Instructions

1. Clean the mushrooms by brushing them gently with a very soft brush under cold running water. Rough handling bruises the mushrooms.

2. Prepare mushrooms for freezing by using a sharp knife and cutting small to medium mushrooms into slices or quarters or leaving them whole. Cut large mushrooms into quarters.

3. Place a large pot of water on the stove with 1tsp. of lemon juice or 1 ½ tsp. of citric acid to each pint of water. Turn the stove to medium-high and bring the pot to a boil.

4. Drop slices into the boiling water for three minutes, quarters and buttons for three and a half minutes and five minutes for whole mushrooms. Blanch one type at a time and remove them from the pot with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Run cold tap water over the mushrooms to cool them and pat them dry with a paper towel.

5. Prepare mushrooms to steam by marinating them for five minutes in a solution of 1 tsp. lemon juice or 1 ½ tsp. of citric acid for each pint of water.

6. Slice, quarter or leave the small to medium mushrooms whole. Cut large mushrooms into quarters. Steam each type of mushroom in a vegetable steamer for the same length of time required for boiling. Slices are steamed for three minutes, quarters and buttons for three and a half minutes and whole mushrooms for five minutes.

7. Remove the mushrooms from the steamer, cool them by running cold tap water over them and pat them dry with a paper towel.

8. Place the mushrooms into re-sealable freezer bags by placing a straw into the bag against the side and zipping the bag closed until it touches the straw. Suck out the air inside the bag and quickly remove the straw and zip the bag closed.