A great way to preserve your wild mushroom harvest is by dehydrating them. Drying morel mushrooms is easy the dried mushrooms can be stored right in your pantry.
Add dried morel mushrooms to soups, stews and braised dishes.
Wild morel mushrooms
Wild morels are a foragers dream! They can be hard to find and the yield varies from year to year.
Morel mushrooms grow in our area, however there are some years that are better than others. This year has been one for the record books.
Last year was unusually hot and dry and we had a huge fire season. It was not good. However, many of those burn areas from last year are now prolific with wild morels.
This year has been the exact opposite of last year, in regards to weather. We have been extremely cool and very rainy, in the inland northwest of the United States.
The cool rainy weather, coupled with the burn areas from last year has produced an unbelievable morel crop. We have harvested over 16 gallons of morels this year and that was in just two days in a few hours.
That's a crazy amount of mushrooms and trying to figure out what to do with them all can be challenging! I've dried them and froze a bunch so we can use them all year long.
Drying morels is a great way to preserve them. They take up very little space and they can be stored in the pantry.
I like to add dried morels to my braised short ribs and soups. You can rehydrated the morels and then add to your recipes. When finely chopped, the morels add a layer of delicious flavor but the mushrooms aren't detectable.
Another great way to use your morels is by making sauteed morels! They are a delicious treat perfect served as an appetizer or served with a grilled steak.
Drying your mushrooms
- Wash your mushrooms in a sinkful of cool water. Depending on how dirty the mushrooms are, you may need to change water 2-3 times.
- Wild morels can many times have small bugs or worms. This is normal! Add ¼ cup of salt to your sinkful of water and soak for 10-30 minutes. This will help draw out any unwanted critters.
- Rinse well with cool water
- Slice mushrooms in half lengthwise. Smaller mushrooms can be left whole if you prefer.
- Place on a dehydrator tray
- Dehydrate at 120°F for 8-10 hours until mushrooms are fully dry
- Store in a jar or zip top bag
Drying tips
- Morels are full of water and they will shrink way down in size when dried
- Make certain mushrooms are fully dry
- Drying time will vary depending on the size of your mushrooms, the amount of mushrooms being dried and your humidity and temperature
- Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container. The mushrooms should be good for several years as long as there is no moisture.
- Dried mushrooms can also be stored in the freezer
Safety tips for consuming morel mushrooms
- Know what you're picking. Wild mushrooms can be dangerous. This post is not intended as information for safely identifying and picking morels. Know before you go!
- Morel mushrooms should not be eaten raw! Fully cook before consuming.
- Do not consume decaying or rotting morels
How to use dried morels
- Soak morels in hot water for 5-10 minutes until softened
- The soaking water can be discarded or added to soups or braising dishes
- Chop the morels or use whole in any recipes calling for mushrooms
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my recipes for preserving food!
Drying Morel Mushrooms
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 quarts morel mushrooms
Instructions
- Wash your morels and let drain
- Slice in half, or leave smaller mushrooms whole
- Place on dehydrator racks
- Dehydrate at 120°F for 8-10 hours until mushrooms are fully dry
- Store in a jar or zip top bag
Notes
- Any amount of mushrooms may be used for drying
- Morels are full of water and they will shrink way down in size when dried
- Make certain mushrooms are fully dry
- Drying time will vary depending on the size of your mushrooms, the amount of mushrooms being dried and your humidity and temperature
- Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container. The mushrooms should be good for several years as long as there is no moisture.
- Dried mushrooms can also be stored in the freezer
- Soak morels in hot water for 5-10 minutes until softened
- The soaking water can be discarded or added to soups or braising dishes
- Chop the morels or use whole in any recipes calling for mushrooms
David @ Spiced says
16 gallons of morels!? Holy cow, Kathy! I've always wanted to learn how to forage mushrooms, but I'm afraid I would pick the wrong thing. Can you come to Asheville to teach me?? 🙂
Fred G says
Great year for morels. Also, great tips for drying.