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Ryzhiks are called royal mushrooms for their incomparable taste and aroma, as well as for the fact that in salty form they do not require soaking or heat treatment. Therefore, mushrooms are most often harvested for the winter with the help of salting. Nevertheless, many housewives are faced with a situation where everything seemed to be done correctly and according to the recipe, and the mushrooms became sour. What this means, what reasons can lead to souring, and what can be done about it - will be discussed later.
Why mushrooms fermented
Gingerbreads can ferment for a variety of reasons. It also happens that the signs of normal fermentation, which can be considered standard when salting mushrooms, are mistaken by many novice housewives for dangerous symptoms. So, if after several days of being under oppression a thin strip of mold appears on the surface of the mushrooms, then you should not worry too much. This is an almost normal process that occurs due to contact with oxygen in the air. And in any recipe that describes the cold salting of saffron milk caps, it is necessarily said that during the fermentation period under oppression (3-5 weeks), once every 2-3 days, the fabric covering the mushrooms and the press itself must be washed. It is best to boil them in a little water, or even use a fresh cloth.
A similar situation can happen when it seems that the mushrooms have fermented in the jars, where they were transferred after a short stay under oppression. If the fermentation process has not ended (and it needs from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the temperature), then bubbles may appear on the surface of the brine, and the brine itself will slowly flow out of the loosely covered jars. This is completely normal. You just need to strictly follow the instructions on the timing of keeping salted saffron milk caps under pressure. It is important here to check whether the mushrooms are sour or not. In the first case, it is necessary to take effective measures. If the taste of the brine has not changed, then the mushrooms are quite edible, and you just need to wait.
But often there is such a situation that you have to keep jars with not yet fermented mushrooms in the refrigerator, since it is difficult to find another equally cold place. In this case, the jars should be placed in additional containers or in tight plastic bags so as not to stain the refrigerator shelves. But sooner or later (after 3-4 weeks on average) the fermentation process will stop and it will be possible to weaken the control over salted mushrooms and no longer be afraid that they will sour.
It's another matter if salted mushrooms are sour from non-observance of certain rules for harvesting or storage.
Many housewives, by inertia, like to soak mushrooms in water before salting. After all, this procedure is necessarily required by all types of mushrooms, and other lamellar mushrooms. But mushrooms have a very negative attitude to this procedure. They belong to edible mushrooms of the 1st category and do not need to be soaked at all. It is not for nothing that the best classical way of salting saffron milk caps is dry, that is, without access to water at all. Therefore, if the mushrooms soured during salting, then you need, first of all, to remember if they were left in the water unattended for some time. This could adversely affect their structure and lead to subsequent acidification.
In the process of salting saffron milk caps, it is imperative to use oppression. Since it is he who helps to constantly keep the mushrooms under the surface of the brine.If some parts of the mushrooms are not immersed in the brine, then the likelihood that they will sour and mold will appear will increase many times. Most often, only the oppression itself sticks out of the brine. Since it comes into contact with the camelina brine and air at the same time, it is for this reason that it must be periodically removed and thoroughly rinsed with hot water so that the mushrooms do not acidify. This factor is especially important when using cold and dry salting.
Finally, it is very important to have a suitable air temperature and lighting conditions under which salting and subsequent storage of mushrooms occurs. When light hits the containers with mushrooms, they can easily sour. The same happens when the storage temperature rises above + 6 ° C.
What to do with saffron milk caps if they are sour
If, nevertheless, the salted mushrooms became acidic after the end of the fermentation period, then the following can be done with the mushrooms:
- Remove them from the container, rinse under running water and place in a saucepan with boiling water, to which add 30 g of salt and 5 g of citric acid per 1 liter of water used.
- Drain all previous liquid, rinse the container thoroughly with soda and rinse with boiling water.
- Boil the mushrooms for about 7-10 minutes, then put them in a colander and let the excess liquid drain.
- Prepare a fresh brine based on the fact that 1 tablespoon of rock salt is dissolved in 1 liter of water.
- Put ½ tsp in a sterilized jar. mustard seeds, place mushrooms on top and cover with fresh brine.
The taste of salted mushrooms from the addition of mustard will slightly change, but in no way spoil the overall picture.
By the way, when looking for an answer to the question of what to do with pickled mushrooms, if they are fermented, you can use the same advice. Only you need to fill them with fresh marinade, in which it is better to add a little more vinegar for safety.
How to salt mushrooms properly so that they do not turn sour
To prevent salted mushrooms from fermenting, it is necessary from the very beginning to take the salting procedure with all responsibility, clearly following all the cooking instructions.
First of all, if dry salting is not used, it is necessary to carefully free the mushrooms from plant debris and especially particles of earth or sand with water. But it should be remembered that it is not worth soaking the mushrooms in water for a long time.
Many housewives, in order to prevent the mushrooms from souring, use an exceptionally hot ambassador. That is, mushrooms are boiled before salting, or at least pour boiling water over them.
Salt must be added per 10 l bucket of mushrooms - 1.5 cups.
Since salt is the main preservative, it is better to slightly overdo it than undersalt. The salty solution will prevent the mushrooms from souring. And if it is too salty, then when used, the mushrooms can be lightly rinsed in cold running water.
The salting container should be enameled, glass, ceramic or wooden. Under no circumstances should metal utensils be used.
Finally, the most important thing is that it is imperative to make sure that when salting all the mushrooms are covered with brine with their heads. Put them in a prepared container as tightly as possible, sprinkle with salt and spices and crush until abundant juice is released. If suddenly the natural mushroom juice is not enough, then the brine is added and the oppression is put on top. The press must be selected so that its weight is sufficient so that all the mushrooms disappear below the liquid level.
In a room, salted mushrooms can stand no more than a day for the fermentation process to begin.Then they are moved to a cold place, otherwise they will certainly turn sour.
While under pressure, you must constantly monitor the color of the brine. It should have a reddish tint and an attractive mushroom aroma. If the color has changed and turned gray, this means that the saffron milk caps could turn sour, so urgent rescue measures must be taken.
Conclusion
If the mushrooms are sour, then you should not immediately throw them away. First, you need to understand the situation and find out what went wrong. Maybe this is generally the normal state of mushrooms during fermentation. And if not, then the situation may be quite correctable. You just need to put in some extra effort.
after three days of cold pickling, mushrooms have a sharp taste, like grandmothers used to pickle cucumbers in a barrel, is this normal?
Good day!
No, it doesn't have to be that way. The sharp taste of the mushrooms indicates that the fermentation process has begun. This is highly undesirable. Before it's too late, you can fix the situation as follows:
• drain the brine;
• rinse all mushrooms under running water twice;
• boil mushrooms in salt water for at least 10 minutes (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water);
• put the mushrooms in a clean dish and pour freshly prepared brine at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water. The use of seasonings and spices to taste is allowed.
It is necessary to store salted mushrooms at a temperature not exceeding + 5˚C, preferably in the refrigerator.