A successful mushroom picker just needs to know the different ways of harvesting mushrooms for the winter, preservation recipes, and the finer points of storage so that the rich harvest does not disappear and delights the whole year. The tricks of pickling and drying were passed down from generation to generation, as a result of which they have survived to this day. Today we can use modern technology, which can significantly reduce the cooking time and reduce the complexity.
Our article will be useful to all mushroom lovers who prefer to independently harvest this delicacy for the future.
Forest Gifts
Since ancient times, people used mushrooms to cook a variety of dishes. They filled pies, dumplings and dumplings, added to dolma and cabbage rolls, stewed with vegetables and meat, salted in barrels, used to make soups, sauces and gravy ... Today, when the human diet has expanded significantly, this product has not lost its former popularity. Even a small outlet with crispy mushrooms, sprinkled with fragrant oil, can turn an ordinary everyday dinner into a small celebration. What can we say about the menu for the celebrations! Serve at least one dish of forest mushrooms to the festive table, and your guests will certainly be delighted. It is especially nice to treat friends with mushrooms that are personally picked and cooked.
Mushrooms collected in ecologically clean regions are a source of protein and valuable trace elements.
This delicacy can be safely served even during strict fasting. Although popularly called this product a simple meat, it is absolutely not contraindicated for a lean table. The vegetarian will certainly be happy with the mushroom dish.
True, nutritionists do not recommend treating children under the age of three with mushrooms (according to other sources, the product is contraindicated for up to eight years).
Pre-cleaning
Before you start harvesting mushrooms, you must carefully dispose of forest debris. Sort the contents of the basket, at the same time sorting the mushrooms by size and type.
After carefully inspecting the legs and hats, remove the needles of the needles and dry blades of grass. Cut off the parts eaten by the worms (if the mushroom is too damaged, do not “eat it up” for the forest inhabitants, it is better to just throw it away). It is also necessary to get rid of brown spots, dents with a knife. The spore-bearing part of the cap is removed from the overripe old specimens.
If the sand is cleaned with a brush, remove it before contact with water.
Washing and soaking
It happens that after mechanical cleaning, it is enough to rinse the mushrooms in running water. But in some cases, it is better to let them lie in the water for about an hour. Too long soaking negatively affects the product: the flesh is saturated with water, becomes loose, the taste loses saturation.
Mushrooms usually blanch or pour boiling water over. From this, the flesh becomes more elastic, does not break up when sliced.
Champignons are simply washed under running water. They are very easy to clean.
Mushrooms and other lamellar species require a more thorough examination. Dirt can get stuck between the plates, so you have to wipe with a brush.
If you plan to dry the mushrooms, you should not wet them. Cleansing is performed using a damp, hard cloth.
Boiling
This stage is not always needed. Before this method of harvesting mushrooms, such as drying, boiling, of course, does not need anything. In other cases, this is desirable.
Experienced housewives advise putting mushrooms in boiling water. Finely chopping them is not necessary yet, but it is desirable to cut too large specimens in half or in four parts.
What is boiling for? Everyone knows that mushrooms, like sponges, are capable of absorbing harmful substances from the atmosphere. In the process of cooking, they go into the broth. In addition, the flesh becomes more tender, but retains elasticity.
Some mushrooms, especially hats, contain alkaloids, which can also be eliminated by pre-boiling the product. Especially dangerous in this regard are lines, waves, breasts and morels.
They are afraid of such exposure and radionuclides. Even a ten-minute boil reduces their content by about 80%.
The process is recommended to be completed 30-50 minutes after the first boiling. Do not use too much water, otherwise the mushrooms will give into it useful trace elements.
It is worth noting that you can not use this decoction for culinary purposes. It is easy to guess what its composition is, because all the harmful components remained in it. And the taste of such a decoction is far from being as good as that of pure secondary broth. The shade also leaves much to be desired: it is usually dirty brown.
Shop oyster mushrooms and champignons grown in artificial conditions do not need such preparation. Just rinse them before cooking.
Pickling
Perhaps this is the most traditional way of harvesting mushrooms for the future in Russian cuisine. Lamellar varieties are especially good for salting: yellow and black breasts, chanterelles, russula, groundworms, honey agarics.
There are two methods of salting: hot and cold. For cold mushrooms are soaked for 2 days in cold water, periodically changing it. Salting should be carried out in a cool room (for example, in the basement, cellar), otherwise the mushrooms will ferment. Soaked mushrooms are laid in a barrel to the brim, sprinkled with salt. 350 g is required per 10 kg of product. Oppression is usually placed on top to prevent the formation of air bubbles, which can become foci of fermentation. Gradually, the mass will sag, you can add new layers to the barrel. Prepares the product in a cool dark place. The buns will need up to one and a half months, and mushrooms can be tasted in a couple of weeks.
The hot method is similar to the cold in almost everything. But before laying the mushrooms scald with boiling water or blanch in boiling water for several minutes.
