Onward with my attempts to preserve my chanterelle harvest… So I have already done the frozen in water, dehydrated a few loads, and now I am trying the canned white wine chanterelles. I am adding some globe basil to the jars for my herbal addition choice. I found this idea on this great thread …
Dried chanterelles preserve all of the flavor and aroma of fresh, but are best used crushed or powdered.
My favorite way of preserving them is to fill a big pot with them, add some salt, a bottle of white wine and a few teaspoons of oil (to help capture the volatile compounds that give chanterelles their aroma), and cook them for about 20 minutes. Be sure that the pot doesn’t boil dry, which shouldn’t be a problem because the chanterelles will release liquid while cooking.
Squeeze a lemon onto the cooked chanterelles, toss them a few times and pack them into sterile mason jars (1 or 2 quart work best) leaving an inch or so of head room. Divvy the cooking liquid between the jars and then top the jars off with extra virgin olive oil. Cover the jars tightly, shake a few times to knock air bubbles out from between the chanterelles, and refrigerate.
This is not canning, but really a kind of pickling, so you do not need to maintain absolute sterility during the process. The acidity of the wine and lemon juice acts as a preservative and, combined with the large amount oxygen present in the jars, prevents the growth of dangerous bacteria. Chanterelles (or any mushrooms) preserved in this way will last over a year in the refrigerator. I’m still using some that I prepared almost two years ago. They are delicious as is, or can be used in place of fresh chanterelles in recipes.
Black pepper and thyme are good additions. These, and any other herbs you decide to use, should be cooked along with the chanterelles, rather than added uncooked at the end, to avoid microbial contamination that could lead to spoilage.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/446512#3769725: