This past weekend, I woke up at 4:30 am and arrived at my parent’s house at 5:10 am. We gathered our things, including the family dog, and headed towards the coast. The destination was a hunting site my parents frequented. The land is privately owned by a logging company, but they allow hunters to go on the thousands of acres and try their luck at shooting a Bambi. We arrived before dusk and my dad went walking around for about a half hour, but didn’t spot any deer. In the meantime, my mom and I were trying to catch up on sleep in the car. Once he returned, we had some breakfast and drove to the mushroom picking area, which is in the same forest. The mushrooms we were after, were “Chanterelles”, one of my favorite fungi.
While the Morel mushroom is probably the most widely known of the wild mushrooms, it is the Chanterelle mushrooms which many of the world’s great chefs prize above all others.
Chanterelles are only found in the wild. So far, efforts to cultivate Chanterelles have never proved successful.
Tough mild, Chanterelles have that slight spicy edge which is characteristic of things that grow on their own in the forests and fields - something that comes from competing in a natural environment. The Chanterelle is distinctive in that its flavor is saturated, and stands up well to main ingredients in soups, stews and other main courses. It is one of the most distinctively flavored mushrooms in the world. It has been described as having the aroma of apricots and tasting more like a flower than a mushroom.
High in vitamins A and D, Chinese folk remedies have for centuries attributed curative powers to the Chanterelle, using them particularly for vision and respiratory problems. [source]
As far as I know, you don’t need a permit to pick Chanterelles, as long as you don’t pick a lot. Otherwise, I think the permit is $130 for the season, which is a steal, considering how much they’re worth. On the way home, we stopped by a roadside stand, and saw they were selling Chanterelles for $8.00 a pound ($17.60 USD/kg). On the internet, they sell for $18-$20 a pound ($39.60 USD/kg).
The mushrooms this season have been even better because of lack of rain. The water content is low, making the mushrooms really meaty and dense. I just love eating them sauteed in butter.
Tue, Oct 17, 2006
Oregon, Photos