How to properly clean and prepare red saffron milk cap mushrooms after harvesting (+21 photos)?

One of the most nutritious, easily digestible, and aromatic mushrooms, the saffron milk cap is a favorite and sought-after addition to any table. It's especially delicious when collected by hand after a long search through the forest thickets.

Saffron milk cap mushrooms can be prepared both hot and cold – fried, stewed, made into soup, fermented, baked, salted, or pickled. The choice of cooking method depends on the quantity and preference, as saffron milk caps are a versatile mushroom.

Features of the species and useful properties

The saffron milk cap, a member of the genus Lactarius in the family Russulaceae, is a lamellar edible mushroom of the first category. It is named for its characteristic copper-red color with orange hues. It has a flat, depressed cap (15 cm) with concentric grooves. The stem is cylindrical and hollow. When broken, it releases an orange-reddish milky juice.

It contains large amounts of beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, and natural forms of B vitamins, as well as saccharides, fiber, and ash, as well as mineral salts of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron, which are very beneficial for human health. Lactaryoviolin, a natural antibiotic, allows it to be used as a therapeutic agent against bacterial diseases.

What to do with saffron milk caps after harvesting

Saffron milk caps are very susceptible to worms, so successful delivery to the place of preparation largely depends on proper harvesting and packaging. After harvesting, each specimen requires careful inspection and breaking apart. Wormy mushrooms or their parts must be discarded.

The container should not be very large; it is better to place paper or a clean cloth between each layer of saffron milk caps to avoid mechanical damage.

Processing rules

After harvesting, the first thing to do is properly process the collected mushrooms. Experienced experts advise not to delay this task, otherwise you could lose your entire forest harvest. You can clean mushrooms either at home or right in the forest.

Proper processing includes:

• sorting, with removal of rotten and damaged parts;
• cleaning off stuck soil, leaves, blades of grass and moss;
• cutting off hardened areas of the legs;
• placing mushrooms in a closed glass, wooden, enamel or plastic container.

How to store

Saffron milk caps don't keep fresh for long and are difficult to transport. They begin to spoil within 3-4 hours of picking at room temperature. If exposed to direct sunlight, this period is even shorter. In the refrigerator, the spoilage process can be slowed down by up to 24 hours if you make sure to perform the initial processing of the mushrooms without using water.

In the future, only those mushrooms that retain firm and firm flesh should be used for food.

Popular and delicious dishes made from saffron milk caps

Saffron milk caps are often used in home and restaurant cooking, both as an everyday and festive dish. Their attractive appearance, strong and pleasant aroma, delicate and unique flavor, and nutritional value make a variety of saffron milk cap dishes always desirable and beloved.

Fried

Lacking bitterness, these mushrooms don't require pre-boiling, but it's acceptable (up to 20 minutes in salted water). How exactly to fry is a matter of taste.

In sunflower or butter, in a frying pan or in a slow cooker, with vegetables, onions, other mushrooms, meat, in sour cream or cream, in batter or crust—they're delicious in any form. The frying process takes about 20-25 minutes.

Stewed

Saffron milk caps acquire a softer flavor and a more intense aroma when stewed. They can be cooked alone or with sour cream, meat, potatoes, vegetables, various grains, hard cheese, or boiled eggs. They prefer a minimum of spices. You can pre-boil them, or you can skip the process.

Soups

Saffron milk cap soup is healthy, delicious, and beautiful. How long to cook it, so the mushrooms impart their flavor to the liquid and prevent them from turning into a formless mess, depends on the type of soup you choose:

• transparent;
• broth;
• cream soup made from fresh, frozen, dried, pickled or salted saffron milk caps;
• with the addition of cream or processed cheese;
• with potatoes;
• with chicken breast or noodles;
• milk or with eggs;
• parsley and garlic.

On average, mushrooms cook for 20 minutes, with the rest of the time taken up by preparing additional ingredients.

Salads

Salads with any type of saffron milk cap look especially festive. These small orange marinated mushrooms, whether boiled fresh, fried, or salted, are perfect in vegetable, meat, and cheese salads, as well as in a unique "fur coat" with eggs and mayonnaise.

Easy to prepare, these salads are refreshing, fill you up quickly, don't leave you feeling heavy, and retain a pleasant aftertaste for a long time.

Preparations for the winter

The warm, harvest season quickly passes, but you can extend the use of your favorite mushrooms into the winter by taking care of your mushroom preserves.

Freeze or dry, marinate or ferment, pickle or fry – saffron milk caps are good in any form.

Frozen

Freezing preserves the fresh taste and aroma and allows you to later get creative with various mushroom dishes. But to prevent mushrooms from clumping together and losing their attractive appearance, they should be frozen unwashed but cleaned. Freeze them first in a single layer, and only then, when firm, place them in containers.

Salty

Salting can be done under or without pressure, using the cold, hot, or dry method. Small mushrooms are left whole, while larger ones are cut into pieces. When using the dry method, the cleaned and processed (but not washed) mushrooms are placed in layers, caps down, in a container at the rate of 5 tablespoons of coarse salt and 4 sprigs of finely chopped dill per 4 kg of mushrooms.

For a hot pot, in addition to the saffron milk caps (2 kg), you'll need a head of garlic, dill umbels, parsley, aromatic leaves (currant, horseradish, cherry), and 3 tablespoons of salt. The mushrooms are first boiled for about 20 minutes, dried, and placed layer by layer on the leaves, sprinkled with salt, garlic, and parsley, under pressure.

Pickled

It only takes 5 days to get delicious pickled saffron milk caps. For 2 kg of cleaned mushrooms, you'll need:

• 4 glasses of water;
• 2 tablespoons of salt;
• 1 tablespoon of sugar;
• 5 tablespoons of 30% vinegar;
• 3 medium bay leaves;
• 5-10 pieces of allspice and peppercorns.

Boil the mushrooms for 15 minutes in clean water, pour in the marinade and boil for 7 minutes, then add vinegar at the end.

Transfer to jars, which should be rolled up or sealed with nylon lids. You can replace the vinegar with half a teaspoon of citric acid, and add garlic, cumin, coriander, or mustard to the marinade.

Pickled

You can prepare pickled saffron milk caps for the entire winter, which are beautiful in appearance and have a rich flavor. For this recipe, use horseradish root, a glass of whey, water, 170 g of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 10 cloves of garlic, currant leaves, and dill seeds per 5 kg of mushrooms.

The raw fruiting bodies are placed in containers in layers, mixed with the other ingredients, then covered with whey and boiled water, and pressed down. Cabbage can also be fermented.

Dried

Dried fruits retain all their beneficial properties if the process is done correctly. The key is not to wash them beforehand, but to clean them thoroughly and cut them into pieces.

Dry in a thin layer in the oven, in bundles in the air, or in suitable drying devices. Under-dried fruits will be sticky, while over-dried ones will be brittle and brittle. When drying in open spaces, 5-7 days is sufficient.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Even the most experienced mushroom pickers still have questions about storing and preparing mushrooms. The most common ones are listed below.

The king of mushrooms, with their cheerful, sunny coloring, is delicious in any form of preparation; it's pleasing to the eye, dazzling in flavor, and captivating in aroma. A peaceful, healthy mushroom hunt in the summer and fall can provide any family with a variety of delicious, healthy, and nutritious dishes for the entire winter.