Pickled Mushrooms

We are great fans of mushrooms.  All too often when you have that mushroom craving and you open the fridge the mushrooms have gone past their best or are ready to throw out.  A great way to ensure that your craving can be satisfied is to pickle your favorite fungi in a jar.  Mushrooms are such great sponges for flavor and have their own wonderful umami quality that these simple pickles are a guaranteed success.  They make a great snack on their own or use them in salads, burgers and as a garnish for dishes.

The great thing about pickling is that it is so easy to add your own flair. For this simple dish we used:

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Two garlic cloves (lightly crushed)

1 bay leaf

mixed fresh herbs

1 Tspn mixed peppercorns

2 cups water

1/4 cup of salt (we used a mix of kosher and Porcini salt)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

mixed mushrooms (we used Oyster and Shiitake)

Place all the dry ingredients in a saucepan.

Add the vinegar and the water and heat gently until the sugar all dissolves.

Tear or slice the mushrooms taking care to remove any woody stems.

Add the mushrooms, the bay and a few of the fresh herbs to the pan then bring to a boil. As soon as the liquid reaches a rolling boil turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Whilst the mushrooms cool, clean a canning jar or bottle and add the remaining washed herbs.

Gently poor the mushrooms and the liquid into your jar.

They are now ready to eat but you should at least wait overnight to allow the flavors the mellow.

You need to keep these in the refrigerator.  We are not sure how long they last as they get consumed pretty quickly in our house, but they should be good for at least 3 or 4 weeks.