How to store chanterelles for several days and for the winter

Chanterelle mushrooms are a dietary product rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for the human body. The article details how to keep chanterelles for the winter in the refrigerator and freezer, the subtleties of storing raw, boiled, fried or dried chanterelles.

Features of storing chanterelle mushrooms

It is worth taking care of the subsequent storage of mushrooms in advance, just before going on a quiet hunt, and then they will not only retain their attractive appearance, but also all the nutrients. Basic rules to be observed when storing mushrooms:

1. Chanterelles will stay fresh longer and won’t turn black when cut with a stainless steel knife.
2. The optimal duration for picking mushrooms is 4 hours, after which they must be processed so that they do not deteriorate.
3. Mushrooms collected in the rain should be cleaned and processed immediately, and those collected in dry weather can lie without a refrigerator for 6 hours.
4. If it is impossible to meet the recommended deadlines, then the chanterelles should be laid out so that they do not touch each other and try to process in 16-18 hours.

How to keep chanterelle mushrooms for a few days

All mushrooms are perishable, even chanterelles, which cannot go bad in principle. They contain a special substance that neither worms, nor larvae, nor other pests and parasites can tolerate, so while the mushroom is in the mycelium, they will not damage it. But once you break it, you will have to make a lot of effort to save it.

How to store fresh chanterelles

The optimum storage temperature for mushrooms is from 0ºС to +2ºС degrees. At this temperature, chanterelles can be stored in the refrigerator. The sequence of actions on how to store fresh chanterelles in the refrigerator will be as follows:

1. Go through, throwing away spoiled and old copies.
2. Remove dirt and dirt by brushing it off with a brush.
3. Dry if wet or collected in damp weather.
4. Transfer to the refrigerator, folding in a tray in a low layer.

To prevent the chanterelles from softening and becoming watery, they are not washed before being sent to the refrigerator, but only immediately before cooking.

How to store boiled chanterelles

Boiled chanterelles can also be stored in the refrigerator: up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. To do this, prepared and carefully washed mushrooms are sent to boiling salted water and boiled after boiling for about 20 minutes until they all sink to the bottom of the pan.

The boiled product is cooled under running cool water, then transferred to a container and put in the refrigerator.

How to store fried chanterelles

To prepare fried chanterelles for further storage:

1. Mushrooms are prepared (cleaned, washed) and boiled in salted water.
2. Next, fry until cooked in a large amount of vegetable oil.
3. The finished dish is laid out in small trays or jars, and on top they are poured with oil, on which everything was fried.
4. Removed in the cold.

 The shelf life of fried chanterelles in the refrigerator is 4 days. In the freezer – up to six months.

How to save chanterelle mushrooms for the winter

Long-term storage of chanterelles for the winter is possible only by freezing, canning or drying.

How to keep fresh chanterelles for the winter in the freezer

Freezing is the only way to preserve the product without changing its taste, as is the case with canning or drying. To store in the freezer, you will need:

• freshly picked mushrooms;
• colander;
• a towel that absorbs moisture well;
• trays or pallets;
• plastic bags.

Sequencing:

1. Immediately after collecting the chanterelles, you need to sort and sort. Strong young specimens that have not yet opened their hats are suitable for freezing.
2. Selected mushrooms should be cleaned of litter, cut off the lower part of the leg and rinsed under running water.
3. Spread everything out on a towel and let it dry well. Then put in a tray or on a pallet in one layer.
4. Put the tray in the freezer.
5. Put the frozen product in a freezer bag and leave it in the freezer for further storage.

How to store thermally processed chanterelle mushrooms in the freezer

Large specimens after freezing may acquire a bitter aftertaste, but this does not mean that they cannot be stored for the winter in this way. In this case, they must first be boiled.

