Salted black milk mushrooms: 11 recipes

Milk mushrooms are mysterious mushrooms that are considered inedible all over the world because of the pungent milky juice released from their pulp. But in Russia, they have long been valued on a par with boletus, and salted milk mushrooms were at all a delicacy worthy of the tsar's table. Salting black milk mushrooms is no more difficult than any other varieties. It is difficult to imagine the taste of a more worthy snack, and mushrooms change their black color in pickles to a noble dark cherry.

How to salt black milk mushrooms correctly

Among seasoned mushroom pickers, black milk mushrooms have many "home" names and one of the most affectionate and widespread - black milk mushrooms. The thickest, densest and fleshy caps have mushrooms that have grown among deciduous trees. Nigella from coniferous forests are distinguished by thinner caps. Although these mushrooms appear from mid-July to the second half of October, it is best to collect them from the end of August and the entire first half of autumn. The fact is that black milk mushrooms, grown in warmth, are poorly stored, often moldy when salted. And mushrooms harvested in cold weather have a brighter taste and better preservation.

For salting black mushrooms at home, it is important to choose the right dishes.

Best suited for making salted mushrooms are traditional wooden barrels and tubs, as well as enamel or glassware. Wash the latter thoroughly enough with baking soda and dry thoroughly in the oven at high temperatures.

There will be a little more fuss with wooden containers. In any case, they need to be soaked in water for several days so that the wood can swell and become waterproof. New oak tubs should be soaked for at least 2 weeks to completely remove tannic compounds, from which the mushrooms themselves and the brine can turn black.

In addition, oak tubs are washed with a stiff brush and spilled with a boiling solution with the addition of caustic soda (5 g per 1 liter of water), and fumigated with sulfur. Only in this case, you can be completely sure of the destruction of all bacteria that have accumulated in the cracks of the tub.

Before salting black mushrooms, the mushrooms must first be sorted by size. If possible, mushrooms of different sizes are salted separately from each other. If this is unrealistic to carry out, then large mushrooms are cut into several parts. Only mushroom caps are usually used for salting.

Since nigella grows in the thickest of the forest litter, a lot of natural litter collects on them. Therefore, the procedure for cleaning them from debris is very important.To thoroughly remove all dirt, use a sponge, a stiff brush, and even a kitchen knife when you need to scrape off the most difficult areas.

At the end of the procedure, the peeled mushrooms are washed well under running water, finally removing all the smallest dirt.

It is time to decide on the choice of the method of pickling nigella. There are two of them: hot and cold. The first, faster one, involves the obligatory boiling of mushrooms. Using the cold method of pickling milk mushrooms, they do without heat treatment, so the mushrooms are especially tasty, crispy and healthy. Of course, the cold method involves spending more time making salted mushrooms. But many housewives, nevertheless, choose it, because it provides the following advantages:

1. The cold method is especially convenient for salting large quantities of mushrooms, especially when using wooden tubs.
   
2. If the mushrooms are harvested gradually, over several weeks, then only the cold method makes it possible to pickle nigella in one container, gradually adding them there as they come from the forest.
3. For people who are demanding on the appearance of the finished snack, it is the cold method that will be the best, since as far as possible, whole and dense unaged mushrooms are selected for it.
4. Finally, the most patient will be rewarded with a completely unique taste of salty milk mushrooms, in which all the healthy components are preserved unchanged.
5. And only cold pickled milk mushrooms can boast of attractive crispness and density.

How much to soak black milk mushrooms before salting

In order to get rid of the bitterness and acridity of milky juice in nigella, there are only two ways: soaking and boiling. Salt black milk without boiling can only be done in a cold way. Therefore, the soaking procedure is mandatory for such salting.

The peeled and finally washed mushrooms are poured with cold water so that it covers them entirely. From above they can be covered with a flat dish so that they are completely in the aquatic environment. 10 g of salt and 2 g of citric acid per liter are sometimes added to the water, but mushrooms can be soaked without additives. Most importantly, the water must be constantly replaced with fresh water. It is best to do this 2 times a day.

You can soak black milk mushrooms before pickling from 24 hours to 5 days. The exact time depends on the size of the mushrooms, on their age and sometimes on where they grew. On average, the soaking period lasts from 2 to 3 days. After a few days, you can cut off a small piece of mushroom pulp and taste it. A piece is better then spit out. If frank bitterness is no longer felt, then you can safely proceed to further salting.

