Pickled milk mushrooms are one of the most popular options for storing mushrooms for the winter. This dish is a wonderful addition to the holiday table, and more! Knowledgeable mushroom lovers really appreciate pickled milk mushrooms for their high taste: they have a pronounced mushroom taste and have a pleasant crunch on the teeth. But this product has one unpleasant property - it quickly darkens during processing. Why do milk mushrooms often darken when salted, and how to avoid this?
Why do milk mushrooms darken when salted?
The main problem that the housewife faces when pickling milk mushrooms is darkening or blueing. The reaction begins on the way home from the forest. The mushrooms immediately begin to darken when cut, and when boiled or salted, they completely lose their original white color.
This happens because the pulp contains milk, which causes such a reaction. Because of it, raw mushroom bodies have a hot peppery taste, which disappears only when soaked and salted. When the mushroom is cut, the released milk comes into contact with the air, and when cut it becomes gray-yellow in color. Then it literally turns dark or blue before our eyes.
However, you should not be afraid of this. If properly processed, milk mushrooms will be absolutely edible, tasty and crispy.
When soaked in water
Before salting, mushrooms must be soaked in water for one and a half to five days. During this time, the water should be changed up to five times a day. But often the fruits darken even when soaked in water.
Basically, this only happens with mushrooms that have been out of water for a long time, so even before cleaning they must be immediately immersed in it.
Another reason for the darkening of mushroom fruits is sunlight. To avoid discoloration after cleaning, the mushrooms are immediately placed in water under a weight and covered with a lid.
Soaking mushrooms in water before salting is also necessary in order to remove unnecessary bitterness from them and make the pulp more elastic. It is better to do this in warm salt water. Warm water will quickly remove the bitter taste from the fruit, and salt will prevent the mushroom crop from souring.
In brine
Unfortunately, mushroom fruits can also turn black in brine. Why is this happening? The first reason is overripe mushrooms.They begin to lose bitterness very quickly and because of this they darken. The second reason is the lack of brine in jars. Mushrooms that are not covered with salt water come into contact with air and therefore lose their light color.
How to salt milk mushrooms so they don’t darken
After soaking for a long time in water, the milk mushrooms can be pickled. There are two options for pickling: hot and cold. When using the first one, the mushrooms must first be boiled in salted water. Next, the boiled salted milk mushrooms are washed. After this, they are placed tightly in sterile jars in layers:
- a small layer of salt, a couple of peppercorns;
- dill umbrellas, currant leaves;
- layer of mushrooms.
Then the layers are repeated. The stacked mushrooms are poured with mushroom broth and the air is allowed to escape. Cool the workpiece and cover with plastic lids. Mushrooms are salted in a cool place for 30-40 days.
When choosing the second option, in an enamel bowl, raw milk mushrooms are covered in layers of salt, spices, garlic, dill umbrellas, you can also use horseradish root, which is first cut into thin strips. The entire mass is then placed under the load. After a few days, the milk mushrooms will release juice, which will completely cover them and prevent them from changing color.
Mushrooms are kept under pressure for 30-40 days. After this, the milk mushrooms can be transferred to jars, pressing down tightly and pouring brine right up to the lid.
If all technologies are followed correctly, no external changes will occur to the mushrooms.
Is it possible to eat milk mushrooms if they have darkened?
If the mushrooms are left without brine for a short time, they should be completely filled with water and left like that for three to five days. After this they can be eaten.
Things are worse when the mushrooms become dark under pressure during pickling. These are definitely not worth eating.
Most likely, an inedible species got into the pickling or there were a lot of old fruits with accumulated toxins. This can be very dangerous to health and life!
How to bleach mushrooms?
If the mushroom fruits do not turn dark when soaked, this issue can be resolved by boiling them in water seasoned with vinegar or citric acid. This will definitely help restore their whiteness.
What if the already pickled mushrooms have darkened? To solve this issue, you should close the jars not with metal lids, but with paper soaked in vodka or medical alcohol.
The top is wrapped tightly with rope or strong threads. It’s even better to add hot vegetable oil on top and leave in a cool place.
