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Mushrooms of the genus Mlechnik belong to the Syroezhkov family. Their edibility category is low (3-4), however, despite this, milkmen were traditionally revered in Russia. Collect them now, especially those varieties that are suitable for pickling and pickling. In the mycological classification, there are about 120 species of Lactarius, about 90 of them grow on the territory of Russia.

The first among the milk-keepers in June are the milky ones that are not caustic and pale yellow. All lactarius are edible mushrooms, and they can be distinguished by the presence of juice at cut sites or breakages. However, they become edible, just like milk mushrooms, after preliminary soaking in order to eliminate bitterness. They grow in groups.

The September milkmen occupy large areas in comparison with the August ones, getting closer and closer to swampy places, rivers and canals.

Millers and milk mushrooms in October strongly change color after the first frost. This change is so strong that it can be difficult to distinguish between them. Only those milkmen who have not changed their appearance and properties under the influence of frost can be used for food, soaked and salted.

You can find photos and descriptions of the most common types of milky mushrooms on this page.

Miller non-caustic

Habitats of the non-caustic milky (Lactarius mitissimus): mixed and coniferous forests. They form mycorrhiza with birch, less often with oak and spruce, grow in moss and on litter, singly and in groups.

Season: July-October.

The cap has a diameter of 2-6 cm, thin, at first convex, later extended, becomes depressed by old age. There is often a characteristic tubercle in the center of the cap. The central area is darker. A distinctive feature of the species is the bright color of the cap: apricot or orange. The hat is dry, velvety, without concentric zones. The edges of the cap are lighter.

As you can see in the photo, the leg of this milky mushroom is 3-8 cm high, 0.6-1.2 cm thick, cylindrical, dense, then hollow, of the same color with the cap, lighter in the upper part:

The flesh of the cap is yellowish or orange-yellowish, dense, brittle, with a neutral odor. Under the skin, the flesh is pale yellow or pale orange, without a special smell. Milky juice is white, watery, does not change color in air, not pungent, but slightly bitter.

Plates, adherent or descending, thin, of medium frequency, slightly lighter than the cap, pale orange, sometimes with reddish spots, slightly descending to the pedicle. Spores are creamy ocher in color.

Variability. The yellowish plates become bright buffy over time. The cap color ranges from apricot to yellowish orange.

Similarity with other species. The non-caustic milky looks like brownish milky (Lactatius fuliginosus), in which the color of the cap and leg is lighter and a brownish-brownish color is preferable, and the leg is shorter.

Cooking methods: salting or pickling after pretreatment.

Edible, 4th category.

Miller pale yellow

Habitats of the pale yellow lactarius (Lactarius pallidus): oak forests and mixed forests, grow in groups or singly.

Season: July August.

The cap has a diameter of 4-12 cm, dense, initially convex, later flat-spread, slightly depressed in the middle, slimy. A distinctive feature of the species is a pale yellow, pale ocher or ocher-pale cap.

Pay attention to the photo - this milkman's cap is uneven, there are spots, especially in the middle, where it has a darker shade:

The edge of the cap is often heavily striated.

The leg is 3-9 cm high, 1-2 cm thick, hollow, the color is the same as that of the cap, cylindrical, in mature it is slightly clavate.

The pulp is white, with a pleasant smell, the milky juice is white and does not change color in the air.

The plates are frequent, weakly descending along the stem or adherent, yellowish, often with a pinkish tinge.

Variability. The color of the cap and stem can vary from pale yellow to yellowish ocher.

Similarity with other species. The pale yellow milky is similar to the white milky (Lactarius mustrus), which has a white-gray or white-cream cap color.

Cooking methods: edible after preliminary soaking or boiling, used for salting.

Edible, 3rd category.

Miller neutral

Habitats of the neutral milky (Lactarius quietus): mixed deciduous and oak forests, growing singly and in groups.

Season: July-October.

