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Clean Chanterelles: the Best Tips for Cleaning

You should clean chanterelles very carefully, as the mushrooms are sensitive. We show you the best tips on how to clean chanterelles properly.

If you walk through the forest in summer, with a bit of luck you will come across the first chanterelles. Their bright yellow is hard to miss. If you have a cloth bag with you – plastic is not only bad for the environment, but also bad for the mushrooms – you can carefully cut off a few of the tasty mushrooms just above the ground with a sharp knife.

Freshly picked chanterelles are very aromatic, but of course they are not as clean as the pre-cleaned ones from the shop around the corner. How do you get rid of the “dirt”?

Clean your chanterelles properly with these tips

Remove coarse dirt: Even collected chanterelles have to be cleaned thoroughly because needles, soil and other dirt stick to them. Since a water bath is taboo and chanterelles are very sensitive, you can brush off the dirt with a kitchen brush (available from **Avocadostore) or kitchen paper (e.g. made from fast-growing bamboo from **Avocadostore).
Cut off the stalk: Whether the chanterelles are from the forest or the supermarket, you first need to remove the bottom part of the stalk.
Remove bad spots: If you discover soft, dry or glassy spots when cutting off the stem ends, you should also cut them off with a sharp knife.
Now the chanterelles are clean and ready to be cleaned and you can use them to make sauces, soups and stir-fries.

Clean especially dirty chanterelles

Water bath: If the dirt is particularly bad and cannot be removed with a brush and kitchen roll, you can use water: place the mushrooms in a sieve and dip them briefly in a cold water bath. Then place them on a clean kitchen towel that will soak up the excess water.
Flour bath: Dust the mushrooms with flour and then briefly dip them into a cold water bath using a sieve. The flour separates from the chanterelles and takes the adhering dirt with it. This method works especially well with larger batches, when it would take too long to hand-clean all the mushrooms.
Danger! In Europe, chanterelles may only be collected for personal use, since their stock is constantly shrinking. Collecting is generally prohibited in nature reserves and national parks. Check with your local municipality before collecting chanterelles.

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Clear View for Serviette Dumplings

They go well with goulash, and martini goose and, as roasted dumplings with eggs, are a popular dish not just for children: tender serviette dumplings. They are particularly good for soaking up creamy sauces and gravy. The recipe is usually passed on from generation to generation in families. But the preparation is changing.

The question

Can you also prepare serviette dumplings in cling film?

The short answer

Yes, you can. To do this, place the dumpling mass on a piece of cling film or roasting film, shape it and then tie the film with a knot or kitchen twine. For this type of preparation, the dough should be a little softer, since no moisture (cooking water) can get in from the outside.

And now the but…

But… are they still serviette dumplings? For the proponents of the traditional method, there is no question about it: the dough mass is placed in a fresh tea towel or in a clean cloth serviette that has been briefly and thoroughly soaked and squeezed out well. It is best to form the mass with wet hands as evenly thick as possible, wrap it in the tea towel, tie the ends with kitchen twine – and then put it in the boiling water.

Alternative suggestions

Gauze bandages made of cotton (pharmacy) or (new, of course!) cloth diapers are good alternatives to cling film, roasting film, and serviettes or tea towels. If you want exactly the same serviette dumplings, you can also use artificial casings for making sausages and fill them with the dumpling mixture using a piping bag without a nozzle.

You should avoid preparing it in aluminum foil. Not only with the serviette dumplings, but in general. The answer to the question “How dangerous is aluminum foil really?”.

Sweet serviette dumplings with curd cheese

We have the best dumpling recipes for your dumpling day!

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Cooking Tips

7 Tips for Preserving and Curing

Make kitchen treasures last longer

From simple jams and marmalades to juices and syrups, pesto and chutney, salted delicacies and pickled vegetables to soups, goulash, and beef roulades in a jar. Bread, cakes, and even pizza can also be baked in the right jars. Here we tell you the 7 best tips for preserving fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms and also our insider tips for the perfect homemade jam.

Now it’s time: get to the glasses, get set, boil down!

