Content
- 1 What types of saffron milk caps and wines are often confused by mushroom pickers
- 2 What mushrooms and waves look like
- 3 What is the difference between mushrooms and waves in appearance?
- 4 How to distinguish mushrooms from mushrooms by size
- 5 Ryzhik and volushka: differences in the growing area
- 6 How to identify waves or mushrooms by pulp
- 7 How to distinguish a mushroom from a wave during heat treatment
- 8 Mushrooms and mushrooms: the difference in taste
- 9 The difference between saffron milk caps and wines for use in cooking
- 10 What is the difference between mushrooms and mushrooms in terms of useful properties?
- 11 How mushrooms are similar
- 12 How to distinguish between mushrooms and waves when collecting
- 13 Conclusion
Ryzhiks and volushki are "close relatives" in the world of mushrooms, which are often confused with each other. However, with all their external similarity, they differ significantly from each other in a number of qualities. The difference between mushrooms and mushrooms, first of all, is that the former are edible and famous for their excellent taste, while the latter, due to their pungent bitter juice, can only be eaten after preliminary soaking. Waves are easier to find in the forest, but mushrooms are much more desirable prey for a mushroom picker. What they have in common and how they differ is worth considering in more detail.
What types of saffron milk caps and wines are often confused by mushroom pickers
Both mushrooms and volushki are two groups of lamellar mushrooms belonging to the genus Millechnikov. Of the several existing species of the first, the most often found in Russian forests are true mushrooms, or pine. Most often, lovers of "quiet hunting" confuse young specimens of these mushrooms with the largest and most common of the waves - pink.
What mushrooms and waves look like
The external similarity of the little waves and saffron milk caps is clearly visible in the photo:
They differ little in size (the diameters of the caps vary from 3 to 18 cm, the legs are 3-6 cm long and 1-2 cm thick). Their caps are painted in shades of red, have a similar funnel-shaped shape; on the surface, one can distinguish darker concentric circles - "waves", scattering from the center to the edges. The pulp is brittle, fragile, at the break it secretes a thick "milky" juice. At a cursory superficial examination, the differences between these fungi are hardly noticeable.
What is the difference between mushrooms and waves in appearance?
At the same time, if you take a closer look at the photo, it becomes clear how mushrooms differ from waves.
Of the external features of these mushrooms, it can be noted:
- The skin tone of the wave is pink. Ryzhikov, as a rule, are distinguished by bright orange shades.
- The caps of the waves are covered with small villi and look strongly “pubescent”. In saffron milk caps, they are smooth or slightly tomentose in appearance.
- The shape of the hat of a young wave resembles a hemisphere with edges rounded downwards. As for young saffron milk caps, their caps are flat, the edges are almost not rounded.
- Circles on the surface of the caps of the waves are usually clearly visible. In saffron milk caps, they do not stand out so clearly.
- The leg of the wave is usually somewhat thinner and smoother, without dents.
This material will be a clear illustration of what they are similar and how they differ externally:
How to distinguish mushrooms from mushrooms by size
Size is another criterion that helps to recognize if mushroom pickers or mushrooms. The difference is not very noticeable, but it is: the latter are slightly larger. The cap of a real saffron milk cap usually grows up to 5-18 cm in diameter. In the pink wave, it is smaller: 3-10 cm (occasionally reaches 15).But since most often you can find groups of young mushrooms with caps from 5 to 10 cm, it is difficult to understand how they differ solely on this basis. There are other specific features to consider.
Ryzhik and volushka: differences in the growing area
The season for collecting mushrooms for saffron milk caps and whites coincides and lasts a long time - from about the end of June to the end of October. However, you can distinguish these mushrooms from each other, focusing on which places in the forest are preferred by both.
So, the "favorite" tree of pink waves is birch. It is with her that these mushrooms most often form mycorrhiza. They grow in mixed and deciduous forests, usually found in large "families" under aspen trees or on the edges of dense grass.
Gingerbread real in another way is called boar or pine. Among his preferences are coniferous forests with dry soils. Moreover, this mushroom is very capricious to the cleanliness of the environment: it practically does not grow in polluted places.
How to identify waves or mushrooms by pulp
A number of other reasons for distinguishing can be obtained by cutting the mushroom of interest. In the photo below - the pulp of saffron milk caps and waves. In these mushrooms, it is dense and brittle, with a faint smell of resin, but this is where the similarities end. The pulp of saffron milk caps is orange, rarely white-yellow. In waves, it is white, cream or pale pink.
Thick juice, reminiscent of milk and abundantly protruding at the fracture of the fruiting body, in saffron milk caps is yellow or orange, bright. A red trace remains on the fingers. It is not pungent at all, slightly spicy and even sweet in taste. At the same time, the juice of the waves is milky white or pale yellow, very pungent and bitter.
The smell of camelina pulp in the place of the break is pleasant, fruity, with notes of sweetness. The flesh of a pink wave smells sharply, bitter, a bit reminiscent of geranium.
What is the difference between a mushroom and a wave in color on the cut
It is also curious to see what the color of the waves and edible mushrooms are, if you cut these mushrooms and let them lie in the air for a while.
The orange flesh of the camelina at the site of damage very quickly turns red. Pigmentation is formed due to the fact that certain substances in its composition are oxidized under the influence of air. Over time, the flesh in the rift will change color to a grayish green, just like the dried juice of this mushroom or the place that has been pressed with force.
The pulp and juice of the air waves do not change their color. In the same way, the color of the area of its fruiting body does not change when pressed.
How to distinguish a mushroom from a wave during heat treatment
Cooked or fried mushrooms darken. When salted, it can change color to green. In most harvests, these mushrooms tend to retain their orange color. They do not need long-term heat treatment.