The hat has a diameter of 3-7 cm, sometimes up to 10 cm, at first it is convex, later spread out, becomes depressed by old age. A distinctive feature of the species is a dry, silky, mauve or pinkish brown cap with noticeable concentric zones.

The leg is 3-8 cm high, 7-15 mm thick, cylindrical, dense, then hollow, cream-colored.

The flesh of the cap is yellowish or light brown, brittle, the milky juice does not change color in the light.

The plates are adherent and descending on the pedicle, frequent, cream or light brown, later acquire a pinkish tint.

Variability: the color of the cap can range from pinkish brown to reddish brown to creamy purple.

Similarity with other species. According to the description, the neutral milkman is similar to a good edible oak milky (Lactarius zonarius), which is much larger and has fluffy, curled edges.

Cooking methods: salting or pickling after pretreatment.

Edible, 4th category.

Fragrant miller

Habitats of the aromatic lactarius (Lactarius glyciosmus): coniferous and mixed forests,

Season: Aug. Sept.

The cap has a diameter of 4-8 cm, dense, but fragile, shiny, initially convex, later flat-spread, slightly depressed in the middle, often with a small tubercle in the center. The color of the cap is brownish-gray with a lilac, yellowish, pinkish tint.

Stem 3-6 cm high, 0.6-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical, slightly narrowed at the base, smooth, yellowish.

The flesh is fragile, brownish or reddish brown. Milky sap is white, turns green in the air.

The plates are frequent, narrow, slightly descending, light brown.

Variability. The color of the cap and stem can vary from gray-brown to reddish-brown.

Similarity with other species. The fragrant milky is similar to the umber milky, in which the cap is umber, gray-brown, the flesh is white, turns brown on the cut, and does not turn green. Both mushrooms are applied salted after boiling.

Cooking methods: edible mushroom, but requires prior mandatory boiling, after which it can be salted.

Edible, 3rd category.

Lilac Miller

Habitats of the lilac lilac (Lactarius lilacinum): broadleaf with oak and alder, deciduous and mixed forests, grow singly and in groups.

Season: July - early October.

The hat has a diameter of 4-8 cm, first convex, later convex-outstretched with a concave middle. A distinctive feature of the species is the lilac-pink color of the cap with a brighter center and lighter edges. The cap may have subtle concentric zones.

Leg 3-8 cm high, 7-15 mm thick, cylindrical, sometimes curved at the base, dense at first, later hollow. The color of the stem varies from whitish to yellow-cream.

The pulp is thin, whitish-pinkish or lilac-pink, not spicy, slightly pungent, odorless. Milky juice is abundant, white, in the air it becomes lilac-greenish.

The plates are frequent, straight, thin, narrow, adherent and slightly descending along the stem, at first cream, later lilac-cream with a lilac shade.

Variability: the cap color can range from pinkish brown to reddish cream, and the stem can range from creamy brown to brown.

Similarity with other species. The miller is lilac in color similar to smooth, or common lactarius (Lactarius trivialis), which is characterized by rounded edges and pronounced concentric zones with a purple and brown tint.

Cooking methods: salting or pickling after pretreatment.

Edible, 3rd category.

Miller pink-gray

Habitats of the gray-pink milky (Lactarius helvus): deciduous and mixed forests, in moss bogs among birches and spruces, in groups or singly.

Season: July-September.

The cap is large, 7-10 cm in diameter, sometimes up to 15 cm. At first it is convex with curved edges downward, silky-fibrous, with a depression in the middle. There is sometimes a small tubercle in the center. The edges are straightened in maturity. A distinctive feature of the species is a gray-pink, pale-yellow, gray-pink-brown, gray-brown cap and a very strong odor. The surface is dry, velvety, without concentric zones. When dried, mushrooms smell like fresh hay or coumarin.

The leg is thick and short, 5-8 cm in height and 1-2.5 cm in thickness, smooth, hollow, gray-pink, lighter than the cap, in youth, whole, strong, lighter in the upper part, mealy, later red-brown.

