Honey mushrooms - can they be dried, how to do it at home? Storage and use tips

Honey mushrooms are harvested for future use in frozen or canned form. Many housewives, faced with the need to quickly process a large portion of the "gifts of the forest", ask themselves the question: is it possible to dry mushrooms for the winter? Is this procurement method simple enough? Do dry mushrooms keep well? In this article, we will answer these questions and tell you how to properly dry mushrooms at home.

Preparing mushrooms for drying

Autumn mushrooms grow on old stumps and trunks of fallen trees. Each fungus has a thin, dense stalk and a small round cap with a lamellar underside and a translucent "cobweb" underneath. Usually, hats with a short length of legs (no more than 2 cm) are dried. Therefore, experienced mushroom pickers often fill their baskets with exactly these parts of honey agaric, leaving everything else at the collection point. However, the legs can also be harvested. After drying, they become quite hard, but by grinding them in a coffee grinder, you will get a fragrant mushroom powder that can add a special piquancy to soups and main courses.

Strong, young mushrooms that do not have wormholes and noticeable damage are suitable for harvesting. Preparation of raw materials for drying comes down to sorting and cleaning from residues of soil and plant debris. In this case, the mushrooms are not washed, but rubbed with a damp cloth. The "gossamer" under the cap does not need to be removed.

When preparing honey agarics for drying, do not wash them. Mushrooms only need to be wiped with a damp cloth. The "cobweb" under the cap does not need to be removed.

When and how to pick mushrooms

Do you have an electric dryer?
Well no

As soon as the warm wet season sets in, from about mid-August to October, mushrooms grow at a rapid pace in the forest. Whether or not they can be used for drying is a question that experienced mushroom pickers and cooks say: of course, yes!

When choosing a collection method, preference should be given to those that protect the mycelium from damage. It is unacceptable to pull out mushrooms, as this can lead not only to damage to the mycelium, but to its death, and therefore the growth of mushrooms in this area will stop.

In order not to damage the mycelium, it is recommended to carefully cut off the leg with a knife, leaving no more than 2 cm, if you did not have a knife at hand, you need to unscrew the mushroom from the mycelium. Unscrewing the mushroom, you need to carefully rotate it around its axis until it separates itself. The hole that will remain after these actions is best to dig in or slightly trample. The second method is more gentle, as it excludes the infection from entering the mycelium through a cut wound on the leg.

To harvest the mushroom harvest, you must have a basket of birch bark or twigs, then the mushrooms will not crumple and lose their shape. It is necessary to carefully examine the mushrooms, as there is a chance of finding false mushrooms.

For drying, only strong, young, honey mushrooms not eaten by worms, which do not have obvious damage, are suitable for you.

Old and defective mushrooms must be discarded.

The main methods of drying honey agaric

Modern housewives prefer to dry mushrooms for the winter using various household appliances. However, the traditional “grandmother's” method of natural drying has not been forgotten either. True, it is used only in cases where an electric dryer or oven is not available, or the portion of the collected mushrooms is small.

Consider the common methods of drying honey agarics.

In the oven

A device that runs on electricity or gas is suitable. Dry honey mushrooms in the oven should be started at a temperature of 45 ℃, spreading the raw materials on a wire rack or baking sheet in one layer and periodically turning it over. If the oven does not have a convection function, keep the door ajar. After 4.5 hours, the oven temperature should be increased to 80 ℃ and the mushrooms should be brought to readiness. Correctly dried honey fungus retains a color similar to that of a raw mushroom and a natural aroma. Its cap bends easily, it can be broken with your fingers, but not crumbled.

In an electric dryer

Each device of this type has an instruction with a detailed description of the processing modes for various products (including mushrooms). It is necessary to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer for 5-6 hours at a temperature of 50 ℃.

We offer a video on the topic of drying honey agaric in an electric dryer:

On a thread

If you have a place that is well ventilated and warmed up by the sun (open veranda, balcony, etc.), you can not waste time drying honey agarics using household devices. It is enough to string the mushrooms on strong threads (the pieces should not touch) and hang them low, fixing them horizontally. It is better to cover the raw material with gauze to protect it from dust and flies. In hot and dry weather, mushrooms will completely dry out in a week. A similar result can be achieved by placing honey mushrooms in the kitchen of a city apartment, right above the stove.

