Steak and Wild Chanterelle's

[sirmissalot]

They seem real early to me. I had to pick through a ton of moldy ones the other night too, which surprised me

[pianoman9701]

Maybe a week early in the beginning, but not much. However, the bloom is huge and the number of other varieties coming in is great. We're already seeing fried chicken, chicken of the woods, cauliflower, blue chanterelles, pig's ear, matsutake, porcini, velvet porcini, still seeing lobster - it's crazy how many edibles are out there.

[pianoman9701]

They seem real early to me. I had to pick through a ton of moldy ones the other night too, which surprised me

Great haul, man.

[CAMPMEAT]

I would of driven all the way from my house to eat that steak !!!!!!

[jackmaster]

well looks like i will have to get out this weekend and go get some, hey do any of you clowns dehydrate your mushrooms or just vacuum pack them, what is the best way for long term storage of the fine fung-I? i dont much care for them but i do like to cut them and give them away

[pianoman9701]

well looks like i will have to get out this weekend and go get some, hey do any of you clowns dehydrate your mushrooms or just vacuum pack them, what is the best way for long term storage of the fine fung-I? i dont much care for them but i do like to cut them and give them away

There are benefits to dehydrating and to freezing. Dehydrating often increases the flavor of the mushroom. I've been told that the flavor is increased by a fungi which occurs naturally and floats around in the air. It attaches to the drying mushrooms and increases flavor. When you reconstitute them, you get that bolder flavor. This is especially true of morels, porcini, and lobster mushrooms. Try reconstituting dried mushrooms in cream or whole milk. Then use the liquid to make whatever sauce you need for your dish.

For freezing, if you sauté the mushrooms first (like you were going to eat them right then), you get the best results, as the cell damage is completed by the cooking process and freezing will then have little or no effect on them. When fresh mushrooms are frozen, they tend to be spongy when you thaw them out. Some who freeze them raw, cook them right from frozen with good results. I like to sauté them first because it's like a pre-cooked side dish. Throw the vacuum bag in boiling water and it's ready in a couple of minutes. This works great with almost any mushroom, including the shelf fungi like chicken of the woods. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it and the mushrooms together.

[jackmaster]

hey pianno are you pretty versed in recognizing mushrooms and such?if you got sometime pretty soon like before deer season, would you be up for learning a few new spots? i would like to learn more about them and some of the spots i go are a sea of shrooms, mostly chantrelles but i see other types in there to, i use to cut them when i was younger and sell them to the mushroom buyers, it was a great way to make gas money as a kid. if your up to learning some new shroom places let me know,  thank you for the info on the differant types of care for shrooms 

[pianoman9701]

I'm always up for picking spots but we're putting on a new addition and I won't be free on weekends until 2016, I'm sure.  Enjoy the season. This promises to be the best mushroom fall in 20 years. I hope you get some benefit from my storage info.