Chanterelles are loved by many mushroom pickers because of their excellent taste and ease of collection. Often it is enough to find a few mushrooms to then collect a whole basket in one place: they usually grow in large families. But after harvesting, it is important to preserve the chanterelles correctly so that they do not lose their taste and do not pose a health hazard. There are several options, and each of them has its own characteristics that you should be aware of.
Storage after collection
Chanterelle mushrooms are deservedly popular in Russian cuisine and are in demand among domestic mushroom pickers due to their high quality, valuable and nutritional composition, as well as excellent taste characteristics. These tasty and healthy mushrooms, which always grow quite en masse, appear in several waves from early summer to autumn. The bulk of the fruiting bodies of chanterelles are formed between July and the last ten days of September.
However, the best time for harvesting is considered to be the summer months: July and August, when these mushrooms have the highest nutritional value and pronounced mushroom aroma. The fruiting bodies of chanterelles contain the substance chitinmannose, which is capable of enveloping and quickly destroying pests, so these mushrooms are never wormy and remain fresh for a long time, for which they are loved by many mushroom pickers.
Chanterelles are light-loving species, so they are collected in forest clearings, along roads and clearings, as well as in open forests. The fruiting bodies of this lamellar mushroom are quite fragile, so collection should be carried out very carefully, in wicker boxes or baskets. Mushrooms must be processed immediately after collection.
In a cool room, the shelf life of collected chanterelles is only a day. Even in the refrigerator it is not recommended to store fruiting bodies for several days , which negatively affects the quality and taste characteristics of the fruiting bodies. Initially, you need to very carefully and thoroughly sort through the collected mushrooms, making sure to remove all crumpled and old fruiting bodies, as well as forest debris. Mushrooms should be washed very carefully, due to the increased fragility and fragility of the fruiting body.
Preparing chanterelles for storage
To store chanterelles for a long time, they need to be prepared and sorted.
It belongs:
- To remove crumpled, wormy, old mushrooms.
- Processing the reverse sides of the caps.
- Washing under water
- Dry on towels.
When collected in coniferous plantings, they will taste bitter, just like those collected on dry summer days. To remove bitterness, they are boiled. They put it on the fire, they boil. Salt, remove the foam, and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse in a colander and dry.
Storing fried mushrooms
A good way to prepare chanterelles for the winter is to store them fried. Each kilogram of peeled and washed fruiting bodies in cold water should be dried a little on a towel and cut into small pieces. It is advisable to boil the mushrooms before frying. Pour vegetable oil into a well-heated frying pan, add boiled mushrooms, add about 40 g of medium-sized salt and three bay leaves.
Fry the mushrooms over medium heat for ½ hour until all the moisture has evaporated. Fill clean, pre-sterilized, dry jars tightly with mushrooms and add the remaining oil in the pan. Seal the jars with lids, turn them over and cover with a warm cloth until cool. This product keeps well in the refrigerator for at least six months. Opened stock with fried chanterelles should be used within four days.
If desired, fried mushrooms can be frozen by distributing them into small containers or plastic containers, which will allow you to later use such a simple preparation as an excellent addition to soups, mushroom dressing or when preparing side dishes.
Is it possible to freeze chanterelle mushrooms?
Chanterelles are forest mushrooms that contain in their composition a set of vitamins and microelements necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Here are some ways to preserve chanterelles for a long time:
- drying;
- pickling;
- conservation;
- freezing
We should talk about the last method in more detail, because only freezing allows you to preserve the pristine freshness of mushrooms for a long time without distorting their taste characteristics. Chanterelles can and should be frozen, but storing them in the refrigerator for a long time is not recommended. It is better to process mushrooms immediately after picking, so the risk of food poisoning after eating them can be minimized. A raw product cannot retain its qualities for a long time.
In order for the product to be stored well, it must first be prepared for storage in the freezer. Without the preparation stage, shelf life will be reduced, just like the quality of the raw materials.
How to store boiled chanterelles
Boiled chanterelles are very good when frozen. It’s very easy to prepare such a tasty and healthy preparation for the winter:
- clean the fruiting bodies from impurities, old or damaged areas and plant debris;
- very carefully rinse the fruiting bodies several times under running water until dust and soil particles are completely removed;
- pour clean sorted mushrooms into boiling water and cook over high heat for no more than five to seven minutes;
- drain the water and cool the mushrooms;
- sort the cooled mushrooms into dry and clean plastic containers or small plastic bags;
- Place bags or containers of mushrooms in the freezer.
The shelf life of frozen scalded chanterelles is approximately three months. Of course, such a product can be stored much longer, but each subsequent month of storage negatively affects the taste characteristics and quality indicators. It is very important not to re-freeze boiled chanterelles, since repeated freezing makes the fruiting bodies unsuitable for subsequent consumption for food purposes.
