Dehydrating Mushrooms ~

Special Care Is Needed When Dehydrating Mushrooms ...

When dehydrating mushrooms, special care is needed. Don't wash them first as that will make them too wet ... and they are dehydrated on 2 different temperature settings, see #3 in the instructions, below.

They are used in many recipes: Soups, and added to Stews, Omelets, and as Pizza toppings!

Back in the UK, I loved creamy mushrooms on toast! (I'll have to hunt out that recipe, now that I've had my short trip down memory lane here!) :-)

Mushrooms Nutrition Info.

Mushrooms contain vitamin D, vitamin C, Choline, Folate, Betaine, and Niacin, followed by trace amounts of Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine, and vitamin B6.

In the mineral department, they are a good source of Potassium, Phosphorus, followed by Magnesium and Calcium and also contain trace amounts of Iron, Zinc, Copper, and Selenium too. They also contain Omega-6 fatty acids.

Attention Mushroom Pickers:

Identity Crisis Averted!

Before you start dehydrating the wild mushrooms you picked on your hike, check out this article on Wikipedia. Make sure they're NOT poisonous! It has general information on mushrooms; learn how to identify them!

Let's Get Busy Dehydrating Mushrooms

Let's get going ... it's time to be dehydrate mushrooms!

Buy them pre-sliced for convenience. If you're using whole ones, gently wipe them with a clean damp cloth first to clean them. That's all you need to do. If whole, slice from the cap top down through the stem, into 3/8" slices.
Arrange your slices on your food dehydrator trays, making sure the slices don't overlap.
SPECIAL NOTE: Turn on your food dehydrator at 90°F for Excalibur dehydrators,
and 95°F for Nesco dehydrators - for two to three hours THEN set the temperature to 125°F and dry for the remaining time.

They will be leathery when fully dried.
Drying time: 3 hours at low temperature, then up to 10 hours on higher temperature.
Please remember to rotate your trays for even drying.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:

Don't be fooled by the first drying. After conditioning (having dehydrated foods sit around for a day in Ziploc bags on your kitchen counter – this helps disperse any remaining dampness evenly), they may still be too damp for vacuuming packing – so don't be afraid to really dry them out by giving them another go-around in the dehydrator – it's what I usually end up having to do...

Test for excess moisture by squeezing the slices.

What's Cookin'?

Filet Mignon
with Drunken Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes!

Photo courtesy Jen Reviews

Where's the beef? It's right here - in this wonderful Filet Mignon recipe!

Prep time is only 30 mins, with a cooking time of 45 minutes. I'd say well worth the time and effort to impress your better half! Full color step-by-step instructions are included!