In summer and autumn, forest and meadow mushrooms are often found in such quantities that they cannot be eaten fresh. Drying and storage is also an option for purchased mushrooms due to their limited shelf life.

Proper preparation for drying

In principle, mushrooms and other fungi should only be dried if they do not yet show any external signs of rotting or smell bad. Like most other mushrooms, button mushrooms should not be washed before eating or drying, but only cleaned with a sharp knife or a clean cloth. After all, the drying time of the mushrooms depends not only on the drying method, but also on the thickness of the slices into which the mushrooms were cut after harvesting.

Dry mushrooms in the oven or air dry

In the past, mushrooms were often dried in the air on old newspaper pages, but today, for reasons of hygiene, baking paper is often used to lay them out. In sunny weather, mushrooms can also be dried on a baking sheet placed in the sun without using any energy. Overall, numerous methods are suitable for gently drying mushrooms:

  • laying out in the sun
  • threading and drying in a warm room
  • drying in the oven
  • the use of a special dehydrator

Drying mushrooms in the oven

When drying mushrooms in the oven, make sure that the oven never heats up to more than 50 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, the mushroom slices would be partially cooked and would not keep well as a result. It is usually sufficient to preheat the oven to 50 degrees Celsius and place the mushroom slices on a single-layer baking tray in the slowly cooling oven. A wooden cooking spoon holds the oven door wide open so that escaping moisture can escape with the air.

storage and use

Ideally, dried mushrooms are stored in light and airtight jars with a twist-off cap. They can be stored for up to two or three years and used dry or soaked in water for mushroom dishes. In the same way as porcini flour, dried mushrooms can also be finely ground and used as a seasoning for soups and sauces.

tips and tricks

As an alternative to drying, mushrooms can also be frozen. However, they must not be wetted or washed with water beforehand. A chopping to the ready-to-cook size is a good idea before freezing the mushrooms.

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:

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Vegetable garden