Delicious Saffron Milkcaps
The Saffron Milkcap is a beautiful fungus species with bright orange gills and flesh. It may look a little unprepossessing from the top when you stumble across it in the pine woods:
![Saffron Milkcap - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Saffron-Milkcap-The-Hall-of-Einar-8239-725x544.jpg)
But look underneath and there is treasure to behold.
![Saffron Milkcap - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Saffron-Milkcap-The-Hall-of-Einar-8240-544x725.jpg)
The stem has a series of wonderful distinctive orange marks too:
![Saffron Milkcap - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Saffron-Milkcap-The-Hall-of-Einar-8238-544x725.jpg)
It’s called a Milkcap, or Lactarius, because it’s one of the species which exudes a milky liquid when damaged. Cut the gills of this one and it exudes carrot-coloured milk. The flesh bruises an unearthly green and the stem is hollow. Its scientific name is Lactarius deliciosus.
![Saffron Milkcap - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Saffron-Milkcap-The-Hall-of-Einar-8245-725x544.jpg)
I look forward to finding out just how delicious it is shortly. If only there was more than just the one perfectly ripe one here.