Is it possible to dry boletus for the winter: rules for harvesting (drying) mushrooms at home

Dried boletus retains the maximum amount of beneficial properties, unique taste and smell. Drying is a simple way to prepare them for future use, without resorting to high-temperature processing methods, without the use of salt, vinegar, or vegetable oil. Fragrant dishes made from dried mushrooms will complement any menu, including Lenten and dietary ones.

Is it possible to dry boletus mushrooms?

Butterflies are edible mushrooms with an oily, slippery skin on a cap 4–10 cm in diameter. They are popular among mushroom pickers due to their wide distribution, pleasant rich taste and beneficial properties. They rarely grow alone, most often uniting in small clearings into numerous colonies. More than 40 species of these mushrooms can be divided into three groups:

  1. Late - grow in pine and young deciduous forests in the central zone. Their collection continues until mid-December.
  2. Grainy - common in pine forests on limestone, slightly acidic soils.
  3. Larch - found infrequently, mainly in deciduous forests.
Important! For safety reasons, if there is the slightest doubt about the type and quality of the mushroom, its use should be abandoned.

Butter can be dried for the winter. This is the most gentle and ancient way of preparing them. With this processing, they do not lose useful components: resinous and mineral substances, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, amino acids, trace elements, polysaccharides, vitamins B and D. Thanks to this richness of composition, they have valuable properties:

  • due to their low calorie content, they can be used in dietary and therapeutic menus;
  • stimulate the immune system;
  • can be used in the diet of gout patients, eliminating excess uric acid in the body;
  • help reduce headaches;
  • take part in cell regeneration;
  • normalize hormonal levels and increase hemoglobin in the blood;
  • stabilize the functioning of the nervous system;
  • help reduce cholesterol;
  • have a positive effect on potency.
Important! People with diseases of the digestive tract should eat butternuts, including dried ones, in a limited manner. It is contraindicated for children under three years of age to introduce any mushrooms into their diet.

How to dry boletus mushrooms at home

Butterflies are very common mushrooms. Having discovered their mycelium, it is not difficult to collect a good harvest from a small clearing. It is recommended to dry these mushrooms, adhering to the following rules:

  • use fresh, strong, recently harvested, young specimens;
  • boletus absorbs moisture well, so there is no need to wash them, otherwise the drying process will take much longer;
  • prepared mushrooms must be dried immediately, this will preserve their color and taste;
  • Unlike other harvesting methods, the sticky film from their surface does not need to be removed before drying.

To dry the butter, prepare it as follows:

  1. Clean the oily caps from adhering forest debris, leaves, and twigs. This is best done in the forest, immediately after collecting them. Then, at home, remove any remaining dirt with your hands or a slightly damp sponge.
  2. Sorted. Overripe, wormy, soft specimens are not suitable for drying.
  3. The selected batch is divided by size. Small boletus can be dried whole, large ones can be cut into pieces before drying, and often the stem is cut off.
Advice! Before drying butternuts, they are cut into equal slices, quarters or thin slices, about 1 cm thick, to preserve the attractive appearance of the finished product.

The choice of drying method depends on the preferences and capabilities of the mushroom picker. At home, boletus can be dried in the oven, microwave, convection oven, dryer, oven, on a thread, on trays in the air. Dried, they become compact and take up little space, while retaining all their properties. From 10 kg of raw butter, 1 kg of dried butter is obtained. The readiness of the dried oil can is checked by breaking it.

Attention! Properly dried boletus is elastic and does not break, has a delicate aroma, gray or light brown color. Overdried ones are fragile and crumble.
Attention! Oilseeds absorb harmful substances contained in the environment. Therefore, they should be collected in environmentally friendly places.

How to dry boletus in the oven

Drying boletus in the oven of a gas stove is an easy and quick way, feasible even in a city apartment. The process will take no more than 5 hours, and it is performed in the following sequence:

  1. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with foil or baking paper.
  2. Place peeled and chopped butternuts on a baking sheet in one layer and place them in the oven.
  3. At a temperature of no more than 50 degrees, they are kept in the oven for 1.5 - 2 hours, slightly drying.
  4. Raise the temperature to 70 degrees and continue to dry the butter for another 30 - 60 minutes.
  5. Dry completely, lowering the temperature to 50 degrees.
  6. Check readiness by breaking a mushroom slice.
Advice! To prevent moisture condensation on dried mushrooms, do not close the oven door tightly during drying, allowing air circulation. To ensure uniform drying, the mushrooms are periodically turned over and the baking sheets are rearranged.

Drying oil in an electric oven

Modern electric ovens can operate in convection mode, providing forced ventilation and creating optimal drying conditions. If there is no such function, then the oven door is also kept ajar to evaporate the liquid.

Advice! If the butter is placed not on baking sheets, but on racks or strung on skewers, then there is no need to turn them over when drying.

In an electric oven, butter can be dried according to the following scheme:

  1. In convection mode - at a temperature of 40 - 50 degrees they are dried for about 3 hours to remove most of the moisture.
  2. Having raised the temperature to 70 degrees, they are kept for another 1 - 1.5 hours.
  3. Dry until ready, lowering the temperature to 45 - 50 degrees.
Important! When drying in an electric or gas oven, the temperature is adjusted smoothly, avoiding sudden jumps.Its increase above 70 degrees leads to overcooking of proteins and darkening of mushrooms.

How to dry boletus for the winter over the stove in the dryer

To dry over an electric or gas stove, you can use a universal dryer. Its dimensions correspond to the dimensions of most domestically produced slabs. This dryer can accommodate a batch weighing up to 5 kg. The device is designed in such a way that its use does not interfere with normal food preparation.

