Do you know how to properly store your mushrooms?
Yes, autumn is the right season to feast on mushrooms.
But whether it's after picking or after shopping, storing your delicious mushrooms can't be improvised.
Tired of finding rotten and withered mushrooms in the fridge?
Fortunately, there are simple and effective grandmother's tips to keep your mushrooms for a long time.
Let's see together the 6 best anti-waste tips to keep mushrooms much longer . Watch:
This is the easiest way to keep mushrooms fresh.
Whether button mushrooms or wild mushrooms, the trick is to use a paper bag .
Very easy to use, this trick allows them to be kept in the fridge for much longer. Here's how:
- Clean the mushrooms if necessary.
- Gently dry them with a towel.
- Put in a paper bag.
- Put the bag in the fridge.
Easy isn't it? This grandma's trick allows you to keep your mushrooms for at least a week, instead of 2 days.
Yes, if you leave your mushrooms in a plastic bag, they will spoil more quickly.
Think about it!
The paper bag ensures a very good conservation.
And the good news is that it works for all fresh mushrooms.
You can keep all your woodland or grassland mushrooms this way:
Meadow roses, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, sheep's feet, mushrooms, trumpets of death, small greys, gray or squirrels, porcini mushrooms, shiitakes or lentin...
In my experience, it's best to keep the bag away from smelly foods like cut onions, cheese, fish, etc.
It turns out that mushrooms are real smell sponges!
Just as quick and easy is freezing.
Like many other foods, you can indeed freeze your mushrooms without any problem.
And the best part is that it works for fresh or cooked mushrooms .
You just need a freezer bag. Here's what to do if your mushrooms are already cooked:
- Put them in the freezer bag.
- Place it in the freezer.
If your mushrooms are not yet cooked, it is best to boil them before freezing them. Here is the easy recipe:
- Boil some water.
- Add a tablespoon of white vinegar per liter of water.
- Also put a tablespoon of coarse salt per liter of water.
- Immerse the mushrooms in boiling water for 5 min.
- Take them out and drain them.
- Let them cool.
- Put them in the freezer bag.
- Put everything in the freezer.
Note that the shelf life of mushrooms in the freezer is 6 and 12 months. Handy, isn't it?
You can make canned mushrooms , as our grandmothers did!
It's a lot easier than you think. Here's how:
- Clean the mushrooms.
- Cut them into pieces.
- Boil water in a saucepan:count one liter of water for 15 g of mushrooms.
- Immerse the mushrooms in water for 4 min.
- Drain them.
- Fill a bowl with cold water.
- Dip the mushrooms in it to cool them and stop cooking completely.
- Drain them again.
- Put your jars in a large pot of water to sterilize them.
- Bring to a boil and wait 10 min.
- Turn off the heat and wait another 5 min.
- Dry the jars with a clean towel.
- Put the mushrooms in the jars. Do not exceed the fill line.
- Pour salted water over the mushrooms, up to the fill mark. Put 10 g of salt per liter.
- Close the jars with the seal or the cap.
- Put the jars in the sterilizer for 2 hours at 100°.
- Wait until they have cooled down before taking them out.
The shelf life of your homemade preserves is 12 months maximum.
The ideal is to eat them within 8 to 12 months.
You can also perfectly preserve your mushrooms by drying them.
The drying method is certainly longer, but it is just as effective.
Nevertheless, this grandmother's trick is more suitable for small mushrooms, such as trumpets of death, chanterelles or mushrooms.
If you have porcini mushrooms or porcini mushrooms, it is best to cut them into thin strips before dehydrating them.
You can absolutely use a food dehydrator.
Unless you prefer the oven method ... Here's how:
- Remove damaged mushrooms.
- Eliminate the foot and the earthy part of the mushroom. Be careful, do not get them wet! Use a small brush or a cloth to clean them.
- Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet.
- Turn on the oven at 60°.
- Put the plate in the oven and leave the oven door ajar.
- Take the mushrooms out when they are crispy. In general, you have to wait 3 hours.
But that's not all!
You can also dry them naturally .
To do this, put your clean mushrooms (still without having wet them) on a plate.
And place them near a heat source (radiator, stove, fireplace...).
Or in full sun outdoors, weather permitting.
In this case, don't forget to bring them inside to prevent them from getting dew!
Then store them in a glass container, away from humidity.
Know that you can store dried mushrooms for up to 1 to 3 years!
I really emphasize one point:start the drying process no later than one week after picking mushrooms.
Otherwise, they risk mold and lose their flavors.
You're more oil or vinegar ?
In any case, you have here 2 fabulous natural preservatives to keep your mushrooms for a long time.
And believe me, it's a treat! Here's how:
- Wash the mushrooms as seen above.
- Sterilize the jars (see above) and dry them well.
- Blanch the mushrooms (see above) and dry them well.
- Put the mushrooms in the jars.
- Fill the jars with oil or vinegar, depending on your preference.
- Add the herbs you want:rosemary, garlic, coriander, bay leaf, clove of garlic, a little salt, pink peppercorns, chilli...
- Close the jars.
- Store them away from light and moisture.
You can keep them like this for 6 months .
As you can imagine, the vinegar brings a rather pleasant little acidic touch.
All vinegars are suitable for this recipe:white, wine or alcohol vinegar.
If you prefer to make them in oil, olive oil is all indicated. But it is stronger in taste.
For a more neutral taste, peanut oil is perfect.
Wait, I haven't told you everything yet!
Because another recipe is to fry the mushrooms in a pan instead of bleaching them.
In this case, put the mushrooms in a very hot pan so that they lose their water. Then drain them.
Then fry the mushrooms in the pan with a glass of vinegar.
And let it heat until the vinegar evaporates.
Then put them in the jars, as explained above.
It's a treat!
Especially if you have small mushrooms like bloodworms.
You can then enjoy them with charcuterie or a raclette. Yum!
Still not convinced by these tips for storing mushrooms?
So how about storing them in goose or duck fat ?
Does the idea appeal to you? I understand you ! Here's how:
- Clean and dry the mushrooms.
- Cut them into pieces of equal size.
- Heat the goose or duck fat in a frying pan.
- Add the mushrooms.
- Fry them for 5 to 10 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Pour the mushrooms with the fat into the sterilized jars.
- Put them in the fridge.
You can keep them like this for a year , provided you leave them in the fridge!
Let me tell you, it's a treat!
