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Milk mushrooms grow in approximately the same places, regardless of the region. If you know what soils mushrooms prefer and in what weather they appear, then collecting milk mushrooms will become much more successful.
How milk mushrooms grow
Edible milk mushrooms, or milk mushrooms, are highly respected by mushroom pickers - the fruiting bodies are especially good for pickling for the winter. However, not everyone succeeds in bringing a full basket of edible milkweeds from the forest; even at the height of the season, many return empty-handed. In order for the search to be successful, you need to know in which forests the milk mushrooms are found, what weather conditions they prefer, and take into account the growth time of the milk mushrooms.
You need to go mushroom hunting at a specific time and in certain places
In which forest do milk mushrooms grow?
The habitat of laticifers in Russian forests is very wide.First of all, you need to remember that they are divided into many varieties, and their preferences for places of growth may differ.
In general, milk mushrooms grow in both deciduous and coniferous forests. Most often you can find them in places such as birch and aspen groves, forests with a large number of poplars and beech trees. Mushrooms are found in clearing areas and on the sides of forest roads, depending on the type:
- The edible white milk mushroom usually chooses places near birch trees.
- The violin milker is especially fond of beeches.
- Aspen milkweeds grow en masse in places near poplars and aspens.
- The black type of milkweed is more often found in mixed and coniferous plantings.
Almost any laticifers choose deciduous and mixed forests for growth.
When looking for a place with abundant growth of laticifers, you need to take into account that these mushrooms, like most others, form a symbiosis with certain trees. The development of the mycelium requires some time; the process can take several years. Thus, the chances of collecting milk mushrooms in old forests are much higher; in places of young plantings they are extremely rare.
At what temperature do milk mushrooms grow?
Although the first mushrooms appear in mid-summer, the temperature requirements for milkweeds are more likely to be autumn ones. To start fruiting, it is necessary that the temperature above the ground be 8-10 degrees above zero.
That is why milk mushrooms grow best in the forest after rains. In such weather, the temperature at the soil surface drops to comfortable values. In addition, humidity increases; for milk mushrooms it should be quite high. Mushrooms grow mainly in moist soils, but are not found in open sunny places.
How long does it take for milk mushrooms to grow after rain?
Milk mushrooms grow quickly - the life cycle takes on average only about 2 weeks. If there is a comfortable temperature and humidity, usually after warm and not too heavy rain, the fruiting body begins to develop from the mycelium.
The growth of mushroom bodies takes an average of 2 weeks
In the first day, the milkweed grows only 3 mm above the soil surface, and in subsequent days it continues to slightly increase in growth. The fruiting bodies of this species cannot grow quickly; they are too dense and heavy. Typically, the growth of milk mushrooms takes 7-12 days, this is how much time you need to count after the rain before going on a search.
Where does milk mushroom grow?
To successfully collect a full basket of fruiting bodies, you need to inquire in advance in which areas milk mushrooms grow most actively. You also need to find out what places they prefer in the forest; even within the same grove, you can walk past mushrooms for a long time if you don’t know their preferences for specific places.
You need to look for mushroom bodies in the grass and under leaves
Where to look for milk mushrooms in the forest
Regardless of whether the mushroom grows in a birch forest or near aspen and poplar, it is usually located in close proximity to the trees. This allows you to maintain symbiosis, the mycelium and the roots of the tree exchange nutrients and moisture with each other. Therefore, it is pointless to look for fruiting bodies in the center of wide clearings, in ravines and other open places; they choose places closer to tree trunks.
Milk mushrooms prefer moderately moist soils.Most often they grow under a carpet of last year's fallen leaves, under a layer of fallen pine needles, or in tall grass. Often, milkweeds choose places near ferns and strawberries, so you need to look at such areas especially carefully. You can also collect growing milk mushrooms in mosses and on the outskirts of swamps, in clearings and roadsides near trees.
But in heavily swampy places, on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as in dark and dense bushes, fruiting bodies do not grow. Mushroom bodies do not like excess moisture and lack of light; they cannot grow in such conditions.
Any laticifers prefer moderately moist soils
Where do milk mushrooms grow in Russia?
On the territory of Russia, lacticifers in almost all varieties are found everywhere. These mushrooms are not rare; in particular, you can find them:
- in the middle zone and in the Moscow region;
- in the Urals;
- in Western and Eastern Siberia;
- in the southern and middle Volga region;
- in the northern regions and in the Kaliningrad region.
