Fungi Friday - The Chants Are Out

Looks like the summer rains have finally brought out the chanterelles.

Before I get into the chanterelle harvest I also found quite a few twig mushrooms out.

The Latin name is Marasmiellus ramealis and technically they are edible but they are so tiny and tasteless that no one would ever consider harvesting them.

Now for the tasty chanterelles. Typically during the summer and fall rains they come out of dark earth or in grassy areas under hardwood trees.

The Latin name is Cantharellus cibarius and they can be identified by their orange color as well as how their gills run down the stem.

Here are a couple more examples of their veins. It is best to go out about a day after a heavy rain to look for them while they are fresh. Otherwise tiny bugs will burrow up inside the stems.

Now that I have a good harvest its time to take them home and clean them. Look at all the dark earth they've picked up while growing.

To remedy the little dark soil bits I soak them in salt water for about a minute.

Then I rinse them a couple times and let them dry out for a good hour.

This time I ended up just cooking them in butter and black pepper and froze them for use later on top of different dishes. You can also dehydrate them and they kind of turn into powder bits which is perfect for soups and gravies later on. So many grow around here that I have to figure out ways to store them for later, freezing or dehydrating works the best.

That's all for now, happy #fungifriday