7 ultimate tips for preserving

  • Cleanliness of all objects used is the top priority!
  • Make sure that all ingredients used are of impeccable quality! Fruit should not be overripe.
  • Buy new lids! These are cheap to buy (between 5 and 15 cents each), clean, leak-proof, and not rusty.
  • Do not use wooden spoons or boards as these are usually not sterile.
  • Before you start preparing, have everything you need ready.
  • A hot-filled glass only tolerates warm water, never cold water (and vice versa), stress cracks can quickly appear in the glass (risk of injury!).
  • When you open your glass, listen for the “pop”! It is a sign that the contents have been properly pasteurized or sterilized and are edible: when the filled jars are being boiled, water vapor forms which can escape from the jar, but air cannot get into the jar, creating a vacuum.

10 Tips for Homemade Jam

  1. The fruit should be fresh, firm, and ripe, but not overripe, otherwise, it will not set well. Frozen fruit can also be used.
  2. Working hygienically is very important.
  3. Wash the fruit, drain, remove the stalks and seeds if necessary and cut into small pieces or puree as you prefer.
  4. Accurate Weighing – The weight ratio of fruit and sugar is critical to success.
  5. Preserve no more than 2 kg of fruit in one go.
  6. With large fruits, it is good to leave them mixed with sugar in a cool place overnight, as this will allow the sugar to dissolve more evenly throughout the fruit mass.
  7. Stir while heating or cooking to allow the sugar to dissolve and distribute evenly.
  8. The cooking time does not begin until the mass is bubbling. Be sure to adhere to the specified cooking times!
  9. Make a jelly test: put 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly on a cold, dry plate, let it cool down, and check the firmness. The mass must no longer flow. If you push them with your finger, small folds should form in the skin.
  10. Quickly pour the boiling hot jam into jars, close the jars tightly and store the jam in a cool, dark, and dry place.
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Food

Tips for Freezing Cookies

Why should you freeze cookies?

  • Too few biscuits were eaten at the Christmas party.
  • Too many cookies have been baked.

With a few tips and tricks, it is possible to freeze the leftover biscuits (Christmas biscuit recipes) and after a few weeks or months without much loss of taste Cookies don’t freeze as firmly, and some varieties are delicious straight out of the freezer (e.g. Machine Bakery). Due to the low water content, biscuits thaw quickly (e.g. vanilla crescents).

Proper packaging when freezing

You can use different materials as long as they can be closed as tightly as possible and are easy to clean. It is important that they do not give off any flavor to the frozen food.

Fresh storage containers that are airtight, watertight, aroma-tight, and dishwasher-safe are suitable for the Christmas biscuits. They must not break or become brittle in severe cold and must also close tightly when frozen. Most cans are suitable for temperatures down to -20 degrees and since they can be stacked well, the available storage space in the freezer can be optimally used.

To prevent freezer burn, seal the packs as tightly as possible. Vacuum sealing and sealing freezer bags is ideal for avoiding freezer burn. Careful knotting with a plastic clip or a rubber ring and avoiding air pockets are important, as the oxygen contained there slows down the freezing process and leads to a loss of quality. Basically, biscuits freeze faster in the freezer bag because the thin material lets the cold through faster and also adapts optimally to the frozen goods.

Do not leave any air in the freezer bag!

By the way: Freezer burn is not dangerous or harmful to your health.

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Cooking Tips

Garden Party: Tips for Food, Drinks and Decoration

You can easily make your garden party sustainable with our ideas. We give you tips for the food, the drinks and the decoration.

A successful garden party primarily includes good food and refreshing drinks. You should make sure that you choose seasonal, regional and, if possible, organic quality in order to make your menu sustainable and environmentally friendly.

For your garden party, you can use our seasonal calendar for vegetables and fruit as well as the organic seals from Demeter, Bioland and Naturland, which stand for strict criteria in organic farming and animal welfare.

