Anyone had any experience with drying mushrooms? I'm not sure if it's worth it due to the minimal weight of the mushrooms, but I'm not sure how well they hold up to being packed along and they take up more space.

I dehydrate mushrooms. A quart size box becomes a small ziplock bag. Hydrate well. Use them on pizza and with dehydrated ground beef and gravy on whatever.

Yes, I love dehydrated mushrooms. The dehydrate and rehydrate very well like Bill says. Note you can buy them already dehydrated.

I love using dried mushrooms while cooking. Use only sun-drying by stringing them up with a needle and thread, the best method for preserving flavor and potency, imo.

quote RoadJK: "I love using dried mushrooms while cooking. Use only sun-drying by stringing them up with a needle and thread, the best method for preserving flavor and potency, imo."

Wow, that's dedication. I have tried finding predried at the store, but they only had oriental types. I might try sun dried. I need a hobby.

We use dehydrated mushrooms in a lot of the FBC recipes we use. Easy to dehydrate and we have had no problem with them breaking up too much.

Not all types of mushrooms rehydrate equally.

Shiitakes do OK but it takes time (and for me, hot water) to bring them back, and I found they stayed chewy.

Morels actually are great rehydrated and cooked...I dehydrate lots of them and use them all year. Especially like them in soups. If you rehydrate in water - remember that water could then be a flavorful ingredient.

Not sure about portobellos, oysters, hens, chickens, or store-bought buttons...I have not tried those. Because of their density, lobster mushrooms might do well...will have to give it a go!

Cheers

Oysters dehydrate and rehydrate very, very well. Like with the morels, the water is very flavorful and can be used in soups or other concoctions.

Chanterelles rehydrate well, too. Hens and chickens...not so much, at least for me. They're passable, but there are better options. Black trumpets also rehydrate very well.

The *best* solution to this issue, of course, is to just pick them up there wherever you find them. Obviously, it depends on the season, but there are many chants, porcinis, oysters, etc. all growing at various times of the year, sometimes in great profusion. They make for great additions. Just avoid the poisonous ones. ;)

Trader Joe's has pretty good mixed bags of dried mushrooms.

Shitakes traditionally are rehydrated with hot water (boil water, remove from heat, add mushrooms, wait 15 minutes) and do stay a bit chewy. That's the way they are used in Chinese cooking. Fortunately, I think that's great! Fresh shitakes are softer and just different in a dish than a dried and rehydrated one.

We dehydrated regular white mushrooms and took them. We used with marinara, ground beef that we dehydrated also. Usually the marinara seems a little flat after rehydrating, the mushrooms added something back . I had quite a few so I added some to chicken and rice a few days later. They really helped make it more interesting. Thanks for the help.

Anybody go mushroom hunting in the BWCA/Quetico?

This was one at the island site on That Man. There were some bigger white ones too, but they got squished when we were trying to put up the tarp. The yellow one was really waxy looking. I haven't figured out what kind it is. Mushrooms are kind of scary.

quote mapsguy1955: "Anybody go mushroom hunting in the BWCA/Quetico?"

Yep. Depending on the menu, I'll try to figure out a way to add whatever's out and about to a meal. Sometimes it's just for the pleasure of eating of the fat o' the land. :)

Here in the Chicago area, there are several excellant Korean supermarkets that sell big bags of dried mushrooms for relatively cheap.

Chanterelles can be put in a dehydrator. A large basket of them then can fit in a gallon baggie. Great to take to BWCA. Prior to use, heat water to boiling, put 1-2 cups aside as needed, and let dried mushrooms seep for 20 minutes. Then use as desired. Fantastic sautéed in olive oil, paired with walleye, or in stews. I use them in cioppino, and bring along dried cherry tomotoes, with fresh garlic & onions, in frying pan. Add chopped fish fillets at very end, and only until turns white, 1-2 minutes.

Unless you are adept at identifying mushrooms, I would be VERY careful about using mushrooms found on the trail. The morels are usually scarce by middle of June, and most of the remainder have varying degrees of toxicity.

Agree with above. Regarding shittakes staying chewy, David Chang has suggested a different way of adding the Shittake umami to food. I've used it for ramen soup and different sauces: dry shittakes and then powder them in a food processor. The powder can add concentrated umami to any food without worry as to the texture of a chewy shittake. I think my favorite application was adding it to a homemade BBQ sauce.

they absolutelydehydrate down nicely. i will buy a whole flat from aldiis [when on sale] and dry them. they will fill 3 pint jars. i use them in soups.

look at doing celary also.

The Seward co op in Minneapolis (and probably the other co ops) sells bags of dehydrated "Stir fry mix" mushrooms and we always bring some along to go in our curry rice noodles. They do require hot water to rehydrate. Super good, and nice change of texture. Once I dehydrated chopped green onions to,go with, and that was amazing, but I'm too lazy to do that often.

I dehydrate mushrooms all the time. I slice to 1/4". I then put them in magic bullet, ninja, food processor and make into powder. Lots of mushrooms fit into a small container. Got the flavor but not the rehydrate concern. Plus many people hate mushrooms if they can see them, but i always get complements on the taste of my food?

I never dehydrated them myself.
I have used dehydrated mushrooms I purchased and they came out quite tasty.

Here is a local source for dried mushrooms. I think they are the same supplier for the Camp Chow meals from the Trail Center.

http://www.naturesrice.com/catalog/dried-mushrooms

Mushrooms