Having collected a rich harvest of mushrooms in the fall, you need to properly prepare it for storage throughout the year. The period depends on the quality of the raw materials and compliance with certain rules, and allows you to include aromatic mushrooms in your diet all year round. But in order for the product to remain edible, it is necessary to properly prepare the raw material for drying and subsequently provide optimal conditions for its storage.
How to store and how long to store dried mushrooms at home, what containers are best to use for this - you will learn from today's article.
How to store dried mushrooms at home
Dried mushrooms are a product that does not spoil for a long time, but this condition is only relevant if storage is carried out correctly.
To prevent the product from spoiling, it is advisable to protect it from moisture or any foreign odors that are easily absorbed into dry pulp. The best container is considered to be an ordinary glass jar with a nylon lid: in it all specimens remain dry, do not absorb unpleasant kitchen odors and do not grow moldy.
Regardless of which container you choose, you need to properly prepare the raw materials for drying and storing in jars.
The video shows how to quickly dry it at home.
Preparation
If you do the drying yourself, use an electric dryer, an oven, or simply hang them on strings in the attic (Figure 1).
A more important role is played by the preparation of ready-made raw materials.:
- Carefully inspect the thick parts of the legs and caps: they should be completely dry. Increased humidity in fabrics may cause rotting in the future, and the product will have to be thrown away;
- Severely overdried specimens are also not suitable: they crumble easily in a jar, so it is better to immediately grind them into powder;
- Mushroom powder can be mixed with dill, bay leaf and any other seasonings, and then added to prepared dishes.
Figure 1. Methods for drying crops.
Fleshy varieties are best suited for drying: white, boletus and boletus, while lamellar varieties have a pronounced bitter taste after drying.
Rules
To ensure a long shelf life, certain rules must be followed.
So, the following conditions must be provided for the product (Figure 2):
- The place should be dry and with good ventilation: pantry, top shelf of a kitchen cabinet, attic;
- The neck of the jar is covered with a cloth so that enough air gets inside and the raw materials are protected from insects;
- You can store them directly on different strings on which they were dried;
- To keep in the refrigerator, the product is placed in an airtight container or vacuum bag.
Figure 2. Correct placement of dried products
By following these rules, you can protect products from high humidity and foreign odors, and the finished raw materials will retain their taste and aroma for a long time.
Adviсe
There is one practical tip that will tell you how to save at home. It is especially relevant for harvest years, when there is so much product that you want to stock it for future use.
Note: Dried harvest can be stored in rolled up jars, strictly following the technology that will be described below.
To seal into jars, the crop must first be dried. While the pulp is still warm, they are laid out in sterilized liter jars. For sealing, a regular tin lid is used. A little alcohol is dripped onto its inside, set on fire and immediately rolled up. In this case, the savings period at home can reach three years.
Methods
Saving methods are very diverse, so every housewife can easily choose the right one for herself. Not only glass jars are suitable for this purpose, but also any ceramic containers, containers with a vacuum lid, paper bags, cardboard boxes and fabric bags.
Preparing mushrooms for drying
Drying them is considered a very good way to prepare mushrooms. Dried boletus mushrooms are even more aromatic and tasty than fresh ones. The taste and aroma of dried mushrooms is much more concentrated and rich. Another advantage is the fact that they dry out very strongly, losing up to 90% of their volume. And the final product takes up very little space.
For good preservation, mushrooms require pre-treatment. And it is better to do this immediately after collection. There are some nuances to this process:
- The best quality mushrooms that are not damaged are used for drying;
- You should not wash mushrooms before drying, as they absorb moisture very strongly;
- cleaning is carried out using a cotton cloth;
- the lower part of the leg is removed;
- sorted by caliber and size;
- It is not recommended to use metal knives, as the mushroom pulp darkens when it comes into contact with metal;
- large specimens are cut into strips up to 15 mm thick.
Drying methods
After this, you can begin the drying process. There are several methods for drying mushrooms:
- One of the simplest and most traditional methods is thread drying. Whole or chopped boletus mushrooms are strung on a thread, but they should not touch each other. It is necessary to leave some distance for air circulation, otherwise the quality of the product will be worse. These pictures are hung in sunny and well-ventilated places. At night, mushrooms should be removed indoors so that they do not absorb moisture from the air. The duration of the process is approximately 2 weeks.
