Finally, let's go mushroom hunting!

How to Find Chanterelle Mushrooms

Raining Today

from Pinterest

The University of Oregon is my school, so I couldn't resist this pic of the football stadium to show you.  The long, dry weather has finally changed to rain. It rained about 2 1/2" over a few days, here on the farm. This weather will slow down the wildfires around us. 

This rain may start the fall mushroom crop. I look forward to hunting and collecting the Chanterelle mushroom. This mushroom is very good fresh, and I dry them to use throughout the year.

Hunting and Gathering Wild Mushrooms

We are having several nice, sunny, days this week. It is wonderful after the wettest October in 57 years. Hubby and I spent about 3 hours looking for wild mushrooms. There were many varieties of mushrooms that I noticed during my walks into the woods. I was stalking the wild Chanterelle, that is shown in this pic. My free, personal use mushroom permit allows me to harvest up to 20 gallons of mushroom's. I think that I got about 2 gallons. I will use some to prepare a wonderful recipe for Cream of Chanterelle soup. So....delicious! The rest will be sliced and dried. The mushrooms reconstitute very well. I try to get enough dried for 3 - 2 quart canning jars.

This website tells more about harvesting these mushrooms.
www.wild-harvest.com/chanterelle-mushrooms/

Chanterelles - A Lovely Fungi

These wonderful wild mushrooms are in peak season right now. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, they are abundant in second growth Douglas-fir forests. The bright yellow makes them easy to find. Hubby and I drove about 5 miles from our home (to public land, Willamette National Forest) and found a bunch this afternoon. They are best eaten while fresh...however, they do dry very well in a dehydrator. They are many recipes online to peruse. My favorite is Cream of Chanterelle Soup. Hubby likes them sauteed as a side dish or to put on omelets and such. The mushrooms are available in specialty grocers at a high price, so you can taste them in a dish.

Hunting Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms

You know that it is fall when the leaves are turning red, orange and yellow...and when the mushrooms are up. The Golden Chanterelle mushrooms are abundant in this area, and fairly easy to find.  Nicole and Bryan came to visit last weekend, and they wanted to pick the mushrooms and make the wonderful soup recipe that I have. I know a good place to find these delightful mushrooms, so, off we went. It didn't take long to find the mushrooms and fill a shopping bag of chanterelles. These mushrooms are good fresh, and they dehydrate very well. I do have a permit for hunting mushrooms on public lands.


I found this recipe on www.cdkitchen.com

Cream of Chanterelle Mushroom Soup

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup finely Chopped Onion

1 Lb fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms, cleaned and well chopped

2 Tablespoons Flour

2 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Half and Half

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Melt Butter in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to coat onions and mushrooms with flour. Add broth, immediately bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add half and half, salt and pepper and heat on low, just below a simmer, for 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4.

This soup is even better after being refrigerated 24 hours, the flavors improve.