In the microwave

You can also dry honey mushrooms in the microwave, but this method is not very popular. The fact is that when processed in a microwave oven, mushrooms release a large amount of liquid. It must be drained periodically, changing the temperature regime, which requires constant attention and unnecessary labor from the hostess.

Fan assisted

We offer a video in which a mushroom picker offers to dry mushrooms using a fan:

Drying 7 kilograms of butter in the Isidri electric dryer

In the video presented, you can see how to dry butter oil for the winter. So, our actions:

• The mushrooms were thoroughly wiped with a wet sponge from adhering debris and dirt, sorted out and sorted. • Cut into pieces and put on trays of an electric dryer. Each tray contains 500 grams of chopped mushrooms. Thus, all 20 trays were filled. • Turn on the electrical appliance. We set the temperature regime to +60 degrees. We used an Ezidri Ultra FD1000 electric dryer. • The oil was dried for 21 hours at a given temperature. In the room where the working electrical device was located, it was + 14 ˚С. • After the drying time was over, we gently shook the dried product off the trays and nets of the dryer. From 7 kilograms of fresh butter mushrooms, we got 870 grams of dried product. That is, drying occurred 8 times. • We put our dried boletus in glass jars. One jar was closed with a vacuum lid and air was removed from it with a special pump. Another jar was placed under a screw cap.

Dried honey mushrooms use and precautions

Honey mushrooms, dried in compliance with all technological standards, can be stored in tightly closed glass containers for three years.

Large stocks of mushrooms can be kept in sturdy wooden boxes with well-fitting lids and pre-lined with clean paper.Honey mushrooms are recommended to be periodically inspected for the appearance of food pests (moths, bugs) or mold. If the mushrooms are damaged, you can remove the spoiled specimens, and heat the rest in the oven at a temperature of 60 ℃ for 30 minutes, cool and repack in a clean container.

Dried mushrooms are in no way inferior to fresh mushrooms in taste and nutritional properties. This is an excellent protein product, from which a wide variety of dishes are prepared: soups, main courses, caviar, sauces. Mushrooms are used as a filling for pies, dumplings and pizzas; boiled, added to salads.

Harvesting honey agarics for future use requires compliance with some precautionary rules. The fact is that these mushrooms are often "masked" by their fellows, which contain toxic substances. For example, sulfur-yellow mushrooms are not only very similar in appearance to edible autumn mushrooms, but also grow in similar places in the same season. The poison, which is part of false mushrooms, is not considered fatal, but in dried mushrooms (like all other components) it is in a much higher concentration than in freshly picked ones. This means that by accidentally preparing inedible "doubles" for the future, you risk causing serious harm to your health. Therefore, it is important to observe the following rules:

• before you go for mushrooms, carefully study the descriptions and images of real and false mushrooms, remember their distinctive features;
• When picking mushrooms, immediately get rid of every specimen that gives you the slightest doubt. Do this while sorting;
• do not buy honey mushrooms on the street from unfamiliar sellers. Carefully inspect purchased mushrooms and remove those that do not inspire confidence in time.

Rules for the collection, drying and storage of oils

Mushroom pickers love and appreciate butter not only for its amazingly rich taste, but also for the fact that during the hunt for "forest meat" you can collect a full basket from one meadow. Even a beginner will not find it difficult to find them. One has only to pay attention to the foliage tubercles on the edges or under the pines. It is there that you can find a friendly family of boletus. Collecting butter, mushroom pickers wake up with excitement, because such a mushroom family sometimes grows over a huge territory. It is best to collect strong and young mushrooms. The collection should take place in an ecologically clean place, because butter, like other mushrooms, absorbs salts of heavy metals.

Preparing honey agarics for drying at home

Regardless of the chosen drying method, the mushrooms must be prepared in advance. First, they are sorted according to their degree of maturity: strong young mushrooms have a higher content of nutrients. Old, rotten, pest-affected specimens are discarded. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that among the honey agarics their dangerous counterparts are not caught.

To prevent mushrooms from gaining excess moisture, mushrooms suitable for drying are not washed, but wiped with a damp soft cloth, removing dirt. Usually, only caps are used for drying honey agarics, so the legs, retreating about 2 cm, are cut off. Small specimens can be dried whole. These mushrooms also do not need soaking: the absorbed moisture will increase the drying time.

Important! When dried, mushrooms lose about 90% of their weight; on average, out of 10 kg of previously prepared fresh raw materials, the yield of a dry product will be 1.5 kg.

