Drying mushrooms is one of the oldest methods of preserving them. As a result of technical processing, the life of harmful microorganisms is inhibited, which spoil the product during storage. This process significantly lengthens the shelf life of mushrooms in a suitable form for consumption, due to the fact that it minimizes water activity, depriving bacteria of a favorable environment for their habitat and reproduction. The desired effect is achieved by removing moisture. The preservation process can be carried out outdoors, under the influence of wind and sunlight, or in the oven. Mushrooms can also be dried using a fan that artificially creates a stream of warm air and carefully blows the product.
Usually tubular mushrooms are dried : mushrooms, porcini , boletus, oily, boletus. Since it is difficult to remove moisture from lamellar mushrooms, russet mushrooms, russula, mushrooms, mushrooms, chanterelles and others, they are canned less often in this way. Start with the preparation of wild plants. Mushrooms are brushed but not washed (you can only wipe them with a slightly damp, clean cloth), as they absorb moisture very well, and the process of removing it will be very difficult or impossible. Then the prepared fruits are cut into thin slices, about 3 mm thick. The thicker the pieces, the longer they will dry. Then they decide how to dry the mushrooms at home: in the oven, under the influence of a fan or over a hot stove. Depending on the chosen method, fruit plates are laid out in one layer on a sheet with a bed of clean rye straws (can be made from wooden sticks) or stringed on strings in the form of garlands.
At what temperature and how to dry mushrooms in the oven? The sheet with the slices laid out is placed in the oven, heated to a temperature of 40-45 ° C, and they are dried for an hour (the door is left ajar). Then take out and turn each layer on the other side. Continue the process of evaporation of moisture at 60-70 ° C. Dried out already at 80 ° C. Mushrooms collected on a string (slices are distributed evenly, they should not touch each other), dried over a hot stove. To completely remove moisture in all cases, it will take a long time (more than 6 hours). Using the sun is another way to dry mushrooms. It is simple, free, since it does not require electricity, of course, it takes much more time, but it is more suitable to preserve aroma and taste.
There is another way that describes how to dry mushrooms in the oven: prepared and peeled young specimens are strung on thin wooden sticks so that they do not touch and cannot stick together. You can use strong twigs from the apple tree or hawthorn. Washed and calcined river sand or coarse rock salt is poured into ceramic pots or baking dishes . They put twigs with mushrooms. It turns out something like a bouquet of flowers in a vase. All this is installed in a preheated oven and dried at the same temperature conditions as on the sheet. Calcined sand or salt is a hygroscopic material that absorbs moisture well, which reduces the time it takes to remove from mushrooms.
In any of the methods described, it is necessary to constantly monitor the process. In addition, preparing for this method of preservation, it is necessary to understand not only how to dry the mushrooms, but also to calculate how much the finished product should be made from fresh wild plants. To do this, you can operate on the following data:
- uncooked water mushrooms contain approximately 90%;
- in a dry product it remains about 15%.
Thus, if 5 kilograms of fresh product has been prepared for drying, then the dry yield should be 590 grams.
After drying, the mushrooms are stored in a cool dark place in an airtight container. They should not be left outdoors, in direct sunlight or in a humid room. The dried product should not be stored in a room where there are any extraneous odors, since it absorbs them well and deteriorates. If the mushrooms are a little damp during storage, then they again return to the question of how to dry the mushrooms, since, if you do not remove the absorbed moisture from them, then mold may appear.