Common mushrooms that grow in forests from July to August are saffron milk caps. They have a characteristic color ranging from yellowish-orange to reddish. They have long been considered a valuable food product. They are often eaten by vegetarians due to their high protein and mineral content. There are various ways to prepare them. The most common recipes for how best to pickle saffron milk caps are presented below.
Preparing the mushrooms
Let's take a closer look at how to prepare specimens before cooking. Preparing saffron milk caps is an important stage. After all, they grow in the ground, and worms love them very much.
Cleaning saffron milk caps for pickling
Regardless of the cooking method, they need to be cleaned. Carry out the procedure with freshly collected specimens.
Cleaning:
- The first thing you need to pay attention to during collection is whether the specimen is edible. Real saffron milk caps exude orange juice when cut, while poisonous ones exude white juice. Still have to double check at home.
- Remove blades of grass, pieces of soil, moss and other contaminants from the stems and caps. Select wormy and spoiled ones.
- Divide large saffron milk caps into several parts. Small in size, cook whole.
Soaking mushrooms
Many people are concerned about the question of whether it is necessary to soak saffron milk caps, and how to do it correctly. Saffron milk caps are considered the most successful mushroom for preservation. After all, they are elastic and retain their shape perfectly.
The pulp is a little bitter, but this gives them a special piquancy. Many cooks do not soak saffron milk caps, but only rinse them before salting.
It all depends on the cooking method. If cooked dry, they do not need to be washed. Simply wipe with a damp cloth. In the usual way, rinse under running water. Next, cut off the damaged parts and cut into pieces.
Features of salting saffron milk caps so that they do not darken
Having a dense consistency and rich composition, saffron milk caps are perfectly prepared in different ways. Marinated ones can be used as an independent dish, you just need to season with vegetable oil and add onions. Stewed potatoes with the addition of saffron milk caps are also good, and so on. There are a lot of options and, in any case, this type of mushroom is at its best.
Many people love salted mushrooms, which are easy to prepare at home. A special feature of the product is that you can taste them a week after salting.
The product can be preserved by canning. During the processing process, an unpleasant problem is often discovered - saffron milk caps lose their original attractive appearance. They turn black. In most cases, this is observed during salting, boiling and soaking. Many people believe that the product is spoiled. These are the only representatives that contain thick, sweet-tasting, milky juice.
If saffron milk caps have darkened, this does not mean that they cannot be consumed. Perhaps some factors were not taken into account during cooking.
The most popular cooking method is salting. Specimens may darken both during processing and a few days after salting. If there is no unpleasant odor or mold, there is no need to worry.
Possible causes of darkening:
- The specimens were not completely covered with brine. Contact with air will cause the flesh of the mushrooms to darken; this is a completely safe phenomenon. If you don’t want to use them as an independent snack, you can make soup or fry them.
- Most likely, there were different types of saffron milk caps in the basket. Spruce trees tend to darken during heat treatment.
- A large number of seasonings and spices were used for marinating. For example, adding dill may cause a color change.
- Stored for a long time before processing.
Every housewife wants to know how to prepare a truly delicious dish and preserve its color qualities. First, the saffron milk caps do not need to be soaked. With the exception of those fruits that were collected near roads. Pre-soaking will remove accumulated harmful substances from the fruit.Experienced mushroom pickers advise replacing this procedure and cleaning the mushrooms with a sponge or toothbrush.
When processing a large volume of products, place in a basin and fill with water with the addition of salt and citric acid. Place pressure, you can use an inverted bowl or tray and place a heavy object on top of it. Keep the container in a cool place, away from direct sunlight. It is important to start salting immediately after cleaning. The container should be made of glass, wood or covered with enamel. Other materials will lead to a reaction and damage to the workpiece.
Recipe for pickled saffron milk caps in glass jars
In addition to salting, pickling is used. Thanks to the special marinade, it turns out very tasty and satisfying.
Hot salting method at home
Let's look at how to properly cook mushrooms below. To get not only tasty, but also healthy preparations, the hot salting method is suitable. Pickled saffron milk caps They will not only diversify the everyday table, but also decorate the festive one.
You can highlight the amazing taste of mushrooms by using the following marinade.
List of necessary ingredients per liter of water and kilogram of saffron milk caps:
- sugar – 1 tablespoon;
- salt – 1.5 tablespoons;
- vinegar essence - 1 tablespoon or 8 tablespoons of 9% table vinegar;
- garlic – 6 cloves;
- 8 peas each of black and allspice;
- 2 dried cloves;
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- a bunch of dill and bay leaf.
Preparing mushrooms:
- Inspect each mushroom, remove dirt and damaged areas.
- Rinse under water or wipe with a damp cloth.
- Place in a saucepan with water and place on the stove over medium heat. After boiling, reduce the heat, add salt and cook for half an hour. Remove any foam that appears during cooking with a slotted spoon.
- Drain in a colander. Do not use the resulting decoction.Rinse with water, stirring constantly.
