Preserve your mushroom haul: Try grandma's brine method

Are you coming back from the forest with baskets filled with mushrooms? It's clear that you can't use them all for your current dishes, so you need to prepare supplies for the winter. Drying, freezing, and pickling are well-known methods. Or maybe you'll try mushrooms in brine? It's my grandmother's tried-and-true method.

Fresh forest mushrooms are delicious in dishes, but when you have an abundance, you must start preserving them. Ensure to do this quickly after returning home, as mushrooms shouldn't be stored for long—ideally no more than two days. The most common methods are drying and freezing, but the method of preserving mushrooms in brine is somewhat forgotten. This simple method from my grandmother is worth knowing because it retains mushrooms' natural taste and aroma.

The mushroom recipe in a jar without vinegar is useful when preserving freshly picked boletus, birch boletes, bay boletes, or chanterelles from the forest. You can also store slippery jacks this way, but remember to remove the skin from their caps. Saffron milk caps will also retain their flavor in brine. Salted mushrooms in jars for the winter can gain even more flavor. You can season the brine with garlic, allspice, or bay leaf, as these are typical mushroom spices. If you want to alter the taste, try adding rosemary, thyme, or tarragon.

Important! Mushrooms in brine are useful for many different dishes, from soups to dumplings and sauces. Before using them, rinse or soak them to remove excess salt.

Ingredients:

    
• 4 lbs fresh mushrooms
• 4 cups water
• 2/3 lb salt

Preparation method:

    
1. Carefully sort, clean, and wash the mushrooms. Boil them in a large pot for about 15 minutes, then strain and place them in sterilized jars.
2. In a saucepan, boil water with salt, stirring until the crystals dissolve.
3. Pour the brine over the mushrooms and seal the jars. Pasteurize for 30 minutes, then set aside to cool.