Dry the boletus in the dryer in the following sequence:

  1. Install the device above the stove.
  2. Mushrooms are prepared and chopped.
  3. Lay them out on the tiers of the dryer in one layer at a distance of 2 - 3 mm from each other.
  4. Periodically, as the butter dries, turn it over.
  5. Drying is a long process, taking, depending on the frequency and time of use of the stove, about a week.
  6. The readiness of dried butter is checked by breaking a piece.
Advice! You can make a stove dryer yourself from a metal shoe rack. To do this, remove its lower tier by carefully unscrewing the bolts, and lay the mesh on the upper tiers.

How to dry boletus on a thread

Drying boletus for the winter on a thread or fishing line is a familiar and proven method that does not require special equipment. This drying process may take up to three weeks. Prepared mushrooms are strung on a thread using a needle. Small specimens are pierced in the middle of the cap, large specimens are pre-cut into pieces. To prevent rotting and rotting of mushroom slices, they are placed at a short distance from each other. As they dry, they are moved. The resulting garlands, covered with gauze, can be hung:

  • outdoors, in the sun or in the shade, excluding exposure to moisture;
  • in a ventilated area;
  • in the kitchen above the stove.
Advice! To save space, make it easier to attach garlands and, if necessary, quickly remove them indoors, you can dry mushrooms by building a small structure according to the diagram shown in the figure.

How to dry boletus at home in an oven

At home, butter can be dried in an oven. They are split into sieve, plywood sheets or trays lined with straw and placed in a cooling oven. If the moisture starts to foam, the oven temperature is too high. In this case, remove the baking sheets and wait until the oven cools down. The optimal temperature for drying is 60 degrees: at a higher temperature, the mushrooms will burn, at a lower temperature, they will sour.

This drying is a cyclical process. Mushrooms are placed in the oven each time before finishing the fire. They will dry in at least 4 days, depending on the frequency of kindling.

How to dry boletus mushrooms in the microwave

You can use a microwave oven for drying. In this case, the following sequence of actions is followed:

  1. The prepared harvest is laid out on a plate covered with baking paper.
  2. Place the dish in the oven.
  3. Turn on for 15 minutes. minimum temperature mode.
  4. After the timer signal and the microwave has turned off, open its door and ventilate it from moisture for 5 - 10 minutes.
  5. Steps 3 and 4 are repeated three to five times until the liquid has completely evaporated.
  6. Check readiness by breaking a slice.

The main advantage of this method of drying mushrooms is the short drying time, about 1.5 hours. However, this method is energy-consuming and not suitable for large batches of crops.

How to properly dry boletus in an air fryer

An air grill is a modern universal device in which you can dry butter. For this:

  • cover the air fryer grate with baking paper so that small pieces do not spill;
  • the boletus is laid out on a wire rack in one layer;
  • the grate is placed in the air fryer;
  • on the dashboard, set the blowing speed to the maximum value, and the temperature to 70 - 75 degrees;
  • The lid is left slightly ajar to allow moist air to escape from the air fryer and the food to dry rather than cook.

Drying time in an air fryer is about 2 - 2.5 hours.

How to dry boletus in an electric dryer

Butter can also be dried in an electric dryer. The principle of its operation is based on the supply of heated air to special pallets. Convective electric dryers evaporate moisture due to the circulation of air flow. Infrared units use radiation that affects the water molecule in the structure of the product.

Drying butter in an electric dryer consists of the following steps:

  1. Peeled and chopped mushrooms are laid out tightly in one layer on pallets.
  2. The trays are placed in the dryer.
  3. Turn on the “Mushrooms” function on the electric dryer. If it is not provided, set the temperature to 60 degrees.
  4. Periodically, the pallets are swapped.
  5. At the end of the process, dried mushrooms are removed from the pallets.

Drying time in an electric dryer depends on the thickness of the slices and the air humidity in the room. On average, it takes 12 - 20 hours.

You can see how to dry oil in an electric dryer in the video:

Drying oil in the sun

Drying boletus in the open air is only possible in hot sunny weather. After preparing them:

  • strung on threads or fishing line and hung outside;
  • laid out on sieves, baking sheets or sheets of plywood and placed in a sunny place;
  • placed on gauze folded in several layers, stretched horizontally on a wooden frame.

Important! Dried oils should not be allowed to come into contact with moisture. It is good to cover them with gauze in one layer - to protect them from insects and dust.

At night, trays or garlands are brought indoors so that the mushrooms do not begin to become saturated with moisture. Drying time depends on weather and placement method. On hot sunny days, boletus hanging on threads will dry in 12 to 30 hours, while on pallets it will take up to 4 days.

How to cook dried boletus

From dried butter you can prepare:

  • soups and broths;
  • roasts and stews;
  • pilaf, risotto, pasta;
  • sauces and gravies;
  • filling for pies, pancakes, pizza;
  • mushroom croutons.

Mushroom powder is made from dried mushrooms crushed in a blender or mortar and used as a seasoning.

Advice! There are many recipes for dishes made from dried butter. Before cooking, mushrooms are soaked for several hours in water at room temperature. In addition, the dried product can be lightly fried in butter before use to improve its taste and reveal the aroma.

Storage rules

Store dried boletus in a dry, cool place protected from sunlight for no more than 2 years. To do this, they are laid:

  • in glass jars, tightly covered with a lid;
  • in paper bags;
  • in fabric bags;
  • in plywood or cardboard boxes.
Advice! A modern and safe method of storage is in plastic containers under a vacuum lid. This prevents the penetration of moisture and the formation of mold.

Conclusion

Dried butter beans are stored for a long time, do not spoil, and do not lose their aroma. Dishes based on them are not inferior in taste to food prepared from fresh butter. They are more nutritious and healthier than pickled or salted mushrooms.

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