Friday, December 24, 2010

Foraging for chanterelles

Lucky me, a foraging enthusiast lives next door to my aunt and uncle in Los Altos Hills, CA!

I got to go on a walk with him to a few places that he knew they typically grow. Literally on the side of the road. I don't think that people realize how many mushrooms are growing around us unless they look for them!

One statement that stuck was in reference to the thought process that he has on foraging for mushrooms. If you think about it as a walk in the woods, then you won't be disappointed if the search is not fruitful (or fungi-ful). But we found some beauties!


A little about chanterelles:
  • Bright orange, bald cap, usually concave or wavy when mature.
  • Well spaced gills, shallow, blunt-edged, and fairly thick, often with connecting veins in between.
  • Gills are the same color as the cap or paler, running down the stalk.
  • Stalk colored like cap or a little paler, solid (as in not hollow)
  • White flesh, or tinge of yellow
The tricky part was that they were growing beneath a layer of leaves on the ground, not exactly the easiest thing to see. However, they bloom in the same place every year so once you find a patch, you know that in a years time, there will be more.

Can't wait to cook these buggers up! I'm thinking sauteed and served crostini style?

post cleaning

1 comment:

  1. Awesome!!! Gorgeous Gourmet Goodness. uber mushrooms among the most uber veggie. Congrats

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