Frozen Butter Soup Recipe

Having learned how to properly freeze butter, many housewives are interested in what can be prepared from such a product. There are a lot of options for dishes. As an example - soup made from frozen butter.

The recipe is designed to use the following ingredients:

1. 500 g oil;
2. 2 medium onions;
3. 4 potatoes;
4. spices and seasonings to taste;
5. 2 liters of water (can be replaced with broth);
6. oil for frying.

Chop the onion coarsely and fry.Add mushrooms (both pre-boiled and those that were fried before freezing are suitable), cover and leave for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid, increase the heat and fry for another two minutes. Put prepared butter in boiling water, add other ingredients. Bring to a boil again, reduce heat and cook until the potatoes are tender. Turn off the gas and leave to infuse for half an hour.

How to dry properly on a thread

This drying method requires a fine twine, strong thread, or fishing line.

1. We string prepared mushrooms onto a piece of available material. The distance between the mushrooms should not be too small. A gap of 0.5-1 cm will provide good air circulation between the caps and even drying.
2. We place the strung bundles in the place of the house where there is enough sun and air - outside the window, on the loggia or balcony. You can also dry honey mushrooms over a hot stove.
3. To protect the mushrooms from dust and insects, cover the bundle with several layers of clean, dry gauze.

After a week, the mushrooms can be stored. This method works well in stable, dry, sunny weather. How to properly dry mushrooms in a rainy, damp time, other methods will tell you.

Drying butter in the sun and mushrooms dried for the winter in the oven

Most housewives confidently use the old proven recipes for drying butter for the winter. For example, to dry in the sun, you need to string whole mushrooms or their individual parts on a strong thread. The oils should not touch each other. Better to cover the strung "beads" of mushrooms with a double layer of gauze, protecting the workpiece from dust and flies. In addition, you can build comfortable stands from bars or thin boards where you can hang the threads with mushrooms.

In good weather and sunny days, drying oil takes from 5 to 7 days. If the mushrooms are cut into plates, then drying lasts 2-3 days. However, it is worth remembering that the dried boletus cannot be left stored in "beads". A mole will easily start in them, capable of destroying all your work in a matter of days. Therefore, after drying on a thread, remove the oil and transfer to a linen bag or glass jar.

Another simple and affordable way is to dry butter in the oven. This variation has its advantages for apartment residents. The oven perfectly copes with the role of a dryer, it is easy and quick to dry mushrooms in it, since it is always at hand.

If the butter is large, then it is better to cut them into pieces and put them in one layer on a baking sheet or wire rack. Preheat the oven to 60 ° C and insert the mushrooms. It is better not to close the door so that the butter does not bake. There is good air circulation when the oven is open.

In order not to overdry the boletus, from time to time the baking sheet needs to be taken out and left for 1.5-2 hours to cool the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms, check how they dry, and put them back in the oven. Never rush to dry a new batch, as this will harm the quality of the oils if they are not completely dry. This drying process takes an average of 2 days, depending on the amount of mushrooms.

To determine the degree of cooking butterscotch dried in the oven, taste them by touch. Well-dried mushrooms are fragile and brittle, crumbling when pressed. If the boletus is underdried, their structure is soft, elastic and when pressed, they are difficult to bend. Such mushrooms must be sent back to the oven.

Dry in the oven

Drying honey mushrooms in the oven is most convenient on a special wire rack. In the absence of it, a baking sheet is also suitable, only honey mushrooms will need to be periodically turned over.

1. We lay the prepared mushrooms on a wire rack and place them in an oven preheated to 40-50 ° C for 2-3 hours so that the mushrooms wilt, gradually losing moisture. At a lower temperature, honey mushrooms will cook, at a higher temperature, they will bake, and we will not get dried mushrooms.
2. When the caps are no longer sticky, increase the temperature to 75 ° C.For normal air circulation, if the oven does not have a convection function, leave the door slightly ajar.
3. Be sure to control the progress of the process: from time to time we turn over the hats so that they do not start to fry.

The time required to completely dry the mushrooms depends on their number, the skills of the hostess, and on average, the entire cycle can last from 7 to 12 hours. Correctly and to the right degree, the dried mushroom bends slightly, breaks relatively easily, but does not crumble, retains its natural aroma.

