• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

  • Home
  • About
  • Wild Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other Mushrooms
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Huitlacoche
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Hedgehogs
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Honey Mushrooms
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Ramps and Onions
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
      • Spruce and Conifers
      • Pollen
      • Prickly Ash
      • Bergamot / Wild Oregano
      • Spicebush
      • Golpar / Cow Parsnip
      • Wild Carraway
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged Animals
      • Venison
      • Small Game
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal and Organ Meat Recipes
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • Field, Forest Feast (The Wild Harvest)
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts / Interviews
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Indigo Milk Cap Mushrooms

Indigo Milkcaps, Lactarius Indigo Preserved In Olio Santo_-2

Lactarius indigo is a beautiful, blue mushroom you can eat.

These mushrooms look out of place in nature. Sure, mushrooms come in all kinds of different colors, but blue mushrooms are pretty rare, and of the wild mushrooms I know that share a similar intense blue color, Lactarius indigo is the only one I know that’s edible.

When sliced with a knife, the mushroom stains an even darker blue. They’re truly one of the most interesting mushrooms I’ve ever seen, let alone eaten.

Not all blue mushrooms are “magic” 

As an aside (and It’s funny I even have to say this) cooking or visually enjoying these mushrooms will be the only thing you do with them.

Just because a mushroom is blue, doesn’t mean it’s magic (hallucinogenic). The only trip you’ll be taking is probably to the grocery store to get some garlic and parsley. 

Lactarius indigo, an edible blue mushroom

The cap of the mushrooms will often be a faded blue color, but once you cut them they get intense.

The amount of truly blue foods in the world is pretty slim, and these have to rank among the most interesting. The caveat was every time I would find these for the first couple years they were always past prime and bug eaten, which is pretty typical for Lactarius mushrooms.

I got lucky one day after a massive rainfall in a park where I compete with the Russian ladies for mushrooms (they love pine forests). Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a mushroom under the pine trees, and when I stopped to pick it up, I noticed more, and then more around them.

Lactarius Indigo blue Mushroom in the woods

The intense blue of the indigo milkcap.

Long story short, the key to finding indigo milkcaps is timing. From my experience Lactarius species need a lot of rain to produce a decent fruiting, so after you’ve found a place where one or have been spotted, make sure to go there after a good rainfall, and you might get lucky.

lactarius indogo after cutting

Indigo milkcaps stain a dark blue when cut. 

Habitat

I have only found them under Eastern White Pine where I live, typically starting to fruit in late to mid August. I’ve never seen them in deciduous woods, but it could be possible if the woods are mixed or have some stands of pine in them.

One thing I do know, is that milkcap mushrooms love the same habitat, so if you find a milkcap of a different type (like a saffron milkcap) you’ll want to check back throughout the season to see the different types that fruit. 

Harvesting 

The most important thing I look for first with milkcaps is the stem. More often than not, milkcaps, at least where I harvest them, will probably have been visited by bugs before you get to them. This may mean you cut off and discard the stems, or you may just have to pass on them. Timing is tricky, and a day or two can be the difference between mushrooms for a meal and compost. 

Look a likes 

The color and shape of these mushrooms is really distinctive-there really aren’t any other blue mushrooms that I’d easily confuse with them.

That being said, certain types of dangerous Cortinarius can have slightly similar colors, but mostly they’re purple-ish-not nearly the same striking blue as indigo milkcaps.

Cortinarius also have a webby veil over the gills, where indigo milk caps never will. Blewits (Clitocybe nuda) are colored too, but they’re more grey or purple, so saying they’re a look a like for blue milkcap mushrooms is a stretch, as you can see below. 

blewit mushroom clitocybe nuda wood blewit

A blewit. These are purple mushrooms, and very different looking than indigo milkcaps. The good news is these are edible too, and very good. 

Cooking

Lactarius indigo can be cooked like any other mushroom, and you can substitute them just about anywhere mushrooms would be welcome. These are relatively clean since they grow in coniferous forests, but you’ll want to check for the occasional pine needle.

The big problem here is that bugs like these guys, and more than likely what you find may be past prime. You could make some stock out of the buggy ones, or dry them, but there’s many other nice mushrooms out there that I only take really nice milk caps home to cook. 

Keeping the mushroom’s blue color 

In the kitchen, these will turn slightly grey as they cook in oil or fat (i.e. sauteing). The color won’t be totally gone, but it will be muted and very hard to see, and definitely not the vibrant blue you’ll see after you pick or cut them.

To get around this, I’ve had good success stewing them, basically keeping them very moist and not letting them touch the bare pan with oil, then marinating with herbs, garlic, and vinegar.

Salted wild mushrooms in brine recipe

Pickled or preserving in salt brine will keep the mushrooms beautiful blue color.

You could blanch them quickly in salted water, which will also retain the color, afterward, they can be marinated with something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar.

But, retaining the color by blanching or pickling does mean that you have to sacrifice the depth of flavor that comes from browning in a pan with heat. Personally, I think the color and novelty is a lot of fun, so I typically try to keep the color blue as opposed to sauteing them. 

