Use mushrooms differently this year

The mushroom season is in full swing and many mushroom hunters and “ordinary” people take home baskets full of mushrooms. Great. You have plenty of mushrooms and now you need to process them. Mushrooms are great dried (but not all mushrooms are suitable for drying – chanterelles, for example turn bitter), pickled or frozen. Mushrooms and other goodies from your garden come handy especially in winter. Ok, it is all good but this year you may try something different. Here are few mushroom preservation tips you may like!

Mushrooms with salt

Best if you use harder mushrooms for this process. Cut larger mushrooms into quarters and leave small ones in one piece. Spread them on a mat or paper and dry them for few hours. Get suitable glasses or jars while they are drying. Put a layer of mushrooms on the bottom and sprinkle with salt. Add another layer of mushrooms and sprinkle with salt again. Continue in this manner until you fill all jars. Seal and store in a dark and cool place for up to six months. This is a great substitute for drying. You need about 250 g of salt per one kilogram of mushrooms. A good idea is to dry the salt for a while, for example by spreading it out on a baking sheet and putting it in oven.

Photo: Pixabay

Mushroom spices

Cut mushrooms and make thin slices. Let them dry thoroughly (in your oven or dehydrator). When done, you can make great mushroom seasoning. Crush dry mushrooms in a mortar or in a food processor into a powder. Mix the powder with dried parsley, dill, carrots and celery. This spice is great for soups or mushroom sauces.

Mushrooms in a salt brine

Boil the same amount of water and salt (e.g. 1 kg/l water and 1 kg salt). Put mushrooms in glasses and pour brine over mushrooms. They need to be completely submerged. Turn glasses upside down and let them cool. If you want mushrooms last longer, boil them longer.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Fermented mushrooms

Boil whole mushrooms in salted water for about two minutes and cool them immediately. Use a colander and pour cold water over them. Now, put mushrooms in a stoneware pot (or other non-reactive container that will keep mushrooms in dark). Prepare a brine:boil 50 g of salt, 20 g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of sour milk, pepper, allspice, garlic, onion and 1 litre of water. Pour the brine in. Mushrooms must be completely submerged. A good idea is to weigh them down with a plate or a lid. Let it ferment for two weeks at a room temperature and then transfer it to a refrigerator. Mushrooms should last for about 6 months. Serve sour mushrooms as a side dish with meat. Rinse mushrooms before serving.

Mushrooms marinated in fat

Put mushrooms in a jar or glass and pour melted butter in. Again, mushrooms must be completely submerged. As soon as the melted butter gets hard again, you can serve them. If you want to store it at a room temperature you need to sterilize at 95°C and after two days again.

Source:

https://www.idnes.cz/hobby/houby/uchovani-hub.A130709_142153_houby_bma

https://www.nazeleno.cz/6-snadnych-zpusob-pro-zpracovani-hub/

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán