Dreams do come true, check out this ridiculous patch of #SmoothChanterelles or #Cantharelluslateritius. They are mycorrhizal with Oaks and potentially other hardwoods. Their defining feature is a slightly wrinkly but mostly smooth underside (hymenium) without well defined ridges or gills. They have white flesh, white spores, and an aroma that conjures memories of apricots and play dough.
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They are excellent edible mushrooms with a mild earthy flavor and meaty texture. My favorite was to process these is to wash them (there’s no way to brush off this many chanties) then dry sauté them in a pan (no oil/butter) until the liquid cooks off. Once the mushrooms start to stick to the pan, I add some neutral oil and fry over med-low heat until they are crispy and browned. At this point they can be frozen or stored for for their cooking. To pick them up for service, I’ll melt some butter, add thyme and shallots, then dump my chanties in to get some extra browning and infuse the flavor of thyme and allium, deglaze with Sherry/Sherry vinegar and serve. They make an amazing addition to any pasta, pizza, egg dish but can also be used for stir fries, pulled pork, and virtually any dish you can dream up.
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This is easily the largest and most impressive patch of chanterelles I’ve seen anywhere in the world. I feel very lucky to be able to pay tribute to this patch and sustainably harvest some mushrooms. As I say in the video, best practices dictates that you leave ~50% if what you find (although I waver know this depending on conditions). I try to only take what I need and be very selective about taking the best mushrooms for eating. I picked ~15lbs here and it barely made a dent. Stoaked to see such abundance in nature, very much worth preserving and protecting.
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#chanterelles #chanties #chanterelle #chanterellemushrooms #mushroomhunting #mushroomspotting #mushroomhunter #mushroomforaging #ediblemushrooms #foraging #wildfoodlove #foragedfood #fascinatedbyfungi #mycology #newhampshire #mushroomlove
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