Strong and dense honey mushrooms are excellent for harvesting in the winter. Their structure, which is not too saturated with moisture, is able to retain its shape even with deep freezing. However, not every hostess knows that not only fresh mushrooms are subject to freezing, but also those that have undergone some processing. About all the secrets of correct freezing raw, as well as those who have undergone various processing in house conditions, we will describe in this review.
Mushroom preparation
All the fruits that you plan to save for the winter, should certainly be freshly picked (no more than 1-2 days), young, medium-sized, strong, healthy, without taking damage.
If you collect mushrooms yourself, then clean them from earthy coma, various litter and small insects, preferably immediately in the collection process. 
At home, mushrooms must be picked and thoroughly cleaned from leaves and adhering dirt. Then sort the mushrooms by size. Freeze small specimens whole, and cut large ones into several pieces.
Find out how to distinguish the agaric specimens from the lop-downs, which species of the agaric are dangerous and what first aid measures are necessary in case of poisoning with false mushrooms.
Do I need to wash
Mushrooms should not be washed only if you plan to save them by the method of raw freezing. Mushrooms easily absorb moisture, which creates ice, taking up a lot of space in the freezer. Excess fluid lends weight to the preform, and the mushroom flavor becomes watery.
If the buds are significantly dirty, you can wipe them with a damp cloth towel, and then dry them. At the worst, you can rinse the mushrooms under running water and dry thoroughly on a linen towel. However, try to still not too wet the fungus.
Did you know? Mushrooms are able to "punch" marble. In the growth stage, the internal pressure of these amazing creatures comes to the pressure indicators of seven atmospheres. Therefore, oddly enough, but delicate mycelium really makes its way through such hard surfaces as asphalt, concrete, marble and even iron.
Ways of freezing
Peeled mushrooms can be frozen both in cheese, and boiled, stewed or fried. In addition, mushrooms can be pre-blanched. The choice of the method of freezing depends on the recipes of the dishes that you plan to cook later. Choose the most suitable option for you! 
Raw
All actions must be reproduced in the following order:
- Prepare a flat plastic stand or chopping board.
- Spread the cleaned mushrooms evenly over the surface of the pallet. It is necessary to lay in a single layer, as the fruit can stick together and deform.
- Freezer set on the mode of deep freezing.
- Then the pan with the fruit should be kept in the freezer for a short time until the mushrooms are frostbitten.
- Frozen mushrooms pour in a plastic container or plastic bags and send in the freezer for long-term storage at -18 ºC.
Read also about the proper technology of freezing white mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.
Pre blanching
Some hostesses prefer to blanch mushrooms before freezing, that is, pour them with boiling water. To do this, the mushrooms are washed under running water. Next, the fruits are transferred to a colander and doused with boiling water. When the moisture is drained and the mushrooms are cool, they are put on a towel. Dry dried seeds are distributed in plastic bags and transferred to the freezer. This method of blanching is the most simple and common. 
There is another blanching option that allows you to save most effectively. nutrients:
- Prepare two large containers, a slotted spoon, a colander and clean cloth towels.
- In one container, prepare brine (20 g of salt per 1 liter of water), pour cold water into the other (preferably with ice).
- Put clean mushrooms in boiling brine. After 2-3 minutes using skimmers, remove the mushrooms from the hot brine and immediately transfer them to the container with cold water. Such cooling instantly stops the cooking process.
- After 2-3 minutes, fold the fruit into a colander, then dry on a towel.
- Distribute the product in plastic bags.
- Send the blanks in the freezer for storage for the winter.
Familiarize yourself with recipes for harvesting winter mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, milk mushrooms and butter.
Cooks are advised to add in the water, which will be processed mushrooms, a pinch of citric acid. This simple technique protects the mushrooms from browning and bitterness.
Boiled
Many housewives prefer to freeze the mushrooms in boiled form. Next, you will learn the main nuances of this method, as well as learn how much time it is necessary to boil the mushrooms before freezing.
Walkthrough:
- Fill the fruits with cold water and put to boil over high heat.
- When the liquid boils, and a foam forms on the surface - drain all the water.
- Rinse the mushrooms again, fill with fresh water, then put to boil. Or boil the water, and only then lower there the mushrooms.
- Boil the mushrooms for another 40-50 minutes. Do not forget to lightly salt some water (10 g of salt is required for 1 l of liquid).
