Morels are the first spring mushrooms. Most morel mushrooms hunters are in search of the best way to store morel mushrooms. Bizarre in appearance and special in taste, morels delight avid mushroom pickers and gourmets, because they are considered close relatives of truffles.
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best way to store morel mushrooms
The best ways to store morel mushrooms are dry, pickle, and freeze.
dry morels to store for long time
These mushrooms are considered conditionally edible. In morels, a small amount of a poisonous substance, acid, was found. It dissolves in water, evaporates during drying, and is destroyed during heat treatment. Therefore, drying morels is one of the best ways to prepare them for the winter.
Note. 40 days after drying, morels become completely safe for consumption. The toxic substance evaporates.
To dry morels, you will need:
- mushrooms themselves;
- electric dryer.
Drying process:
- Thoroughly clean the mushrooms from debris: leaves, needles, insects. Use a soft brush (lubrication brush).
- Arrange on drying racks. Turn on the machine. Let it work for 8 hours.
- Dry the first 4 hours at a temperature not higher than 55-60 degrees. For the next 4 hours, increase the temperature to 75-80 degrees.
Put the dried mushrooms in a canvas bag or in a glass container. Store in a dark cool place.
Take note. Weigh the mushrooms before and after drying. See how many times their mass will decrease. This is useful to recalculate their mass when cooking according to various recipes.
If there is no electric dryer, you can use the oven.
- Disassemble the mushrooms. Leave the legs very short or cut off completely. Take only hats.
- Brush thoroughly or rinse with water, trying not to leave it on the mushrooms.
- Cut the caps into small pieces and arrange them on a baking sheet. Don’t forget to put baking paper on it.
- Dry for 2-3.5 hours at a temperature of 50-55 degrees. The oven door must remain ajar to allow air to move.
- Raise the oven temperature to 75 degrees. Dry the mushrooms until they are dry.
After cooling, place the morels in canvas bags or a glass jar.
In the cold wintertime, cooked mushrooms will remind you of forest walks, and pleasant moments with their aroma.
Do you want to know Are Morel Mushrooms Good For You?
Pickled morels: the best way to store morel mushrooms
Pickled mushrooms on a festive New Year’s table are a dream. And morels in the marinade – even more so. What could be tastier!
If you have collected a lot of shriveled mushrooms, then prepare some of them for the winter. The secret of delicious mushrooms is that the morels are selected. Take medium-sized mushrooms for pickling, which will not fall apart just about.
So, we go to the kitchen to cook pickled morels for the winter.
- Disassemble the mushrooms. Soak them in cold water for 2 hours. Drain the water, there is a lot of forest debris left in it.
- Gently rinse each fungus with a gentle stream of water so as not to destroy its structure.
Mushrooms are ready, start marinating.
Marinade Ingredients:
- water – 800 ml;
- 3 garlic cloves;
- salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- granulated sugar – 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
- allspice peas – 10 pieces;
- cloves – 8-10 pieces;
- bay leaf – 3 pieces;
- vinegar 9% – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- vegetable oil at the rate of 1 partial tbsp. spoon per jar 0.5 l.
How to pickle morels:
- Important! Boil morels 2 times. Do not forget to salt the water with mushrooms.
- The first – 10 minutes after boiling. Remove foam carefully. Drain in a colander, rinse well with cold water, and put to boil in new water.
- Boil the second time for 25 minutes. Drain again in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- To prepare the marinade, pour water into a saucepan, add all the ingredients except oil and vinegar (finely chop the garlic), and cook for 10-15 minutes. Pour in vinegar before removing it from heat.
- Arrange the boiled hot mushrooms in sterilized jars.
- Before corking with lids, add an incomplete tablespoon of vegetable oil to each jar. Seal tightly and store in a cool place.
Mushrooms are ready. Try it in winter. Having tried them once, you will want to feel the unique exquisite taste and aroma again and again!
Check out How To Collect Mushroom Spores?
freeze morels: Easiest way to store morels
In this form, mushrooms can be stored for quite a long time. With this harvesting method, the nutritional and beneficial properties of the mushroom are not lost.
Freezing morels for the winter is one of the easiest and fastest ways to harvest them. The freezing process is simple.
- Disassemble the forest harvest, soak in cold water for a couple of hours.
- Boil them in salted water 2 times for 10-15 minutes, draining it and washing the mushrooms.
- Let the water drain well and lay the morels on a kitchen towel to dry.
- Remove the mushrooms in plastic containers and put in the freezer.
If necessary, take out the mushrooms and cook various dishes. For example, make morels in sour cream sauce, fry them with potatoes. There are many cooking recipes. Mushrooms from the freezer do not require defrosting. They can be immediately placed in a pot or pan.
Read out How Long Can You Leave Morels In Water?
Conclusion
There are also other ways to store morels. But here we have discussed the best way to store morel mushrooms. Even beginners can use these methods to store mushrooms for a long season.
