Is it possible to dry chanterelles for the winter and how to do it correctly

Drying chanterelle mushrooms at home is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Not all people know which gifts of the forest are allowed to dry, but this is important, since not all varieties can be subjected to the same preliminary processing that mushrooms must go through before drying.

Do chanterelles dry for the winter

As you know, not every type of mushroom is suitable for drying. For example, some varieties after processing acquire an unpleasant taste or completely crumble. As for chanterelles, they are the very option that is great not only for drying, but also for pickling and frying.

This type of mushroom is rich in useful vitamins and minerals. In addition, they contain ergosterol, trametonolinic acid and chitin mannose, D-mannose olysaccharide. All this allows you to fight various parasites from which a person suffers. According to numerous studies, only raw or dried mushrooms can get rid of such pests. You can also store fresh chanterelles in the freezer, but the dried product takes up much less space, so many people prefer to dry them. As a medicine, a tincture is made from dried chanterelles. This requires:

  1. Grind 10 g of dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder.
  2. Pour the resulting powder with vodka in a volume of 150 ml.
  3. Insist for ten days, shaking occasionally.

In order to achieve a therapeutic effect, it is worth knowing how to properly dry chanterelles for a medicine. The final quality of the product depends on compliance with the technology.

How to prepare chanterelles for drying

Drying chanterelles is one of the most common options for preparing blanks for the winter. The processing of mushrooms should be approached with all responsibility, since the quality of the dried product depends on it. Before drying chanterelles for the winter, you must adhere to the following rules:

  1. Choose the right mushrooms. They should be young, firm, beautiful and whole. As a rule, they are not wormy, since they contain the substance quinomannosis, but it is still worth checking for their presence.
  2. Thoroughly remove dirt and grass. It is not recommended to wash immediately before the process, as they absorb a lot of water, which will affect the drying time. If the surface of the mushroom is very dirty, then it can be lightly wiped with a sponge or carefully peeled off.

How to dry chanterelles at home

Quite often, many people dry mushrooms whole, but this approach does not always lead to a good result. This is due to the fact that not all moisture can come out of whole chanterelles, which will entail the appearance of mold. It is best to cut them into small slices. This will allow you to get not only a high-quality product, but also significantly reduce the time spent on drying. There are several ways to dry chanterelles. It is worth considering each separately.

How to dry chanterelles in an electric dryer

Drying chanterelles at home using an electric dryer is quite simple. The drying process in this way does not require constant monitoring and presence.It has several tiers, where small pieces are evenly spread in a thin layer. Mushrooms are dried at a temperature of 55 degrees for about 5 - 6 hours. Properly dried chanterelles should be dry but not crumbly. The thinner the slices are cut, the less time it will take to dry the chanterelles at home. To speed up the process, you can periodically swap pallets in places.

Attention! Small cuts dry much faster than large cuts. For example, if there are 2-3 pallets in the dryer, then the readiness should be checked after a couple of hours.

How to dry chanterelle mushrooms in the oven

You can dry chanterelles in the oven both for medicine and as preparations for the winter. To do this, clean mushrooms are laid out on a wire rack in one layer at a short distance from each other. For even cooking during the drying process, they should be turned over and shifted as often as possible. When drying mushrooms in the oven, it is very important to ensure that the temperature does not exceed 60 degrees. Experts recommend preheating the oven to 40 degrees at the very beginning, gradually bringing it to the maximum temperature. How long it takes to dry chanterelles in the oven will depend on their size.

Important! If one part of the mushrooms has dried, then it can be removed, and the other is sent back to the oven until it is completely dry.

How to dry chanterelles in the microwave

Drying mushrooms in the microwave takes much longer than other options. To do this, use the minimum power of this equipment and turn it on for 20 minutes. After that, the tiers with mushrooms are removed and ventilated for about 10 minutes so that all moisture evaporates. This process should be repeated until they are completely dry.

How to dry chanterelle mushrooms in an airfryer

Drying in an airfryer can only be non-wormy and fresh mushrooms. On its surface, the chanterelles should be spread out in a thin layer, since an unsorted heap can lead to the fact that large mushrooms remain raw, and small ones burn. As a rule, even specimens of similar size can dry in different ways, so it is important to periodically check their readiness and remove dry. Approximate drying time is about 2 hours at 70 degrees. It is also worth careful to ensure that they do not dry out, as the aroma and taste will be lost. But not drying it out is also dangerous, as mold can form on wet chanterelles.

How to air dry chanterelles for the winter

This method is only suitable if the weather is sunny and warm. This process takes about 10 days. To begin with, the mushrooms are left on the newspaper in a ventilated place so that they dry out a little. Then the workpiece is laid out on a special grid and covered with gauze. Turn them over from time to time.

Advice! If there is no lattice, then simple dense threads can be used. In this case, the mushrooms are strung on a thread and hung in the sun. For stringing, it is better to use a thick needle, and the mushrooms themselves should not touch each other.

How to determine the readiness of mushrooms

Determining the degree of readiness is not difficult: when bent, the pieces should spring slightly and not break, and outwardly look completely dry. If the dried workpieces have darkened, become hard and break, then they are overdried. Such a product will no longer work as a medicine, but you can make a mushroom seasoning from it. To do this, grind the dried pieces in a coffee grinder, add a little salt and mix well. Pour the resulting mixture into a glass container and close tightly.

Terms and conditions of storage of dried chanterelles

Any mushrooms tend to absorb all kinds of extraneous aromas, so improper storage can ruin the product. In this regard, after drying, they should be cooled to room temperature and transferred to a glass jar with a tightly closed lid.This product should be stored in a dry and ventilated area.

Warning! It is worth noting that if the air humidity exceeds 70 percent, then the mushrooms will begin to grow moldy. As a rule, they are kept in a closet or cellar, as they begin to deteriorate at high temperatures. In addition to glass jars for storage, you can use gauze bags or boxes made of thick cardboard. Dried mushrooms should be sorted periodically to remove moldy or rotten slices. It is not recommended to store such a product for more than a year, since after this time the aroma and taste are significantly reduced.

Conclusion

Drying chanterelle mushrooms at home is quite simple. There are quite a few ways to do this: using an electric dryer, oven, airfryer and even in the fresh air. Regardless of which drying method the hostess chose, it is important to remember that first, the mushrooms must be carefully processed, but in no case washed. But an already dried product should be rinsed before use, and then soaked in water for several hours. If you follow all the rules, you can cook a delicious and healthy product.

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