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Milk mushrooms grow in places that are approximately the same, regardless of the region. If you know what soil mushrooms prefer, and in what weather they appear, then collecting milk mushrooms will become much more successful.
How milk mushrooms grow
Edible milk mushrooms, or milkmen, are highly respected by mushroom pickers - fruit bodies are especially good in salting for the winter. However, not everyone succeeds in bringing a full basket of edible milkmen from the forest; even at the height of the season, many return empty-handed. In order for the search to be successful, you need to know in which forests the milkmen come across, what weather conditions they prefer, and take into account the growth time of the mushrooms.
You need to go on a mushroom hunt at a specific time and place
In what forest do milk mushrooms grow
The area of growth of milkmen in Russian forests is very wide. First of all, you need to remember that they are divided into many varieties, and their preferences for places of growth may differ.
In general, milk mushrooms grow in both deciduous and coniferous forests. Most often they can be found in places such as birch and aspen groves, forests with a lot of poplars and beeches. Mushrooms are found in clearings and on the sides of forest roads, depending on the species:
- The edible white lump usually chooses places near birches.
- The violin miller is especially fond of beeches.
- Aspen milk-growers grow en masse in places near poplars and aspens.
- The black milky species is more common in mixed and coniferous plantings.
Almost any milkmen choose deciduous and mixed forests for growth.
When looking for a place with an abundant growth of millers, it should be borne in mind that these mushrooms, like most others, form a symbiosis with certain trees. In this case, a certain time is required for the development of the mycelium, the process can take several years. Thus, the chances of picking up mushrooms in old forests are much higher; in places of young plantings, they are extremely rare.
At what temperature do milk mushrooms grow
Although the first mushrooms appear in the middle of summer, the temperature requirements for milkmen are rather autumnal. For the beginning of fruiting, it is necessary that the temperature above the earth's surface be 8-10 degrees above zero.
That is why milk mushrooms grow best in the forest after rains. In such weather, the temperature at the soil surface drops to comfortable values. In addition, humidity rises, for milk mushrooms it should be quite large. Mushrooms grow mainly on moist soils, but they are not found in open sunny places.
How long does a lump grow after rain
Milk mushrooms grow quickly - the life cycle takes an average of only about 2 weeks. In the presence of a comfortable temperature and humidity, usually after a warm and not too heavy rain, the fruiting body begins to develop from the mycelium.
Growth of mushroom bodies takes 2 weeks on average
On the first day, the lactarius grows only up to 3 mm above the soil surface, in the following days it continues to slightly increase in growth. Fruit bodies of this species cannot grow quickly, they are too dense and heavy.It usually takes 7-12 days for the growth of mushrooms, this is how much time you need to count after the rain before you go in search.
Where the lump grows
In order to successfully collect a full basket of fruit bodies, you need to inquire in advance in which areas milk mushrooms grow most actively. You also need to find out what places they prefer in the forest, even within the same grove, you can walk past mushrooms for a long time if you do not know their preferences for specific places.
You need to look for mushroom bodies in the grass and under the leaves.
Where to look for milk mushrooms in the forest
Regardless of whether the lump grows in a birch forest or not far from aspen and poplar, it is usually located in the immediate vicinity of trees. This allows you to maintain symbiosis, mycelium and tree roots exchange nutrients and moisture with each other. Therefore, in the center of wide meadows, in ravines and in other open places, it makes no sense to look for fruit bodies, they choose places closer to tree trunks.
Milk mushrooms prefer moderately moist soils. Most often, they grow under a carpet of last year's fallen leaves, under a layer of crumbling needles or in tall grass. Often, milkmen choose places near ferns and strawberries, so you need to look especially closely at such areas. You can also collect growing mushrooms in mosses and on the outskirts of swamps, on clearings and roadsides near trees.
But in very wetlands, on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as in dark and dense shrub thickets, fruit bodies do not grow. Excess moisture and lack of light do not like mushroom bodies, in such conditions they cannot grow.
Any lactarius prefers moderately moist soils.
Where milk mushrooms grow in Russia
On the territory of Russia, milkmen in almost all varieties are found everywhere. These mushrooms are not rare, in particular, you can find them:
- in the middle lane and in the suburbs;
- in the Urals;
- in Western and Eastern Siberia;
- in the southern and middle Volga region;
- in the northern regions and in the Kaliningrad region.
