Mushrooms in the forest

[bower]

I dry a lot of these: winter chanterelles. They are the easiest to dry because they are hollow so kind of thin. We don't get a huge crop every year, but every few years there will be a fantastic amount of them and we pick enough to last years. They are incredibly good keepers when dried - I've eaten some that were ten years in storage and you couldn't tell the difference. Loaded with vitamin D and pretty darn delicious. Easy to use dry, just crumble them into soup or stew or the rice pot ...

I also pick enough to make some pickles every year. The original recipe is from Sweden iirc, which I found on the internet and adapted to our measures and ingredients. It is terrific as a sweet condiment with curries or with game.

Clean a couple of pounds of fresh winter chanterelles.

Set brine to boil:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 cups of sugar
10 whole cloves, 10 peppercorns, 1-2 cinnamon sticks

Stir the mushrooms into the brine and bring back to boil.
Simmer on medium heat for half an hour.
Scoop the hot mushrooms into jars and cover with brine; seal and store.

The leftover brine is also delicious. Used for marinades etc. never wasted.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by bower

I dry a lot of these: winter chanterelles. They are the easiest to dry because they are hollow so kind of thin. We don't get a huge crop every year, but every few years there will be a fantastic amount of them and we pick enough to last years. They are incredibly good keepers when dried - I've eaten some that were ten years in storage and you couldn't tell the difference. Loaded with vitamin D and pretty darn delicious. Easy to use dry, just crumble them into soup or stew or the rice pot ...

I also pick enough to make some pickles every year. The original recipe is from Sweden iirc, which I found on the internet and adapted to our measures and ingredients. It is terrific as a sweet condiment with curries or with game.

Clean a couple of pounds of fresh winter chanterelles.

Set brine to boil:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 cups of sugar
10 whole cloves, 10 peppercorns, 1-2 cinnamon sticks

Stir the mushrooms into the brine and bring back to boil.
Simmer on medium heat for half an hour.
Scoop the hot mushrooms into jars and cover with brine; seal and store.

The leftover brine is also delicious. Used for marinades etc. never wasted.

That's fantastic Bower! . So many uses and good for ten years or more!. Had no idea they are loaded with vitamin D.. This could very important for people who need extra D. People who are getting older and ones that can't have milk. Like me!. . My wife has always had to take extra D. Plus I just love em !.. . Jimbo

[Deborah]

I really liked the leftover brine part-nothing wasted. Awesome!

[bower]

Originally Posted by Jimbotomateo

That's fantastic Bower! . So many uses and good for ten years or more!. Had no idea they are loaded with vitamin D.. This could very important for people who need extra D. People who are getting older and ones that can't have milk. Like me!. . My wife has always had to take extra D. Plus I just love em !.. . Jimbo

I read a study a long time ago, it was done in Finland and they looked at the vitamin D status of people who ate winter chanterelles vs. those who took supplements. The mushroom eaters were as good as the others! You know, in the north we have a long season when we're not getting any D from the sunlight. But it seems really important especially to elderly folks, wherever you live.
I wonder if the vitamin D content is why they keep so well.

[Randall]

Sounds yummy!

[Andrey_BY]

Yes, I am. We use them dried mainly for making soup in winter/spring time.

And the most usual way to cook mushrooms here is to boil and then roast them with potatoes or/and onion pieces.

There are some other ways - to pickle them in jars in vinegar/herbs mix or soilted in jar/barrel.

Will add some recipes later in August-October time

Originally Posted by Deborah

And do you dry them in quantities?

[NarnianGarden]

Originally Posted by bower

I read a study a long time ago, it was done in Finland and they looked at the vitamin D status of people who ate winter chanterelles vs. those who took supplements. The mushroom eaters were as good as the others! You know, in the north we have a long season when we're not getting any D from the sunlight. But it seems really important especially to elderly folks, wherever you live.
I wonder if the vitamin D content is why they keep so well.

I love winter chantarelles and have eaten plenty of them dried in soupls, casseroles etc. However, their vit D quantity is not so huge - I am supplementing with oil based capsules too, and even then, my levels are not that high.. So, the differences are more about genetic / individual differences in absorbtion. (There are folks who take less Vit D than me, and have had higher levels in tests..)
Sorry, slightly OT, but one has to be careful about drawing conclusions on the myriad of Vit D studies..

[PhilaGardener]

I don't know if it has been tested on chantarelles, but the vitamin D level of many mushrooms can be increased substantially by exposure to sunlight (UV).

http://www.fungi.com/blog/items/plac...vitamin-d.html is one of many sources that incorporate the scientific studies into a very digestible format.

[Deborah]

Thank you Andrey. I'd like to see the recipes. How wonderful to have access to beautiful dried mushrooms. I can only dream of the wonderful soups!

[MrBig46]

Today we had lunch (pork chops) on mushrooms with dumplings. The grandson, who is twelve, ate another serving after three hours. So it tastes good for him. The glasses are our stock of dried mushrooms, which we also use in soup and mushroom sauce.
Vladimír

[ddsack]

Vladimir, those glass jars of mushrooms are worth more than their weight in gold! I wish I had access to that many mushrooms!

We just had our one and only small appetizer of black morels, we only found about 8 tiny morels over 4 or 5 days time, so each of us had only a taste, just fried in butter and onion. Much too dry again this year for good mushrooming.

[carolyn137]

Vladimir,you have my home address,and since I no longer can go mushroom hunting,well,you get the picture.

Carolyn,of course just kidding and with the lousy weather here I can say that the wild strawberries are blooming in the backyard, but I doubt I'll be able to pay anyone to get down on their knees and pick them as I used to do.

[bower]

Vladimir, wow those are great jars of boletes!!
I totally love the smell of dried boletes. All the best ones smell like honey.

[Randall]

Not exactly wild but they're in the forest and being grown as if wild. Shiitake.

[Deborah]

That jar of dried mushrooms is beautiful. What wealth!