If mushrooms are to be preserved, the initial step is to clean the fruit bodies prior to any processing. You should never wash a mushroom. Trim any damaged parts and excess stem with dirt attached, with a knife, and then remove any other debris with small brush. Horsehair or nylon bristles are fine, but here is an excellent brush out there on the market with a stainless steal handle and rubber bristles which is excellent. Some knives have a brush attached to them, and if you clean as you collect, reducing the amount of dirt in your basket, you will be doing yourself a big favour.

By far the easiest way to preserve fungi is to dry it. Although Chantarelles can become a bit tough dried, many other species dry well. If you want to preserve features for identification then you should use a food dehydrator set at 30 degrees for 24 - 48 hrs depending on the size of your specimen. Mushrooms for consumption can be dried at higher temperatures and cut up in to smaller pieces, which will significantly reduce your drying times. You can also simply string your fungi high over a stove, range cooker, or boiler.

Mushrooms do not store well frozen, but if you fry your mushrooms in butter and then freeze them, or make your whole sauce in advance, then this becomes a very handy way to keep your fungi for later use.

If you find yourself with a large number of mushrooms after a day out, you may want to consider making mushroom ketchup, soup, or simply try to be a little more restrained next time - others may wish to enjoy the fungi as well and many insects and animals rely on fruit bodies as a valuable food source or habitat!

Pickling fungi in jars can be more complicated. If this is not done properly, it is very easy to give yourself or a friend bacterial food poisoning. So find a reliable recipe and stick to it carefully paying particular attention to hygiene and only use clean mushrooms in excellent condition.