Preserving Mushrooms
Capturing the spirit of mushroom hunting!
 

    To dehydrate mushrooms, you don’t necessarily have to clean them.  You will after all soak them in water when you reconstitute them, which will give you an opportunity to wash away the dirt and grim.  When you dehydrate mushrooms slice them thinly.  If you’re not sure how to slice them, prepare them the same way as you would before you cook them.  Hollow mushrooms, like black trumpets, yellowfoot, and morels, can be left whole when dehydrated.
    If you are using a dehydrator, the mushrooms should be placed single-layer on the trays.  A dehydrator is the easiest way to dehydrate mushrooms.  If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dry mushrooms on trays.  Just place them in front of a fan, or in an oven on the lowest setting.  The door of the oven should be cracked open to let moisture escape.  With a needle, you can also thread hollow mushrooms onto a string and let them dry outside.  Dehydrated mushrooms are ready when they are very dry and will snap when broken.  Dehydrated mushrooms can be stored in airtight containers, like mason jars or sealable plastic bags.  Don’t forget to label the contents and date.  To reconstitute, the mushrooms should be soaked (in a liquid, like water, broth, or wine) for 15-30 minutes. 
    Chanterelles and matsutake are two delicious edibles and need special consideration when preserving, as they are not suited to drying.  To preserve chanterelles, cook them by either steaming them or dry sauteing them.  When you dry sauté you start by heating a pan over medium heat and add your chanterelles, without any oil or butter.  You let the mushrooms release their water and continue cooking them until their water is absorbed back into the mushrooms.  Let the mushrooms cool, and put them into freezer safe bags or containers.  Your chanterelles will last for about a year in the freezer.  To preserve matsutake, you can either freeze the mushroom two ways.  You can chop or slice the mushroom and freeze it.  Or you can take the whole matsutake, wrap it in foil, put it in a plastic bag, and put it in the freezer. 
    Most firm mushrooms you can pickle to preserve, but this method will only preserve your mushrooms for a few weeks.  Pickling is pretty simple, boil your mushrooms for 10 minutes, then drain them and place them in a clean jar.  Prepare a brine with your favorite spices, and pour over your mushrooms.  Seal and refrigerate for three days, and then your mushrooms are ready to be enjoyed.  The mushrooms will last for three to four weeks. 
    
At the MSSF’s February general meeting, chef Chad Hyatt led an engaging demonstration centered on cooking ceviche and jam, with mushrooms!  He is the author of the book, The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen.  Featured is Chad Hyatt’s recipe for an ingenious ceviche.

 

• 1 lb any firm mushroom, cleaned and sliced in ¼” thick strips

• 3 limes (or 5 key limes), juice only

• 1 Serrano chile pepper, diced very small
  (do not remove the membrane or seeds)

• ¼ small red onion

• 5 or 6 cilantro sprigs, about 25 leaves

• 1 sweet potato peeled and cut into ½” dice

• salt to taste

1. Boil the mushrooms for at least 3 minutes to break down the chitin (the chitin provides most of the structure or the mushroom).  After boiling, drain the mushrooms, rinse in cold water, and keep cold in the fridge until ready to use.

2. Place the diced sweet potato in a small pot, cover with cold water, and add a generous pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil on a high flame, then reduce to a simmer.  As soon as the sweet potatoes are cooked (only a few minutes), drain and cool down.  Do not overcook.  They should hold their shape and not fall apart when handled.  The sweet potatoes need to be cold when serving, so after cooking, store in the fridge until ready to use.

3. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible into ½” long strips.  Place these in a small container and cover with ice water.  Store in the fridge until ready to use.
 
Note: Soaking the water in ice water helps remove a bit of the harshness from the flavor, and also crisps them up, so every bite will have that little crunch.

4. About 30 minutes before serving, mix the mushrooms with the lime juice, Serrano pepper and a generous pinch of salt.  Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, stack up the cilantro leaves neatly in piles of 4 or 5 leaves, and slice as thinly as possible.  You want paper-thin ribbons.  Drain the red onions well, and then add them and the cilantro to the marinating mushroom mixture.  Check the seasoning, and add more salt if necessary.

6. To serve, arrange some of the cooked sweet potatoes on the plate and neatly spoon the mushroom ceviche on top.  Make sure to divide up any remaining liquid over each of the portions.