Content
Pepper milk is a lamellar representative of the genus Millechnik of the family Russula. It belongs to the conditionally edible group with a low nutritional value. After pretreatment, it is used only for salting.
What does pepper milk look like?
The species has several names, besides the Latin Lactarius piperatus, the pepperoni is known as the spicy mushroom, the spicy mushroom and the peppery mushroom. The species got its name because of the bitter milky juice, which quickly oxidizes when broken, becoming greenish.
These are rather large white fruiting bodies. In older specimens, the color may be beige with a yellow tint, especially if it grows in an open, dry area.
Description of the hat
At the initial stage, the cap is rounded with concave edges adjacent to the stem. In older specimens, it is prostrate, the edges remain curled, uneven, more often wavy. The surface is dry, in the center there is a small depression with a longitudinal crack. The protective layer is smooth or rough, monotonous; representatives with brown or reddish spots are less common.
The transverse size of the cap in a ripe milk mushroom is 8-12 cm. Single specimens can be larger - up to 20 cm. The pulp is dry, fragile, white. The lower part with densely spaced narrow plates, tightly fitting to the fruiting body. The spore-bearing layer is white; over time, small yellowish areas may appear. When damaged, the mushroom secretes a sticky, thick white sap that quickly oxidizes.
Leg description
The stem is short, thick, with a clear border of the spore-bearing layer. The shape is in the form of an elongated oval, often narrowed near the mycelium.
The surface is smooth or slightly bumpy, white. The height, depending on the age of the fungus, is 4-8 cm. The structure is rigid, fragile. From the mycelium along the length inside it is often affected by slugs.
Where and how it grows
Pepper milk mushrooms are common in warm climates, found in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, in the mixed forests of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. They are in the Central regions and the Moscow region. In the European part with a colder climate, they grow very rarely.
They appear in symbiosis with oak, alder, hazel. They are located singly or in several pieces on a rotten leaf pillow. They prefer clayey fertile soils, shaded wet areas. The first specimens grow in the south after rains at the end of July. In a temperate climate - in the last decade of August. Fruiting is not long, within three weeks, but subject to normal precipitation frequency.
Is the mushroom edible or not
The species does not have a high nutritional value due to its bitter taste. Refers to edible, since there are no toxins in the chemical composition. According to reviews, the pepperoni is used for cooking only in salted form, after pretreatment.Processed mushrooms are not inferior in taste to those with a higher gastronomic characteristic. Culinary publications offer numerous recipes for pickling pepper mushrooms, both cold and hot.
How to cook pepper milk mushrooms
The brought mushrooms must be immediately poured with cold water, after 1-2 hours, start processing. During this time, the fruit bodies are saturated with moisture, become less fragile, and the top layer is more easily removed from them.
Treatment:
- With a knife, remove the protective film from the surface of the cap.
- They peel off the lamellar layer, if you leave it, the ready-made mushrooms will be tough, for small mushrooms it is problematic to do this, so they do not touch the lower part of the cap.
- The leg is cut off, the top layer is removed. If it is badly damaged by slugs, do not use it for food.
Before any method of preparing peppermint, pre-soaking is necessary. The processed fruit bodies are washed and filled with water. Put away in the cold, change the water several times a day. This is necessary to completely get rid of bitterness. The procedure continues for at least three days. The product is then washed and salted. To prepare a cold pepper load, take:
- garlic;
- horseradish leaves;
- dill inflorescences;
- Bay leaf;
- black pepper;
- currant leaves.
The soaked milk mushrooms are placed in a container. Use enamelled utensils such as a bucket, wooden barrel, or glass jars. A horseradish leaf is placed at the bottom, then a layer of the product, sprinkled with salt at the rate of 100 g per 2 kg of fruit bodies, spices are added. Cover with horseradish leaves on top and set oppression. The mushrooms will give juice, it must completely cover the milk mushrooms. The product will be ready in 3 weeks.
You can cook pepper milk mushrooms hot:
- The soaked fruit bodies are placed in a saucepan.
- Pour in water.
- Boil for 20 minutes.
- The water is poured out, the mushrooms are washed.
- Stacked in jars.
On a can (3 l) take:
- salt - 100 g;
- water - 2 l;
- pepper - 15 peas;
- garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- dill umbrella - 1 piece:
- currant leaves - 10 pcs.;
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.
Boiled mushrooms are placed in a jar, mixing with the above ingredients. Water is boiled, salt is diluted in it, mushrooms are poured with brine and covered with lids.
Why is pepper milk dangerous?
The species does not cause poisoning; after soaking, the bitterness completely disappears. You can not eat salted milk mushrooms for people with kidney failure, with stomach ulcers; with caution - with gastritis and dysfunction of the digestive system. When processing, the milky juice can cause irritation on the surface of the skin; if it gets into the wounds, there is a strong burning pain.
Medicinal properties of pepper milk
Pepper milk is used in folk recipes as an antineoplastic agent. The infusion is taken for tuberculosis. A gauze swab soaked in milky juice is applied to the warts, after several applications they dry up and disappear completely. Small papillomas are removed with mushroom juice. Fried and ground milk mushrooms are used to remove stones from the bladder.
Doubles and their differences
The violin is related to the peppery types similar to the mushroom.
The glaucous mushroom is also referred to as doubles.
It is found in both deciduous and coniferous forests, grows on calcareous soils. The types of the structure of the plates differ: in the twin they are wider and are less often located. In terms of nutritional value, the species are identical.
Conclusion
Peppermilk is a mushroom with a low nutritional value. Suitable for any method of salting, but only after thorough soaking. If the processing technology is observed, a tasty and healthy product with a set of trace elements and vitamins necessary for the body is obtained.