How to dry boletus mushrooms: choosing raw materials and preparing it for drying

There are three main types of boletus (deciduous, granular and late), which bear fruit at different times. This is important in order to collect them at the right time when they are most suitable for workpieces. The first to appear are granular, growing on calcareous soils, then deciduous. The first harvest can be harvested already at the end of May with appropriate weather, the second ripens by July, and late boletus can be easily found in spruce and deciduous forests until the end of October.

This mushroom owes its name to the cap, which seems to be covered with an oily liquid, which is why it always looks slippery. In different regions, it is called butter or buttermilk. Interestingly, in Great Britain it is customary to call the mushroom "Slippery Jack". Thanks to this resinous substance, it is considered very useful. With its help, chronic headaches, migraines, nervous disorders and even gout are treated.

Selection of mushrooms for drying

We'll have to take into account the specifics of the process, since it rains more often in the fall. Therefore, natural drying in the open air will hardly be available. Collect preferably small and medium-sized mushrooms with a dense texture. Make sure they are not rotten, moldy or damaged by pests.

Sorting and preparation

After harvesting, mushrooms cannot be left unprocessed for a long time, they can become unusable in just a couple of hours. Therefore, they must be sorted out immediately, discarding all inappropriate ones, and at the same time twigs, leaves and other debris.

It is impossible to wash the oil before drying. If you soak the mushrooms in water, the spongy texture will absorb a lot of moisture, which it simply cannot give back later. Even if it seems to you that everything is in order, liquid will remain in the tissues and the oil will quickly become moldy.

The easiest way to clean any contamination from oils is with a clean cloth or a new kitchen sponge. It can be slightly moistened if the dirt is not rubbed off. It is better to cut the legs in the lower part at the root, sand and soil from them can hardly be removed. Many recommend removing the top resinous peel before drying, but this is not necessary.

Small mushrooms are mostly left intact, they dry well, and look beautiful in the finished dish. Larger specimens are cut into segments, plates or arbitrary pieces, depending on the selected drying method.

Drying in the microwave

This method is not entirely convenient and is most often used when the harvest is small. In the process of preparing for drying in the microwave, in addition to sorting and cleaning, honey mushrooms must be slightly dried and even dried in the sun or under a powerful lamp.

1. We lay out honey mushrooms on a plate-pallet and place them in the microwave.
2. With a furnace power of 100-180 W, set the time to 20 minutes.
3. After the timer has triggered, we take out the mushrooms and drain the released liquid. The oven should be left with the door open for a few minutes.
4. We repeat the process until the mushrooms are completely dry.

Readiness criterion - light, flexible, no traces of moisture caps.

Is it possible to dry boletus

Fruiting of the described representatives of the mushroom kingdom falls on the period from May to October... Usually these mushrooms grow in large quantities, so you can collect a lot of them at a time. And since fresh mushrooms can only be consumed for 15 hours when stored in the refrigerator, the remainder of the crop can be dried.Oils are great for this storage method. Once dried, they retain most of the vitamins and minerals and remain as beneficial as the raw product.

You can cook soups from dried mushrooms, add them to salads, main dishes after soaking, make sauces from them... When dried, the product decreases its size by 5-6 times, while its calorie content increases. This must be taken into account when preparing dishes.

Did you know? Mushrooms are often named for a characteristic appearance. So, the oiler got its name due to the fact that the surface of its cap is slippery and oily.

How to dry mushrooms in an electric dryer

This is the best method for drying mushrooms at home. Modern electric dryers, equipped with special tiers-gratings, provide optimal thermal conditions for high-quality drying and air circulation. The role of the hostess in this case is reduced only to the preparation of the process.

1. We spread the peeled mushrooms in an even layer on the grates of the dryer.
2. We set the temperature mode to 55 ° С.
3. Since honey fungus is a small mushroom, the drying time will depend mainly on the amount of raw materials. If two or three trays are used, the mushrooms can be checked for readiness within two hours after loading.

Outdoors

Drying butter in the fresh air is a long-standing way of harvesting mushrooms for the winter. String them on a tight thread and hang them on the balcony, preferably in the sun. Alternatively, you can simply spread them out on a baking sheet or on any flat surface covered with parchment paper. It is important that the product does not get dust from the street. Be sure to bring the mushrooms indoors at night. Leaving them outside, constantly monitor the weather: if it rains, it will wet the mushrooms, and everything will have to be repeated from the beginning.

You can also dry butter at home. Spread the pieces a short distance apart on a baking sheet or flat plate and stir regularly. This method will take about a week. You can speed it up if you put mushrooms on a radiator or over a stove.