Rules and terms of storage in the freezer
Raw chanterelles can easily retain their aroma and all their beneficial properties in the freezer for a year after harvesting. For boiled or fried mushrooms, these periods are reduced to 3–4 months. To extend the shelf life of chanterelles, containers for storing them must first be cleaned with a soap solution. This will eliminate bacteria, which are the main cause of mushroom spoilage. Otherwise, their storage does not require special knowledge and skills.
Store chanterelles in a separate place, at an average temperature of –20…–25°C. At the same time, sharp fluctuations in temperature should be avoided throughout the entire storage period. That is why, as the chanterelles are removed, defrosting can only be done once, since repeated cooling will lead to their aesthetic unsuitability.
You will be interested to know how quickly chanterelles grow in the forest even after rain.
Chanterelles are ideal for both seasonal consumption and freezing for the winter; boiled, fried and raw fruit bodies are used. Methods that involve preliminary heat treatment are considered the most universal, since any mushrooms can be prepared in this way. Freezing raw is suitable for small young chanterelles; during long-term freezing, their tissues better retain elasticity and other characteristics important for further preparation.
Drying technology
Initially, you should review the collected mushrooms and select the strongest, young specimens suitable for drying. After manual cleaning, it is not recommended to wash mushrooms, since in this case the drying process is delayed and the storage of dried products is deteriorated.
One of the most popular and widespread is the method of naturally drying mushrooms in the sun . In this case, the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms should be carefully strung on a thread and then hung in a place well lit by sunlight and blown by the wind. The process of such natural drying takes no more than ten days.
A faster and more reliable method is to dry mushrooms in an oven or Russian oven. Cleaned of forest debris and impurities, the sorted mushrooms should be cut into small pieces and placed on a baking sheet or wire rack, which should be placed in an oven preheated to 45-50°C. After the mushrooms have dried a little, you need to take a short break and finally dry the chanterelles with the oven door slightly open.
Properly dried mushrooms completely retain not only all their nutritional properties, but also their characteristic mushroom aroma. Dried chanterelles should be stored in gauze bags, which should be placed in a well-ventilated, dry and clean room. The standard temperature for storing dry mushrooms should be about 12°C. It is very important to regularly inspect dried mushrooms to prevent them from becoming moldy. Also, if necessary, periodically dry the mushrooms in the oven.
Before use, dried mushrooms must be soaked for a couple of hours in water at room temperature. The water after soaking can be used to prepare first courses or mushroom sauce. It is practiced to soak dry chanterelles in milk, which improves the taste of the prepared dish. If desired, dried mushrooms can be processed into mushroom powder, storage of which in winter has a number of advantages:
- small volume allows you to very effectively save storage space;
- cooking takes a minimum amount of time and does not require pre-soaking the mushrooms;
- Mushroom powders belong to the category of more complete mushroom dishes, as they are digested as quickly and easily as possible.
You can grind dried mushrooms either in a hand mortar or using a coffee grinder or a special pepper grinder. It is best to store dry mushroom powder in clean glass containers with hermetically sealed lids. The average shelf life of mushroom powder without loss of taste and nutritional qualities is about two years.
Features of salting and preservation
Salted mushrooms are an addition to many national dishes and are used as a good cold appetizer. As a rule, a hot method is used for pickling chanterelles, which allows you to get not only a very tasty, but also healthy mushroom preparation:
- it is advisable to use small and dense fruiting bodies that can retain their shape and appearance during heat treatment;
- the selected mushrooms should be carefully but thoroughly cleaned of debris and rinsed several times in cool water;
- pour the prepared fruiting bodies into boiling water and boil for a quarter of an hour, then drain the water and rinse the mushrooms with cold water;
- place the chanterelles in layers in an enamel pan, sprinkling with layers of salt at the rate of 50 g for each kilogram of mushrooms;
- put a lid on top and press down.
How to defrost correctly
Frozen fresh chanterelles require a long, gradual thawing. They are transferred from the freezer to the main chamber, to the shelf with the lowest temperature. When the ice melts, the container is placed in the room for further warming.
Accelerating the process in the microwave or hot water will lead to souring, loss of shape and taste. If you need to cook the chanterelles, it is better to remove them from the freezer in advance and place them in the refrigerator overnight. Mushrooms that have been previously boiled or fried do not need to be defrosted. They are frozen and immediately added to the prepared dish. That is why it is better to store chanterelles in small portions at a time.
Freezing chanterelles and other forest gifts helps you diversify your menu in winter and make your diet more healthy and balanced. And although fresh mushrooms are always available in stores, it is impossible to compare them with the forest beauties - chanterelles, even frozen ones.
Chanterelles for the winter: recipe (video)
The process of pickling mushrooms lasts about a month, after which the finished product must be stored in the refrigerator.
Canning chanterelles is no less popular among housewives. This method perfectly allows you to preserve all the beneficial properties of mushrooms for a long time. Glass jars are used for canning, and the whole process is carried out in several stages, including boiling and pouring marinade based on a liter of water, three tablespoons of salt, ½ cup of sugar and a glass of vinegar.
Rolled up and sterilized jars with mushroom preparation should be stored in a cool and dry room for no more than a year.