Another sign of the readiness of the milk mushrooms for further salting is that the replaceable water remains light, but foam appears on it. On the first day of soaking, the water in the mushrooms darkens quickly.

How to salt black milk mushrooms to be crispy

For lovers of salty crunchy mushrooms, any recipe for cold pickling of black milk mushrooms is ideal. Only in this way can you get dense mushrooms, and not sour from salting. Moreover, cold pickled milk mushrooms have the ability to retain their crunchy properties for a long time - up to 6-8 months when stored under suitable conditions. Also, additional crispness to salted mushrooms is given by the leaves of oak, cherry and horseradish.

Cold salted black milk mushrooms according to the traditional recipe

The traditional recipe for making salted milk mushrooms involves the use of many spicy and aromatic additives that complement and improve the taste of the mushrooms.Salting black milk mushrooms will be easy even for a beginner if you use the following step-by-step recipe.

Would need:

• 10 kg of fresh nigella;
• 500 g of coarse rock salt;
• 20 dill inflorescences with seeds;
• 40 g black peppercorns;
• 30 pieces of black currant leaves, cherry and horseradish.

The cold cooking process consists of the following steps:

1. The mushrooms are sorted out and cleaned of debris, cutting out rotten and moldy places, if necessary.
   
2. The hats are separated from the legs, leaving just a couple of centimeters.
3. Mushrooms are soaked in a large, wide container for 2 to 5 days.
4. After soaking, they are washed under running water.
5. Prepare a container suitable for salting - a saucepan, a jar, a bucket.
6. All green spices are washed and dried.
7. The bottom of the selected container is covered with a small amount of horseradish leaves, currants and cherries with dill inflorescences.
   Important! Cherry leaves, in their absence, can be replaced with bay leaves.
8. Lay a layer of mushrooms about 5-7 cm thick, legs up, sprinkle with salt and a mixture of spices on top.
   
9. In this way, layer by layer is laid until the mushrooms run out.
10. The top layer is sprinkled with salt most abundantly.
    
11. From above it can be additionally covered with a sheet of horseradish.
12. Cover the mushrooms with gauze or other cotton cloth, press it on top with a wooden circle, on which the load is placed. It is easiest to use a glass jar filled with water as a load.
13. A container with salted nigella is placed in a cool room for 40-60 days.
14. Within a few hours after salting, the mushrooms will release juice and, if there was enough salt, then they will be completely covered with saline. If the liquid level is not high, then it is necessary to top up the saline solution (30 g per 1 liter of water).
    
15. After a few days, the salted milk mushrooms should settle slightly and, if desired, fresh, previously soaked nigella, can be added to them for salting.
16. Before 40 days after salting, tasting of nigella is not recommended, since all this time there is a final removal of bitterness from the mushrooms.
17. If mold does appear on the surface of the fabric or mushrooms, the top layer must be thrown out, the gauze must be boiled, and a little vodka must be added to a container with black salted milk mushrooms.
18. Completely salted mushrooms must be put in a clean and sterilized jar, closed with a regular plastic lid and placed in a cold storage area.

How to pickle black milk mushrooms with dill and garlic

The very technology of salting black mushrooms for the winter according to this recipe does not fundamentally differ from the traditional cold method. Dill baskets are usually added to mushrooms along with seeds. If you cannot find fresh dill inflorescences, you can simply use dry dill seeds. For 10 kg of blackies, you need several tablespoons of seeds.

The aroma of garlic can easily overpower the aroma of wild mushrooms, so it is not often used when pickling. Some experienced mushroom pickers recommend adding it to ready-made salted mushrooms. But if you want to make mushrooms with the aroma of garlic, cut it into small pieces and add it at the beginning of the process along with spices. For 1 kg of mushrooms add 3-4 cloves of garlic.

Pickling black milk mushrooms with horseradish leaves, currants and cherries

The leaves of all three plants are traditionally used in cold salted nigella. Blackcurrant leaves add flavor to the snack. Cherry leaves add strength and fragility. And horseradish leaves add spice and preserve the dense structure of salty milk mushrooms.

