From June it's that time again: it's chanterelle season! In some years you can collect the golden yellow, characteristically shaped small mushrooms well into November. You will have the most success with this in sparse deciduous and coniferous forests where the sun shines strongly on the densely mossy forest floor. If the weather and location are right, the “chanse mushrooms”, as they are also called in southern Germany, can often be found in larger groups. If such a lucky find cannot be processed straight away, the small mushrooms can be preserved in various ways.
How to preserve chanterelles?
Chanterelles can be preserved in three different ways: freezing, drying and pickling. If frozen, they should be blanched and stored at at least -18°C. To dry, they can be dried in the oven at approx. 50 °C. For pickling, they are preserved in an acidic vinegar solution.
Only use fresh chanterelles
But whether you want to freeze, dry or pickle the chanterelles: Only use fresh mushrooms. Not only do these last longer, they also taste better. Of course, there are no fresher mushrooms than the ones you collect yourself in the forest and process straight away at home. However, if you don't have any luck taking a walk in the forest, you can also use supermarket goods from August onwards. However, it is impossible to understand how fresh they are: supermarket chanterelles usually come from Eastern European countries such as Belarus or Moldova and therefore have a long journey behind them. They should therefore be used as quickly as possible and rather not preserved.
The three best ways to preserve chanterelles
There are numerous ways to preserve chanterelles either alone or together with other mushrooms and / or vegetables. For example, the recipe for pickling bush beans together with chanterelles and onions is downright classic. Our great-grandmothers were also familiar with preserving in s alt water. But here's a note about preserving mushrooms: Mushrooms spoil very quickly and you shouldn't risk food poisoning by not paying careful attention to hygiene when preserving! Since spoiled mushrooms are difficult to detect with this preservation method, pay attention to the noise when opening the jar with a screw cap: it must audibly crack, otherwise it was leaking!
Freezing chanterelles
Before freezing, you should blanch the cleaned and, if necessary, washed chanterelles in boiling s alted water for a few minutes. It's best to add a little lemon juice as this takes away the bitterness of the chanterelles. Finally, fill the blanched mushrooms in portions into freezer bags or tightly sealable plastic containers and freeze them at at least minus 18 °C. The mushrooms preserved in this way last for about a year.
Drying chanterelles
Chanterelles can be dried easily in the oven: Place the cleaned (but not washed!) mushrooms next to each other on a tray lined with baking paper. You can leave smaller specimens whole or cut them in half, but larger ones should be cut into thin slices. Dry the mushrooms at around 50°C for at least five hours. To allow the escaping moisture to escape, clamp a wooden spoon between the oven door and the oven.
Pickling chanterelles
Chanterelles can also be wonderfully marinated in an acidic vinegar solution. To do this, first blanch the raw mushrooms and fill them into clean screw-top jars with herbs and spices of your choice. Only fill the jars halfway and then top them off with a hot solution of vinegar and water (in a 50:50 ratio). Screw the glasses tightly and immediately turn them upside down for a few hours.
Tip
Homemade ravioli or tortellini with a chanterelle filling are also very tasty. You can also freeze these and prepare them when needed - for example when unexpected guests come.
