Wild mushrooms
SAFFRON MILK-CAPS
Lactarius deterrimus, L. deliciosus
Distinguishing characteristics:
The saffron milk-cap can be identified by its orange-red cap with zones of colouration. The gills and stem are also orange or reddish yellow. The stem is hollow, a typical feature of milk-caps. The flesh is yellowish white. The exuded latex is carrot-red and later turns green. The false saffron milk-cap (L. deterrimus) has more closely spaced zones of colour and a more greenish hue than the saffron milk-cap (L. deliciosus). The saffron milk-cap can also be recognized by the pitted orange spots on its stem.
Look-alikes:
The woolly milk-cap has zones of colour, but is a paler reddish shade. Its woolly cap has a fringed appearance. Unlike the saffron milk-cap, the woolly milk-cap has white latex.
Habitat:
The false saffron milk-cap grows in thickly vegetated stands of spruce trees. The saffron milk-cap can be found in pine forests and sandy heaths and is associated with pine tree roots. These mushrooms are common in southern Finland and are somewhat abundant in suitable northern habitat as well.
Harvest season:
August to September is the best time for gathering saffron milk-caps.
Use:
Saffron milk-caps need not be boiled before being used in food preparation. They are mild mushrooms with a slightly acrid taste that dissipates as they are cooked. Saffron milk-caps can be prepared in a variety of ways. They are an excellent soup ingredient when dried. They can also be simmered and then frozen in their own broth. However, saffron milk-caps have one drawback from the mushroom hunter’s point of view: fungus gnats are especially fond of them, so they tend to have large numbers of larvae when found.
Saffron milk cap
(Lactarius deliciosus)