How to properly dry mushrooms at home and drying methods, proper storage of dry mushrooms.

Morel mushrooms, which do not have a distinct cap and look like small pebbles, can also be dried. All mushrooms are 80-90% water, so when they dry out they lose the same percentage of weight. As a result, from one kilogram of fresh mushrooms only 80-100 grams of dried product are obtained. Drying mushrooms not only reduces their volume and weight, but also enhances the aroma of the preparation. This especially applies to porcini and boletus mushrooms. All mushrooms can be dried in several ways - we will look at them further.

How to dry mushrooms in the oven or oven.

Before drying, clean any mushrooms from twigs, leaves and other debris. If there is damage to the legs or caps, cut them out. Before drying, do not wash the mushrooms so that they do not gain excess moisture. Once clean, sort them according to size and lay them out on sheets or string them on long wooden or metal knitting needles. Place mushrooms of only one size on each sheet or knitting needle to ensure they dry evenly.Try not to let the mushrooms prepared for drying touch each other. For high-quality drying, it is necessary to start with lightly drying the product. To do this, place sheets with mushrooms or skewers with them in a slightly heated oven. The oven used for these purposes can be either electric or gas stove. Its temperature should be within 45 degrees. Keep the oven or Russian oven door ajar so that the mushroom moisture quickly evaporates from the oven. When the surface of the mushrooms becomes dry and your finger does not stick to it when you press on the cap, increase the temperature. For drying it needs from 75 to 80 degrees. The drying time for mushrooms, for each type and size, can be completely different. Be sure to monitor the process and, if some mushrooms dry out faster than others, remove them from the oven. Turn the copies that are still wet over to the other side and dry them completely.

See also video: Drying mushrooms over the stove - a quick and proven method.

We dry porcini mushrooms in a Sukhovey electric dryer.

How to dry mushrooms on a string or tray in the sun.

If the summer is hot, then mushrooms can be dried in the open air. Prepare them for drying in exactly the same way as for the method described above. Just additionally cut them into thin plates, place them on wooden pallets or string them on thick threads. Place the pallets with mushrooms or their strings in a sunny place, but protected from rain and dust. Make sure that the mushrooms are in a draft that will blow out excess moisture. Drying mushrooms in the sun may take longer than drying them in the oven.But to speed up the process, you can only dry the mushrooms in the open air, and for final drying, transfer them to a preheated oven.

How to dry conditionally edible mushrooms in air.

Morel mushrooms have a very fleshy texture and must be kept in the air for six months to dry well. String whole morels on long, harsh threads, and on top of the bunches put the same long canvas bags or old nylon stockings. Hang the original morel sausages in a warm and well-ventilated barn. After half a year, conditionally edible mushrooms, namely morels, will become dry and safe for health. Along with moisture, harmful toxins will also leave the mushrooms.

Store dried mushrooms in any way in paper bags. If during drying the mushrooms dry out a little and become very fragile, make flour out of them and store it in a jar with a ground-in lid.