Rules and terms of storage of dry mushrooms

The best conditions for storing dried honey agaric are dry, well-ventilated rooms. If this is a basement or a pantry where vegetables, fruits, essential oil herbs are stored, you need to make sure that mushrooms are not near them: dried mushrooms have high hygroscopic properties and quickly absorb extraneous odors.

For a small, quickly consumed amount of product, it is convenient to use tight-fitting glass, ceramic, tin cans. It is undesirable to use paper bags, cloth bags, cardboard boxes. Although they allow the fungi to breathe, there is a high probability that pests (food moths, bugs) will appear in the dry product. In addition, dried mushrooms in such a container can quickly become damp. If a lot of mushrooms have been harvested, they can be stored in paper-lined wooden boxes with blank walls and a lid.

Stocks of dried mushrooms must be periodically inspected. Upon detection of pests, mold, foci of dampness, the mushrooms are sorted out, hopelessly spoiled and lost their appearance are removed. The rest are heated in an oven or oven at a temperature of 60 ° C for half an hour. The formed small crumbs and dust are separated using a sieve or colander.

Correctly dried mushrooms under appropriate conditions are stored for at least a year. Speaking about the maximum period, experts believe that if dried mushrooms are stored without losing their aroma, taste, appearance, their shelf life is not limited. In practice, mushroom stocks are best used within three years - this is the average optimal shelf life at home.

How to dry honey mushrooms, what methods and devices to use for this, depends on your capabilities.The most important thing is to observe the correct drying conditions so that the mushrooms retain as much of their beneficial properties as possible.

A large number of mushrooms, collected in the fall in the forest or grown independently at home, are trying to save until spring. The resulting crop is frozen, salted in barrels, marinated. Dried mushrooms retain their natural aroma and taste completely, only they will have to be cooked a little longer - about 50 minutes. Mushrooms are used to prepare caviar, pizza, soups, and fried with potatoes. You can dry the autumn harvest at home in five simple ways.

How to store dried mushrooms

When you have received the desired result, the question arises: how and where to store the resulting product. Let's start with which room you will keep the mushrooms in. Remember that humid rooms are not suitable, as dried mushrooms instantly absorb moisture and begin to deteriorate. Same mushrooms easily absorb odors.

In cans and containers

The most common options for storing dried mushrooms in an apartment are glass jars with screw lids and sealed plastic containers. And although this method raises concerns for many housewives, it is the most rational.

Before using the cans, it is necessary to sterilize and “purify” the air with high quality. To do this, pour a small amount of alcohol into the bottom of the can and set it on fire, then quickly tighten the lid. If the mushrooms are dry enough, they will not deteriorate with this storage method. If you do not properly prepare the jars, then microorganisms will start in the mushrooms.

Mark the container or jar with the date. If you store dried mushrooms in the refrigerator or freezer, then the mushrooms will last up to 1.5 years. However, if you don't use them often, you can easily forget how much time has passed since the workpiece. To avoid negative consequences, keep an eye on the shelf life of the mushrooms.

In plastic bags

Dried mushrooms can be stored in sealed vacuum bags even in the freezer. Insofar as dried mushrooms will not expand in the freezer (as a liquid does), they are safe to store in the freezer. Just be sure to make sure they are specifically designed for use in low temperatures.

If you are using airtight bags, make sure they are specifically designed for storing food.

In fabric bags

Linen or gauze bags with ties are also suitable for storing dried mushrooms. However, one must not forget that rag bags allow moisture and odors to pass through quite easily, if insects can easily get in there if a small hole appears on the bag. Therefore, it is best to store the bags in a dry, well-ventilated place and remember to check the condition of dry mushrooms, rejecting spoiled ones.

Shelf life

If you did everything correctly and follow the storage conditions, the mushrooms are not covered with mold and are not damaged by insects, then throughout the year you can enjoy the mushroom taste and aroma.

• In glass jars, sealed vacuum bags and containers, the product can be stored for up to two years.
• Honey mushrooms are stored in linen, gauze bags or paper bags with proper care for about a year, then slowly lose their taste.

Is it possible to dry mushrooms, and for whom are they useful?

The answer to the question whether it is possible to dry mushrooms is unequivocal - yes. Mushrooms lend themselves well to this type of harvesting. Honey mushrooms themselves have an excellent aroma, excellent taste, and all this is preserved when drying.

