In the autumn period, the question of mushroom picking is always relevant. Not all people are well versed in certain varieties. In our article we want to talk about the common lactarius. What kind of mushroom is it, how does it look and is it edible?
What is the name of the fungus related to?
Common Miller is a conditionally edible fungus that belongs to the russula family. It got its name due to the fact that in its pulp there are ducts with milky juice. As soon as the fruiting body is slightly damaged, the juice begins to flow out. Very old specimens in dry years may not contain milky fluid.
Miller ordinary: photo and description
Millers are lamellar mushrooms of the russula family. In the radius, the mushroom cap can be from 4 to 11 centimeters. Its surface always shines, even in sunny but dry weather. Circles are visible on top of it. With the age of the mushroom, the color of the cap changes. If young representatives have a dark gray color and a convex shape of a hat, then the old ones acquire a lilac or brown color, and subsequently - yellow and rusty. The hat gradually becomes flatter and even depressed. Its surface is quite dense, and sometimes there are even pits on it. The edges of the cap can have a wavy or curved shape, and often even wrap inward.
The height of the legs reaches 8-10 centimeters. It can be painted gray or red. The shape of the legs is cylindrical. But inside it is empty. The common miller has an incredibly brittle, but dense pulp. She crumbles easily. This is due to the fact that in its composition there are practically no fibers. The pulp inside the mushroom is white, but at the surface it is colored brown. Milky juice makes her bitter. Upon contact with air, the milky fluid turns yellow.
Most of the milkers were recognized by experts as inedible due to too caustic juice. However, it is incredibly difficult to distinguish between fungal species, since they are very similar. Even experienced mushroom pickers do not always cope with this task. Therefore, novice mushroom pickers do not need to take them to the basket. There are no doubles in the milkers.
In the people such mushrooms are called differently: alder women, smoothies, hollows, gray breasts, yellow hollows.
Where do the milkmen grow
The first ordinary milkmen appear in the second half of July. You can collect them until the end of September. Mushrooms grow actively, of course, in wet rainy weather. They prefer humid places, and therefore grow in lowlands in mixed, coniferous and deciduous forests. As a rule, they are collected under birch trees or conifers. Mushrooms hide in moss or in tall grass. Insects do not touch the milkers. Mushrooms also grow along the banks of ponds and swamps. But hot regions do not like mushrooms, preferring more moderate latitudes. Therefore, they are found in the forests of European countries, in the central and middle regions of Russia, in the Urals, in Western Siberia and even in the Far East.
The common lactarius mushroom (photo and description are given in the article) has many types. However, as already mentioned, outwardly it is difficult to distinguish between them. Therefore, it is worthwhile to dwell on some varieties in more detail.
Hot Milk Mushroom
The milky milky milky is a conditionally edible species. It is very rare in our forests. As a rule, it grows on clay lands. It can also grow in well-lit forests among shrubs. Mostly mushrooms grow individually and only occasionally in groups. You can meet them from early August to early October. The mushroom has a small hat, the diameter of which is approximately six centimeters. It is smooth to the touch and slightly concave in the center. On top, it is painted in gray-beige color. The mushroom contains a very caustic milky juice, which does not change color when in contact with air. The mushroom leg is painted in the same color as the hat. This kind of lactarius belongs to the third category. Such mushrooms can only be salted, and they must first be boiled or soaked.
Camphor camphor
Another kind of common lactarius (photo is given in the article) is camphor lactic. To meet such a mushroom in our forests can also be infrequent. Alone they do not grow, but gather in groups. They grow from late July to early October. The yield of mushrooms is completely independent of weather conditions. They grow in moist places in any forests.
Camphor lactarius has a convex tubercle cap. In old mushrooms, it becomes funnel-shaped. The edges of the cap are uneven, with a characteristic undulation. The color of the mushroom can be brown and reach a red-orange hue. And in the center of the hat there is a dark purple area.
Sticky milky
Sticky Miller - conditionally edible, according to some experts, and inedible, according to others. The size of his hat is average, about five centimeters. In young mushrooms, it has a convex shape, and in old ones, on the contrary, it is concave. The hats are painted gray and have an olive tint, but brown specimens are also found. Most often, this type of milkers can be found in deciduous forests or between spruce and pine trees in the middle of summer.
Milky pink gray
The people call this type of lactic in a variety of ways - an inedible lactarius, an amber lactic, a pink-gray lump, etc. The gray-pink lactic is considered an inedible mushroom.
His hat has a gray-pink color, which is why he got his name. In diameter, it can reach from 8 to 15 centimeters. The hat has a rounded shape. Its central part may have a tubercle or a hollow. In young mushrooms, the edges of the cap are neat and bent inward. With age, the edges begin to unfold. In general, the color of this variety of fungus is very difficult to describe. There are brown gray and pink shades. The surface of the hat is dry and velvety.
