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The chestnut boletus (Xerocomus badius) with its up to 15 centimeters wide, usually dark brown hat and light-colored stalk can be mistaken for the porcini mushroom at first glance. However, you can quickly tell the two species apart, because the flesh of the chestnut boletes turns blue when pressure is applied. Just like the porcini mushroom, the chestnut boletus is a tasty edible mushroom whose strong mushroom aroma comes into its own when it is dried.
Chestnut boletuses can be dried for several months
Clean and prepare the chestnut boletes
The chestnut boletus is a typical mycorrhizal fungus of spruce, but usually never occurs where porcini mushrooms grow. Due to its unwetted stalk and the bluing flesh, it is very easy to distinguish from the "king of mushrooms" and from other boletus. Chestnut boletes are often found in coniferous and mixed forests between June and November, but you have to be quick: Maggots, snails and other forest animals also like to eat this fungus. So only take crunchy, not too eaten specimens with you and also check them in the forest for maggot damage - otherwise you could experience a nasty surprise at home. The mushrooms should be cleaned as freshly as possible and prepared for drying:
- Cut away gnawed and other damaged areas.
- Clean the mushrooms thoroughly with a brush and cloth
- To dry certain mushrooms should not be washed.
- Exception: They are heavily soiled.
- Here you can give them a quick and vigorous shower
- and then dry well.
Once the mushrooms have been cleaned, you can cut them into thin slices.
Three methods of drying chestnut boletes
The mushrooms can then be dried, for which there are various methods. Only properly dried mushrooms can be stored and in principle can be kept indefinitely. Do the test: If the mushroom slices can still be bent without breaking, they have to be dried further.
Air dry the chestnut boletes
This method is not recommended due to the risk of mold.
Drying in the oven
Drying in the oven, on the other hand, is faster and without major losses: To do this, lay the mushroom slices loosely next to each other on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Dry them for at least five hours at temperatures between 50 and a maximum of 70 °C. This works best in a convection oven. To allow the moisture to escape, clamp a wooden spoon between the oven door and the oven.
Drying in the dehydrator / drying oven
If you often dry mushrooms, but also herbs, fruit and vegetables, it is worth buying a dehydrator or a drying oven.
tips
Do not confuse the chestnut boletus that grows in the forest with the so-called "brown caps". This is the trade name of mushroom spawn of the Red-brown Giant Träuschling species, which - in contrast to the chestnut boletus - can also be cultivated in your own garden.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself