Wild mushrooms!

[Canuck]

Great year for summer mushrooms.  Got another nice batch of chantarelles tonight and a nice chicken of the woods.  Tasty treats.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Canuck

[Rod Caster]

I normally pick a few pounds of chantrelles each year, blanche them and freeze them. I'll go check my spots this weekend, thanks for the reminder. 

I took a close look at yours, they look really clean, no bugs. One year I experienced a hot flush after eating some... hooo boy! After that I was far more careful to make sure they were super fresh, with no slug damage and no pin holes (where bugs lay eggs). Only the cleanest get kept now. 

[Canuck]

2 hours ago, Rod Caster said:

I normally pick a few pounds of chantrelles each year, blanche them and freeze them. I'll go check my spots this weekend, thanks for the reminder. 

I took a close look at yours, they look really clean, no bugs. One year I experienced a hot flush after eating some... hooo boy! After that I was far more careful to make sure they were super fresh, with no slug damage and no pin holes (where bugs lay eggs). Only the cleanest get kept now. 

With the hot weather and the rain they are popping up in large quantities and growing fast.  The bugs I don't think are keeping up.  There were good sized ones yesterday in spots where there were none at all three days ago.  Its a great year for them.  Not sure how long the season will last, but I am going out every evening after work (and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes -  Its a good year for them too!)

[jimmer]

They look delicious, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to pick the ones that we can eat. Hopefully I can learn someday.

[Canuck]

54 minutes ago, jimmer said:

They look delicious, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to pick the ones that we can eat. Hopefully I can learn someday.

I am relatively new and I stick to the ones that really do not have poisonous look alikes. Once you know what chanterelles look, feel and smell like, there is no risk of mistake. But you need someone to show you. 

[Sterling]

1 hour ago, jimmer said:

They look delicious, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to pick the ones that we can eat. Hopefully I can learn someday.

Like Canuck said, learn to identify specific mushrooms and chances of poisoning are slim to none. Deadly mushrooms are actually quite rare, and the harmful ones are easy to ID. 

Mushroom hunting is so much fun, and the kids love it too.

[Sinker]

It was a great year for morels too. My best yet. I haven't looked for chantarelles yet....seems early....maybe not. I will take a look. 

S. 

[ehg]

Morels are the best. Season is almost over.  Google Black Trumpet mushrooms they are found with chantrelles and are same family. Pretty good wild eats.

 

[Sinker]

1 hour ago, ehg said:

Morels are the best. Season is almost over.  Google Black Trumpet mushrooms they are found with chantrelles and are same family. Pretty good wild eats.

 

I agree on the morels. My favourite by far. Nice to hear from you bud! 

S. 

[Canuck]

This is the first year I have tied Chicken of the Woods.  Very strange and interesting.  Picked young they are great.  If you fry them up wiht garlic powder butter and pepper they taste and have the consistency of chicken breast with a faint mushroom taste.  Fried some up and made a fantastic "chicken" pizza with them the first time.

[Chuck Enwinde]

6 hours ago, Canuck said:

This is the first year I have tied Chicken of the Woods.  Very strange and interesting.  Picked young they are great.  If you fry them up wiht garlic powder butter and pepper they taste and have the consistency of chicken breast with a faint mushroom taste.  Fried some up and made a fantastic "chicken" pizza with them the first time.

Looks like it might be laetiporus cincinnatus.  I've heard people say they taste better than the more common laetiporus sulphurus.     For anyone interested check out the mushroom videos from "Learn your Land".  Takes alot of the mystery out of wild mushrooms.   I had a great year for morels too.

[muskybw]

23 hours ago, jimmer said:

They look delicious, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to trust myself to pick the ones that we can eat. Hopefully I can learn someday.

i'm with you, i live in middlesex county, lots of fungus growing on trees & in the ground, but you eat the wrong one ?

[jimmer]

55 minutes ago, muskybw said:

i'm with you, i live in middlesex county, lots of fungus growing on trees & in the ground, but you eat the wrong one ?

I checked out some youtube videos but still have some hesitation. Might have to try to find a group to join.

I think I might have the chantarelles figured out, but I never see them around my place. Wrong type of forest.

[Canuck]

49 minutes ago, jimmer said:

I checked out some youtube videos but still have some hesitation. Might have to try to find a group to join.

I think I might have the chantarelles figured out, but I never see them around my place. Wrong type of forest.

Chanterelles only grow under oaks around here.   If you had someone show you them in the ground first hand you will see how obvious they are. 

[Sinker]

1 hour ago, jimmer said:

I checked out some youtube videos but still have some hesitation. Might have to try to find a group to join.

I think I might have the chantarelles figured out, but I never see them around my place. Wrong type of forest.

I'm not far from you and there are lots and lots of them if you get out in the woods. I don't generally keep too many, as they aren't my favourite to eat, but there are lots when conditions are right. 

 

S.

[Old Ironmaker]

I got very sick one year eating shrooms that I shouldn't have. Like someone inserted vice grips in your gut and kept twisting it. Now when someone points out wild mushrooms here we should pick I tell them to go ahead and eat them, if you are still alive in the AM I might have some too. 

[Canuck]

9 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

I got very sick one year eating shrooms that I shouldn't have. Like someone inserted vice grips in your gut and kept twisting it. Now when someone points out wild mushrooms here we should pick I tell them to go ahead and eat them, if you are still alive in the AM I might have some too. 

That’s what my wife says each time I come back with them! LOL. 

[Big Cliff]

I really envy you young fellows that know where and what to look for when it comes to wild mushrooms.  The only one I ever harvest is puff balls, those I  have fresh then dehydrate some for the fall/winter and I use that in sauces and soup. My other favorite wild harvests are leeks, fiddleheads, and wild rice. I would quite happily share some of my spots for the opportunity to add to my larder.

[Canuck]

Here is my chantarelle risotto with scallops and shrimp.  Great way to use them.  Their unique subtle flavour goes great with the scallops.