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Chanterelle mushrooms are a dietary product rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for the human body. The article discusses in detail the ways to keep chanterelles for the winter in the refrigerator and freezer, the subtleties of storing raw, boiled, fried or dried chanterelles.
Features of storing chanterelle mushrooms
It is worth taking care of the subsequent storage of mushrooms in advance, even when going on a quiet hunt, and then they will not only retain their attractive appearance, but also all the nutrients. The basic rules to be followed when storing mushrooms:
- Chanterelles stay fresh longer and will not turn black when cut with a stainless steel knife.
- The optimal duration of picking mushrooms is 4 hours, after which they need to be processed so that they do not deteriorate.
- Mushrooms harvested in the rain need to be cleaned and processed immediately, while mushrooms harvested in dry weather can lie down for 6 hours without a refrigerator.
- If you cannot meet the recommended deadlines, then the chanterelles should be laid out so that they do not come into contact with each other and try to process them in 16-18 hours.
How to keep chanterelle mushrooms for a few days
All mushrooms are perishable, even chanterelles, which cannot go bad in principle. They contain a special substance that is not tolerated by worms, larvae, or other pests and parasites, so as long as the fungus is in the mycelium, they will not damage it. But one has only to disrupt it, as will have to make a lot of effort to keep it.
How to store fresh chanterelles
The optimum storage temperature for mushrooms is from 0 ° C to + 2 ° C. At this temperature, you can keep the chanterelles in the refrigerator. The sequence of actions on how to store fresh chanterelles in the refrigerator will be as follows:
- Go through, throwing away spoiled and old copies.
- Clean from litter and dirt by brushing it off with a brush.
- Dry if wet or collected in damp weather.
- Transfer to the refrigerator, folding in a tray in a low layer.
To prevent the chanterelles from softening and becoming watery, they should not be washed before being sent to the refrigerator, but only immediately before cooking.
How to store boiled chanterelles
Boiled chanterelles can also be stored in the refrigerator: up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. For this, prepared and carefully washed mushrooms are sent to boiling salted water and boiled after boiling for about 20 minutes until they all sink to the bottom of the pan.
The cooked product is cooled under a stream of running cool water, then transferred to a container and put into the refrigerator.
How to store fried chanterelles
To prepare fried chanterelles for storage:
- Mushrooms are prepared (cleaned, washed) and boiled in salted water.
- Next, fry until tender in a large amount of vegetable oil.
- The finished dish is laid out in small trays or jars, and poured on top with oil, on which everything was fried.
- Put away in the cold.
The shelf life of fried chanterelles in the refrigerator is 4 days. In the freezer - up to six months.
How to save chanterelle mushrooms for the winter
Long-term storage of chanterelles for the winter is possible only by freezing, canning or drying.
How to keep fresh chanterelles in the freezer for the winter
Freezing is the only way to preserve the product without changing its taste, as is the case with canning or drying. For storage in the freezer, you will need:
- freshly picked mushrooms;
- colander;
- a towel that absorbs moisture well;
- trays or pallets;
- plastic bags.
Sequencing:
- Immediately after collecting the chanterelles, you need to sort and sort. Strong young specimens that have not yet opened their caps are suitable for freezing.
- Selected mushrooms should be cleaned of debris, cut off the lower part of the stem and rinsed under running water.
- Spread everything out on a towel and let dry well. Then put in a single layer in a tray or on a pallet.
- Place the tray in the freezer.
- Place the frozen product in a freezer bag and leave it in the freezer for further storage.
How to store thermally processed chanterelle mushrooms in the freezer
Large specimens may acquire a bitter aftertaste after freezing, but this does not mean that they cannot be stored in this way for the winter. In this case, they must first be boiled.
The process of freezing thermally treated chanterelles will be as follows:
- Sort the mushrooms, peel and rinse under running water. Cut large ones into several parts.
- Transfer the prepared mushrooms to a saucepan of a suitable displacement, add water and send to the fire.
- After boiling, salt the water and cook for a quarter of an hour, removing the foam.
- Throw the cooked workpiece into a colander and cool quickly under running cold water.
- Spread out on a towel to dry the chanterelles, and then transfer to a container and put in the freezer.
How to store chanterelles for the winter in dried form
Despite the appearance of a huge number of freezers with different types of freezing (dry, shock), housewives still harvest dried mushrooms for the winter. To dry, you need:
- Select young and resilient specimens, which should be sorted out and cleaned of debris and dirt. Can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, but should not be washed in water.
- Cut off the caps (the legs are not dried) and string them on a thick thread. Dry the mushrooms prepared in this way slightly in direct sunlight.
- Then dry in an oven or an electric dryer for vegetables at 60 ° C. The product is ready when the caps bend well, but do not break.
The product prepared in this way for the winter is stored in paper or cloth bags in a dark, dry and well-ventilated place. Since dried mushrooms are capable of absorbing third-party odors, there should be nothing nearby with a strong or persistent aroma.
To preserve taste as much as possible, it can be stored in a tightly closed glass container. To do this, fill a sterile jar with mushrooms, grease the lid on the back with alcohol, set it on fire and screw it up quickly. This procedure allows you to get rid of air in the can and keep the workpiece longer. Dried chanterelles can be stored in such conditions for one to three years.
How to keep chanterelles in banks for the winter
A popular way to properly preserve chanterelles for the winter in jars is pickling. Each housewife has her own favorite recipe for pickled mushrooms for the winter: without vinegar, with oil and garlic, in a spicy marinade, and others.
For those who marinate for the first time, it is better to start with a proven classic recipe:
- 2 kg of fresh chanterelles;
- 1.5 liters of water;
- 50 g of salt;
- 100 g sugar;
- 60 ml table vinegar;
- 10 carnation buds;
- 15 peas of black allspice.
How to cook:
- Mushrooms are pre-soaked in a large amount of salted and acidified water (10 g of salt and 2 g of citric acid per 1 liter) for an hour. Then large specimens are sorted out, washed and cut into pieces.
- Pour the prepared chanterelles with the prescribed amount of water and cook over moderate heat until they sink to the bottom.
- Throw the mushrooms in a colander, straining the broth into a separate container. Cool under running cool water, and add salt, sugar, spices to the broth and send to the fire.
- When the marinade boils, return the mushrooms to it and boil for 7 minutes. Then pour in the vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Distribute the mushrooms in sterile glass jars, pour over boiling marinade and roll up the lids. After cooling down, remove the workpiece in a dark, cool place for further storage. The pickled mushrooms will be fully cooked in a month.
Shelf life of chanterelles
It is not enough just to properly prepare and send the mushrooms for storage in the refrigerator or freezer, you also need to adhere to the shelf life. A product that has been spent for a long time even under proper conditions loses its beneficial properties and can become hazardous to health.
How much fresh chanterelles can be stored in the refrigerator
You can keep the chanterelles fresh in the refrigerator only for one day. For long-term storage, it is better to cook or just boil the mushrooms.
How much boiled chanterelles can be stored in the refrigerator
If fresh mushrooms are immediately sorted out and boiled in boiling water, then their shelf life will increase fivefold. Instead of a day for raw chanterelles, the shelf life of boiled chanterelles will be five days.
How long can frozen chanterelles be stored in the freezer
The shelf life of frozen mushrooms is up to four months. In order not to forget when the product was frozen, for convenience, a sticker with the date of freezing should be glued to the tray or bag.
Conclusion
The methods available to modern housewives to save chanterelles for the winter have their pros and cons. So, for freezing, you need a spacious freezer, and for pickled mushrooms you will need to find a recipe that will appeal to all family members. But such a variety allows each mushroom picker to find the way that will suit his needs.
