Preserving mushrooms with salt

Preserve milkcaps in heavily
salted water in a cool place.

This autumn I found a lot of false saffron milkcaps (lactarius deterrimus) and woolly milkcaps (lactarius torminosus). The latter must be cooked because of its bitter taste. Woolly milkcaps are much appreciated as salted mushrooms and this is a preserving method for them.

For 1 kg of woolly milkcaps you need 5 liters of water. Boil the mushrooms about 5-10 minutes in water. After this wash them with cold water, and squeeze the rest of the water out of the mushrooms. Take a vessel, put salt in the bottom and place mushrooms on the salt. Add salt on the mushrooms and then mushrooms and then salt again. Continue like this until the vessel is full. Pour cold water on the mushrooms and make sure that the mushrooms are covered in heavily salted water. The parts that are not under water will get mold on them so make sure that they are under salt water. Store the mushrooms in a cool place.

When you want to use the mushrooms wash them in plenty of cold water in order to get the salt out of them. It may take 1-2 days to with 3-4 change of water when taking the salt out from the mushrooms. Use the mushrooms to salads, soups etc.

WARNING: If you are not sure what mushrooms are safe to eat, leave it in the forest. Always check and identify the mushrooms again at home. Milkcaps can be recognised from the milk that comes out if you cut or break them. Woolly milkcaps has white milk and false saffron milkcaps have orange or red milk that turns green after some time.

Milkcaps to be cleaned

Woolly milkcap on the left and False saffron milkcap on
the right. You need to cook the woolly milkcaps but the
false saffron milkcaps you can cook on a pan straight
away.

1 kg mushrooms needs 5 liters water.

Cook 5-10 minutes so the taste is not so bitter.

Use a lot of salt when preserving milkcaps.