Garden party: tips for food and drinks

These snacks and drinks are ideal for your garden party:

Food: If you grow your own in your garden, you can use your own fruit and vegetables to make delicious food for your party. Raw vegetables with homemade dips for vegetables, quick salads or finger food are particularly suitable for this (tip: finger food recipes). Make sure to use local foods that are in season at the time of your celebration. If you want to grill, then you will find more tips here: Grilling, but sustainable: 10 tips from charcoal to vegetarian.
Drinks: It is also important for the drinks at your garden party not to forego regionality. Of course, nothing beats domestic tap water, which is the most sustainable drink. For the warm summer months, however, homemade ice tea, various homemade lemonades and other summer drinks are also available.
Little waste: You should produce as little waste as possible during your garden party. You can achieve this by avoiding unnecessary packaging – especially plastic. If you need straws, skewers for finger food or similar, you should use them in a reusable form (glass straws are available at **Avocadostore, for example). Glass bottles are also recommended for drinks, which you can either return as deposit bottles or continue to use yourself after the party.

Sustainable decoration for your garden party

With creative decoration you can give your garden party a unique atmosphere. Your celebration will be particularly sustainable if you recycle or upcycle old and used materials for your decoration. Here are a few ideas:

Flowers as a natural decoration: If you throw a party in your own garden, not so much decoration is necessary. After all, your plants and trees create a unique atmosphere in your garden. If you are still in the process of planting your garden, wildflowers are worthwhile. They not only make your garden shine in bright colors, but you can also use them for a salad.
Sustainable lanterns: When night falls, glowing tea lights bring cosiness to your garden party. You can make these yourself in a sustainable way. For this you can recycle old jam jars as well as cardboard and paper remnants or natural materials such as leaves. With our instructions you will be able to make a lantern. Alternatively, you can also make new candles yourself from old leftovers.
Lanterns as light decorations: Fairy lights and lanterns are as much a part of a garden party as the Christmas tree is at Christmas. You can make your garden particularly beautiful and sustainable with handcrafted lanterns. They are a great way to recycle old packaging or toilet paper rolls.

More ideas for your garden party

These tips can also help you when planning your garden party:

Sustainable children’s corner: If you invite guests with children to your garden party, a sustainable children’s corner makes sense. Depending on the age of the children, this can consist of a sandbox made of wood (tip: build your own sandbox) or a mud kitchen. There is also a whole range of movement games for children that can be fun. A painting corner is also welcome. You can, for example, lay out “scratch paper”, which would have ended up in the waste paper anyway. More useful information: The best colored pencils without poison, paint or solvents.
Make short journeys sustainably: Your celebration will be particularly sustainable if you point out to your guests that they can also reach your garden on foot, by bicycle or by public transport and should avoid using the car if possible. It is best to show directions and the departure times of any nearby trams or buses on your invitation card.

Reusable crockery: If possible, do not use disposable crockery for your garden party. This is often made of plastic and produces an unnecessary amount of waste. Instead, you should use normal crockery and cutlery – and only use more environmentally friendly reusable crockery in an emergency. If you don’t have enough dishes for a larger celebration, you can certainly borrow some from friends or family members. If you want to buy new tableware, it is worth doing without plastic tableware and choosing wooden ones instead.

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5 Rules for the Perfect Gingerbread

Whether from a tin, cut out, or dressed on baking wafers, gingerbread is an indispensable part of the Advent and Christmas season. What makes it special is the wonderfully fragrant mixture of spices and the fine honey taste.

Making gingerbread yourself is very easy if you follow a few rules and can be varied with Aranzini or orange peel, for example, or decorated with chocolate or sugar icing and topped with cherries, almonds, or the like.

If you want to be really creative, you can also dare to make a cute, beautifully designed gingerbread house or a mini gingerbread house for the rim of a cup with the help of our video instructions. Lovingly decorated gingerbread also makes a good impression as a Christmas tree decoration.

We have put together the 5 most important tips for making gingerbread a perfect success this year.

5 rules for the perfect gingerbread

1. Gingerbread needs rest

Gingerbread gets its unmistakable, dark color and unique taste not only from the rye flour but also from the right storage. It is best to leave the dough (storage dough) in the fridge at least overnight and only then knead it with spices and egg.