For some recipes and specific ideas, check out my method for blanching them in pickling liquid to keep the color and then packing them in flavorful oil-here’s the recipe Lactarius Indigo preserved in “holy oil”-a riff on the classic Italian recipe for mushrooms sott olio. 

indigo milkcap recipe lactarius indigo recipe

Preserving milkcaps in oil will also keep the blue color.

Preservation

Pickling or preserving the mushrooms as per the ideas above are my go-to methods of preservation, but Indigo milkcaps can be sliced and dried in a dehydrator like any other mushroom and will make a decent stock or powder. Young ones are the best for pickling.

Freezing is an option too, just make sure to cook them first, which I’d do by blanching or stewing. If you have a large amount of them, you can make traditional mushroom duxelles, but I’ve never found a large enough patch to warrant it. 

Recipes

Recipes I’ve made for Indigo Milkcaps or where they can be substituted

  • Catalan Saffron Milkcaps
  • Wild Mushrooms With Garlic, Breadcrumbs and Chili
  • Wild Mushroom Conserve
  • Wild Mushroom Duxelles
  • Pickled Milkcaps
  • Indigo Milkcaps Preserved In “Holy Oil”
  • Turkish Saffron Milkcaps With Cumin Yoghurt
  • Fricando Of Veal With Saffron Milk Caps
  • Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley
  • Stinging Nettle Tortelli In Lactarius Broth

Related Links 

Saffron Milk Caps: Niscalos or Rovellones

35 Essential Wild Mushrooms Every Forager Should Know 

Related

Previous Post: « Verdolagas / Purslane: Harvesting and Cooking
Next Post: Purple Laccaria Mushrooms (Laccaria ochropurpurea) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James

    September 6, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    Just curious about your efforts on the pickling front re: Lactarius Indigo…any success in preserving colour? How was the taste? Thanks for posting this.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      September 15, 2015 at 12:46 pm

      Hi James. Yes, Lactarius Indigo can be pickled and it’s color preserved. You need to make sure not to color the mushrooms or saute them though. The vinegar or alternately citric acid preserves their color. They taste great, depending on the spices and pickling mixture you use. Don’t overpack the jars or they’ll get slimy though.

      Reply
  2. Kat Grant

    June 13, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    I live in Northwest Arkansas and we find L. Indigo under/near older oak trees in mixed wood forests. My husband and I found ten today, June 13,2016, but we found our first one two weeks ago. I’ve read they can be found here Spring through fall.

    Kat

    Reply
  3. Steve

    July 9, 2016 at 8:09 pm

    I found about a quart of them, very fresh and 1.5 to 4 inches diameter, roadside under oak and pine trees in northern Virginia on July 8, 2016. Tough to spot because by the time they’re 1.5 inches diameter they’ve barely emerged, about one inch above the ground, pushing up the leaf litter. Knockout blue color

    Reply
  4. Alesia Walker

    July 8, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    I just found an indigo milkcap on our farm in Missouri. Not real sure what t do with it.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      July 10, 2019 at 5:04 pm

      Cook it and eat it if the stem cuts clean.

      Reply
  5. Penny

    July 25, 2021 at 10:35 am

    I found a lovely patch this morning, in rural Sharp County Arkansas. What a score!

    Reply
  6. Barbara Craig

    July 25, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    I had chanterelles last night and they were divine. Easy to prep and simple to cook. Indigo caps were on the menu to ight and they were very good too! Meaty and delicious.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      July 26, 2021 at 12:58 pm

      Yummy

      Reply
  7. Ayana Mitchell

    October 13, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    Greetings, what State is your location?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Forager|Chef – The Goldstalk Bolete: Boletus Ornatipes says:
    August 14, 2013 at 10:10 am

    […] of russula/lactarius, but I don’t really find any worth eating besides lobster mushrooms, lactarius indigo, and lactarius deliciosus, and they are rather rare; with the exception of lobsters. Boletes […]

    Reply
  2. Forager|Chef – Whorl Tooth Boletes, The Gyrodon Family says:
    September 2, 2013 at 9:51 pm

    […] I find these growing under ash, tamarack, and from other reports, alder trees.  These will pop up in the late summer here in Minnesota, at the same time as the chicken fat bolete, and lactarius indigo. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

James Beard Award Winner

beard award

Subscribe (It’s free)

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Footer

Instagram

foragerchef

FORAGER | CHEF®
🍄🌱🍖
Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
Milkweed buds are the second-best edible part of t Milkweed buds are the second-best edible part of the plant, besides the pods in my opinion. They need to be cooked to be edible. 

I only pick from common milkweed in areas where there’s very large colonies. 

I leave some buds to flower on each plant, I also avoid any tops that have insects or monarch caterpillars. Plenty of food to go around. 

#milkweedisafoodplant #foraging #milkweedbuds #asclepiassyriaca
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

 I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchases help keep this website free and help with the many costs involved with this site as it has continued to grow over the years. 

Copyright © 2022 ·