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Drying mushrooms at home is not difficult, but the process has its own nuances that need to be considered. To get fragrant dried mushrooms, you should carefully prepare them, choose the right drying technology and storage methods.
Is it possible to dry moss mushrooms
Mossiness mushrooms are tubular edible mushrooms. They have a strong appearance, very similar to mushrooms. They owe their name to the fact that they grow mainly on mosses. Mushrooms are very rich in vitamins and microelements, but the flesh quickly oxidizes and darkens. This is due to a common misconception that these mushrooms are not suitable for drying. This is not true. They dry well, and the dried moss mushroom does not lose its useful qualities and taste properties. Particularly suitable for drying are such species as Polish mushroom, green flywheel and yellow-brown oiler.
How to dry moss mushrooms
The procurement process begins with selection. The strongest, most resilient and undamaged flywheels are suitable for drying. Wormy and overripe specimens must be removed, as they will not dry out, but will rot.
The main distinguishing feature of the preparation of mushrooms for drying is that they are not washed. The reason is that they absorb moisture very strongly. Because of this, they will dry for a long time, or even deteriorate. Mushrooms are cleaned with a soft dry cloth from adhering dirt, grass and debris. Next, darkened and damaged areas are cut off from the mushrooms. It is best to use a stainless steel knife for this, which prevents the oxidation process and further darkening of the pulp.
In an electric dryer
An electric dryer is the most successful option for harvesting mushrooms. Drying flywheels in the dryer is easier and more efficient thanks to a special design that does not require constant monitoring of the process and presence. The dryer provides optimal convection and temperature conditions, which creates uniform high-quality drying. Mushrooms are cut into plates (if the specimens are not large, then it is possible into 4 parts) and spread evenly on each tier of the electric dryer. It is necessary to dry at a temperature of 55-60 degrees, the drying time is 3-5 hours, depending on the number and thickness of the cut plates.
Mossiness mushrooms need to be dried in an electric dryer for 3-5 hours, the time depends on the thickness and number of mushroom plates
In a gas or electric oven
In the absence of an electric dryer, you can use a gas or electric oven. To do this, mushrooms are also cut into plates no thicker than 5 mm. The surface of the baking sheet is covered with parchment paper. Pieces are laid out on it and sent to an oven preheated to 45 degrees. During drying, the door remains ajar. Mushrooms are periodically checked and mixed. When they stop sticking to the paper, the temperature is raised to 70 degrees. The best way to dry mushrooms in an electric or gas oven is to split the process into two days for the purpose of ventilation. This is necessary to prevent overdrying and burning of mushrooms.
During drying, leave the door ajar so that the mushrooms do not burn and dry out.
In the microwave
Drying flywheels for the winter in the microwave has its own characteristics. It consists of several repeating cycles. The cut pieces are laid out on a glass plate and sent to the microwave oven for 20 minutes at a set power of 120-180 watts. After turning off from the plate, it is necessary to drain the released liquid and re-decompose on a plate. These steps must be done several times until the pieces are completely dry. This method is rather laborious. This is due to the small number of mushrooms that can be laid out on a plate, but in the absence of alternative methods, they can be used.
Mushrooms must be left in the microwave for 20 minutes.
On a string
You can dry flywheels using an ordinary thread. This is one of the traditional drying methods, which does not bring much trouble and difficulty. To do this, mushrooms are cut into large pieces, and small ones are dried whole. A feature of flywheels is that the legs are easily separated from the hats, and stringing them whole can be problematic. Therefore, it is better to dry the legs and hats separately. A dense thread with a large needle is pulled through the prepared flywheels. The resulting bundle is suspended in a well-ventilated and warm room. In this state, the mushrooms are dried until cooked.
Dry mushrooms in a warm, well-ventilated area.
Outdoors
The algorithm of actions is similar to drying on a thread. Sliced plates are laid out on various trays, grates, thick cardboard. It is better to choose a place for drying protected from direct sunlight and rain. If drying takes place on the street, then you should take care of protection from insects – cover the trays with a gauze cloth that allows air to pass through well. Moss mushrooms are periodically mixed so that they do not stick to the surface, and left to dry completely.
Moss mushrooms need to be stirred periodically so that they do not stick to the surface of the tray, grate and cardboard
Important! No need to use metal planes for drying – they contribute to the blackening of mushrooms.
How to determine the readiness of dried mushrooms
The degree of readiness is determined visually. The pieces should look dry but remain elastic. Readiness can be determined by bending one plate – it should remain springy, but not break. Such a state of mossiness mushrooms indicates a high-quality drying of fruiting bodies.
Determining the readiness of mushrooms correctly is a key point in the drying process. Under-dried mushrooms will not be stored – they will rot and become moldy. Dried mushrooms crumble and become unsuitable for cooking many dishes. They can be ground into powder with a blender or coffee grinder and used as flavoring additives.
Storage Rules
Dried mushrooms are very easy to spoil if stored improperly. Mushrooms absorb moisture and foreign odors well, which leads to their unsuitability. After drying, they should be stored in glass jars, cardboard boxes or cloth bags. The main requirement is that the room where the mushrooms are stored must be well ventilated with a humidity of no more than 70%. Under the right conditions, dried mushrooms will keep for at least one year.
Dried fruit bodies should be stored in glass containers, boxes and fabric bags.
What can be cooked from dried mushrooms
From dried mushrooms, you can cook a huge number of delicious dishes – from fragrant soups to savory sauces. Such dishes, in addition to excellent taste, will be beneficial due to the content of a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Before cooking, they are pre-soaked for several hours, and then washed. Mokhoviki are a great addition to meat dishes, an ideal filling for pancakes, pies, dumplings and zrazy. Borsch, fragrant stew, hodgepodge – this is a small list of dishes with dried mushrooms.
Conclusion
Drying mossiness mushrooms is the most preferred way of harvesting for the winter. Its undeniable advantage is that mushrooms do not lose their beneficial qualities and nutritional value. Dried mushrooms are better absorbed by organisms, in comparison with pickled and salted ones, and the number of dishes that can be prepared from them is limited only by imagination.