In places of their growth, mushroom bodies usually appear not individually, but in whole groups, or families. Theoretically, they can be found in almost any birch or aspen forest, mixed plantings. But in different regions of Russia, it is customary to highlight specific places where milk mushrooms grow in increased quantities:
- In the Moscow region, fruit bodies are most often found in the south and in the Kursk direction from the capital. According to mushroom pickers, Chekhov, Hryvno, Chepelevo, Kolkhoznaya, Avangard stations are good places for collecting fruit bodies; full baskets can be successfully collected in the forests near these railway platforms. An excellent mushroom route runs near the Lvovskaya station outside the village of Lagovskoe, there is an extended birch forest.
- In Siberia, especially bountiful harvests of milkmen are found in Transbaikalia and not far from Chita. You can also go in search of mushrooms in the vicinity of Tyumen and Surgut, near Tobolsk, in the Altai Territory.
- In the Urals, milk mushrooms grow most actively in the usual places of their fruiting in the Chelyabinsk region.
- In the middle lane, milk mushrooms are successfully collected in the Lower Volga region, in the Volga floodplain and in the Kirov region.
Each region has its own special gathering places for milkmen
When does the season of mushrooms begin
General rules recommend collecting milk mushrooms from mid-summer to late autumn. But there are also more specific dates indicating the fruiting season.
When the milk mushrooms leave, in what month
The first fruiting bodies appear in the forests around the 20th of July.Especially often at this time you can find oak and aspen species in appropriate places.
However, the mass fruiting of mushrooms begins closer to autumn; in August and September, fruiting bodies grow especially abundantly. It was during this period that optimal weather conditions with moderate temperatures and high humidity developed in most of the territory of Russia.
It is best to go for mushroom picking in August.
How to collect milk mushrooms correctly
In order to safely harvest many mature and tasty mushrooms, you need to have an understanding of their varieties. Millers are both edible and unfit for human consumption.
What milk mushrooms can be collected
First of all, during the season of mushrooms, mushroom pickers are looking for white, or real, mushrooms in places of collection. This mushroom has the greatest culinary value and is suitable not only for salting, but also for heat treatment.
The white lump is easily recognizable by its wide cap with slight pubescence and a funnel-shaped depression in the middle. The cap of the mushroom is whitish or creamy yellow, the leg is up to 10 cm tall, and the flesh is white and yellowing at the break.
In addition to the white mushroom, there are other subspecies. Among them, the following are especially valuable:
- the black - the breast has an olive-brownish cap;
- violinist - outwardly, the mushroom is very similar to a white milk mushroom, but the juice at its break turns pink, and does not turn yellow;
- aspen - a whitish pubescent cap may be covered with pinkish spots;
- peppery - the cap of the fruiting body is smooth and dull white;
- yellow - the mushroom looks the same as the real one, but its shade is dark golden or brownish yellow.
All of these types are suitable for salting and other cooking methods. Any milkmen must first be soaked in order to eliminate the bitter juice from the pulp as much as possible.
How to look for milk mushrooms correctly
When looking for milkmen in places of their growth, it is necessary to remember that fruiting bodies usually hide in the grass or under a blanket of needles and fallen leaves. Therefore, mushroom bodies are easy to miss literally under your feet, their caps often merge with the general forest background.
To find milk mushrooms in the forest, it is recommended to take a long stick with you. When walking in the woods in places where mushrooms can grow, you need to walk very slowly and gently wiggle the leaves and grass under your feet with a stick.
When looking for fruiting bodies, you need to carefully look into the grass.
Cut or pluck: collection rules
It is also necessary to remove milk mushrooms from the ground according to the rules. It is impossible to forcefully pull the mushrooms out of the soil, while the mycelium system is damaged, and the next year the fruits do not grow in the same place.
Experienced mushroom pickers recommend using a sharp knife to collect and carefully cut the leg flush with the ground. Another way is to take the fruiting body by the base and gently twist it in one direction or the other in order to disconnect the leg from the mycelium with minimal damage to the latter.
Conclusion
Milk mushrooms grow in deciduous and mixed plantings, mainly near birches and aspens. If you go after them in the right places and in certain weather, then the search will surely be crowned with success.