Next you need to prepare the container. For winter preparations, it is better to take 500 milliliter jars. Wash each thoroughly using a kitchen sponge and a special detergent. Take the required number of lids and sterilize along with the jars.
This is done in different ways:
- Pour water into a bowl with high sides and bring to a boil. Gradually place jar after jar into the basin. If space allows, you can sterilize several jars. The water level should be above the jar. Only in this case can a positive effect be achieved. Boil for 10 minutes.
- To do this you will need a saucepan and a special device for sterilizing jars. Turn the jar over and place it in the hole to sterilize for 5 minutes. The rising steam will immediately enter the container and remove all existing microbes.
- Place the jars in a preheated oven and keep there for 10 minutes.
- Use a microwave. Sterilization time – 3 minutes.
- Boil the lids in boiling water.
You can determine the required amount of marinade by the actual weight of the mushrooms. When pickling, it is necessary to use a preservative, in this case it is vinegar.
Preparing the marinade
Pour the required amount of water into the pan, add all the ingredients except vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. The marinade needs to be made a little saltier.
Marinating steps:
- Pour the mushrooms into the brine and boil for a quarter of an hour.
- Pour in vinegar and boil everything thoroughly again.
- Slowly pour into prepared jars. Rushing may cause the jar to burst.
- Pour the rest of the brine on top up to the rim.
- Roll up with sterilized lids.
- Lay out the blanket. Place the jars with the lids down and wrap them well with a blanket. Wait until it cools down completely.
- Turn the jars over and make sure they are sealed well and tightly. There should be no wet places in the place where the jar stood.
- Mark the year of sealing on the lid of the jar with a marker.
- Consume within a year.
If there is little salt in the mushrooms after opening, add salt before eating.
Cold way
According to another option, mushrooms can be pickled cold. This recipe uses oppression. The ideal option is a jar of water. Do not use bricks, foam blocks, stones or other heavy objects. Contact of the material with brine will result in spoilage of the pickle. The mushrooms are either immediately placed in jars, topped with salt and spices, or all the ingredients are mixed in a saucepan and then placed into jars.
The calculation of ingredients is per kilogram of prepared mushrooms:
- table salt that does not contain iodine - 2 tablespoons;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- dill;
- cloves - 4 pieces;
- peppercorns – 5 pieces;
- horseradish - 2 leaves;
- oak and currant leaves, spruce branches.
Cooking method:
- Small fruits must first be cleaned and washed. Separate the caps from the legs. Cut large caps into several pieces.
- Wash the enamel pan and dry it over gas to remove microorganisms.
- Pre-scald the leaves and twigs with boiling water. Place half the leaves, a small amount of salt, cloves and pepper on the bottom.
- Divide the mushrooms into equal parts and lay them in layers, sprinkle with chopped garlic and salt. The hats must be placed on the bottom, and the legs on top.
- Re-arrange the middle layer and the top layer with leaves and twigs.
- Cover with a plate of suitable size.Place a three or five liter container of water on top.
- Place the workpiece in the refrigerator or cellar. Temperature range – 0-5 degrees.
- After three days, check the amount of brine. If the mushrooms are not completely submerged, add a small amount of cold boiled water.
- Marinate for 3 weeks. This time is enough for the mushrooms to be salted and soaked in spices.
- Can be stored in a saucepan, covered with a thick, clean cloth. Or put it in glass boxes or jars.
- Mushrooms prepared according to this recipe do not require sealing. They can simply be covered with glass lids.
- It is important to fry the dishes used for storage or hold them over steam to remove germs and bacteria.
Preservation storage rules
During preparation, all sterilization standards must be strictly observed. The hermetically sealed jar can be stored at room temperature in the pantry. It is important that there is no boiler, radiator, stove or stove nearby. Heat encourages microbial growth and will cause product spoilage.
It's good if there is a cellar or basement. The temperature in the room should be 0-10 degrees. It is important to ensure that the cellar is dry.
Mushrooms must not be stored for longer than 2 years. It is better to consume in its pure form within one year; It is important to heat the preparations that remain after opening: frying, boiling, stewing. Keep salted saffron milk caps in a cool room, it is better if there is no direct sunlight. If the storage temperature is above 5 degrees, this will lead to spoilage of the mushrooms.
In ancient times for pickling mushrooms wooden tubs were used. Wood is an environmentally friendly material.If you don’t have such a tub, a glass container will do. After pickling, store mushrooms for six months. Pickled mushrooms are stored in the basement or cellar.
conclusions
Camelina is considered the royal mushroom. And not in vain - Peter 1 loved these mushrooms very much. Sterilization and hermetically sealed are the most reliable methods of storage. The main goal of preparations is to diversify the winter diet, enrich it with proteins, minerals and vitamins. There is a good saying: “One day feeds the year.” In the summer months, you need to take care of preparing mushrooms, and in the winter months, you need to take care of their proper storage.