2. It all depends on the seasoning

Gingerbread spice can be bought ready-made or mixed together yourself. The traditional spice for gingerbread consists of cloves, cinnamon, allspice, coriander seeds, nutmeg, and anise. Finely grind the spices together and store them in an airtight container. Beautifully packaged homemade gingerbread spices are also ideal as a special handmade Christmas gift.

3. So that the gingerbread does not stick to the tray

Dust the parchment paper or tray with a little flour before baking the gingerbread on it. So it doesn’t stick.

4. Potash and staghorn salt

The traditional leavening agents that belong in a gingerbread dough are staghorn salt and potash. These should be dissolved separately and added to the dough separately, otherwise, their raising effect will be lost.

5. This is how the gingerbread becomes soft

Gingerbread is best stored in an airtight tin can. To make it nice and soft, you can add a slice of apple to the can. Stored cool and dry, gingerbread can last for several months and should be left to soak for several weeks before consumption, which is why it is usually one of the first Christmas baked goods.

Do you feel like baking cookies now? With our tips for baking biscuits from a professional, it’s guaranteed to succeed. We have also put together a large selection of gingerbread recipes and other Christmas cookie recipes for you. If you were too eager and ended up with cookies, here are the best ways to freeze cookies.

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Food

5 Tips for the Perfect Martini Goose

You little goslings are coming… The 1 x 1 of Martinigans – from purchase to carving
Traditionally, the Martinigansl is served as a juicy roast on November 11th. But a classic roast goose is also a popular holiday meal at Christmas! We reveal how the perfect martini goose succeeds!

1) Buy your goose from species-appropriate husbandry!

This is not very difficult in Austrian supermarkets, because the origin of the goose has to be labeled. Geese from Austria are subject to the law and may not be fattened or plucked live. In Hungary or France, however, stuffing is quite common, so check carefully, especially with frozen goods. It should also be borne in mind that free-range geese have more space to roam. This keeps the meat firmer and not as fatty. So it is better to grab pasture geese from Austria, if possible directly from the farmer!

2) Invite guests!

A species-appropriate, well-reared goose can weigh up to 6 kg as a roast. Calculate 400-500 g of roast goose per person. A large goose can easily feed 10 people, especially when you consider the side dishes.

And if more guests have announced, no problem: two geese can also fit in a standard 60 cm wide oven at the same time! In this case, we recommend placing the geese directly on the grid and sliding a deep baking tray (dripping pan) underneath.

3) Pay attention to the trappings:

By the way, classic side dishes for Martinigansl are red cabbage and potato dumplings. But other dumplings also taste great and are ideal for soaking up the spicy gravy!

“So that was the core of the little goose” – whether and with what you fill your roast goose is up to you. A filling made of bread rolls is best, which can be refined with chestnuts, cranberries, or dried fruit, depending on taste. However, stuffed geese take longer to cook through!

4) Take your time!

This is especially true for a frozen goose. Two days before preparation, let the frozen goose thaw, preferably in the refrigerator or in a cool cellar, preferably in the packaging so that nothing dries out.

A succulent roast goose should also take about 60 minutes per kg of meat; if the goose is stuffed, add another 30 minutes. When roasting, pour the roast juice over it from time to time or, if necessary, add some stock, soup, or water so that the roast stays nice and juicy. If the goose is too dark, cover it with aluminum foil, reduce the temperature and increase the cooking time. When the roast is done, let it rest a bit before serving.

To determine when the martini goose is ready, pierce the leg with a fork or skewer. If the meat is still firm and the juice that comes out is still reddish, the goose is not done yet; if the juice is clear and the meat is tender, the goose is ready.

Geese roasted at a low temperature take a little longer, for 5 kg of goose you can count on 8 hours at 120 °C (convection). However, this keeps the meat particularly tender! At the end of the roasting time, switch on the grill and briefly grill the goose at 250 °C so that it turns golden brown and crispy on the outside.

5) Correct carving needs to be learned

But it’s not that difficult, whether with a knife or poultry shears. First cut off the wings (if they are fried and not used for the stock), separate the legs and cut them into thighs and drumsticks, then cut the breast open in the middle, starting from the stomach to the left and right of the breastbone, scrape the breast meat from the bones and remove the filling.

