Marinated Mushrooms (Canning Recipe)
Mushrooms are a low-acid food which means they require a little bit of special treatment in canning, but this white wine vinegar dressing does the trick in the tastiest way possible. These marinated mushrooms make use of Italian herbs, zesty garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. Nibble straight from the jar or add to salads, antipasto plates or charcuterie plates. These are surprisingly easy to pull together for such a flavorful bite!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds 1.4 kg small button mushrooms, no more than 1 ½ -inch (4-cm) across their widest part
- ½ cup 120 ml bottled lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cups 300 ml white wine vinegar (with 5% acidity)
- 1 cup 237 ml pure olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves lightly smashed and peeled
- 1 ½ tsp 8 g kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp 2 g dried oregano leaves
- 1 ½ tsp 1 g dried basil leaves
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Carefully wash the mushrooms and trim the stems so they are no longer than ¼ inch (6 mm) from the mushroom cap. Use the stems in another recipe. You can cut the larger mushrooms in half if you wish, but it is not strictly necessary.
- Add to a large stainless steel stockpot with the lemon juice and cover the mushrooms with fresh water.
- Bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, set your timer and let it boil for 5 minutes.
- Drain the mushrooms and load them into half-pint (240 ml) jars leaving ½ inch (13 mm) of headspace.
- In another saucepan, stir together the white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, oregano, and basil leaves, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Fish the garlic from the boiling brine and tuck one clove in and among the mushrooms in each jar.
- Stir the vinegar and oil dressing well and ladle over the mushrooms in the jars, maintaining the ½ inch (13 mm) of headspace.
- Moisten a paper towel with vinegar and use that to wipe the rims of the jars clean. Fix jar lids in place and tighten them appropriately.
- Use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a canner full of boiling water that covers the jars by 2 inches (5 cm). Put the lid of the canner in place, return the water to a boil, and process for 20 minutes (adjusting for altitude; see notes).
- Carefully transfer the jars to a towel-lined counter or wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight, before removing the rings, wiping the jars clean and labeling.
Notes
• After processing, you will probably notice that the oil and vinegar separate in the jar. This is not a cause for concern. I always give my jar a solid shake or two to recombine them before I open it.
• Don’t toss that dressing that surrounds the mushrooms! You can use this as a stand-alone Italian salad dressing or marinate chicken or pork with it.
Altitude Adjustments
Be aware that this recipe is only tested for canning in half-pint jars, and you should not use larger jars. That works wonderfully for most uses, and it's the right amount for adding zest to a meal. The canning time of 20 minutes works if you're under 1,000 feet in elevation. Above that elevation, refer to the chart below:- 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation - Process half-pint jars for 20 minutes
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet in elevation - Process half-pint jars for 25 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation - Process half-pint jars for 30 minutes
- Above 6,001 feet in elevation - Process half-pint jars for 35 minutes