- Throw the prepared mushrooms in a colander to drain the liquid. If desired, you can cool the fruit in cold water.
- Put the fungus on a dry towel.
- When the mushrooms dry out properly, proceed to a standard freeze (distribute the fruit into packets and place in the freezer for storage).
We advise you to read about the beneficial properties of mushrooms: champignons, ceps, boletus, mushrooms.
Stewed
So that the mushrooms did not lose their piquant taste and aroma, this method of preparation was invented as quenching. Even vegetable oil is not required for this treatment. Walkthrough:
- Transfer the prepared fruit to a heated pan without fat.
- Season the fruit with table salt, then tightly cover with a lid. In this state, the mushrooms would rather let their water.
- Without removing the lid, stew the mushrooms in its own juice over low heat.
- Mushrooms should be stewed for at least 25-30 minutes. Therefore, if the liquid evaporates before the specified time, add a little boiled water.
You can stew mushrooms in the oven. To do this, simply lay out the baking sheets on a baking sheet and cook them in their own juice.
Important! Do not miss the moment of complete evaporation of the liquid! It is categorically not acceptable that the mushrooms burned - they will get a bitter unpleasant taste.
Fried
You can also freeze fried mushrooms:
- Transfer clean mushrooms to a heated frying pan with a small amount of sunflower oil.
- Fry the mushrooms for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fry until needed until all excess liquid has evaporated from the fruit.
- Set the pan aside until the mushrooms are completely cool.
- Spread the workpiece on the packages tightly wrap them. Transfer the bags to the freezer for storage.
Learn how to dry mushrooms for the winter correctly.
Shelf life
The shelf life of the mushrooms, frozen by any method above, is no more than one year, provided that the temperature in the freezer is equal to 18 ºC with a minus sign. Do not forget to stick stickers with packages indicating the date of freezing.
Important! Never forget to pre-pack the mushroom preform before storage. Thawed mushrooms should be used immediately, since during secondary freezing the product becomes unfit for human consumption.
Defrosting rules
Knowing how to defrost the mushrooms correctly, you will preserve the quality of the fruit and the texture of the dish.
It is undesirable to place the mushrooms in the oven or microwave. Thawing should proceed slowly at room temperature. 
When you decide to defrost raw mushrooms, put them in the refrigerator first. In this case, the mushrooms will be quite as fresh. After complete defrosting, the mushrooms should be dried.
If the mushrooms were stored boiled, stewed or fried, they must also be defrosted first and then used in cooking.
Did you know? It is curious that mushrooms, along with ferns, are considered the most ancient inhabitants of our planet. Mushrooms older than dinosaurs, they existed 400 million years ago (long before the advent of dinosaurs). Even the giant ferns that have survived to our times have been significantly crushed, while the mushrooms have managed to adapt (many species exist to this day).
How to cook frozen mushrooms
Summing up, we consider how best to cook frozen mushrooms. So, in soups, as well as fried or stews, you can put the billet immediately, beforehand without defrosting it.
Thawed portion of mushrooms immediately give in heat treated. Those shrikes that have been frozen raw can be prepared in the same way as freshly picked fruit. Use a variety of recipes, at your discretion: boil, stew, fry, send in soups or use for cooking mushroom goulash. 
If you plan to marinate the raw product, in this case, put the billet immediately in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then boil it in the marinade.
Blanched mushrooms are perfect for cooking soups or mushroom caviar. If you plan to continue to fry unfrozen mushrooms or cook other dishes, then it is advisable not to resort to blanching. This results from the fact that after hot processing the form of the thawed fruits is essentially deformed.
Learn how to freeze strawberries, blueberries, cherries, apples, mint, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peas, eggplants, zucchini, pumpkins for the winter.
Regarding the question of how many minutes you need to fry the frozen mushrooms - this process will take very little of your time (no more than 15 minutes). Put a portion of the pan with hot sunflower oil and start cooking. 
If raw fruits were placed in the freezer unwashed, they should be washed before cooking. Next boil the product in salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Tilt the contents of the pan into a colander, let the liquids drain, and only now can you fry or simmer them.
Mushrooms can be used as an additive to potatoes, porridge or meat. Fried fruits are perfect as a filling in pies, as well as for stuffing meat rolls. Mushrooms harvested for the winter are always ready to create culinary masterpieces, they will decorate any of your dishes.