- You can lay the boletus mushrooms on a flat surface (paper, newspaper) and place them in the sun. To dry evenly, they need to be turned over periodically and brought in overnight in the same way. Drying time 2 weeks.
- It is very convenient to dry porcini mushrooms in the oven. The prepared material is laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Then placed in an oven at a temperature of about 70°C. There is no need to close the door tightly to allow excess moisture to escape. It is difficult to say in advance how long the drying will take; everything is determined by the quantity and quality of the mushrooms.
- Currently, there are quite a lot of special household appliances that help housewives. You can use any electric dryer.
After drying, dried whites should be sorted and sorted by size and quality. Dried mushrooms should be stored in fabric or paper bags. Storage in glass jars is allowed, which must be pre-sterilized and thoroughly dried.
The shelf life of mushrooms can be quite long. But the aroma and taste decreases over time, so it is usually recommended to keep them for no more than 12 months.
In the place where dried mushrooms are stored, there should be no products with a strong aroma, since dry mushrooms have the ability to absorb foreign odors.
Dried mushrooms can be used to prepare a powder that is used as an aromatic seasoning for any dish. To do this, dry the mushrooms a little more; they should crumble easily with your hands. They are then ground in a coffee grinder or food processor to a powder.
The shelf life of such a product in a tightly closed jar will be 3 years.
After harvesting, the mushrooms need to be sorted. Old and damaged ones are not suitable for this storage method. They are sorted by size for uniform drying.
Not all types of mushrooms can be dried. Tubular mushrooms are more suitable for this type of processing than lamellar mushrooms. The latter, with active loss of water, become bitter. For drying, it is better to choose the following mushrooms:
- White.
- Butter.
- Duboviki.
- Boletuses.
- Boletus mushrooms.
Among the lamellar species there are still species suitable for drying. The bitterness acquired during dehydration gives them piquancy:
- Chanterelles.
- Oyster mushrooms.
- Champignon.
- Honey mushrooms.
You can dry wild mushrooms in the oven, electric dryer or in the attic, stringing them on a string.
An important role is played by preparing the finished product for storage. This determines how long dried mushrooms can be stored. If there is moisture left in dried forest products, most likely such mushrooms will become moldy. Overdried ones will crumble into dust. But you shouldn't throw them away. These mushrooms make an excellent seasoning for making soups or fried potatoes. To do this, grind the mushrooms in a coffee grinder and add your favorite herbs and spices. This spice is stored in airtight jars.
Shelf life
Many housewives are interested in how long dried products can be stored. Opinions differ on this issue. The minimum period is 12 months, but if the raw materials were prepared and stored correctly, they will remain edible for several years.
Note: From a technological point of view, the product retains its original taste, aroma and appearance for no more than 18 months, so if you prepare this product annually, be sure to put the date on the container.
It also happens that a jar of dried products suddenly appears at home. Before consuming their food, be sure to check whether the product has spoiled. It should have a characteristic odor without foreign impurities, and there should be no moth larvae, beetles or worms in the jar.
What to do with mushrooms after picking them
Mushrooms are perishable foods. A few hours after cutting, they begin to darken and release toxic substances. They are kept at room temperature for no more than 2-3 hours, so after collection or purchase they are immediately prepared for storage.
How to preserve fresh mushrooms if it is not possible to process them immediately? They are cleaned of debris, wiped with a cloth to remove dirt, but not washed. Place in an enamel container and leave in the cold.
A basement or cellar is used for storage. This way the mushrooms are stored for up to 12 hours.
If the temperature in the cellar or basement is kept from 0 to 5 ° C, then the shelf life will increase to 3 days. Then the mushrooms begin to darken, rot, and become bitter. If you put them in the refrigerator after dry cleaning, they will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Freshness is also prolonged with salt. A layer of salt is poured into an enamel container, a layer of pure mushrooms is placed on top, then salt again, and so on. Fill the container to the top and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Storage in glass jars
Most often, dried pulp is stored in glass jars (Figure 4). To do this, it is better to use matte or shaded containers rather than transparent ones. You also need to provide a tight lid for the jar, especially if the product will be stored in the refrigerator, where there is a consistently high level of humidity. But it is worth considering that an airtight lid is only suitable for well-dried specimens. If they are slightly damp, mold may appear in a jar with a tight lid.
