Ginger (spruce, pine, etc.) belongs to the kingdom of mushrooms, the diversity of which amounts to hundreds of thousands of specimens and is estimated by mycologists in 1.5 million species. At the same time, there are very few large and prominent representatives of the person. They make up only a small part of the total.
With its high taste, unrivaled aroma and widespread, camelina is used in cooking. Many connoisseurs of mushrooms put it on a par with mushrooms and champignons. Red spruce and pine, prepared by dry ambassador, have long been known in Russia. They were always served at the royal table.
This valuable edible mushroom has no toxic analogues, such as, for example, honey agaric or white. Collecting saffron mushrooms is quick and easy. The only gifts of the forest with which they can be confused are less tasty thrills. Currently, several species of these mushrooms are known, which differ in environmental characteristics, a little appearance. We draw your attention to the most common instances.
Salmon
As a rule, mushrooms mushrooms - spruce inhabitants. However, this species is found in mixed forests, on soils rich in calcium. It is considered edible and suitable for food after soaking and salting. Harvest time is autumn. Salmon saffron has a hat with a slightly indented center and a dry surface. The color, as the name implies, is pink. On the surface, there are sometimes weakly expressed concentric circles.
Located on the lower side of the plate are down-flowing, salmon-colored, they turn red when touched. The hat is most often elongated oval in shape. Dimensions in length - 5-8 centimeters, in width - 5-6 cm. The leg is painted in the tone of a hat, there are often spots on a smooth surface. In our latitudes, the mushroom does not occur. It is common in Europe and in appearance strongly resembles a spruce mushroom.
Japanese saffron (fir)
A species that grows in Japan and in the south of Primorsky Krai. The season begins in September and October. As the name implies, it can be found in forests formed by whole-leaf fir. The cap of the mushroom is large - from 6 to 8 cm in diameter with a depressed center and bent edges. As it grows, it acquires a funnel shape. Color - light terracotta, pinkish ocher with concentric circles. The plates are brighter, iridescent. The pulp is fresh in taste compared to other species. On a break, as a rule, does not turn green. Milky juice has a blood red tint.
Red saffron
Red saffron is not the most common species. It occurs in coniferous (pine, spruce) plantings. Grows in small groups (clearings) under young trees. The season begins in the summer and lasts all fall, right up to frost. A heavy crop requires rains. The large hat (5-15 cm in diameter) is dry, initially it has a hemispherical shape. As it grows, a depression appears in the middle. Color is orange-red or with a reddish tint. The plates on the bottom surface of the cap are grown or slightly down-running. From touch, they change color from yellow-orange to green.
Like spruce rye, this species is distinguished by brittle and brittle pulp of a dense structure. It has a whitish color with randomly arranged red spots. At the break, a blood-red thick milky juice is secreted. The leg is strong, 4-6 cm high, cylindrical with a powdery coating and pronounced dimples. The spores are white. Red saffron can be confused with the present. The main difference is the presence of pronounced concentric circles on the hat and the absence of bright milky juice. A valuable antibiotic, lactarioviolin, is prepared from both species, which inhibits the activity of many bacteria, including the causative agent of such a dangerous disease as tuberculosis.
Ginger real
It will be difficult even to inexperienced mushroom picker to mix spruce and spruce. His name alone suggests that he has all the best. It has an incomparable mushroom aroma, a bright color and a beautiful funnel-shaped hat shape, reminiscent of the top of the breasts. The camelina is found in mixed and coniferous forests, usually under pine trees. It can be difficult to spot it. It grows under a cover of grass, often buried in moss. The season begins in late summer and continues through the fall.
The hat has a concave shape with tucked edges. Its surface is orange-brown with clearly defined concentric circles, in diameter grows from 4 to 18 cm. The leg is short, dense, with bright spots. Its height is 3-7 cm, the circumference is 1.5-2 cm. The dense yellow-orange flesh turns green at the break and releases an abundant, thick, milky orange juice with a characteristic sweet-fruity aroma.
Fir saffron
Very common in our forests is spruce mushroom, a photo of which you see below. It grows in conifers, usually in spruce forests, whence its second name - spruce. The season begins from the end of summer and lasts until frost. In hot summers, the number of mushrooms is small. Like other mushrooms, he prefers cooler weather and an abundance of rainfall. The mushroom has a small hat with a diameter of 2-8 cm. At first it is characterized by a convex shape, and then, as it grows, it becomes flat-concave with the edges down. The structure is quite fragile, there is no omission. The peel on the hat is smooth, in wet weather it has a characteristic mucus. Its color is orange with pronounced concentric circles. If damaged and with age, the color changes to greenish.
Leg - 3-7 cm cylindrical. As it grows, a cavity appears inside. The pulp is orange, with a pleasant taste and a faint aroma. The mushroom can be confused with a camelina real or pink thrush. The latter is conditionally edible and has low nutritional value. When a camelina is damaged, the spruce green color always acquires, as during the preparation process. And this is one of the hallmarks.
Saffron or pine
Regarding the existence of this species, there are various opinions of nerds. The former declare its independence, and the latter is considered a species. However, in nutritional value and taste, it is not much different from spruce or real saffron milk cap. The mushroom grows exclusively in pine forests (pine forests), whence, in fact, its second name.
It forms a symbiosis with already mature pines. It occurs, as a rule, singly, and not in groups. Dimensions are similar to the previous view. The hat is painted in a bright orange color. With age, a recess appears in the center, the edges are bent, downy. Concentric circles are present, but they are wider and not as even along the edges as in a spruce mushroom.
What is the difference between spruce mushrooms and pine?
Firstly, the habitat. Both of them grow in conifers. But the pine saffron is localized only in the burs, as it forms a symbiosis with the tree. It is not so easy to notice. It is as if hiding in the grass. Prefers sandy soil. Spruce camelina is more in sight.
Secondly, they vary in appearance. Concentric circles on the cap of a pine saffron mushroom are larger and blurry, the surface is pubescent. While his spruce counterpart has mucus (especially in wet weather) and the flesh is more brittle. Pine camelina is strong, dense, does not turn green so fast. Thirdly, the taste qualities of mushrooms also differ. Ginger from pine forest is more fragrant and tasty, so it is often called delicious. True, it is more difficult to find, since the mushroom most often grows singly, and not in groups.
Cooking methods
Agree, in the name "saffron" a lot of warmth and even affection. Beautiful and fragrant mushroom has become extremely popular in our country. We have listed the main species above, but, as a rule, pine saffron and spruce most often fall into our baskets. How to cook them, every mushroom picker should know. In the preparation go mushrooms of all stripes and sizes. However, those whose hat is slightly smaller in diameter than the neck of the bottle are considered a real delicacy. The main cooking methods are as follows.
- salting (dry and cold);
- fermentation;
- pickling;
- frying and cooking.
Let us dwell in more detail on the traditional methods of salting mushrooms, which have been known since ancient times.
Cold ambassador
Before the salting process, the mushrooms should be sorted out and cleaned of debris, rinsed under running water. Do this as quickly as possible so that the mushrooms do not have time to absorb too much moisture. Then cut off too long or damaged legs. In pre-cooked dishes (ceramic or glass), put the mushrooms in dense layers with the hat down. Pour each row carefully with salt (consumption of 40-60 g per kilogram of fresh mushrooms).
When the process is complete, put a wooden circle over a saffron mushroom wrapped in a clean rag. Its diameter should correspond to the size of the container. Put oppression (load) on top. After a couple of days, the mushrooms will give juice, and the air remaining between the layers will come out, condensing them more strongly. Mushrooms salted in this way can be eaten after 30-40 days.