In places where they grow, mushroom bodies usually appear not individually, but in whole groups or families. Theoretically, they can be found in almost any birch or aspen forest or mixed plantings. But in different regions of Russia it is customary to identify specific places where milk mushrooms grow in increased quantities:
- In the Moscow region, fruiting bodies are most often found in the south and in the Kursk direction from the capital. According to reviews of mushroom pickers, good places for collecting fruiting bodies are the stations of Chekhov, Grivno, Chepelevo, Kolkhoznaya, Avangard; in the forests near these railway platforms you can successfully collect full baskets. An excellent mushroom route runs near the Lvovskaya station behind the village of Lagovskoye, where there is an extensive birch woodland.
- In Siberia, especially abundant harvests of milkweeds are found in Transbaikalia and near Chita. You can also go in search of mushrooms in the vicinity of Tyumen and Surgut, near Tobolsk, in the Altai Territory.
- In the Urals, milk mushrooms grow most actively in their usual places of fruiting in the Chelyabinsk region.
- In the middle zone, milk mushrooms are successfully collected in the Lower Volga region, in the Volga floodplain and in the Kirov region.
Each region has its own special places for collecting milkweeds
When does the mushroom season begin?
General rules recommend collecting milk mushrooms from mid-summer to late autumn. But there are also more specific dates indicating the fruiting season.
When do milk mushrooms leave, in what month?
The first fruiting bodies appear in the forests around the 20th of July. Especially often at this time you can find oak and aspen species in appropriate places.
However, mass fruiting of mushrooms begins closer to autumn; in August and September, fruiting bodies grow especially abundantly. It is during this period that most of Russia experiences optimal weather conditions with moderate temperatures and high humidity.
The best time to go mushroom picking is in August.
How to collect milk mushrooms correctly
In order to safely collect a lot of mature and tasty mushrooms, you need to have an idea of their varieties. Milky plants can be either edible or unsuitable for food consumption.
What milk mushrooms can be collected
First of all, during the milk mushroom season, mushroom pickers look for white or real milk mushrooms in the gathering places.This mushroom has the greatest culinary value and is suitable not only for pickling, but also for heat treatment.
The white milk mushroom is easily recognized by its wide cap with slight pubescence and a funnel-shaped depression in the middle. The cap of the mushroom is whitish or creamy-yellow, the stem is up to 10 cm high, and the flesh is white and yellowing at the break.
In addition to the white milk mushroom, there are other subspecies. Among them, the following are of particular value:
- black - the milk mushroom has an olive-brownish cap;
- violin - outwardly the mushroom is very similar to a white milk mushroom, but its juice at the break turns pink and does not turn yellow;
- aspen - whitish pubescent cap may be covered with pinkish spots;
- peppery — the cap of the fruiting body is smooth and matte white;
- yellow - the mushroom looks the same as the real one, but its hue is dark golden or brownish-yellow.
All of the listed types are suitable for pickling and other cooking methods. Any milkweed must first be soaked in order to remove as much bitter juice from the pulp as possible.
How to look for milk mushrooms correctly
When searching for laticifers in places where they grow, it is necessary to remember that the fruiting bodies are usually hidden in the grass or under a blanket of pine needles and fallen leaves. Therefore, it is easy to miss mushroom bodies literally under your feet; their caps often blend into the general forest background.
To find milk mushrooms in the forest, it is recommended to take a long stick with you. When walking through the forest in places where mushrooms can grow, you need to walk very slowly and carefully move the leaves and grass under your feet with a stick.
When looking for fruiting bodies, you need to look carefully in the grass
Cut or pick: collection rules
You also need to remove milk mushrooms from the ground according to the rules. You cannot forcefully pull mushrooms out of the soil, as this will damage the mycelium system, and the next year the fruits will no longer grow in the same place.
Experienced mushroom pickers recommend using a sharp knife to collect and carefully cutting off the stem flush with the ground. Another way is to take the fruiting body by the base and gently twist it in one direction or another to disconnect the stem from the mycelium with minimal damage to the latter.
Conclusion
Milk mushrooms grow in areas of deciduous and mixed plantings, mainly near birch and aspen trees. If you go after them in the right places and in the right weather, then the search will probably be crowned with success.
