms after collection is quite simple. They can be soaked briefly in salted water and then rinsed thoroughly to completely remove the grains of sand. Both an experienced and a novice housewife can cope with this task.
