Chanterelle mushrooms!!!!

[csziggy]

A woman is is friends with a former client saw me at the library a few months back and asked if she could come out and hunt for chanterelle mushrooms. I said, "Sure! If you show what they look like."

She hasn't been able to make it out to the farm until today. Since it is late in the season for this area and a little drier than it was earlier this year we didn't find many, but we found a few.

She gave me four large ones to try out. I have a sockeye salmon fillet for dinner so I'm going to saute the salmon and the chanterelles with some thyme and garlic in butter and olive oil with a little white wine to deglaze the pan. (the recipe I found calls for sliced shallots but I didn't know I would need those when I was at the store buying the salmon. I'll serve that with some Konriko Pecan Rice and some mixed vegetables.

Hopefully now that I know what the chanterelles look like and where to find them I can have them more in the future. The nice lady who showed me where to look and what to look for suggested freezing them (after boiling them) until there are enough for a meal. The four she gave me today are plenty for a sauce for the salmon!

[drray23]

1. its a delicacy where i am from (france)

We also enjoy them with omelets. its a classic dish.

[csziggy]

4. The lady that showed me is from Russia

She said some places there they grow year round. Here they only grow when it is really wet, which it has been this year.

I can see how they would be good with an omelet - they have such a delicate flavor. They were great with the salmon.

[Backwoodsrider]

2. here too when the rains start

I like them fried with scrambled eggs

[csziggy]

5. I may try them like that or with an omelet

My husband was expecting a stronger flavor but he decided he liked them with the salmon and rice. They are a nice change from the boring white mushrooms we usually see at the store.

[Backwoodsrider]

12. yes I bet they are great with salmon never had them with rice though

One of the bests part is they are organic and not processed plus they have a taste that goes with what they are cooked with

[csziggy]

13. This was one of the kind of dinners I like to cook

Wild caught sockeye salmon, organic brown rice (with a little wild rice thrown in), mixed organic vegetables (Costco Broccoli Normandy mix with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and squash), and of course the mushrooms. The most processed ingredient was the olive oil!

Basically I sauteed the mushrooms in the butter and olive oil with the juices that came out of the salmon. At the end I threw in a little white wine just to keep everything moist. Cooked it down so we had a nice mushroom sauce. Rice and vegetables on the side with the chanterelle sauce over the rice and salmon.

I sprinkled the salmon with some kosher salt and thyme before putting it in the pan. I probably should have added some more thyme to the mushrooms, but the flavor was good anyway.

The lady had been hoping to get permission to come out and collect mushrooms - she knows we don't use chemicals on the farm so she knew the mushrooms would be safe.

[Backwoodsrider]

14. wow that sounds good

and so full of safe nutrients sounds like you and your husband are eating good!

[PearliePoo2]

3. Where I live, (Wa. State) Chanterelles don't come until the fall after a rain and warm temps.

I found a special spot deep in the thick Salal brush where they grow profusely. Lucky me!

[csziggy]

6. Since we usually have wet springs that's when they grow here

It's been a very wet spring and summer so we still have a few.

Next spring I know where to look and may get some before the lady does! Though I will leave her some as thanks for showing me the gold I have been leaving to the animals.

[Kali]

7. be carefull

I thought those were easy and safe because they are so distinctive looking but there is a look-a-like toxic kind.

[csziggy]

9. That's why I haven't been mushroom hunting since my college days

We knew exactly which mushrooms we were looking for back then!

As for other varieties I was just not sure what grew locally and what was safe. The local native plant nursery has workshops on this kind of thing but they are always packed. Plus I either had otehr things scheduled or was not able to walk far enough to participate. I have been waiting for someone who knew what to watch for.

This lady showed us what to look for, pointed out the only other yellow mushroom that grows in this area and how to tell the difference.

She stopped by a few minutes ago - she found another patch of the mushrooms and had a huge bag of them, gave us about half. She said she left a lot of "babies" so if it remains rainy we should be able to pick more. She pointed out the exact spot and we'll be able to easily find them.

So we may have a new valuable item on the farm!

[Kali]

10. LOL

I was always to afraid to try the wild ones, though they seemed to be correct.

Excellent to make a connection with somebody that knows what they are doing! We have been overcast and rainy for about 10 days now - even we have various mushrooms coming up all over the place. Turning out to be a good July.

[csziggy]

11. That particular pasture had been a "shroom source for many years

Word was passed down from one person to another and the previous knowers of the source took their new adherents there and taught them what to look for.

Alas! Development caught up with the place. First the cows were sold and gone so no more productive cow patties. Then the land was sold and now it is a stop over along the interstate with restaurants and hotels.

In the past I have seen 'shrooms I suspected were the right ones here on the farm but those days are long past for me - though maybe a few would make life more bearable.

[teezy]

8. Chanterelles are amazing!

These seemed to be a common ingredient when we were touring through Bavaria last summer. My god, I'd never had them until then, but I fell in love.

[Saviolo]

15. Gotta love chanterelles!

I'm a fan of just about any mushroom (except for shiitake, the woody texture puts me off a little). Chanterelles are beautiful, colourful, and delicate.

Also, on a slightly related tangent, has anyone seen this mushroom identifying app? Seems potentially deadly to me!

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