Canning Mushrooms

Cleaning

Though your mushrooms may look clean it is best to wash them once you’ve brought them home. 

Soaking them in cold water for roughly 10 minutes will help to loosen any dirt found on them. You’ll want to wash the mushrooms a second time to remove any remaining dirt.

Slice

A lot of people halve or chunk their mushrooms. I advise you slice them using a mandolin or sharp kitchen knife. I like to do things a little differently, but give me a chance to tell you why.

• Sliced mushrooms maintain a nice texture for consuming vs. the rubbery texture you will often receive from halving or quartering them.

• Since the mushrooms have already been sliced they can easily be added to foods such as – omelets, frittatas, spaghetti, pizza, quiche or whatever you wish!

Blanch

Once you have sliced the mushrooms blanch them in boiling water until they are slightly soft, roughly between 3-5 minutes.

Blanching the mushrooms gives you the ability to pack the jars tightly, preventing the mushrooms from floating; providing you with jars that contain more mushrooms than liquid.

When you’re done blanching, save the water! That wonderful dark brown liquid has an amazing flavour and is packed with nutrients. We like to can the used blanching water to use as a mushroom broth

Pressure Canner

Mushrooms are considered to be low in acidity and must be pressure canned unless you plan on pickling them. 

Using a slotted spoon, pack the jars (using 1/2 pint or pint jars) tightly, leaving a 1-inch headspace

1. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar to help preserve the color of the mushroom

2. Fill jars with boiling water, making sure to maintain a 1-inch headspace

3. Remove air bubbles, make sure to add additional water if the fluid drops below the 1-inch mark

4. Wipe the rim of the jars, I like to use the corner of a dishtowel dipped in vinegar to clean the rims

5. Apply lids and rings

6. Pressure can for 45 minutes at 10lbs

7. Remove the jars from the pressure canner and allow to rest for 24 hours before storing.