Salt-Cured Chanterelles for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To salt-cure chanterelles for the winter, gather fresh chanterelles, salt, garlic, and dill (or your favorite seasonings). Some people add vinegar, but to my mind that makes it a marinade, so I leave it out of salt-cured chanterelles. If you have no good place to store them, use the keeps-them-fresh method instead, or add more salt to this one — just rinse the mushrooms before serving and soak them briefly to draw out the excess salt.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pick over the mushrooms, rinse them, and boil them in salted water (1 tablespoon of salt per 2 liters of water, on top of what the recipe calls for). Boil the chanterelles for 20 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil — when they're done, they'll sink to the bottom.

3. Step 3:

   

   Drain the mushrooms in a colander. Don't throw out the cooking water right away — you'll need some of it.

4. Step 4:

   

   Now pack the mushrooms into sterilized jars, layering them with salt, chopped garlic, and dill seeds.

5. Step 5:

   

   Fill the jars to the top, keeping the mushrooms loose — don't pack them down.

6. Step 6:

   

   Now pour the hot cooking liquid over the mushrooms — it should come up no more than a quarter of the way. You can film the surface with a little sunflower oil to keep air out. At this point the mushrooms can be sterilized and sealed if you want, but at home I never recommend it, to avoid the risk of botulism.

7. Step 7:

   

   Close the jars loosely — nylon lids work well. Store the salt-cured mushrooms in the refrigerator.