Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Getting Shroomy

I had a "doh" moment last week.

Last month in our RSM (that's what we call our monthly Relief Society Meeting) we taught the sisters some recipes that are contained in a jar.  It is from a book called "Dinner is in the Jar".  The ingredients are usually pasta, grains, legumes and dried foods and spices.  Add ons can be canned meat or vegies.

So . . . one of the recipes had dried mushrooms in it.  I thought it would be difficult to find dried mushrooms but Sam's sells them, and the price isn't too bad.  Then someone mentioned you could dry them yourself.  So this week as I was perusing the local grocery ads and saw that baby portabella mushrooms were on sale   I thought "Doh!  I could dry my own for half the cost!

So I did.  11 pounds worth.  My basement still smells like mushrooms.

Dried mushrooms can be thrown into anything.  They can be blended up into a powder that makes a nice rich broth.  Dried mushrooms are used in Lipton's onion mushroom packets.   I could make my own Lipton's!  Doh!
Happy little bellas just dying to be dried!
 All sliced.  You don't need to be too picky about size.  And don't wash them.  Just brush off the dirt.
 On my drying rack.  I got this at a garage sale years ago.  Still works!
 All dried after about 9 hours.  Looks kinda like a pizza!
 After drying them, I store them in a mason jar.  I got this handy dandy pump-n-seal a few years ago.  Here's how it works.  Poke a hole in the top of your canning lid with this official hole poker.  

 That wasn't hard!
 Then take these special seal tabs . . .
. . . and cover the hole.  They are designed to let air out, but not air in.  Clever!
 Then place your pump-n-seal over the hole and pump away. 
 Voila!  One bottle of sealed, dried mushrooms.  Bon a petit!
   Next . . . dried apples.  

2 comments:

Liz said...

I love this. I have a lot to learn.
http://st-george-snapshots.blogspot.com/

Marilyn said...

WAY cool! How come you haven't told me this on our calls? I can't wait to try this myself!