preserving morels

[hodge-podge]

Was looking for a little help on preserving morel mushrooms. I have about 4 pounds (gorgeous too!) that I want to preserve. I have nothing against drying them, I was just wondering if any one has any other method?

Thanks

[slbunge]

There are many who freeze morels. If you google 'frozen morel mushrooms' or 'preserving morel mushrooms' there are some sites with interesting information about freezing technique. The pages I looked at seemed to indicate that you sweat them a bit so they give up their juice and then freeze them with their juice.

I wonder if they would take to oil curing.

[hodge-podge]

Oil curing was one method I thought of too. I also thought that maybe I should put them into a brine beforehand to give them a quick final clean. As I have never done this before, I am unsure as to the end result.

[Really Nice!]

I wonder if they would take to oil curing.

←

Preserving in fat is actually a confit; not curing, which is preserving in salt, smoke, salt-based brine, or an acid-based brine (pickling).

I don't see why this wouldn't work. Take some morels and place them in a canning jar. Fill with EVO and cover it. It should last in the refrigerator for about six months. I imagine the EVO would be quite tasty as well.

You can also try curing them in salt, which should also make the salt tasty.

[PassionateChefsDie]

HI

I've seen pickled mushrooms, but as morels dry so well I would suggest drying them.

But if you wanted to pickle them or could find a variety of wild mushrooms though it's the wrong time of the year!

1st clean, With morels easier than the other types! Bring water with a little sugar not a lot just a enough to balance the vinegar use white wine or similar i.e clear malt(Enough to taste but not sharp like pickled onions). With flavourings a few cloves, peppercorns, a bit mace, stick of cinnamon etc experiment!

2nd add the mushroooms and cook till tender when cooked drain and store in jars topped up with olive oil, then mature after several months better still next year, serve

It somewhere in between pickling and oil but I'd call them pickled!

Works better with the winter Mushrooms Cepes, Chanterell, Trompette de la morte, Fairy Ring etc..

Hope this helps

Stef

Edited May 20, 2005 by PassionateChefsDie (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

I know nothing about pickling or preserving them, but *something* strikes me about it as not working. I have images of things growing in the oil or something so I hope someone will try and prove me wrong.

Regarding drying, when I got my five or six pounds from the winery in March, I simply put them in a cardboard box (like a flat) and put them in my warm garage. I turned them over every few days and they dried perfectly in a few weeks. I ended up using them a week or two ago in what turned out the be the best risotto I ever made, reconstituting them in water beforehand and using the mushroom water in the risotto.

[Really Nice!]

I know nothing about pickling or preserving them, but *something* strikes me about it as not working. I have images of things growing in the oil or something so I hope someone will try and prove me wrong.

←

I had some text in my post that I removed, darn it!

Make sure that anything you confit in fat is very clean from those little microbe critters. Otherwise, they reproduce quickly and dangerously. A few years back we made some oils with garlic and inside of three weeks one of the corks popped on one of the bottles because there was so much microbiological activity going on.

[barolo]

You do need to be careful about preserving things in oil - botulism is a risk with garlic, mushrooms etc.

It can be done, just follow proper procedures. Here's a link: Preservation of vegetables in oil and vinegar

[SMW]

I have had good luck luck with frozen morels. After soaking them in salt water to remove any critters, drain and trim them, them place them individually on a cookie sheet in the freezer and wait until they are frozen solid (~2 hours). Then pack in an air-tight container. They are super easy to use this way, and my boyfriend (who does all the work) thinks it's less trouble than drying. I love the taste of fresh morels, and these still taste like fresh 6 months later.