First of all, mushrooms are useful for people suffering from low hemoglobin. They should be included in the diet of every anemic patient. Of the useful microelements, the pulp of the mushroom contains a lot of phosphorus, as well as calcium. If teeth or weak bones often crumble, which is accompanied by frequent fractures, at least every other day you should eat up to 150 g of honey agarics.

Among doctors, nutritionists drew attention to dried mushrooms.Mushrooms are recommended for overweight people for weight loss, as well as for removing cholesterol from the body.

Preparation for drying

In addition to washing and discarding, butter oil does not require any preliminary manipulations. But some mushroom pickers still prefer to clean them before drying them. IN during this procedure, the skin is removed from the surface of the cap with a knife and the lower part is cleared of dirt.

Small and medium-sized mushrooms do not need to be chopped. They dry quickly and well as a whole. In large specimens, the legs are separated from the caps and these parts are cut into pieces or thin plates.

Who should refuse dried honey mushrooms

It is worth starting a conversation about the harmfulness of a mushroom with the fact that it is better for an unknowing person to refuse to go to the forest. There are false mushrooms very similar in appearance. If such a representative ends up in the basket, you can be very poisoned.

As for edible mushrooms, they are difficult to digest, like any other mushroom. Poor absorption is observed in the elderly. People with gastrointestinal problems should stop eating mushrooms or limit them to a minimum.

Honey mushrooms in folk medicine are used as a laxative. People with an upset stomach should consider this point. You can not eat dried honey mushrooms at the same time as taking laxatives.

Another feature of the mushroom is the structure of its pulp. During cooking, it absorbs a lot of salt and oil like a sponge. Overeating can cause swelling. For a losing weight person, a mushroom saturated with oil will do more harm due to the increased calorie content. It is better to just cook honey mushrooms for a diet salad or toss them into soup.

What can be prepared from such mushrooms

In cooking, there is a large number of dried honey mushroom dishes, ranging from the well-known mushroom soup to mushroom lasagna and julienne. For example, using a conventional meat grinder of their dry honey agarics, you can prepare mushroom powder. It will be an excellent base for sauces and seasonings, additions to meat and vegetables.

These preparations are indispensable during fasting, as they can replace animal protein. Undoubtedly, this product will give any dish a special aroma and unique taste.

Due to the fact that honey mushrooms have a laxative effect you need to eat a small amount of mushrooms.

You can not combine the intake of laxatives with the use of dishes from dried honey mushrooms.

Dry honey mushrooms can be used not only for cooking various dishes, but also for medical purposes. Tinctures and ointments are made from them.

The advantage of drying mushrooms

Often with the question of whether it is possible to dry mushrooms, people are interested in the benefits of this whole process. Let's take a look at all the benefits:

• Dried mushrooms are convenient to store, as they greatly decrease in size after heat treatment. A huge crop will fit in a small bag, not dozens of jars.
• The shelf life is increased, you just need to create favorable conditions.
• Dried mushroom quickly recovers its pulp structure during cooking, giving it an exquisite taste.
• The pulp retains its aroma and useful microelements.
• Drying honey agaric alone allows you to save five times more protein. Preservation and salting do not give such an effect.

Among the disadvantages, there is a decrease in the attractiveness of mushrooms.

Fried butter

What to do next? Let's start with the classics. Yes, almost everyone starts with it anyway - rarely anyone can resist the temptation to immediately fry potatoes with mushrooms, right on the same evening, even despite the fatigue from a long walk in the forest.

Throw the boiled mushrooms on a sieve, rinse, let the moisture drain. It is perfectly acceptable to simmer chopped potatoes, onions, and mushrooms together. But if you want fried potatoes, not stewed ones, it is better to cook all the ingredients separately from each other, and "introduce" only at the very end of cooking.The proportions of the products here are completely arbitrary and depend only on the amount of mushrooms. The more, the better, this is clear to everyone. But even a very small handful of "forest beef" (this is what our ancestors called these gifts of the forest) will turn an ordinary everyday dinner into a real holiday. Do not overdo it with spices. Fragrant boletus is quite self-sufficient, and a few peas of allspice and a couple of bay leaves are enough to emphasize their taste.