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Freezing Potatoes: What Speaks for and What Against

Freeze potatoes? That’s the first thought when you’ve cooked too many potatoes again. But it’s not that easy to freeze potatoes.

Freeze raw potatoes?

Unfortunately, raw potatoes are not suitable for freezing. The low temperatures in the freezer turn starch into sugar – so the potatoes would taste much sweeter. This is not harmful to health, but the taste is very unusual. In addition, freezing destroys the cell structure. As a result, potatoes will look glassy and mushy after thawing.

Freeze boiled potatoes

In principle, however, you can freeze boiled potatoes: peeled, whole or in small pieces, you can use them after defrosting to make soup or mashed potatoes. Nevertheless, the consistency changes even when cooked, so you should really only freeze potatoes in an emergency.

However, the situation is different if you freeze the potatoes in their processed state: you can freeze potato soup and mashed potatoes without any problems, without the taste or consistency changing.

By the way, bought fries and croquettes keep so well in the freezer because they have been shock-frozen.

Instead of freezing: store potatoes properly

Freezing potatoes helps prevent potential food waste, but it’s not recommended. Because the freezer consumes a lot of energy and if the potatoes are not processed into mashed potatoes or potato soup, the consistency also suffers. If you want to preserve potatoes for a long time, a dry, cool and dark environment is ideal – for example the cellar. You can store potatoes there for months.

If you don’t have a basement or similar place for the potatoes, you should only buy small quantities. In vegetable and organic shops, potatoes are sold individually and not just in a large kilo sack. This is a much more effective way of preventing food waste.

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Apple Varieties: Old and New Apples and What They are Good For

Apple varieties: You should know these old and new apple varieties

Depending on where you shop, you probably know a handful of apple varieties and can identify them. But how do they actually differ? This image gallery introduces you to important apple varieties and shows when and how to use them.

The apple variety Boskop

The Boskop apple variety produces particularly large apples and is usually red-green in colour, only the “red Boskop” is red. Taste & Use: The Boskop tastes tart and sour and is considered an intense apple that some find too sour – ideal for applesauce and baked apples, for cooking and baking. Sustainability: This apple variety originally comes from Boskoop in the Netherlands, but is now also native to Germany. The season lasts from late September to mid-October, then from storage to March. Worth knowing: The apple contains few apple allergens.

The Topaz: often organic

Topaz is a young apple variety that was bred in the Czech Republic in the mid-1980s. The basic color of the apple is pastel yellow with red stripes, speckles or red colored areas. Taste & Use: The firm, tangy flesh makes the Topaz an all-rounder – it can be used for cooking and baking and tastes fresh and lemony. Sustainability: Because the Topaz is considered to be robust and not very susceptible to diseases, it is often used in organic fruit cultivation. Although the Topaz apple comes from the Czech Republic, it is grown throughout Central Europe. Season from the end of September, until March still from storage. Worth knowing: The allergy potential of Topaz is comparatively low.

Berlepsch: old apple variety with lots of vitamin C

The old apple variety Goldrenette Freiherr von Berlepsch was bred in 1880 on the Lower Rhine. It is flat round with a brown-red base color and light brown spots. Taste & use: The Berlepsch is highly aromatic with balanced acidity and, with its very crisp and juicy flesh, is a great table apple. Sustainability: The apple variety likes mild and moist soils, such as those on the Lower Rhine, where it is also cultivated a lot. The Berlepsch is freshly harvested from mid-September and is available as a good storage apple until the end of March.

Apple variety Santana: for allergy sufferers

The apple variety Santana has been on the market since 1996. The Santana is large, spherical and often has a greasy skin. On the sunny side it is bright red, otherwise yellow. Taste & use: The apple tastes slightly sour with a delicate tropical aroma and is suitable as a table apple, for cooking and baking. Sustainability: Once bred in the Netherlands, the Santana is now grown throughout Central Europe. The harvest begins in September. It can only be stored for a limited time (see: Storing apples): its quality decreases from January and you should avoid it then.