Before you cook a dish of waves, be sure to soak them and then boil them in boiling water. When boiled, the flesh of this mushroom becomes light gray.
Mushrooms and mushrooms: the difference in taste
Taste is another significant difference between the mushroom and the mushroom. The first of them is not without reason also known as "gourmet". Since ancient times, these mushrooms have been famous for their excellent taste and a pleasant spicy smell, which persists regardless of the form in which you decide to cook them. It is interesting to note that large quantities of salted mushrooms were exported from the Russian Empire to a number of European countries, where recognized gourmets have always appreciated them very highly.
As for the wave, it is somewhat inferior to its elite "brother" in taste and nutritional value. It is not consumed in its raw form because of the bitter unpleasant juice and toxic substances inherent in its unprocessed pulp.After preliminary preparation, a number of dishes are successfully obtained from this mushroom.
The difference between saffron milk caps and wines for use in cooking
There is a difference in how it is recommended to cook mushrooms and saffron milk caps. It manifests itself even at the stage of preliminary processing.
Freshly picked or just purchased waves should be rinsed well in cold water, cleaned from the "fringe" of the caps, cut off the lower third of the leg. Large specimens should be divided into 3-4 parts. Then these mushrooms must be soaked for 3 days in clean cold water, changing it every 4-6 hours. Such processing allows you to rid their pulp of bitterness and toxic substances that can cause poisoning.
Ryzhiks do not require such serious preparation measures. It is enough to thoroughly rinse them in a container with cold water, cut off the lower parts of the legs, put them in a colander and once again pour over running water from the tap. It is not necessary to soak them for a long time, although some housewives still leave these mushrooms in salted water for 20-30 minutes before cooking.
Ryzhiks are truly versatile mushrooms. You can cook almost anything from them. In the old days, small young specimens of these mushrooms were even eaten raw, simply sprinkled with coarse salt and kept for a couple of hours. Today they are boiled, fried and stewed, fermented, salted and pickled, an extract (essence) is obtained from them, and also harvested for future use in dried and frozen form. It is worth knowing that these mushrooms are the only ones that can be salted in the so-called "dry" way (putting them in a container without rinsing with water and sprinkling them with salt layer by layer, and then placing them in a cellar under oppression for 10-15 days).
The range of culinary use of the waves is less extensive. They are most often pickled, or salted in one of two ways: cold (without heat treatment) or hot, rolled up in cans under tin lids. Before the harvesting procedure, these mushrooms, as a rule, are blanched in boiling water, be sure to drain the first broth. They eat salty waves no earlier than 1.5 months later. These mushrooms are also served boiled or fried. Tasting them raw is prohibited. In addition, they are not dried or frozen.
What is the difference between mushrooms and mushrooms in terms of useful properties?
Like many other mushrooms, both milkers are a low-calorie product with a rich chemical composition, which, when properly prepared, has a beneficial effect on the human body. However, the content of nutrients in the pulp of saffron milk caps and waves is not the same.
The former is characterized by a large amount of beta-carotene, which is necessary to maintain good vision. Also, mushrooms contain many useful minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron), which have a positive effect on the condition of hair and skin. The valuable antibiotic lactrioviolin, which is part of these fungi, is an effective remedy for the treatment of various inflammations.
Vitamins A, C, PP are present in significant quantities in the fruiting bodies of the waves. In particular, in terms of the content of B vitamins, these mushrooms surpass even vegetables or cereals. Almost all amino acids known to science are present in their protein. The beta-glucan, which they contain, stimulates the human immune system, and melanin, an antioxidant and sorbent of radionuclides, is very valuable.
How mushrooms are similar
Summing up, we can say that the similarity between a real saffron milk cap and a pink wave is manifested in the following features:
- they are very similar to each other in appearance - so much so that at a cursory examination they can easily be confused;
- usually both are found in large groups;
- they are united by a common season - these mushrooms grow most massively from mid-summer to early autumn;
- both are tasty if cooked correctly, especially in salted and pickled form;
- both types of mushrooms are characterized by a rich content of substances useful for humans.
How to distinguish between mushrooms and waves when collecting
Having listed the similarities between the saffron milk cap and the wave, you need to summarize the differences between them:
- upon close examination, specific features become noticeable in external details: the color and shape of the cap and leg, the texture of the integumentary skin, the degree of expression of the pattern from the circles;
- sometimes the size can serve as a clue - the saffron milk cap, as a rule, is slightly larger;
- they are widespread in different places and “love” different trees: a volnushka, as a rule, can be found under birches and aspens in mixed and deciduous forests, while camelina can be found in coniferous forests with an exceptionally clean ecology;
- the pulp and milky juice of these mushrooms differ in color, taste and smell;
- in contrast to the wave, the fruiting body of the saffron milk cap at the break changes color, oxidizing in the air;
- when boiling or frying, the mushroom darkens, and the wave becomes light gray;
- the taste and aroma of camelina is much richer;
- before preparing the waves, they must first be soaked for a long time, and then boiled, draining the first water, while mushrooms almost do not need preliminary processing;
- mushrooms can be successfully cooked in almost any form, the waves are most often salted and pickled.
Conclusion
The difference between mushrooms and mushrooms is not particularly noticeable at first glance, and therefore inexperienced mushroom pickers often confuse them. However, if you take a closer look, and also remember a number of signs by which each of them can be recognized, it will not be so difficult to figure out which of these mushrooms was found. Despite the fact that they can also be eaten, they require obligatory and rather lengthy pre-treatment in order to eliminate bitterness and toxic substances. In addition, these mushrooms are not suitable for all dishes. Ryzhiks are much easier to cook, they are more aromatic and tastier, but they are much harder to find in the forest.