The process of freezing heat-treated chanterelles will be as follows:

1. Sort the mushrooms, clean and rinse under running water. Large cut into several pieces.
2. Transfer the prepared mushrooms to a saucepan of a suitable displacement, pour water and send to the fire.
3. After boiling, salt the water and cook for a quarter of an hour, removing the foam.
4. Throw the boiled billet into a colander and cool quickly under running cold water.
5. Spread out on a towel to dry the chanterelles, then transfer to a container and put in the freezer.

How to store dried chanterelles for the winter

Despite the appearance of a huge number of freezers with different types of freezing (dry, shock), housewives still harvest dried mushrooms for the winter. To dry, you need:

1. Select young and elastic specimens, which should be sorted out and cleaned of litter and dirt. Can be wiped with a clean damp cloth, but should not be washed in water.
2. Cut off the hats (the legs do not dry) and string them on a thick thread. Lightly dry the mushrooms prepared in this way in direct sunlight.
3. Then dry in an oven or an electric vegetable dryer at 60°C. The product is ready when the caps bend well, but do not break.

The product prepared in this way for the winter is stored in paper or fabric bags in a dark, dry and well-ventilated place. Since dried mushrooms are able to absorb third-party odors, there should not be anything with a sharp or persistent aroma nearby.

To preserve the taste as much as possible, it can be stored in a tightly closed glass container. To do this, a sterile jar is filled with mushrooms, the lid on the back is smeared with alcohol, set on fire and quickly screwed. This procedure allows you to get rid of the air in the jar and keep the workpiece longer. Dried chanterelles can be stored in such conditions for one to three years.

How to save chanterelles for the winter in jars

A popular way to properly store chanterelles for the winter in jars is pickling. Each housewife has her favorite recipe for pickled mushrooms for the winter: without vinegar, with oil and garlic, in a spicy marinade, and others.

For those who will pickle for the first time, it is better to start with a proven classic recipe:

• 2 kg of fresh chanterelles;
• 1,5 L of water;
• 50 g salt;
• 100 grams of sugar;
• 60 ml of table vinegar;
• Xnumx buds clove;
• 15 peas of black allspice.

How to cook:

1. Mushrooms are pre-soaked in a large amount of salted and acidified water (10 g of salt and 2 g of citric acid per 1 liter) for an hour. Then sorted, washed and cut into pieces large specimens.
2. Pour the prepared chanterelles with a prescription amount of water and cook over moderate heat until they sink to the bottom.
3. Throw the mushrooms in a colander, straining the broth into a separate container. Cool under a stream of cool water, and add salt, sugar, spices to the broth and send to the fire.
4. When the marinade boils, return the mushrooms to it and boil for 7 minutes. Then pour in the vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Distribute the mushrooms in sterile glass jars, pour boiling marinade and roll up the lids. After cooling, remove the workpiece to a dark, cool place for further storage. Pickled mushrooms will be completely ready in a month.

Shelf life of chanterelles

It is not enough just to properly prepare and send the mushrooms for storage in the refrigerator or freezer, you still need to adhere to the shelf life. A product that has spent a lot of time even in proper conditions loses its beneficial properties and can become hazardous to health.

How much fresh chanterelles can be stored in the refrigerator

You can keep chanterelles fresh in the refrigerator for only one day. For long-term storage, it is better to cook or simply boil the mushrooms.

How long can boiled chanterelles be stored in the refrigerator

If fresh mushrooms are immediately sorted out and boiled in boiling water, then their shelf life will increase five times. Instead of a day for raw, the shelf life of boiled chanterelles will be five days.

How long can you store frozen chanterelles in the freezer

The shelf life of frozen mushrooms is up to four months. In order not to forget when the product was frozen, for convenience, a sticker with the date of freezing should be stuck on the tray or bag.

Conclusion

The ways available to modern housewives to keep chanterelles for the winter have their pros and cons. So, for freezing, you need a spacious freezer, and for pickled mushrooms, you will need to find a recipe that will appeal to all family members. But such a variety allows each mushroom picker to find the way that will suit his needs.