I love mushrooms, but only buy them fresh. Of course, I have to use them fairly soon so they don’t get slimy. Having some dried mushrooms on hand would be handy for making soup. And the taste of mushrooms in powder or liquid form would enhance many other dishes.

TO DRY MUSHROOMS
Wipe mushrooms clean, take away the brown part, and peel off the skin. Lay them on sheets of paper to dry in a cool oven, when they will shrivel considerably. Keep them in paper bags and hang in a dry place. 

TO DRY MUSHROOMS No 2
Cut off their stalks, cut or scrape out the gills, and put them into a saucepan with a little salt. Spice may be added or not. Set them on the fire and let them stew in their own liquor, then pour them into a sieve to drain. When dry, put them into a slack oven* upon tin plates and when quite dry, put them into shallow boxes for use. The liquor will make catsup.

*slack oven – an oven that is cooling down. The heat “slacks off” or slowly cools, after baking something at a high heat. Other foods were cooked progressively as the oven’s heat died.

TO USE DRIED MUSHROOMS
When wanted for use, put them into cold gravy, bring them gradually to simmer, and it will be found that they will regain nearly their usual size. Use in soups, sauces or stews in small quantities, as the flavor is very rich.

Tincture or essence of mushrooms might be made, by steeping dried mushrooms in spirits.

MUSHROOM POWDER
This is a valuable addition to sauces and gravies, when fresh mushrooms are not obtainable. 

Wash half a peck* of large mushrooms while quite fresh, and wipe with flannel to free them from grit and dirt. Scrape the black part out clean, and do not use any that are worm-eaten. Put them into a stew-pan over the fire without any water, with two large onions, some cloves, one-fourth ounce of mace, and two spoons of white pepper, all in powder. 

Simmer and shake them till all the liquor is dried up, but be careful they do not burn. Lay them on tins or sieves in a slow oven* till they are dry.

Pound them to a fine powder, then put into small dry bottles. Cork well, seal the corks, and keep it in a dry place. This quantity will make about seven ounces. Stop the powder close in wide-mouthed bottles.

A teaspoon of this powder will give a very fine flavor to any soup or gravy, or any sauce. Add just before serving, and bring it back to a boil after it is put in and serve immediately.

Note: If the bottles in which it is stored away are not perfectly dry, it will keep good but a very short time.

*peck – measurement for dry volume; a peck is two gallons or eight dry quarts. Four pecks make a bushel.
*slow oven – about 200-300 degrees Fahrenheit.

MUSHROOM LIQUOR
Take about a peck of mushrooms, wash them, but do not peel them. Rub each with a piece of flannel, taking out the gills. Put to them half an ounce of beaten pepper, four bay-leaves, four cloves, twelve blades of mace, a handful of salt, eight onions, a bit of butter, and half a pint of vinegar. 

Stew all these as quick as possible and keep stirring till the liquor is quite out of the mushrooms. Then drain them, and bottle the liquor and spice when cold. 

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Have you used dried mushrooms in cooking? Do you have a favorite recipe?
Please leave a comment below.
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