# Drying question for the shrooms.



## Nealbopper (May 28, 2008)

On years past, after i pick my mushrooms i come home, cut the mushrooms down the middle and then set on the counter ontop on papper towels to dry out. The really big ones i cut a few times because i have had a few mold up on me because of too much moisture. This method usually workes pretty well.
My friend uses a dehydrator. (sp) He also cuts the mushrooms and then puts them in the machine overnight and in the morning he vacume seals then packs them away in the freezer..
My question is, What do you do to prepare your mushrooms that you will not be eating right away? Thank you for your input.


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## Roosevelt (Sep 21, 2007)

1. I dry em on a screen in the sun, they're usually dry by the end of the day.

2. if no sun or rainy and humid I dry em in a dehydrator. That has a fan and temp setting. I dry em at the lowest setting, 90 degrees until bone dry.

I store all these shroons in ziploc freezer bags in the crisper of the fridge. I never wash shrooons I intend to dry and cut em all in half lengthwise.

My preferred way is to lightly saute and individually freeze on a cookie sheet then store in freezer. You can pull out whatcha need and toss into whatever you're eating; burgers, stir fry, steak, soup, etc. These taste the freshest, but the process is time consuming.

I've dried em on a string indoors, but if the humidity is high they tend to mold before they are completely dry. I had a few go bad months later because of the string method, eventhough they were stored in the crisper.


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## MAttt (Dec 15, 2004)

Hi NB
Dehydrator for me.
First I remove the stem then cut them in half lenghwise and brush
off any visible debris or evict any visible little guys that might have taken up residence.
If I pick them when it is raining or I have to wash them I'll
partially dry them on a screen outside first. 

I just store them in freezer ziplocks in the cupboard.
(not above the stove) LOL!


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

I slice length wise and place on a screen to dry indoors. I turn on a small fam and the morels dry in a day. I them seal them in the foodsaver.


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## solohunter (Jan 2, 2006)

I soak then in salt water over night to remove little critters and then rinse and put in ziplock bag with some water and freeze, I used to dry mine, tried this way and havent dried one since!!


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## StumpJumper (Nov 13, 2001)

I saute mine in butter and freeze them. 

I NEVER soak my morels. My mom does and it drives me crazy lol. I wash them off good one at a time. That brown water you get from soaked morels is a bunch of lost flavor!


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## SKUNK (Jan 6, 2001)

I also never soak mine....if mushrooms were supposed to be soaked they would sell them like that in the grocery store. Look at them individually to get the critters off. I know it takes time but look how much time you already spent trying to find them. You might as well get the most flavor you can.


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## bassdisaster (Jun 21, 2007)

I have a wood stove, and ya It is still burning a little, but the house is always dry, I simply lay the whole morel on a chunk of cardboard, depending on size I can get upwords of 80 dried at a time, set it by the stove and tomorrow they are bone dry! 
I do not freeze them, I mean there dry? why would I need to freeze them? lol
I use old mayonayse jar's or something similar, those tall thin olive jars are good for gift packages later on too!
When some one opens a gift and see's dried morels, they are forever in your debt he he he

BD


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## bassdisaster (Jun 21, 2007)

StumpJumper said:


> I saute mine in butter and freeze them.
> 
> I NEVER soak my morels. My mom does and it drives me crazy lol. I wash them off good one at a time. That brown water you get from soaked morels is a bunch of lost flavor!


 
I do not soak the morels that I intend on drying, but I do soak my eaters, they absorb alot of moisture, but it cooks out!
That brown water, is seed for my patch, I spread it stragitically over the yard, whey they are ready I wil have a yard full lol!
I dont believe theres a wrong way, I love em so they wont be soaking long anyhow!

BD


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

MAttt said:


> Hi NB
> Dehydrator for me.
> First I remove the stem then cut them in half lenghwise and brush
> off any visible debris or evict any visible little guys that might have taken up residence.
> ...


 I made that mistake last year. I lost a few by doing that:sad:. Definitely above the stove is bad. Seems like the heat and humidity tends to linger up there.


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## woodie slayer (Feb 25, 2006)

i put mine on my wifes cookie racks,a couple hundred at a time.after setting out about 4 days i put them in gallon zip lock bags. don't get in a hurry if not dry they will mold.running a small fan on them helps dry faster.you do not need to refidgerate or freeze if dried this way


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