Ryzhik is the general name for an extensive group of different species of mushrooms of the genus Mlechnik. Gingerbread mushrooms are extremely highly valued by mushroom pickers and gourmets all over the world, and some types of these mushrooms are recognized as delicious.
Distinctive features
There are many varieties of saffron milk caps: real mushroom, spruce mushroom, red mushroom, Japanese mushroom, salmon mushroom, red pine mushroom, etc. On the territory of Russia, mainly two species grow - pine (it is also called upland) and spruce. Japanese is widely spoken in the Primorsky Territory.
Contrary to their name, saffron milk caps do not always have a reddish tint. In fact, only the species that grows under the pine trees has orange caps, the color of pine bark. There is also another type - spruce, the hats of such mushrooms are often blue-green. In terms of taste, spruce mushrooms are in no way inferior to pine mushrooms, in addition, they have a richer aroma.
Spruce mushrooms, in comparison with pine mushrooms, have a looser and more densely colored pulp.
Boron (pine) mushrooms prefer sandy soil (apparently for the simple reason that it is on sandstones that, as a rule, pines grow, with which they form mycorrhiza). They spill out in summer and fall in coniferous forests, but can also grow singly in gardens and parks. Spruce mushrooms can be found in spruce forests in grassy growth. These mushrooms survive only in cool conditions, in hot weather they disappear. Occasionally, camelina colonies are found near larches. They are inedible when fresh, but after cooking - and you can cook them in any way - they are fragrant and tasty.
Some nuances
A typical saffron milk cap looks like this: a funnel-shaped hat with dark rings, slightly falling along the edges and reaching a diameter of 10-14 cm, large plates to match the cap, reddish flesh, first reddening, and then turning green at the break. In pine mushrooms, the rings on the caps are lighter. The cylindrical leg can reach 19 centimeters in length, at the base it is solid, then it is hollow. The pulp of saffron milk caps produces a milky juice of a rich carrot shade, which has a pleasant resinous smell.
Young mushrooms with a cap diameter of no more than the diameter of a five-kopeck coin can be eaten raw, but only thoroughly washed.
In principle, it is not necessary to thoroughly memorize all the nuances, since the mushroom has no poisonous counterparts. It is enough just to know what the different varieties of this milkman look like, so as not to pass by this delightful gift of nature. The mushrooms are confused, most often, with pink waves. The latter are given by fluff on the surface of the cap and white milk.
