Fish milky cap mushrooms, Lactifluus volemus + intro to the Lactarius and Lactifluus mushroom genera

Learn how to identify edible and tasty fish milky cap mushrooms, Lactifluus volemus. This common summertime mushroom is a burnt sienna or terracotta color and bleeds an enormous amount of white, sticky juice (called latex) when its gills are damaged. Despite the funky aroma and sticky consistency of the fish milky cap's latex, this is a pretty delightful mushroom once cooked. In addition to sharing fish milky cap mushroom identification features, I provide a brief overview of milky mushrooms as a whole. Milky caps belong to two genera, Lactarius and Lactifluus, and they're characterized by exuding latex when the gills and fruiting body are damaged. Among the milky mushrooms of the Southeastern US you'll find Lactifluus piperatus and its relatives, which are typically white mushrooms that bleed a tremendously spicy-peppery latex, and Lactifluus corrugis, which is a reddish-brown, rough-surfaced milky cap that has the same delightful flavor as its orange-brown cousin Lactifluus volemus.