It is worthwhile to understand in detail the question of which spices to use for such recipes for harvesting mushrooms. It is aromatic spices that form the taste of the final product. For mushrooms, spices from the following list are perfect:
- young branches and leaves of currant, cherry;
- oak leaves;
- Lavrushka
- stalks, twigs and umbrellas of dill;
- garlic;
- basil (in small quantities);
- pepper peas.
Herbs and seasonings are laid at the bottom of the barrel, and then layered with mushrooms. Please note: there is no onion in this list, it should not be used. Fresh or pickled onions are added immediately before serving.
Pickling
This method of harvesting mushrooms is usually used when you need to quickly process a large batch. Pickling is an excellent solution for residents of urban apartments who are not able to produce pickling in a cool basement.
It is believed that to use delicious mushrooms for this method - uniform squandering. The porcini mushroom is tasty in a fried or stewed form, this is a real forest treasure, which they try to use immediately after collection. But in years when the harvest is too large, mushrooms can be pickled.
Great for this butter recipe. Peel them, pre-boil, and then cook the marinade.
For each kilogram of prepared mushrooms take 100 grams of water, 1 tbsp. l salt, a pinch of sugar, 1 tbsp. l vinegar, and seasonings such as black pepper (peas), bay leaf, cloves. Boil water, add sugar, salt and spices, boil for 10 minutes. Immerse the mushrooms in the broth, boil another 10 minutes and add the vinegar. Pour the brew into banks, roll up and wrap. This method is also suitable for other mushrooms: chanterelles, honey agarics, mushrooms, mushrooms, forest mushrooms.
Drying
You can cut the mushrooms into thin plates and string them on a thread. After hanging the “beads” over the burners, in a few days you will receive a sufficiently dried product. It is better to store such mushrooms in a ventilated container in a dry, dark place.
The billet and the oven will help in the matter. Cut mushrooms, put on a baking sheet or wire rack covered with parchment, send to the ajar oven, preheated to 50 degrees. The process will take several hours. Watch the mushrooms, turn them over. Small parts can dry faster, remove them from the pan.
Use of a dehydrator
You can make homemade mushroom harvesting using a modern drying apparatus. It will take much less time and effort than with traditional methods.
As in other cases, the mushrooms are not washed, but cleaned with a damp cloth. Cut the legs and hats with thin plates. Depending on the type of dehydrator and the number of mushrooms, the process can take from three to five hours.
Before use, dried mushrooms are soaked in hot water for about an hour.
Freezing
Owners of refrigerators with large compartments for freezing often use this method for harvesting mushrooms. There are two options: you can freeze raw mushrooms or already boiled. The second method is convenient in that it can significantly save space in the chamber, because boiled mushrooms are compacted into a container much more compactly.
If you decide to freeze raw mushrooms, before cooking they will need to be boiled, previously allowing to thaw.
Mushroom powder
Dried mushrooms are suitable for powder preparation. It takes up very little space, which is very convenient. Such a product is widely used in cooking: it is added to soups; used to flavor casseroles, vegetable stews, meat; put in a potato or rice filling for pies.
You just need to grind the dry parts on a coffee grinder or grind in a mortar.
Mushroom caviar
This is another popular way of harvesting mushrooms for the winter in jars, but it is better to use a basement for storage. Boiled mushrooms are fried in oil, spices and salt are added to taste. After cooling, scroll through a meat grinder, and then stew the caviar in a saucepan for about 15 minutes, then lay out in small banks (up to 0.5 l).
After this, it is necessary to install the cans on a baking sheet laid with a damp rag, and send in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Then the cans are rolled up, wrapped and allowed to cool at room temperature.
They serve caviar as a separate snack, spread toasts with it, add it to pizza, pies, pancakes.
Canned Mushroom Salad
There are many interesting recipes for which a variety of ingredients are used: onions, tomato juice, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, carrots and many other vegetables.
We offer the following recipe for winter mushroom salad. The dish has a spicy taste and does not require any additions. Having opened the jar, the mushrooms can be transferred to serving utensils and served immediately.
Honey mushrooms are great for the recipe. Per kilogram of mushrooms you will need:
- 100 g of lemon juice;
- at art. l cognac;
- medium onion;
- 2 tsp salts;
- 0.5 tsp ground pepper;
- small bay leaf.
Rinse the mushrooms, let the water drain. Fry the onion, add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. After add lemon juice, salt, seasonings and cognac. Stir, let it boil, remove from heat, immediately pack in jars. Sterilize the salad for 10 minutes.
Home storage
Pickled mushrooms are stored in cool pantries, cellars. In the absence of a basement, salted mushrooms can only be stored in clean jars under nylon or glass lids in the refrigerator. Experienced mushroom pickers are not advised to keep harvesting for more than one year. If rust appears on the lid, eating mushrooms is risky.
In the freezer, the shelf life of the raw product can reach one year, but it is better to try to harvest as many mushrooms as you can eat before the next season.
Well, and, perhaps, we recall the main rule: you can eat only those mushrooms that you know well.