Advice Requested

[Mott the Hoople]

Yes! I harvested lbs of chanterelles last summer. All the preservation stuff I could find on line said that they do not dry well... they turn bitter. So I sauteed them gently till half-done, and put them in small jam jars along with the lovely juice they make while cooking, and froze them. They smell and taste just as good as when fresh-picked.

That’s a mistake people make when cooking button mushrooms. When you sauté them you need to cook them till they give up their liguid then cook off the liquid and start to caramelise. Otherwise they end up with that slightly bitter tasting and squishy texture that most people find repulsive.

Another simple mushroom pasta recipe is to sauté 8 oz of sliced button mushrooms in a little olive oil till the give up their liguid and begins to caramelize. Then add shallots and garlic and sauté till shallots are translucent add a cup of wine and cook off the alcohol then add a cup or two of your favorite ragu or meat sauce recipe and heat through. Then add about 8 oz cooked linguine and toss then garnish with Parm.

[Mott the Hoople]

We've had morels growing in our yard at times. We never knew until or neighbor asked to take a few.

Dried morels are the absolute best mushrooms. They better be as the sell for around $180 a pound.

[Irish Exit]

Thanks, that's a start. I know I could buy a book but learning from real life ppl who've been there, tried that, thought it was a poor/good idea is better than books even. I did look at some electric dehydrator units on line, and read the reviews, and was surprised that "doesn't make as much noise" is a good thing. What kind of noise could a little heating unit thingie make? Some sort of internal fan? Do the shelves inside rotate?

I have never seen one advertised that had rotisserie shelving LOL. They do make noise, but unless you sleep in the kitchen, it shouldn't bother you. It is more comparable to the noise a cheapo box fan makes when running on low.

[leaningright]

Just home from the lake and just now seeing this post. I have your basic Walmart .... probably a Sunbeam brand dehydrator. I don’t dehydrate many things but we love dehydrated apples and pears. I also like making homemade fruit roll ups out of pear purée. I don’t use ascorbic acid on my dehydrated pears or apples...just slice and put them in the machine. I dehydrate peppers...sweets and jalapeños. Love them. Just dry them in the machine and store them in mason jars in the cabinet. Great for using in cooking. And I make jerky...deer jerky. That’s all I use one for ... but I do use it. If I could harvest wild mushrooms I’d definitely use it for that as well. Morels are super scarce here and I can’t safely identify any other types.

[ThatOwlWoman]

I have never seen one advertised that had rotisserie shelving LOL. They do make noise, but unless you sleep in the kitchen, it shouldn't bother you. It is more comparable to the noise a cheapo box fan makes when running on low.

Thanks. Our bedroom is upstairs and at the back of the house behind the loft area, so don't think that will be a problem then.

[ThatOwlWoman]

Just home from the lake and just now seeing this post. I have your basic Walmart .... probably a Sunbeam brand dehydrator. I don’t dehydrate many things but we love dehydrated apples and pears. I also like making homemade fruit roll ups out of pear purée. I don’t use ascorbic acid on my dehydrated pears or apples...just slice and put them in the machine. I dehydrate peppers...sweets and jalapeños. Love them. Just dry them in the machine and store them in mason jars in the cabinet. Great for using in cooking. And I make jerky...deer jerky. That’s all I use one for ... but I do use it. If I could harvest wild mushrooms I’d definitely use it for that as well. Morels are super scarce here and I can’t safely identify any other types.

Thanks! Especially for the pepper idea. I pickle the jalapenos and hot-water bath preserve them; the sweet peppers I usually freeze but don't much like how squishy they get when thawed. Drying sounds perfect.

[Mott the Hoople]

Thanks! Especially for the pepper idea. I pickle the jalapenos and hot-water bath preserve them; the sweet peppers I usually freeze but don't much like how squishy they get when thawed. Drying sounds perfect.

I just string peppers up and hang them in the sun. I tried smoking peppers but damn...they make you cough way harder then even the best skunk weed

[leaningright]

Thanks! Especially for the pepper idea. I pickle the jalapenos and hot-water bath preserve them; the sweet peppers I usually freeze but don't much like how squishy they get when thawed. Drying sounds perfect.

I pickle some jalapeños as well but I dry most of mine. And yes, drying does away with the squishiness of frozen peppers.

[ThatOwlWoman]

I pickle some jalapeños as well but I dry most of mine. And yes, drying does away with the squishiness of frozen peppers.

Thanks. I'm going to give that a try as well. I don't eat the hot peppers; they're grown just for my husband. He likes them pickled just fine so if there's a good crop this year I'll have both on hand.