Summer apple: Gravensteiner

The Gravensteiner is a very old apple variety and has been known since 1669. The often crooked apples with a very oily, waxy skin come in color variations from green to red with yellow. Taste & use: The strong, spicy apple smells very intense and can be used for all preparation purposes. Sustainability: The Gravensteiner is grown in the north of the world, in Europe mainly in Scandinavia. This apple variety is a summer apple: it is harvested from August. Due to its poor storability, it is rarely offered until the winter months.

Apple variety that always tastes good: Rubinette

The Rubinette was not bred, but happened by chance in Switzerland in the mid-1960s. The yellow-orange-red coloring of the Rubinette Rossa can also be very red. Taste & use: The Rubinette apple variety has an intense fragrance and a very balanced apple aroma and is mainly consumed as a table apple. Sustainability: The apples grow up to medium altitudes and are therefore often grown in regions that are not typical for apples. Rubinette is harvested in mid-September, but does not store well, so sales usually end in December.

Elstar: classic among the varieties

Elstar is an apple variety bred in the Netherlands in 1955 from Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie. Its fruits are spherical and bright orange-red with yellow. Taste & use: Elstar is a sweet apple variety with a slight acidity and intensely spicy aroma with citrus and banana notes and is a good all-rounder for all types of preparation. Sustainability: Elstar is the apple most grown in Germany. The harvest takes place in September. It can only be stored to a limited extent and is therefore available until February at the latest.

Pinova: Apple variety from Dresden

The Pinova was bred in Dresden from the apple varieties Clivia and Golden Delicious. The medium-sized apples, tapering downwards, are golden yellow with partly large areas of orange-red. Taste & use: The rather coarse but firm flesh is slightly reminiscent of quince. Pinova apples are ideal for eating raw. Sustainability: The Pinova apple variety likes it warm and sunny and grows, for example, in the Rhineland, in the Old Country and around its “birthplace” Dresden. The Pinova is in season from the end of September. It can be stored until May, but then it becomes increasingly sweet and dry in taste.

Jona Gold: Central Europe’s most apple variety

The ball-sized, yellow to strawberry-red Jonagold apples were bred in the USA from Golden Delicious and Jonathan. Taste & Use: The flesh is yellowish and juicy and becomes soft after prolonged storage. Jonagold apples have a full-bodied sweet taste with a fine acidity and balanced aroma. Jonagold is equally suitable as a table apple as it is for baking and cooking. Sustainability: Although the Jonagold originally comes from the USA, it is now the most cultivated apple variety in Central Europe. In northern Germany, the Jonagored variant matures better. Jonagold is harvested from October and can be stored extremely well, so it can still be on sale until June.

Granny Smith – not a ‘green’ apple?

The light green Granny Smith is one of the best-known apple varieties. Discovered in Australia in 1868 by “Granny” Maria Ann Smith, it conquered the global fruit market thanks to its good transport properties. Taste & Use: Because of its pronounced acidity, Granny Smith is well suited for baking and cooking. Sustainability: This apple variety cannot be grown in Germany and comes at least from South Tyrol, but mostly from Chile, New Zealand or Australia in our fruit basket. From southern Europe he comes to us from October. In the southern hemisphere, Granny Smith is harvested in our spring and is therefore available “fresh” from April – with a corresponding ecological footprint.

Golden Delicious: cooking and baking apple

The Golden Delicious apple variety is an old apple variety from the USA. The apples are greenish to creamy yellow and uniform in shape. Taste & use: Good, sweet-aromatic table apple that does not disintegrate much when heated and is therefore also suitable for cooking and baking. Sustainability: The Golden Delicious is rarely grown in Germany and mainly comes to our stores from Italy, Austria or Switzerland. The season starts in mid-September. Thanks to its good shelf life, Golden Delicious can be offered until June, but the long refrigeration then increases its ecological footprint. Worth knowing: In the GDR, the Golden Delicious was grown excessively as a “yellow delicious”.

Gala Royal: Take a close look at the origin of the apple!

