Canning Mushrooms and Cream of Mushroom Soup

If you recall from my foodie road trip I bought 15 lb of mushrooms. Of the 15 lb I put up 5 lbs leaving 10 lb for fresh eating. Now that sounds like a lot for fresh eating but believe me it isn't. By the time you do a few dishes of sautéed mushrooms and stuffed mushrooms 10 lbs of mushrooms get used up rather quickly.

Preparing Mushrooms

There is not a lot of work but a bit more prep to putting up mushrooms. Mushrooms lose a lot of water during the canning process so it is very important to properly hydrate them prior to canning. At the same time you need to do a bit more cleaning for processing than you would normally do for fresh eating.

The first step in processing mushrooms for canning is to sort them. You really want the smaller button mushrooms and those that can easily be cut into quarters. Brush any dirt off the mushrooms and trim then place in a sink with cold water. Let them soak 10 minutes before proceeding.


Home Canned Mushrooms

Home canned mushrooms are a must have on your pantry shelves! Open a jar to add that little bit of extra to soups, stews and casseroles. They are an ideal home canned convenience product.

As a guideline, 5 lb of mushrooms will give a yield of 8 - 500 ml (pint) jars. After the mushrooms have been washed and soaked, rinse them well. Place in a large sauce pan. Cover with water and ½ tsp citric acid. Cook gently for 15 minutes. Hot pack covering with boiling water leaving ½ - inch headspace. Add one eighth tsp citric acid per 500 ml jar. Wipe the rim. Adjust two piece lids. Process at 10 lb of pressure for 45 minutes at altitudes under 1,000 feet above sea level. At high altitudes, please follow the altitude adjustment chart.

Notes: Be sure to use citric acid when canning fresh mushrooms to prevent them from darkening. Do not can wild mushrooms. Do not throw out the water the mushrooms cooked in. It can be used in place of boiling water to pack your mushrooms. Allow the remaining cooking water to cool to room temperature then use it to water your house plants.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

One thing is for certain when I make a bulk mushroom purchase and that is a meal of cream of mushroom soup. Who can resist the rich, creamy flavour of homemade cream of mushroom soup? This is a very easy yet tasty soup to make! Home canned mushrooms can be substituted for fresh mushrooms in this recipe.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
recipe by: Garden Gnome

4 c fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 L (4 c) homemade chicken stock
500 ml (2 c) 2% milk
500 ml (2 c) half & half cream
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
dash of sea salt

Melt butter in small stock pot. Chop onion and stir into butter. Sweat the onion on low until just translucent. Clean and slice mushrooms. Add mushrooms to the onion mixture. Stir mixture until mushrooms are just coated. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in milk and cream. Make a slurry with the flour. Pour into the soup while stirring. Bring to a simmer and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Add a dash of sea salt. Stir then ladle the hot soup into bowls for serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh curly leaf parsley.

Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
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