Cold pickling of black milk mushrooms with oak and currant leaves

If it is possible to find oak leaves for pickling nigella, then we can assume that the process will take place in almost the same conditions as hundreds of years ago. Indeed, in those days, exclusively oak barrels were used to make salted milk mushrooms, which gave the finished pickles an unobtrusive piquant taste and fragile elasticity.And the use of black currant leaves will complete the overall picture of harmonious aromas and tastes.

For 10 kg of milk mushrooms you will need:

• 400 g of salt;
• 30-40 oak leaves;
• 40-50 black currant leaves with twigs.

How to cold salt black milk mushrooms with horseradish root and cabbage leaves

You will need:

• 5 kg of blackies;
• 8 large and strong white cabbage leaves;
• 220 g of salt;
• 1 large horseradish root;
• 20 dill inflorescences;
• 20 leaves of cherry and black currant;
• 1 head of garlic.

It is not difficult to prepare salty and crispy black milk mushrooms using this recipe in a cold way:

1. Peeled and sorted milk mushrooms are poured with salt water (20 g per 1 liter of water) for 3-4 hours.
2. Then the mushrooms are washed and filled with ordinary water for 5-8 hours.
3. Cabbage leaves are cut into several large pieces.
4. The horseradish root and garlic are peeled and cut into thin slices.
5. Soaked mushrooms are placed with their caps down in the prepared dishes in layers, two caps thick, shifting the layers with horseradish, garlic and cherry leaves with currants.
6. Cabbage leaves are placed on top of the last layer, on which a wooden circle is placed, and a heavy load is placed on it.
   
7. Leave the container with mushrooms for 2 days at room temperature. During this period, the mushrooms are mixed at least 2-3 times.
8. Then put the salted milk mushrooms tightly in clean and dry sterile jars, pour over the secreted juice and place in a refrigerator or other cold place for 2 months.
9. After this period, salted nigella can be considered ready.

How to cold pickle black milk mushrooms with onions

Onions are an excellent addition to any kind of mushrooms when pickling, and nigella is no exception.

Mushrooms are prepared according to a traditional recipe in a cold way using the following ingredients:

• one 10-liter bucket of milk mushrooms;
• 330 g of salt;
• 5-6 large onion heads.

How to salt black milk mushrooms with cloves at home

In the same cold way, you can salt the nigella with the addition of clove buds. According to this simple recipe for salting black milk mushrooms, only a few components are used:

• 10 kg of blackies;
• 45-50 g of coarse salt;
• 25 carnation buds.

A simple recipe for cold pickling black milk mushrooms

And for lovers of the natural taste of mushrooms, the following recipe will be interesting, in which nothing is used except the mushrooms themselves and salt. After all, blackies are distinguished by their own unique, slightly tart and resinous aftertaste.

The maximum concentration of brine is used: at least 50 g of salt per 1 kg of mushrooms. Otherwise, the cooking technology is no different from the traditional one.

Black milk mushrooms: cold salting in Altai style

In Altai, blackies have been salted for many centuries and the following ingredients are used for cooking:

• 10 kg of mushrooms;
• 500 g of salt;
• 20 dill umbrellas;
• 5 heads of garlic;
• 5 st. l. black pepper and sweet peas;
• 20 carnation buds.

The process of preparing salted mushrooms in a cold way is traditional and consists of preliminary soaking and subsequent laying out of mushrooms in layers, shifting them with spices. Mushrooms should be salted for about a month under oppression in a cool room. The only thing that needs to be controlled is that the salted milk mushrooms are constantly covered with liquid brine, otherwise mold may appear.

Cold salting of black milk mushrooms with citric acid

Citric acid can be added to black milk mushrooms both before soaking them for salting, and during the salting process itself, after the mushrooms have released a sufficient amount of juice under the weight of the press. The addition of citric acid contributes to better preservation of the mushrooms and their faster salting.

For 10 kg of nigella add 35 g of citric acid.

Storage rules for cold salted black mushrooms

Cold pickled black milk mushrooms are stored at temperatures from + 2 ° C to + 8 ° C. If stored at higher temperatures, then they are very likely to sour and even mold.

It is also impossible to allow salted mushrooms to freeze, since this leads to loss of shape and disintegration into small pieces.

Conclusion

Every housewife should be able to salt black milk mushrooms for the winter, because this traditional Russian appetizer will help both decorate the festive table and help cope with some diseases.

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