Fall has really set in around here with foggy mornings, flying leaves and a fair amount of drizzly weather. All these mark the beginning of my favorite wildcrafting expeditions of the year, mushroom hunting. Getting out in the woods as things are winding down for the Winter to gather up baskets full of succulent, tasty fungi is a treat all on its own, not to mention the wide array of culinary possibilities that await upon returning home with the bounty. It’s also a favorite wildcrafting adventure for my children, who after complaining about the enforced labor of berry picking by the time Summer is over, run about shouting with glee as they find fiery orange chanterelles, violet hued pig’s ears, and creamy colored hedgehog mushrooms emerging from the moss and duff of the forest floor. Think Easter egg hunt in November, and you’ve got the idea. It’s a good time.
The last two months have been a little drier than last year, so mushroom season has gotten a slow start, but I figured it was time to visit some of my favorite spots and see what could be found. My daughter and I brought along some friends who had never been, and although I could tell the season hadn’t yet gotten into full swing, our rainy afternoon of scouring some nearby Forest Service lands yielded a respectable haul. Being the natural keen-eyed gatherers that they are, the kids managed to find more chanterelles than the adults. I’m not even sure that they’re big fans of eating them, but the fun was in the finding.
Since then I’ve been enjoying such delights as gourmet chanterelle pizza, chanterelle scramble, Chinese stir fry with chanterelles, and beer cheese soup with chanterelles and artichoke hearts. I try to spend a few minutes everyday brainstorming mushroom recipe ideas, lest I run out of ideas before I run out of mushrooms. Since I only found chanterelles on this excursion, I’m thinking another is in order for some hedgehogs and hopefully a cauliflower mushroom if I’m lucky.
Fall is delicious.
good to see you, lara! i love that picture of you. 🙂 we've been in chanterelle mode too, though i personally don't like mushroom texture… lame! i know. but i like the flavor, and love the hunt and gather, and believe there is some crucial element inside that PNWers require in their diets, so this year i consulted joy of cooking and i made some "chasseur sauce" (pas chaUsseure! chasseur=hunter) and it is said (by joy) to go well with game meat… which is true, in my recent experience.
and can i just say again how good it is to see you? how have you been?
Thanks Mary Beth. It's good to hear from you 🙂
Chanterelles have so much vitamin D, so it's good when you can find ways to eat them even if the texture is an obstacle. I'm going to look for this amazing looking sauce in my Joy of Cooking and try it with some elk!
Gourmet Chanterelle pizza…now there's an idea to tantalize my children's taste buds.
Lovely photographs.x
Good on you for getting out and getting the hunt on!
I'm in W. Wash and it has been a rough mushroom season or else I'm crappy at it. This is my first year chanterelle hunting and so I'm establishing spots still but I haven't found much more than a couple of pounds in total 🙁
Mmmm… Chanterelles are awesome! We picked quite a few earlier in the season, and are hoping to find a few more this weekend. When we can't cope with the quantity, we sauté them in butter and garlic and freeze them for future meals. Not AS good as fresh, but nearly. 🙂 Hope you find a sparassis. We haven't in several years. They are the BEST! 🙂
How fun!
Love that you described it as an Easter Egg in November! 🙂