Which mushrooms to avoid drying: Expert tips for safe foraging
The first mushrooms have already appeared in the forests. You can see beautiful porcini, bay boletes, slippery jacks, or orange birch boletes during a walk. Some of them will undoubtedly end up in a dryer or an oven. However, it turns out that some varieties are not suitable for drying.
2:37 PM EDT, August 19, 2024
Although the mushroom season has just started, you can already find many tasty specimens in the forests. Many people come out with baskets full of beautiful mushrooms, which are challenging to process before they start to spoil. This can be avoided by drying them.
This is one of the most popular methods of processing mushrooms. It allows us to enjoy their taste all year round. However, not every variety is suitable for drying. So, which mushrooms should not be dried?
These mushrooms are better not dried. They can cause many unwanted ailments
Drying mushrooms is really simple. You must place them in an oven or a special dryer or spread them out in the sun. The heat will remove the moisture from the tissues, preventing mold growth or other harmful microorganisms.
Few people realize that not every variety is suitable for drying. Some lose most of their flavor, while others become harmful. Which mushrooms are better not dried? Gilled varieties include chanterelle, saffron milk cap, honey fungus, shaggy parasol, and green cracking russula. The last variety hides many dangerous substances that become even more toxic after drying.
This issue also occurs with very moist mushrooms such as slippery jacks. Even long drying in a dryer does not guarantee the heat will remove all the moisture. It is better to consume them immediately after collecting them.
Which mushrooms are suitable for drying?
Mushrooms with a dry cap are best suited for drying. These include porcini, king bolete, orange birch bolete, and bay bolete. You can find them in the forest as early as August. How should you properly dry mushrooms? Start by thoroughly cleaning them from soil and sand residues. You can use a damp sponge for this purpose. Slice them and then place them in a dryer; if you don’t have one, you can dry them in an oven.
Set the temperature to 120°F, with top and bottom heating, and dry them for 7-8 hours. After turning off the device, leave them to cool completely, then put them in a glass or metal container with a lid.
