How to store porcini mushrooms after harvest and for the winter

Absolutely everyone knows how to store porcini mushrooms after harvest. For example, it is known that mushrooms can be kept fresh in a refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours. But few people know how to store porcini mushrooms for the winter, except for traditional pickling or salting. Therefore, we decided to fill this gap. This page contains ways to store porcini mushrooms in different forms. Recipes for storing porcini mushrooms in the freezer and in the conditions of an apartment at room temperature are proposed. Choosing the right method is pretty easy. It is necessary to think over such a moment in advance: in what form the saved mushrooms will be used in winter. So, frozen storage of porcini mushrooms has the right to exist as a way to prepare a product for frying, baking, stewing or making soup. But storing porcini mushrooms at home in the freezer for subsequent preservation is generally not advisable. It’s easier to salt or pickle mushrooms from the fall.

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Fresh storage of porcini mushrooms

If it is not possible to process the mushrooms on the same day (although this is not recommended!), They are stored for one night (no more!) Cleaned, but not cut. To store porcini mushrooms fresh, they are left in a basket or transferred to a flat dish and, without closing, stored in a cool room with plenty of air, for example, in a basement, shed, corridor. Of course, the best place is the refrigerator, its lower part with a temperature of +2-+4 ºС.

Mushrooms to be boiled can be poured with cold water. Dishes for soaking should be wide and low. Before further processing, the mushrooms should be sorted again and removed previously unnoticed individual wormholes, spots and other damage, which, during storage, have increased so much that most of the fungus will become unsuitable for consumption.

Salted, pickled or pickled mushrooms are stored in glass jars, enameled buckets, wooden tubs or stainless steel tanks. In enameled buckets, you should check the strength of the enamel: old buckets with damaged enamel are not suitable for storing mushrooms. Tinned and galvanized buckets are absolutely unsuitable: their top layer dissolves under the influence of acids (mushroom liquid), and forms toxic compounds.

Wooden utensils must be new or always used only for storing mushrooms.

Pots from pickled cucumbers or cabbage are not suitable, since mushrooms acquire an unusual flavor when stored in them. Mushrooms spoil quickly in rainwater barrels. Jars and bottles for storing mushrooms must be hermetically sealed.

Mushrooms left in open jars will spoil quickly. Before use, the dishes should be thoroughly washed as follows: keep in warm water for at least 8-10 hours, then wash in alkaline water using soda (per 1 liter of water 1 tablespoon of soda), pour boiling water or boil in clean water (without additions) 5-10 minutes, then let the water drain; do not wipe with a towel. The dishes from under the mushrooms are immediately washed and stored under a lid or upside down in a clean, dry room with good air access.

[“wp-content/plugins/include-me/goog-left.php”]Wooden utensils should be equipped with two lids: a small wooden circle that fits freely into the container, on which an oppression stone is placed, and a larger circle that completely covers dishes. Both covers are wiped clean with sand and soda water, doused with boiling water and allowed to dry. On the mushrooms, under a circle with oppression, they put a clean, dense, boiled napkin that completely covers the mushrooms. Purely washed cobblestone is used as oppression. Metal oppression worsens the taste and color of mushrooms. Glass jars and bottles are tightly closed with cellophane, parchment, rubber or plastic tires, corks and metal lids. Cellophane and parchment are rinsed in boiling water. Plastic tires and corks are soaked for 10-18 minutes in a soda solution, then rinsed in boiled water. Rubber caps and stoppers are thoroughly washed with soda water and boiled in clean water for 5-10 minutes, then the water is allowed to drain on a clean napkin.

Metal lids are washed with soda water, left in this water for 5-10 minutes, and then several times, changing the water, rinsed with boiled water and spread on a clean napkin. Storage. Mushrooms should be stored in a clean, cool, dark place. The most favorable room temperature is from +1 to +4 ºС. Dried mushrooms and mushroom powder should be stored in a very dry place, at the same temperature or slightly higher. Mushrooms can be preserved for a long time if microorganisms are destroyed or their development is delayed. There are a number of possibilities for this. Cold. At temperatures below +6 ºС, the development of microorganisms is delayed. It is good to store mushrooms prepared for future use in the cellar or in the refrigerator on the lower shelf, where a constant temperature is maintained.

How to store dry porcini mushrooms

You need to know how to properly store dry porcini mushrooms in a city apartment so that insects and mold do not start in the product. If the water content of the mushrooms falls below 14%, the metabolism of the microorganisms will stop and the mushrooms can be preserved. This is the basis for drying mushrooms and preparing mushroom powder, since these products contain 13% moisture. Salt. Salting is a cheap and widespread method of harvesting mushrooms known since ancient times. Table salt has a strong hygroscopic effect, so when salt is added, the amount of water in the mushroom cells decreases, although it seems that there is a lot of water in salted mushrooms.

