Mushrooms are an incredibly tasty and nutritious product that is included in a great variety of dishes. They are traditionally used to prepare soups, main courses, snacks, sauces. To be able to feast on mushrooms in the winter, people use a method such as drying.
Mushroom connoisseurs can enjoy fresh, tasty dishes for a very short time, since the harvesting season is very short. And therefore they are forced to resort to various methods of preserving them in order to pamper themselves with their favorite product until next season.
Drying has become one of the ways to preserve the harvest. Thanks to such processing, mushrooms can be stored for a long time (up to 3 years) and retain almost all useful substances, and also, being compact (dry out 3-4 times), do not take up much space. Dried mushrooms can be bought at the store, or you can cook it yourself at home, either by hanging them on a string in the manner of a garland, or using a special device - a drying chamber. This is the easiest and fastest way to turn fresh mushrooms into dry ones.
Among the main varieties of mushrooms allowed for drying are known: porcini mushrooms, all types, honey agarics, boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, morels, Polish mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, stitches. Dried porcini mushrooms acquire a richer and more refined taste.
Harvest preparation
The crop must be disassembled by type, selecting those that are really suitable for drying, and will not subsequently taste bitter. After that, thoroughly clean the mushrooms from dirt and debris (sand, needles, leaves), not forgetting that you cannot rinse them, you can only wipe them with a cloth. Small ones are dried whole, here the medium ones are divided into a leg and a cap, and the large ones should be cut. The legs of the mushrooms are cut into circles, the caps into cubes.
Drying methods
On a tray
The tray is covered with parchment paper, where the cooked mushrooms are then laid out. You need to lay out not tightly to each other so that there is air circulation. The tray is taken out to the balcony and then it remains only to follow when the process is finished.
If the mushroom retains its elasticity when bent, and breaks with effort, the harvest is ready, it should be harvested and harvested. It must be remembered that small mushrooms will reach much faster, they cannot be overdried.
On a thread
Small mushrooms can also be dried whole, while large ones should be cut into several pieces. Next, the prepared pieces are pierced in the middle with a large needle and strung on a thick strong thread. Mushrooms intended for drying in this way most of all resemble beads, they are also dried, separating the mushrooms from each other. Then the mushrooms suspended on a string are covered with a piece of gauze to protect them from dust and insects.
In the oven
Prepared mushrooms are left in the sun for a while to dry out a little. Then they are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, which is placed in a preheated oven (60-70 degrees).
Store dried mushrooms in a ceramic or glass container. In winter, they will serve as an excellent addition to the diet, because they can be used in soups, salads, second courses, and even porridge, which will make the taste richer and more interesting.
