Mushrooms are valuable products, and chanterelles are used not only for cooking, but also for the treatment of various diseases. But they do not grow all year, so many people prefer to stock up on them for the future. There are different ways of harvesting. How to dry chanterelles at home is described in the article.
The benefits of chanterelles
Fruits are valued for their rich vitamin and mineral composition. They contain many vitamins B, PP, C, E and A. Mushrooms contain iron, cobalt, fluorine, zinc, calcium. They have amino acids. Due to its vitamin composition, the product is considered a natural antibiotic. It improves defenses. Remedies from mushrooms are used to treat diseases.
Based on this type of fungus, drugs are made to eliminate worms in humans and animals. They are also effective in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, diseases of the heart, blood vessels, pancreas. The fruit is used to eliminate psoriasis, tuberculosis. The presence of the ergosterol component makes the product useful for people with liver disease. Mushrooms are used in the treatment of tonsillitis, abscesses on the skin, inflammation. Can chanterelles be dried? How to dry chanterelles? Such questions arise in many young housewives.
Preparation
Experienced mushroom pickers know that chanterelles differ from the rest of the mushrooms in a rich orange color, the absence of wormholes. Pests do not prefer them, because they do not like the hinomannose inside. Because of this, the fruit is intact. Before you learn how to dry chanterelle mushrooms at home, you should prepare them for this procedure:
- Purification from pollution - foliage, blade of grass.
- Do not use water for cleaning, as the mushrooms become brittle due to moisture.
- Severe contamination must be removed with a damp cloth, which must be carefully wrung out.
- Chanterelles should be wiped and left intact if drying is carried out in the classical way.
- When using other methods, you need to cut them in the direction of the fibers into 2 or 4 parts.
- Raw materials need to be weighed. It’s important to take the newly harvested chanterelles for harvesting.
There are many ways to harvest fruits. How to dry chanterelles for the winter? The answer to this question is disclosed below.
Bead Drying
How to dry chanterelles at home? Fruits must be threaded whole on a string and hung in a dry room, for example, at the stove. Beads need to be turned over regularly so that moisture evaporates on all sides. This method of harvesting is considered the simplest, but longest, it will take at least a week. The product must be protected from insects. It is advisable to choose such a dryer when it turns out to hang beads from mushrooms on the street, and not at home.
In the closet
If the previous option does not fit, then you can select the workpiece in the cabinet. How to dry chanterelle mushrooms in this way? Pieces should be laid out on a horizontal surface, for example, in a closet. Just before that, you need to lay a newspaper or paper.
The raw materials must be spread out evenly, covered with paper, but not pressed. This will protect against insects. The room where drying is carried out should be carefully ventilated, and a mosquito net should be used.
In the oven
How to dry chanterelles at home using an oven? Pre-prepared pieces should be placed on a baking sheet. It is advisable to put baking paper or foil. If there are a lot of mushrooms, you need to take 2 baking sheets, and if there are a lot of mushrooms, then it is better to carry out drying in several stages.
The oven should be heated to 50 degrees, place a baking sheet in it and clamp the door with a tack or towel so that it is not completely closed. Steam will escape through the gap - this is the liquid from the mushrooms. If the door is completely closed, then the water again enters the chanterelles and therefore they will not be able to dry.
After filling the kitchen with the aroma of dried mushrooms (usually it takes 1.5-2 hours), the temperature should be increased to 60 degrees, but no more. After another 1-1.5 hours, it is necessary to periodically open the device, take out a baking sheet for turning and taking out the mushrooms. If this procedure is not performed, then small pieces can dry out, burn out, and more can become moldy. No one can say how long this drying takes, since the duration depends on various factors - the number and size of pieces, the age of the mushrooms and the conditions of collection.
Microwave
This procedure is much faster compared to the oven. In addition, this method can be used for a small number of fruits. How to dry chanterelles at home, if there is a microwave? First, pieces should be laid out in a thin layer on a plate and set for evaporation with a power of 180 watts for 20 minutes.
Then the dishes must be removed, pour out the liquid that has appeared. The microwave door should be left open for 5-10 minutes. Then you need to put it again for 20 minutes with the same mode, drain the liquid and wait a certain period. This is done several times until the mushrooms are ready.
Dryer
It is convenient to carry out the procedure in a dryer designed for fruits and vegetables. It will fit a lot of mushrooms. How to dry chanterelles at home? The duration of the procedure depends on the type of device, but there are 2 options - if there is a "mushroom" mode or not. If it is, then you should only turn it on and leave the fruits to dry for 7-8 hours.
If there are no special programs in the dryer, the mushrooms should be placed inside, and then the device should be turned on 50 degrees for 3 hours. Then the fruits should be removed, let them lie on the table for several hours. Next, you need to dry them until fully prepared at 60 degrees.
How to identify readiness?
Willingness is easy to determine: you need to try to break the mushroom. He should not crumble in his hand. Properly prepared chanterelles bend between the fingers, but they break only with the applied efforts. The fault section must be dry.
Another test option is weighting. After drying, the fruits become lighter than they were before, about 9-10 times. If less weight loss is detected, then drying is required.
Storage
It will be useful for housewives to know how to dry and store chanterelles at home? In preparation, everything is clear: you need to use any of the above methods. But how to store them? Pieces can be placed in a canvas bag, which must be tied.
Many make mushroom powder. It is added to various dishes. Then the chanterelles need to be ground in a coffee grinder. The powder is stored in closed, ceramic containers.
Mushroom danger
Chanterelles, like other mushrooms, can be harmful. You should not collect them near industrial enterprises, highways, since many harmful components and heavy metals accumulate on the fruits there. You do not need to consume them often and a lot during pregnancy, lactation. It is forbidden to feed babies under 3 years old with mushroom dishes. The restriction must be observed for people with kidney disease, gastritis, ulcers.
Thus, chanterelles are useful, but only in moderation and with proper preparation. Drying is the best method of harvesting, since all valuable substances are stored in the fruits. And which method to choose depends on your desire.