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Drying moss mushrooms at home is not difficult, but the process has its own nuances that need to be taken into account. To get aromatic dried mushrooms, you should carefully prepare them, choose the right drying technology and storage methods.
Is it possible to dry flywheel mushrooms?
Moss mushrooms are tubular edible mushrooms. They are distinguished by a strong appearance, very similar to boletus mushrooms. They owe their name to the fact that they grow mainly on mosses. Mushrooms are very rich in vitamins and microelements, but the flesh quickly oxidizes and darkens. This is the reason for the common misconception that these mushrooms are not suitable for drying. This is wrong. They dry well, and the dried flywheel mushroom does not lose its beneficial qualities and taste. Species such as the Polish mushroom, green mushroom and yellow-brown oiler are considered especially suitable for drying.
How to dry flywheel mushrooms
The procurement process begins with selection. The strongest, most elastic and undamaged flywheels are suitable for drying. Wormy and overripe specimens must be removed, as they will not dry, but will rot.
The main distinguishing feature of preparing flywheels for drying is that they are not washed. The reason is that they absorb moisture very strongly. Because of this, they will take a long time to dry, or even deteriorate. Mushrooms are cleaned with a soft, dry cloth to remove adhering dirt, grass and debris. Next, darkened and damaged areas are cut off from the mushrooms. It is best to use a stainless steel knife for this, which prevents the oxidation process and further darkening of the pulp.
In an electric dryer
An electric dryer is the most successful option for harvesting mushrooms. Drying flywheels in a dryer is easier and more efficient thanks to a special design that does not require constant monitoring of the process and presence. The dryer provides optimal convection and temperature conditions, which creates uniform, high-quality drying. Mushrooms are cut into plates (if the specimens are small, then it can be 4 parts) and evenly laid out on each tier of the electric dryer. It needs to be dried at a temperature of 55-60 degrees, the drying time is 3-5 hours, depending on the number and thickness of the cut plates.
The mushrooms need to be dried in an electric dryer for 3-5 hours, the time depends on the thickness and number of mushroom plates
In a gas or electric oven
If you don't have an electric dryer, you can use a gas or electric oven. To do this, mushrooms are also cut into slices no thicker than 5 mm. The surface of the baking sheet is covered with parchment paper. Pieces are laid out on it and sent to an oven preheated to 45 degrees. The door remains slightly open during drying. The mushrooms are periodically checked and mixed.When they stop sticking to the paper, the temperature is raised to 70 degrees. The optimal way to dry flywheels in an electric or gas oven is to divide the process into two days for the purpose of ventilation. This is necessary to prevent the mushrooms from drying out and burning.
Leave the door ajar during drying to prevent the mushrooms from burning and drying out.
In the microwave
Drying flywheels for the winter in the microwave has its own characteristics. It consists of several repeating cycles. The cut pieces are laid out on a glass plate and placed in the microwave for 20 minutes at a power setting of 120-180 W. After turning off the plate, it is necessary to drain the released liquid and re-distribute it on the plate. These steps must be repeated several times until the pieces are completely dry. This method is quite labor-intensive. This is due to the small number of moss mushrooms that can be laid out on a plate, but in the absence of alternative methods, it can be used.
Mushrooms should be left in the microwave for 20 minutes.
On a thread
You can dry moss mushrooms using ordinary thread. This is one of the traditional drying methods, which does not bring much trouble or difficulty. To do this, mushrooms are cut into large pieces, and small ones are dried whole. A special feature of moss mushrooms is that the stems are easily separated from the caps, and stringing them together can be problematic. Therefore, it is better to dry the legs and caps separately. Using a large needle, a dense thread is pulled through the prepared flywheels. The resulting bundle is hung in a well-ventilated and warm room. In this state, the mushrooms are dried until tender.
Mushrooms should be dried in a warm, well-ventilated area.
Outdoors
The algorithm of actions is similar to thread drying. The cut plates are laid out on various trays, racks, and thick cardboard. It is better to choose a place for drying that is protected from direct sunlight and rain. If drying takes place outside, then you should take care of protection from insects - cover the trays with gauze fabric that allows air to pass through well. The flywheels are stirred periodically to prevent them from sticking to the surface and left until completely dry.
The flywheels need to be stirred periodically to prevent them from sticking to the surface of the tray, grid and cardboard.
Important! There is no need to use metal surfaces for drying - they contribute to the blackening of mushrooms.
How to determine the readiness of dried mushrooms
The degree of readiness is determined visually. The pieces should look dry but still have elasticity. You can determine readiness by bending one plate - it should remain springy, but not break. This condition of the flywheels indicates high-quality drying of the fruiting bodies.
Determining the correct readiness of mushrooms is a key point in the drying process. Under-dried mushrooms will not be stored - they will rot and become moldy. Overdried moss mushrooms crumble and become unsuitable for preparing many dishes. They can be ground into powder using a blender or coffee grinder and used as flavoring additives.
Storage rules
Dried mushrooms are very easy to spoil if stored improperly.Mushrooms absorb moisture and foreign odors well, which leads to their unusability. After drying, they should be stored in glass jars, thick cardboard boxes or fabric bags. The main requirement is that the room where mushrooms are stored must be well ventilated with a humidity of no more than 70%. Under the right conditions, dried moss mushrooms can be stored for at least one year.
Dried fruit bodies should be stored in glass containers, boxes and fabric bags.
What can be prepared from dried moss mushrooms?
Dried moss mushrooms can be used to prepare a huge number of delicious dishes - from aromatic soups to savory sauces. Such dishes, in addition to excellent taste, will be beneficial due to the content of large amounts of vitamins and minerals. Before cooking, they are pre-soaked for several hours and then washed. Mokhoviki are an excellent addition to meat dishes, an ideal filling for pancakes, pies, dumplings and zraz. Borscht, aromatic stew, solyanka - this is a small list of dishes with dried mushrooms.
Conclusion
Drying moss mushrooms is the most preferable way to prepare them for the winter. Its undeniable advantage is that mushrooms do not lose their beneficial qualities and nutritional value. Dried mushrooms are better absorbed by the body, compared to pickled and salted ones, and the number of dishes that can be prepared from them is limited only by imagination.