Figure 4. Saving products in a bank
Before adding mushrooms, you need to thoroughly rinse and dry the jars. Dryness is a must, as even a small amount of liquid can spoil the product.
Choose an effective drying method
Drying can be done in different ways:
- in an electric dryer;
- on the stove;
- in the oven;
- outdoors or in a well-ventilated area (in the attic);
- in the microwave;
- in an air fryer.
This is what porcini mushrooms prepared for drying should look like
. The table describes popular methods:
| Photo | Description |
| Electric dryer |
The most common method in city apartments.
The cut plates should not exceed 0.5 mm.
Drying duration: 5–7 hours, at +60…+80 °C
To do this, you need tables with a lid made of gauze or mesh.
The weather should be hot, the place for installation should be sunny and blown by the wind.
Drying time depends on the weather, can take 2–7 days
Thinly sliced mushrooms dry out in a couple of hours. A cloth is placed on a glass dish under the mushrooms.
The session takes place in three sessions:
- We keep it at full power for 20–25 minutes.
- Break - 10 minutes with the door open.
- Turn on for 2 minutes at minimum power.
Dry at room temperature.
The disadvantage of this method is that it doesn’t dry much, and it costs a lot on electricity.
Drying lasts at least two days. With periodic shutdown and heating.
Mushrooms are laid out on a wire rack or baking sheet, covered with parchment.
To allow moisture/evaporation to escape, the oven door is opened slightly.
Preheat the oven to no more than 60 °C
Readiness is checked on a chilled product. Break the dried piece and you will hear a loud crunch.
An overdried product will crumble when broken and is unsuitable for storage. Poor drying quality - the appearance of a burnt crust.
Review:
My dryer is working. Tell me please. How long does it take to dry one bookmark?
It depends on a lot. For example: after rain or some drought, mushrooms were collected, that is, how much moisture is in your mushrooms. You also wash them before drying or wipe them with a damp cloth. And how thinly you slice the mushroom plays an important role. The dryer also has two heat settings, at first it is better to use the first position, and finish drying on the second. So it is impossible to determine by time. Look at the final result. The mushrooms should be dry and slightly (just a little) bendable. And be sure to check the condition of the already dried mushroom during the first days; you can always dry it if it’s not dried enough.
Freezer storage
To place it in the freezer or refrigerator, you need to choose the right container. Any sealed containers are suitable for this purpose: containers or vacuum bags (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Preparation in the freezer
Products can only be stored on shelves with a stable temperature. In addition, it is better to immediately package the product into portions, since when opening a container or bag, moisture may get inside, which will spoil the remaining raw materials.
It is important that the shelf life in the freezer is no more than a year, unlike glass jars, in which the product can remain edible for up to three years.
Attic storage
If you are thread drying, you can store the finished product in the same way, especially since a dry attic with good ventilation is excellent for this purpose.
To prevent the product from drying out, after drying, roll the thread and wrap it in a cloth. After this, you can safely hang them in the attic or closet. The shelf life in this form is quite long, and depends on the level of humidity and the presence of pests. If the harvest is still damp, dry it again in the oven.
Features and rules for storing dried mushrooms are shown in the video.
What mushrooms are best dried?
Not all varieties are suitable for drying. The best option is considered to be tubular mushrooms - such as boletus, boletus, boletus, boletus, and moss mushrooms. They have a long shelf life and excellent taste.
Plate varieties are also suitable for drying, but may be slightly bitter. Preliminary soaking for a long time will help to avoid this. This category includes honey mushrooms, chanterelles, champignons, and oyster mushrooms. But still, to fully reveal the taste, it is better to pickle or preserve these varieties.
IMPORTANT. Mushrooms that produce bitter milky juice, for example, milk mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, and russula, are absolutely unsuitable for drying.