The pulp is thick, brittle, whitish-pale, with a very strong spicy odor and a bitter and intensely pungent taste. Milky sap is watery; older specimens may be completely absent.

Plates of medium frequency, weakly descending to the pedicle, lighter than the cap. Spore powder, yellowish. The color of the plates is yellow-ocher with a pinkish tinge.

Similarity with other species.By smell: spicy or fruity, the gray-pink milky can be confused with the oak milky (Lactarius zonarius), which is distinguished by the presence of concentric zones on the brownish cap.

Cooking methods. Gray-pink millers are considered poisonous in foreign literature. In the domestic literature, they are considered of little value due to their strong odor and conditionally edible after processing.

Conditionally edible due to their strong pungent taste.

Camphor milky

Habitats of camphor lactarius (Lactorius camphoratus): deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, on acidic soils, often among moss, usually grow in groups.

Season: September October.

The hat has a diameter of 3-7 cm, fragile and soft, fleshy, first convex, then prostrate and slightly depressed in the middle. A distinctive feature of the species is a well-defined tubercle in the center of the cap, often ribbed edges and a juicy red-brown color.

Leg 2-5 cm tall, brownish-reddish, smooth, cylindrical, thin, sometimes narrowed at the base, smooth in the lower part, velvety in the upper part. The color of the leg is lighter than that of the cap.

The pulp is firm, sweet in taste. The second distinctive feature of the species is the smell of camphor in the pulp, which is often compared to the smell of a crushed bug. When cut, the pulp gives off a white milky sweetish juice, but with a pungent aftertaste that does not change color in air.

The plates are very frequent, reddish-brown in color, wide, with a mealy surface, descending along the stem. Spores are creamy white, elliptical in shape.

Variability. The color of the stem and cap ranges from reddish brown to dark brown and brownish red. The plates can be ocher or reddish in color. The pulp may have a rusty color.

Similarity with other species. The camphor milky is similar to rubella (Lactarius subdulcis), which also has a reddish brown cap, but does not have a strong camphor odor.

Cooking methods: salting after soaking or decoction.

Edible, 4th category.

Coconut milky

Habitats of the coke baker (Lactorius glyciosmus): deciduous and mixed forests with birches, grow singly or in small groups.

Season: September October.

The hat has a diameter of 3-7 cm, fragile and soft, fleshy, first convex, then prostrate and slightly depressed in the middle. A distinctive feature of the species is a gray-ocher cap with lighter thin edges.

The leg is 3-8 cm high, 5-12 mm thick, cylindrical, smooth, slightly lighter than the cap.

The pulp is white, dense, with the smell of coconut flakes, the milky juice does not change color in the air.

The plates are frequent, light cream with a pinkish tinge, slightly descending to the stem.

Variability. The color of the cap varies from gray-ocher to gray-brown.

Similarity with other species. The coconut milky is similar to the lilac milky (Lactarius violascens), which is distinguished by a grayish-brownish color with pale pinkish spots.

Cooking methods: salting after soaking or decoction.

Edible, 4th category.

Wet milky, or lilac gray

Habitats of wet lactarius (Lactarius uvidus): deciduous forests with birch and alder, in humid places. They grow in groups or singly.

Season: July-September.

The hat has a diameter of 4-9 cm, sometimes up to 12 cm, at first it is convex with an edge bent downwards, then it is spread out, depressed, and smooth. A distinctive feature of the species is a highly sticky, glossy and shiny cap, pale yellow or yellowish-brown, sometimes with small brownish spots and slightly prominent concentric zones.

Leg 4-7 cm long, 7-15 mm thick, pale yellow with yellowish spots.

The pulp is dense, whitish, white milky juice in the air acquires a purple tint.

Similarity with other species. A wet milky in shades of colors and shape is similar to a white milky (Lactrius musteus), but it does not have a glossy and shiny cap, but a dry and matte one.

Cooking methods: salting or pickling after soaking for 2-3 days or boiling.

Edible, 4th category.

Here you can see photos of milky mushrooms, the description of which is presented on this page: