From time immemorial, salted mushrooms have taken pride of place on the Russian table. And it is milk mushrooms that are considered the best mushrooms for pickling to this day. And you can salt them in anything - in tubs, tubs, barrels, or even just in glass jars.
There are several types of milk mushrooms in the forests - white, black, dry and others. These mushrooms are considered conditionally edible and are used mainly for pickling. More recently, milk mushrooms were salted at an industrial level, and often on the streets you could find points of sale of milk mushrooms directly from barrels. But, unfortunately, these times are a thing of the past, and forest mushrooms have replaced artificially grown varieties. But if you managed to get out into the forest and pick up the mushrooms, then it's simply a sin not to pamper yourself with a couple of jars of salted crispy mushrooms. Milk mushrooms are salted in two ways - hot and cold.
Hot salting of milk mushrooms
The collected mushrooms must be cleaned and soaked in cold water for about two days in order to remove toxic substances. The water needs to be changed periodically. At the end of the period, the milk mushrooms are washed and the legs are removed. The mushrooms are now ready for pickling. The brine is prepared at the rate of 1 liter of water 2-3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt. The brine is brought to a boil and the milk mushrooms are boiled in it for half an hour.
After boiling, the milk mushrooms are reclined in a colander and washed with cold running water. In a previously prepared container for salting, mushrooms are placed in a layer of five centimeters with their caps down, sprinkled with salt and seasonings, again a layer of mushrooms and again salt. As seasonings and spices, take a few cloves of garlic, bay leaves, currant leaves, allspice, dill and horseradish rhizomes.
When all the mushrooms are laid, the mass is covered with gauze folded in several layers, or with a towel, or a piece of cotton or linen cloth. Now oppression is installed and the container with mushrooms is removed to a cool room. After a month, salted milk mushrooms can be served.
Cold salting method
The cold method differs from the hot one in that it takes a little longer for salting. Milk mushrooms are pre-prepared and soaked as described above. Salting jars are scalded with boiling water. Now the mushrooms are salted and mixed. Salt is taken somewhere 2 tbsp. spoons per kilogram of mushrooms.
A little salt is poured at the bottom of the cans and the already salted milk mushrooms are stacked in layers with alternating spices and seasonings, the same as indicated in hot salting. The milk mushrooms in the jar are tamped tightly and to the very top. A dill umbrella is laid on top and the jar is closed with a plastic lid so that its bottom presses the top layer of mushrooms. After salting for 1-1.5 months in a cool place, the milk mushrooms are ready for use.
