CANNING: Fun Guys – How to Can Marinated Mushrooms

Pickled Mushroom Ingredients

Button mushrooms:

Use only white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, which have a similar shape and density. Wild mushrooms vary in density and composition, and the listed processing time and method may not be safe to can with this recipe (though you can pickle and refrigerate them).

Look for very small button mushrooms, no bigger in diameter than a quarter, for the best results. If you can only find larger mushrooms, you can cut them into halves or quarters before poaching and pickling them. Don’t leave larger mushrooms whole, as the marinade needs to be able to penetrate all the way to the center of the mushrooms for food safety.

Water + Lemon Juice:

Before being marinated and canned, the mushrooms must be lightly poached in water with lemon juice. This helps cook them through in preparation for the brine, and keeps them firm and brightly colored. Do not skip this step, and do not skip adding the lemon juice to the water, as this is important to safely acidify the mushrooms (along with the marinade mixture they’re canned in).

Vinegar:

The original tested recipe from the USDA called for white distilled vinegar, but I use either white or red wine vinegar instead. These have a much better flavor, and are fine to substitute as long as they are also 5% acidity.

Oil:

Use an extra virgin olive oil with a good flavor for best results. You can substitute other light neutral vegetable oil if necessary.

Seasonings:

You can vary the herbs here if you like (avoid sage, which turns bitter when canned). Stick to the listed quantities or use less if you prefer (not more). I use oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary, or a blend.

The original USDA recipe that yields 9 half-pints of mushrooms calls for 2 cloves of garlic, quartered, with a piece for each jar. That math doesn’t exactly math… and a “clove” of garlic is such a variable quantity it’s hard to say exactly what they meant. Garlic is also a low acid ingredient, so we don’t want to go overboard (though I also have a tested recipe for pickled garlic that I can on its own, so I’m not too concerned here given the strength of this brine).

I put about half of a regular clove of garlic, or a quarter of a very large clove, in each jar, cut into a few slivered pieces. You can use less or even leave it out, but we like garlic in this house, and these pickles are quite pungent, so they can stand up to the garlic without being overwhelmed.

I like to add hot pepper flakes, but you can safely omit them if you don’t like spice, or add it directly to some of the jars and not to others.

Salt adds flavor and helps preserve these, and a bit of sugar adds balance, though you can leave the sugar out if you like (it’s not in the original recipe).

How to Can Marinated Mushrooms

prep ingredients:

• Wash the mushrooms under cool running water, making sure they are clean.
• Trim the bases of the mushroom stems.
• Peel and mince the onion, peel and slice the garlic, and get out or measure all of the remaining ingredients.
• Wash the canning jars with hot, soapy water and rinse well.
• Fill the canning pot with enough water to cover the jars, and begin to bring it up to a boil.

blanch mushrooms:

• Place the washed, trimmed mushrooms in a large pot, then add just enough water to cover.
• Add the lemon juice to the pot with the water, stir, then cover.
• Bring it up to a boil, and let it simmer for five minutes with the lid on.
• Remove the pot from the heat and set aside. Keep the pot covered to keep the mushrooms hot while you make the marinade.

make marinade:

• In another pot, prepare the pickling marinade: combine the vinegar, olive oil, and all seasonings except peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves.
• Drain the mushrooms & set aside, discarding poaching liquid.

fill the jars:

• Distribute the peppercorns, slivered garlic, and bay leaves among the jars.
• Divide the hot poached mushrooms among the jars.
• Top up with the hot pickling marinade, dividing the mixture evenly among the jars.
• Leave a 1/2″ headspace at the top of the jars. You should have plenty of pickling liquid, but if you need to, you can top the jars up with more vinegar or lemon juice.

prep jars for canning:

• Wipe jar rims with a clean cloth or paper towel dampened with hot water or distilled vinegar.
• Top the jars with new canning lids and tighten the bands.
• Place the jars in the hot water bath canner and cover with the lid.

water-bath processing:

• Bring the water in the canner back up to a boil before starting the processing timer.
• Process the jars for 20 minutes, then turn off the heat. Do not uncover the pot.
• When the time is up, turn off the heat and leave the jars undisturbed in the canner for 5 minutes.

cool jars & let seal:

• After 5 minutes, carefully use tongs or the jar rack to remove the jars from the water bath.
• Place the jars upright on a heat-resistant surface covered with a kitchen towel or wire rack. Do not tighten the lids (*unless you are using reusable lids, then follow manufacturer instructions).

check seals & store:

• Leave the jars undisturbed for 12-24 hours, then check for seals.
• Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed with new lids within 24 hours of the initial processing, or refrigerated or frozen and used first.
• Carefully wash jars with warm soapy water if there was any siphoning, then label them and store them with rings off.
• Store in a cool, dark pantry. Home canned goods are best consumed within 12-18 months, but should be safe much longer as long as the seal is intact and the jars show no signs of spoilage.
• Discard any jars that lose their seals in storage, bubble or hiss when opened, or have an off smell or visible signs of spoilage.