Rules for preparing mushrooms for drying

Before you figure out how to dry mushrooms at home, you need to learn how to prepare them for this complex process:

• If the crop was harvested in the forest, then it is subject to mandatory sorting. During the inspection, false mushrooms are revealed, old, wormy, dubious mushrooms are thrown away.
• Young housewives are often interested in the question of whether it is necessary to wash mushrooms before drying? Hats with legs are thoroughly wiped from dirt. You can use a slightly damp cloth. If you wash the mushrooms before drying, the pulp will be saturated with moisture. The process will be delayed, and may even be accompanied by rotting.
• Only the hats are usually dried for the winter. Of course, gourmets want to know how to dry mushroom legs in the oven for winter storage. If you want, you can do it, you just have to try. The legs are cut into pieces 3 cm long or divided along with a knife so that the moisture evaporates faster.

Marinate mushrooms with spices

Why not cook everyone's favorite pickled butter? Pickling recipes (in any case, most of them) are great for harvesting for the winter. The proportions of the products are as follows:

• boletus - 3 kg;
• salt - 2.5 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 2 tsp;
• vegetable oil, can be refined - 1 tbsp. l .;
• vinegar 9% - 80 ml;
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.;
• allspice peas - 7 pcs.

Optionally, you can add a few cloves and a very small pinch of ground nutmeg to the recipe.

To prepare the marinade, pour the boiled mushrooms with clean water, so that they only cover, add all the ingredients, put on fire. Before pickling butter, do not forget about the jars. We lay out the boiled mushrooms and immediately roll them up.

Five ways to dry mushrooms at home

In the villages, our ancestors dried any crop on metal sheets or ropes. The sun was the source of heat. With the advent of modern household appliances, the process has simplified, but not everyone abandons the old methods.

On a thread

First of all, let's figure out how to dry mushrooms on a string in the old way. The advantage of the method is its simplicity, the absence of the need for costs. From the materials you need a sewing needle, strong thread, or you can take a fishing line. Mushrooms are strung one after another to make beads. It is important to maintain a clearance of about 1 cm for the passage of air.

The resulting beads are hung on the sunny side. The mushrooms should be blown by the wind and stay in the sun longer. In the conditions of an apartment, a balcony is suitable for the procedure. You can make a rectangular frame from the slats, pull the threads and put the structure on the windowsill. Only the process will take a little longer. No one is able to accurately answer the question of how much to dry mushrooms on a string. It all depends on weather conditions, air temperature and humidity. Usually the process lasts at least a week.

On a tray

The second answer to the question of how to dry mushrooms at home using the old method is to use metal trays. The bottom is covered with parchment paper so that the delicate hats do not bake. The mushrooms are evenly spread over a tray and placed in the sun. From time to time, the drying is turned over by hand.

In the oven

The third method will help the hostess learn how to dry mushrooms in the oven if there are no specialized household appliances at hand, and the weather is damp outside. The process is lengthy, complex, requiring constant attention. During drying, the pulp should not release juice and bake.

It is better to use grates for drying.Baking trays will do, only the mushrooms will have to be turned over often, which is very inconvenient and takes a lot of time. It is important to know at what temperature honey mushrooms are dried so as not to spoil them. First, the oven is preheated to 45 ° C. The mushrooms sent out on a wire rack or baking sheet are placed for 4.5 hours. During this time, the juice should evaporate. To prevent steam from forming inside the oven, keep the door slightly open.

After 4.5 hours, the temperature is raised to 80 ° C. The door is constantly ajar. Now comes the crucial moment. Mushrooms are often checked for readiness to avoid overcooking. The finished mushroom is light, bends well, does not break and is resilient.

In an electric dryer

Any modern housewife wants to know if honey mushrooms can be dried in an electric dryer designed for fruits. Of course, this is a great option. The household appliance is equipped with comfortable grilles, but the main advantage is the presence of blowing. The mushrooms are simply laid out, the electric dryer is turned on, and she will do everything herself.

The recipe for drying mushrooms in a vegetable dryer is simple. The mushrooms are sorted, cleaned, the caps are separated from the legs. To speed up the process, you can cut it in half. On the lattice, the hats and legs are laid out in one layer. Drying takes about 6 hours. This acceleration is achieved by blowing hot air with a temperature of 50 ° C.

In the microwave

Modern drying honey agarics at home can be done using a microwave oven. The process is inconvenient, requiring constant supervision, but it is often the only way out for apartment residents. The portions are loaded small. After the preparation process, the mushrooms are first placed in the sun so that they become dried. If the weather is cloudy outside, instead of the sun, you will have to use a lamp with a powerful incandescent lamp that emits heat.

