Friday, September 3, 2010

Canning mushrooms

We got seven packages of mushrooms from Second Harvest this week. (In case you're wondering, we're a "cleanup" family for our local Second Harvest distribution. When they have leftover items, they call us.)


Since the mushrooms were a little too brown for fresh eating, I decided to can them.  I started by putting them in a pot and heating.  (The kids hate the scent of cooking mushrooms, but I told them tough patooties.)


Once the mushrooms were boiling...


I packed them in pint jars and added 1/2 teaspoon salt to each jar.


Added clean boiling water...


After the lids and rings go on, it's into the pressure canner.


According to my trusty "Putting Food By," these get canned at 10 lbs for 30 minutes.


I only got five pints out of those seven packages.  But you know what?  It's five pints more than we had before, so no complaints and much gratitude.

15 comments:

  1. Steak, Steak, Got to find a steak!

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  2. oh boy, mushrooms for the spagetti sauce, for the steak, and for the pizza.. i sure am glad i am not the only one who does this sorta thing.

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  3. I'm curious, once you are ready to use them, how would you prepare them? Would you drain the water? Would you reheat them or are they delicious cold?

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  4. Cold cooked mushrooms - ewww, yuck. (smile) Seriously, canned mushrooms are terrific for adding to stuff like spaghetti sauce or pizza. Just drain the water and add. Personally my favorite is to drain the water, then sauté the mushrooms briefly in butter and garlic. The sautéed mushrooms can act as a side for steak or chicken piccata. Yum!

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    1. Why not use the water for mushroom gravy?

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  5. Hi Patrice, I know this is an older post, but you know what's funny....I came into 10 packages of "brownish" mushrooms yesterday. My mom volunteers for the local food bank, and because they had given out their Christmas food already, we got to take any produce we wanted. I snatched up the mushrooms and said to myself....I know I can can these babies...and I came right to your website to see what I could find!! And here it is. :) I'll be doing these tonight! Thank you so much for being such a wonderful resource for people like me. :)

    Cass in WA

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  6. You'll love them, Cass! They'll turn out wonderfully.

    - Patrice

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  7. Patrice, I got 7 pints our of my 10 packages!! It was my first experience with a pressure cooker BY MYSELF, but it was no biggie. I was more nervous than need be. Last weekend I canned up 18 quarts of apple sauce and 7 more pints of cheddar cheese! My canning shelf wants to be like your's when it grows up! hehe

    Cass in WA

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    1. How do you can cheese

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    2. Actually, canning cheese is strongly NOT RECOMMENDED. See this link for an explanation:

      https://www.clemson.edu/extension/food/canning/canning-tips/38canning-dairy-products.html

      - Patrice

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  8. Mushrooms process for 45 minutes, not 30!

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  9. Canned about ten pounds of mushrooms yesterday. Turned out great.

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  10. I dehydrated mushrooms last year instead of canning them. It is much easier than canning. I just rinse sliced mushrooms, spread them on dehydrator racks and plug in my dehydrator. I walk away and let them process for about 10 hours. They are done when dry to the touch and feel hard. Then, I store them in Ball jars. They take less room on shelves too. When you want to use them, just rehydrate by adding to a sauce, broth, or hot water. There is no deterioration of the product. I also dehydrate diced vegetables for soup.

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