How to store fried porcini mushrooms

[ »wp-content/plugins/include-me/goog-left.php»]There are several ways to store fried porcini mushrooms and one of them is freezing. At temperatures below -18 °C, in most cases, the development of microorganisms almost completely stops. There are several ways to freeze mushrooms. Raw mushrooms are cleaned, cut, laid out in portions, put in jars or bags and quickly frozen. Boiled in salted water, allowed to drain and frozen in portions. Freeze well and fried mushrooms. You can use these mushrooms for cooking any dishes. However, mushrooms can become poisonous after thawing. To avoid this, frozen mushrooms, especially raw ones, must be thrown into salted boiling water. And boiled in a heated frying pan or in boiling water. The taste of mushrooms changes.

How can you store porcini mushrooms

You need to know how to store porcini mushrooms in an acidic environment. Many microorganisms, especially putrefactive bacteria, do not develop in an acidic environment. This circumstance is used when pickling (acetic acid is added) and when fermenting mushrooms (lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acid). To obtain the desired preservative effect, the strength of the acid should be approximately 0,6 to 1,5%. When using a weaker solution of vinegar, the jars must be hermetically sealed. Heat treatment. With the hot processing method, microorganisms are destroyed, and the fungi are free from microbes. To prevent new microorganisms from penetrating from the air, mushrooms are stored in a hermetically sealed container. The jars must be sterilized for 60-90 minutes at 101°C. Spoilage of mushrooms can be caused by microorganisms that survived after a single heat treatment. To completely destroy them, after a day or two, the jars with mushrooms are boiled again for 30 minutes. During storage, jars need to be monitored frequently. If the lid has come off, bubbles or mold have appeared, the smell has changed, then canned food should not be eaten.

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Storing fresh porcini mushrooms after picking

Harvested mushrooms quickly deteriorate due to the fact that, due to the large amount of water, they are a suitable environment for the development of various microorganisms. Even when storing fresh porcini mushrooms, the growth of their fruiting bodies continues (lengthening of the stem, opening of the cap), discoloration of the integumentary color, darkening of the pulp can occur, and with increasing storage temperature, these processes are significantly accelerated. The maximum shelf life of fresh mushrooms is 6-8 hours. For storage, fresh mushrooms are carefully laid out in a thin layer on trays, tables, clean bedding and places shaded from the sun. You can not fold them in a thick layer (5-8 cm), as they quickly warm up and deteriorate, they can be wrinkled. Temporary storage, not more than 4 hours, is possible in containers with cold, slightly salted water. During storage and transportation, fresh mushrooms should not be covered with plastic wrap or other airtight materials.

Storing porcini mushrooms in the freezer

One way to store porcini mushrooms in the freezer at home is freezing. They do it like this. Young, tender mushrooms are chosen for freezing. Clean with a hard brush outside and between the plates. Hard and dark places of the legs are cut off, the mushrooms are cut in half lengthwise. Put 200 g of mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes in 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan with medium heat, turning to evaporate the juice. Mushrooms are boiled, quickly cooled and frozen in bags. Store up to 12 months at -18 °C. It is better to cut porcini mushrooms raw into slices and freeze, then pack and keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. Cook frozen mushrooms in the same way as fresh mushrooms, for example, quickly fry in butter heated to brown and add spices.

How to store dried porcini mushrooms in an apartment

It should be remembered that dried mushrooms easily absorb other people’s odors, so they are not recommended to be stored next to spices or strong-smelling foods. Before storing dried porcini mushrooms in an apartment, arrange them in thick polyethylene bags, as well as in metal, wooden or cardboard boxes lined with cellophane. Before you properly store dried porcini mushrooms, it is important to carefully protect them from the penetration of insect pests.

If during the storage of dried mushrooms insect pests climbed into the container, it is recommended to immediately disinfect the product.

To do this, sprinkle the mushrooms on a baking sheet, put in an oven preheated to 60-70 ° C and leave for 25-30 minutes. If you do not break a single rule during drying, then the mushrooms will be elastic and light.

Shelf life of dried porcini mushrooms

The shelf life of dried porcini mushrooms is about 2 years if they are placed in cotton bags, glass or tin cans with tight-fitting lids. From dried mushrooms, it is easy to prepare a more versatile product – a powder that can be used as an additive that gives various dishes a piquant taste and pleasant aroma. To prepare it, it is necessary to dry the mushrooms more thoroughly – to the consistency when they can be easily crushed. Then you need to grind the mushrooms to a powder in a coffee grinder or food processor. It is recommended to store the powder from dried mushrooms in glass, tightly closed jars or small bottles in a cool, dry place. Shelf life is about 3 years.