Lactofermented Mushrooms
The most common way we preserve mushrooms is by drying them and rehydrating later when we want to make a soup or stock. This works well in a modern environment, where we have ready access to dehydrators and ovens, and it may be a reliable method if you live in a dry enough environment. But often mushrooms are plentiful when humidity is high, which can make dehydration a challenge.
A classic preservation method was layering mushrooms with salt in a barrel or crock. The salt would extract water from the mushrooms and create a brine, and the mushrooms would then undergo lactofermentation.
We usually use oyster species for this recipe, but it works with other mushrooms as well – shiitake, enoki, beech, etc. A foraged mushroom traditionally prized for this preparation is the saffron milk cap, Lactarius deliciosus.
Table of Contents:
Fermenting Mushrooms
There are two main approaches for preparing the mushrooms:
And once that is done, Fermentation happens for 4-14 days.
Salted Preparation
- Clean mushrooms. You can cut/tear larger mushrooms into pieces, or you can evenly slice the mushrooms.
- Blanch mushrooms for 3-5 minutes in salted boiling water. Drain and cool.
- Weigh your cooled and blanched mushrooms. Calculate 4% of the mushroom weight, and measure that much salt.
- Mix mushrooms and salt.
- Place seasonings into the bottom of a fermentation crock or jar. Add salted mushrooms on top.
- Place a large leaf (cabbage, horseradish) on top, and place a plate or weights above that.
At this point, the typical approach is to wait for a day and then check the mushrooms. The salt should have pulled water out of the mushrooms and created a brine. Top off with a 4% brine (40g salt per 1000mL water) if needed to ensure the mushrooms are fully submerged.
Brined Preparation
- Clean mushrooms, cut/tear large ones into multiple pieces
- Blanch mushrooms for 3-5 minutes in salted boiling water. Drain and cool.
- Prepare a 3-4% brine (30-40g salt to 1000 mL water)
- Place seasonings into the bottom of a fermentation crock or jar.
- Working in batches, squeeze or press mushrooms to release water, then pack into the jar.
- Cover mushrooms with something to keep them submerged (cabbage leaf, horseradish leaf, and/or fermentation weights)
- Poor your COOLED brine and fill the jar.
Fermentation
Ferment to taste – should be sour and delicious! This might take 4-14 days depending on the mushrooms, your particular environmental conditions, and your tastes. The trick is keeping a close eye on the ferment and tasting regularly. Warm conditions result in faster fermentation, and colder conditions take longer. If it’s particularly warm, you might ferment in the open for a few days and then continue in the fridge door for another 1-2 weeks to allow a slower pace. If it’s particularly cold, your ferment may be happier on the top of the fridge or near a stove.
When the pickled mushrooms taste appropriately sour to you, move the mushrooms, brine, and seasonings to clean jars and refrigerate. They will keep for several months under refrigeration (if you don’t gobble them up first).
Flavoring Ideas
- Garlic cloves (perhaps smashed), or a head of garlic cut crossways
- Fresh herbs: chives, fennel, leek, mint, dill, coriander
- I often put these as a “bed” at the bottom that the mushrooms are put on
- Spices: black peppercorn, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seed, coriander seed, coriander root, ginger root, galangal root, juniper berries (crushed)
- Fresh, tannin-rich leaves: grape, cherry, oak, horseradish
Uses
- Salads
- Dumplings
- Part of a rice bowl
- A side dish for a meal
- Bruschetta with butter and herbs
- With bread and cheese
- In the Slavic manner, with a good dark bread and vodka
If you find the mushrooms too salty for your taste to be directly eaten, uou can rinse them or soak in fresh water for a few minutes.