The Gala Royal apple is a variety of the Gala apple variety that was bred in 1970 and comes from New Zealand. The well-formed fruits are orange-red with yellow and only medium-sized. Taste & Use: The pale yellow flesh is very sweet and juicy and can be used in both cold and warm dishes. Sustainability: The Gala Royal is mainly grown in southern Germany and Switzerland, but for the European market it mostly comes from New Zealand and Chile and has correspondingly long transport routes behind it. European fruits of this apple variety are harvested in September and can only be stored until the end of winter. Gala Royal apples, which we offer in spring, are guaranteed to come from growing countries in the southern hemisphere.

Cox Orange: in spring from New Zealand

The Cox Orange already has its coloring in its name. The orange-red apple variety was discovered in England in 1825. Taste & Use: Like many old apple varieties, the Cox Orange has a distinctive, very balanced aroma with an intense smell and pleasant acidity. It is ideal for all types of preparation. Sustainability: Cox Orange likes a maritime climate and is rarely grown in Germany. He is mainly from England and New Zealand. If the Cox Orange comes from Germany or neighboring countries, it is in season from September. Apples that are sold from April mostly come from New Zealand. Worth knowing: The apple variety is highly allergenic and not suitable for apple allergy sufferers.

Determine apple varieties

Determining apple varieties is not that easy. In any case, only five to fifteen varieties are usual in the trade and as a consumer you have to go to special suppliers in order to be able to enjoy other and particularly old apple varieties.

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Mushrooms as a Meat Substitute: Which Varieties and How They are Suitable for This

Mushrooms are well suited as a meat substitute – both because of their nutritional values and because of their consistency. We will explain to you which varieties are particularly suitable and how to prepare the mushrooms as a vegan meat substitute.

In addition to tofu, seitan, lupine, tempeh and co, you can also use mushrooms as a meat substitute – and thus avoid animal products. We give you tips on how to use mushrooms properly in vegan cuisine.

Mushrooms as a meat substitute: These varieties are suitable

Mushrooms may initially seem a bit more exotic as a meat substitute than is the case with tofu, for example. Both the al dente consistency and the nutritional values speak in favor of using them as an alternative to meat. Among the various types of mushrooms, mushrooms, oyster and herb mushrooms, portobello and shiitake are particularly suitable as meat substitutes.

After all, they have large amounts of protein and only a few fats. They are also low in calories because mushrooms are two-thirds water. They also contain important minerals, such as magnesium or calcium, and lots of vitamins B, C and D.

Keep in mind, however, that despite being high in protein, mushrooms do not contain the same amount of protein as meat. In combination with legumes, you can add even more plant-based protein to your diet.

How to cook mushrooms as a meat substitute

Thoroughly clean your mushrooms with a brush or damp tea towel before cooking them. You can then steam, stew, roast or boil the mushrooms for a mushroom pan, for example. It is also possible to pickle them in oil and vinegar or eat them raw in a salad, for example as a mushroom salad. It is best to wait until the end to season your mushroom dish so that the mushrooms do not become tough.

You can use the individual types of mushrooms in different ways as a meat substitute: If you cut them lengthways, king oyster mushrooms and portobellos are good substitutes for schnitzels or burger patties or for the grill. Oyster mushrooms are also a vegan variant of the classic schnitzel because you can bread and fry this type of mushroom well. Mushrooms can be used to make mushroom patties or mushroom goulash, for example, and you can use shiitake mushrooms as a meat substitute for soups or stews.

Things to know about buying and storing mushrooms

Mushrooms as a meat substitute have another advantage: They are in season almost all year round. You can find other season times in our Utopia season calendar. In late summer and autumn you can go mushroom picking in the forest yourself. Alternatively, it is best to buy your mushrooms regionally – for example at the weekly market or in the organic market around the corner. Mushrooms, for example, are grown all year round.

When buying, make sure that the mushrooms do not show any mold, bruises or an unpleasant smell. The organic seal also guarantees you that they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Store your mushrooms in cool temperatures if possible. They will keep in the vegetable drawer of your fridge for up to three days. Wrap them in a paper bag or tea towel. It is important that some air gets to the mushrooms. But be careful: if you keep them together with other foods, they may take on their smell. To make them last longer, you should freeze your mushrooms, preferably in screw-top jars in the freezer.

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