When the hats with honey agaric legs become slightly dried, they are laid out in one layer on a plate and sent to the microwave. Drying continues at 100-180 W for a maximum of 20 minutes. After the lapse of time, they try to squeeze the thickest leg or cap with their fingers. If juice is released, they are sent for a second procedure.

The video tells about drying mushrooms:

Pickling mushrooms is one of the ways to harvest

Butterlets are good in any form: boiled, dried, fried. But pickled mushrooms are especially tasty.

Before the mystery of pickling, the selection of spices, properly prepare the mushrooms, following the above methods of their pre-processing. Clean and rinse the oil. Then place them in a pot of water, salt and add citric acid to taste, which prevents the mushrooms from browning. Once the water boils, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the water and wash the mushrooms.

Next, you have to choose how to process butter mushrooms according to culinary recipes. Here is one of the easiest to prepare: in a saucepan with one liter of water, add salt (50 grams), 80 grams of sugar, 100 milliliters of six percent vinegar, a few peas of black and allspice, cloves, and bay leaves. Cook the prepared marinade for three minutes, add two kilograms of the butter you cooked to it and cook until cooked for another twenty minutes.

As soon as the mushrooms settle to the bottom of the pan and the marinade becomes transparent, place them in warm, dry, clean jars. Pour the marinade all the way to the top. Add 1 tbsp to each jar. a spoonful of vegetable oil. After the marinade has cooled, put the jars covered with parchment paper and tied with string in the refrigerator.

If you will not store your pickled butter for a long time, and you intend to eat them quickly, then a quick recipe is quite suitable. Pretreated 5 kg of lightly scalded butter put into dry heated jars, after placing a dry branch of dill and a piece of lemon zest on the bottom of the container.

Marinade is prepared separately: 2 tbsp. l.salt, 3 - sugar, 5 black and allspice peas, bay leaf, chopped garlic - 2 cloves. Pour in a liter of water, after boiling, cook for 5 minutes. Pour butter jars with hot, freshly prepared marinade. Pour 1 tbsp into each jar. l. vinegar. Close the jars with ordinary lids. When they cool, put in the refrigerator, after a few days the butter is ready for use.

Secrets of storing dried honey mushrooms

So that the work is not in vain, the storage of dried mushrooms is carried out only in a dry room. The absence of sharp extraneous odors is important, otherwise the pulp will quickly absorb them. If there is space in a clean room, the mushrooms can be left hanging on a string.

To avoid clogging with dust, use homemade paper bags or cloth bags. Glass jars are good for storage. If drying is to be used as a seasoning, grind it with a blender. The powder is stored in a tightly closed glass jar.

It is important to ensure good ventilation during storage. The penetration of flies is unacceptable, otherwise they will lay off the larvae, worms will start. Subject to the conditions, honey mushrooms can be stored for three years. All this time, you can cook delicious dishes from them and delight your loved ones with them.

Do I need to clean oil for drying: the processing process

Where to start the processing process: do you need to clean butter oil for drying?

First you need to sort out the mushrooms collected in the forest: discard the wormy ones and sort by size. Next, you need to clean the oil from dirt and grass residues. A simple way: take a kitchen sponge, wet it a little and wipe off each mushroom. Do not soak butter oil before drying, as they instantly begin to absorb water and become heavy. Butter oils soaked in water are not suitable for drying.

It must be said that drying butter mushrooms does not harm the vitamins in them. They have an even more pronounced aroma than freshly picked ones. At the same time, the boletus does not lose its taste. A variety of dishes are prepared from them, since butter is combined with many products: any type of meat, cheese, cereals, vegetables, fruits and eggs. From them you can cook roasts, sauces, gravies, soups - mashed potatoes, borscht. Dried boletus is added to a variety of salads as the most refined ingredient.

How to cook dried boletus

Dried butter can be used to prepare:

• soups and broths;
• roast and stew;
• pilaf, risotto, pasta;
• sauces and gravies;
• filling for pies, pancakes, pizza;
• mushroom croutons.

Mushroom powder is made from overdried oil, crushed in a blender or mortar, and used as a seasoning.

Advice! There are many recipes for dishes made from dried butter. Before cooking, the mushrooms are soaked in water at room temperature for several hours. In addition, the dried product can be lightly fried in butter before use to enhance its taste and reveal the aroma.