Mushrooms.. How to store them.. Dehydrate them?? Can them???

[Sunny]

My husband got a permit to pick wild mushrooms.. Now we have blacks, hedgehogs, and yellowfeet.. I think that is what the last ones are called.. Or was it yellowtooth.. Well any way.. They may be called some thing else in other parts of the U.S.. They are all edible.. He used to pick them for money.. He knows the real names of them all.. He called me and he is on his way home with them now..

So should I dehydrate them.. Or should I can them.. All I have ever done was eat them fresh.. But I want to save them for later use too. They have canned ones in the store.. But my aunt said one of her friends had problems canning them..

Any help or ideas please..

And thank you..

 

[farmerlor]

Mushrooms are the easiest thing in the world to can. You can boil water bath them or pressure can them by just slicing them in the food processor, raw pack them in the jars, cover with water and some salt and put them in the canner. You'll have to check the book for times, it's been awhile since I canned them like that, I usually use them in soup now and can the soup but they really are the easiest thing to can I've ever found.

 

[Sunny]

Well, we are dehydrating our first batch of forest mushrooms.. They are turning out ok, so far..

And we ate some fresh ones for dinner tonight with some steak.. I never had Black Chantrelles (aka Black Trumpets) before. They were pretty darn good..

Might try canning some next time..

 

[SKR8PN]

We dehydrate ours and then vacuum seal them in small portions. Never tried to can them.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I have dehydrated left over mushrooms for years although never wild ones- I'm too chicken for that. I would think you need to be very careful with them to start because once sliced and dehydrated, they pretty much look alike.
They store forever as far as I can tell- I have never vacuum packed them just because they had never seemed to need it. I have use dried mushroom years old and they seemed fine.

 

[Sunny]

We didnt get enough Hedgehog mushrooms to dry.. We ate them fresh.. The Black Chantrelles (aka Black Trumpets) and the Yellowfeet.. You can defeniatly tell the difference between them when dried.. The Yellowfeet are a brown when dried and the Black Trumpets are well, black when dried.. I have them in different ziplock freezer bags.. Since freezer bags are stronger and keep closed better..

To bad we dont have a sellers permit instead of a personal picking permit for the mushrooms.. The Black Chantrelles last year was going for around $11.00 a pound.. But you have to buy the seller permits..

Should the mushrooms be crispy dry.. I have a few of the larger mushrooms.. They seem totally dry.. But you can bend them and they dont break.. Or does it just do that with the larger of them.. I might have to throw them back in the dryer for a bit.. This is my first time dehydrating mushrooms..

Edited to ad.. Ya I heard that dry mushrooms.. If kept away from moisture can last almost forever.. But I dont really know from experiance..

 

[enjoy the ride]

I've never have mushrooms crisp- they just got dry an leathery.

 

[mrs.puff]

It depends on what type of mushrooms they are... some dry crispy (like morels) and some get leathery (like Hen of the Woods). Some kinds just don't dry at all, but turn to mush. We canned some morels once, but they shrink up so little that we just had mostly juice and a little bit of mushrooms in the jar. I find that it's way easier (not to mention safer) to dry the ones that will dry.
If you don't mind my asking... Where are you located Sunny that you have to have a permit to pick mushrooms?

 

[Sunny]

It depends on what type of mushrooms they are... some dry crispy (like morels) and some get leathery (like Hen of the Woods). Some kinds just don't dry at all, but turn to mush. We canned some morels once, but they shrink up so little that we just had mostly juice and a little bit of mushrooms in the jar. I find that it's way easier (not to mention safer) to dry the ones that will dry.
If you don't mind my asking... Where are you located Sunny that you have to have a permit to pick mushrooms?

Sorry I never put my location yet..

I live in Brookings Oregon.. And that is in Curry County.. Dont know if that makes a difference or not..

Personal use permit is Free.. Your allowed 1 gallon a day, 5 gallons a year.. But when his permit runs out, I can get one..

Selling permits...
10 days $20
6 months $150

I guess wild mushrooms are a big business in Oregon.. You can make alot of money off of mushrooms.. And they regulate people. If you pick the right kind of mushrooms.. And find a big enough patch you can make $500 a day.. But then there are times you find nothing at all.. Permits used to be cheaper.. But we had alot of people come from out of state. And instead of cutting the mushrooms. They raked them up.. Which ruined alot of growing space. Plus Oregon is having alot of problems with Port Orford Cedar disease.. And Sudden Oak disease.. And it is affecting alot of trees.. And I guess they charge people to make money so they can use it for the goverment lands. Alot of the oregon coast is owned by the state of oregon.. In the town we live in we are surrounded by government land..

I wish I lived in a state that doesnt regulate that kind of stuff. But our state has to make money some how.. We dont have state tax here when we buy stuff in stores like other states.

 

[mrs.puff]

OH man, I would pay for the chance to look for mushrooms in Oregon. We don't have the variety or abundance that you have.

There has been rumor of Iowa making a law to require permits for morel hunting. I think the uproar would be huge. I usually have enough on my own property.