# Dried Morels Getting Wet =/ (please help)



## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

Hey everyone,

Hope you're all doing well. Spring will be here soon. I'm hoping for some advice here. I recently realized I had a problem...

So basically over the summer, I stayed out of town and left my dried mushrooms here in the basement, where they always stay. Only thing is, normally I run a dehumidifier all summer, and that didn't run this past summer. 

Flash forward to now. I realized that the mushrooms that were kept in the basement over the summer had a bit of moisture get into the bags. They aren't exactly soaked, but they don't have that typical dry crunch that I'm used to. The moisture is noticeable but they're far from soggy. I don't see any mold in any of the bags yet. 

MY QUESTION IS: Are they still reasonably safe to eat? Do they need to be used ASAP? Can I re-dry them? ...What is the best thing to do? Anyone have any experience with this? I'm bummed out; I've got about a dozen quart sized Zip-Lock freezer bags full of morels, and really don't want to waste them.

Additionally, are there any ways to prevent this in the future? Would using Food Saver bags keep the moisture out better than Zip-Lock bags?


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

Absolutely would ....zip locks are worthless for long time storage .Food saver bags can last for years even in damp areas if sealed properly .


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## Mushroom Jack (May 28, 2009)

Josh, I have had that happen a few times. If they're not moldy, dry them again. I use those plastic Red Hot jars from the bars. They work good for storage, and if you drop them they won't break either.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Once dried, mine go in mason jars on top of about a quarter cup of dried rice. Lids and rings put on tight and date put on lid.
I say that and just checked a jar that might be a dozen years old with no date on it......
Small amouts,partial capacity ect. can go in zip locks with a table spoon of rice,dated and rolled up before putting in a jar to seal.
A vacuum sealer sounds nice. I' d still add some type desiccant,just in case.


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## RonSwanson (Apr 20, 2016)

Food saver vacuum sealers are worth their weight in gold. Not sure it matters but when I seal up jerky I also add some desiccant packets JIC. Any residual moisture or moisture from changing temps are sucked up by the packets.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

IMHO:
No obvious mold, they should be good to go. If there is a weird or unusual smell present when you go to use them.....maybe you shouldn't. Only you can roll that dice.

In the future you should either vacuum pack or store them in a seal-able jar. I use seal-able Ball type jars or freeze.


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

I was keeping my morels in a Bear Vault 450 thinking they would stay very dry being it IS a bear vault after all... well around Christmas I got some out to give as gifts and they were not crisp.

There was no mold or smell so I put them back on the dehydrator and have them sealed in jars in a cooler with a HUGE bag of desiccant. Also have two dehumidifiers running in the basement. It's always wet here in southern MI swampland.

I cooked a few and they were fine. 


Now that you gots me thinkin'

I was wondering if anyone uses their air-compressor to blow away any traces of dirt on their dried mushrooms?


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

celticcurl said:


> I was keeping my morels in a Bear Vault 450 thinking they would stay very dry being it IS a bear vault after all... well around Christmas I got some out to give as gifts and they were not crisp.
> 
> There was no mold or smell so I put them back on the dehydrator and have them sealed in jars in a cooler with a HUGE bag of desiccant. Also have two dehumidifiers running in the basement. It's always wet here in southern MI swampland.
> 
> ...


I only clean any morels I dry before cooking. If I par-boil them to freeeze, I rinse, not soak them, then immediately get em in the pot. Never soak morels, IMHO...


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Oldgrandman said:


> I only clean any morels I dry before cooking. If I par-boil them to freeeze, I rinse, not soak them, then immediately get em in the pot. Never soak morels, IMHO...


I find that morels have a dense meat and never had a problem with them getting soggy after washing them. Besides, they get wet when they are soaked after being dehydrated. I do not like getting grit in my teeth when eating mushrooms. Another member here had said to use a salad spinner to remove the surface water. I do this after cutting them in half.


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## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

I appreciate the tips, everyone. Thank you! Weekend project will be going through each bag of mushrooms.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

petronius said:


> I find that morels have a dense meat and never had a problem with them getting soggy after washing them. Besides, they get wet when they are soaked after being dehydrated. I do not like getting grit in my teeth when eating mushrooms. Another member here had said to use a salad spinner to remove the surface water. I do this after cutting them in half.


It isn't about them getting soggy, it is about them losing flavor. Ever notice how brown that soaking water is? :yikes:

Besides, I know how to clean morels well enough that I am not eating sand or bugs..... In 50+ years I learned more than a few things. And I almost never cut morels in half either, they are "better" I guess I would say, when cooked and eaten whole.

Somewhere around here I explained the whole bug thing and how I manage it. But in short storing them in the fridge in a sealed container "unmolested" will cause the bugs to try and escape as the first line of defense. There is more I won't totally cover here....

But did you ever notice the dried morels you can buy? Bet they were never soaked or rinsed, and they are always whole, at least what I've seen. If they were rinsed or soaked after picking they would be leathery.....been there done that decades ago, never again. 

They might be dehydrated mechanically which should drive off any bugs, I do it naturally leaving the stem open enough to allow bugs an exit as they dry up. Of the tens of thousands of morels over the years I have dried, I only found 2 dried slugs in the jar after storing them, and they probably would have tasted just like the morel anyway...LOL! 

That's it! I am breaking down and making a morel omelet this weekend, I don't have many left...:sad:
All this talk has me craving them!!!


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Oldgrandman said:


> It isn't about them getting soggy, it is about them losing flavor. Ever notice how brown that soaking water is? :yikes:
> 
> Besides, I know how to clean morels well enough that I am not eating sand or bugs..... In 50+ years I learned more than a few things. And I almost never cut morels in half either, they are "better" I guess I would say, when cooked and eaten whole.
> 
> ...


I have only had enough morels at one time to dry them a couple of times. I wash and cut them in half or quarters because I am going to use them right a way. I did find a slug in one that I cut in half.


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