The mushroom pulp is thick and brittle. It has a very intense aroma and a burning taste. Milky juice has a watery appearance and is allocated in small quantities. Adult mushrooms may not contain juice at all. Thick and short legs of the mushroom, as a rule, do not exceed 5-8 centimeters in height. In cases where the lactarius is gray-pink (photo and description are given in the article) grows in mosses, the height of the legs can be much larger.
Where the inedible breast grows
Milky gray-pink - a mushroom that grows in swamps. It can be found among pines and birches, in mosses. It grows from August to September. With the onset of favorable conditions, there can be a lot of mushrooms.
Such a mushroom in Russia is often referred to as conditionally edible. But in foreign literature it is defined as slightly poisonous. And in our country such mushrooms are often considered inedible. It should be noted that this species can be attributed to low value. Therefore, it makes sense to collect a lactarius in the complete absence of commercial varieties. Mushrooms have a very strong specific smell, which usually discourages mushroom pickers.
Related species
The inedible load has related species that grow in different regions. One of them is a zoneless lactifer, which is common in Eurasia. Such a mushroom is found in deciduous forests. It can grow both in groups and alone. They appear from July to September, but in lean years they may not grow at all.
Zoneless miller belongs to edible mushrooms. It is great for pickling and pickling. For cooking, it is recommended to collect only young mushrooms.
Another related species is a lump of oak, or zonal. It is ubiquitous, prefers broad-leaved forests with birch, beech and oak. The oak loaf is conditionally edible, therefore, before cooking it needs to be soaked to remove unnecessary bitterness.
Edible milkers
As we have already mentioned, the common lactarius mushroom has a lot of similar varieties. Earlier, we listed some types of edible and conditionally edible species. They also include the lilac lilac, pungent, fragrant, faded, white, brownish.
Among the milkmen there are also poisonous representatives that are incredibly dangerous to humans. Such mushrooms should never be put in your basket. When collecting milkers, you need to be very careful not to take a poisonous mushroom. And for this it is necessary to have an idea of what inedible species look like.
Thyroid
The thyroid milky is a poisonous species. The mushroom cap reaches five centimeters in diameter. In a young state, it has curved edges, which subsequently gradually open. The surface of the cap is covered with a lot of mucus. The hat is painted yellow with a brownish or rusty tint. When pressed, its color changes to gray or brown. The thyroid miller, like other varieties, has milky juice, which first flows white, and then turns blue.
Other types of poisonous milky
Milky gray also belongs to poisonous varieties. Its name vividly characterizes its feature. The mushroom hat is small, in diameter reaches no more than three centimeters, it is painted in gray. Mushrooms prefer to grow under alder trees.
Among other poisonous forms, one can distinguish a pink, dark brown, pale gummy, brown, lilac, bitter, wet, watery-milky milky, prickly.
The harm and benefits of the lactic
The common lactarius fungus (photo is given in the article) contains valuable amino acids - leucine, glutamine, tyrosine and arginine. In addition, the pulp contains fatty acids: stearic, butyric, palmitic and acetic. Mushrooms are rich in essential oils, phosphatides and lipoids. Common Milkweed (Smooth) contains fiber and glycogen, but there is no starch in it. No less interesting is the set of trace elements of fungi: Ca, K, P, J, Cu, Zn, As. Surprisingly, in some varieties, an antibiotic called lactarioviolin was found that is effective in fighting tuberculosis.
Other varieties of milkers have a positive effect, for example, with gallstone disease, purulent and acute conjunctivitis. And some contain an antibacterial substance that is effective in combating Staphylococcus aureus.
The common miller is an excellent mushroom for pickling and pickling. During such processing, a fermentation process takes place in it, due to which a characteristic sour taste appears, which is very much appreciated in Russian pickles. Miller is a rather fleshy mushroom, so it can be used after boiling to prepare other dishes.
Most of the bitterness present in the mushrooms disappears during heat treatment, so carefully fried lactic can also be eaten. When finished, the smoothies will have a characteristic slightly bitter taste, as if seasoned with black pepper. Northern peoples have long been respected by the milky people, using them in cooking. The natural bitterness of mushrooms scares away pests from them. For this reason, smoothies are least affected by all kinds of worms and insects. In Finland, for example, from time immemorial, there is a recipe for the preparation of milkers on the grill or bonfire.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to cook smoothies with extreme caution, since these are conditionally edible mushrooms. Pre-soak the mushrooms. This is done in order to neutralize the bitterness of milk juice, which can cause people to have an eating disorder, diarrhea and vomiting.
