To get to the BenofDares one must pass through the Valley of Giants.

After the sighting of the Phellodon melaleucus, which already made it a successful outing for McDowell, Balfour continued leading the trek to the BenofDares. The air was thick with anticipation. Entering the Valley of Giants they climbed over and under trees that had fallen in the latest storm, through the green undergrowth of moss and ferns and stopped in amazement. Everywhere they looked were big, bold chanterelles with stalks so thick they must have had a bolete Mom.

Check out the stalk on that beauty.

This way to the Valley of Giants. Be careful where you step the forest floor is full of mushroom villages.

A little nest of pines and no bugs! Often the small pines are buggy but these were white all the way through.

Huge, gorgeous chanterelles were glowing throughout the forest floor in groups and villages.

McDowell would have taken more photos but it took all her time just to keep up to the chanterelles that appeared in groups, then in villages and then towns. So many perfect chanterelles. Later that night McDowell had one for dinner – one! What an adventure. And we haven’t even made it as far as the BenofDares yet. Will we ever?

 

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

 

About the Matsutake Mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake)
and the White Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare)

Matsutake (Japanese: 松茸, pine mushroom, Tricholoma matsutake = syn. T. nauseosum) is the common name for a highly sought-after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is prized by the Japanese and Chinese for its distinct spicy-aromatic door.

In the North American Pacific Northwest Tricholoma magnivelare is found in coniferous forests made up of one or more of the following species: Douglas-fir, Noble Fir, Shasta Red Fir, Sugar Pine, Ponderosa Pine, or Lodgepole Pine. In California and parts of Oregon, it is also associated with hardwoods, including Tanoak, Madrone, Rhododendron, Salal, and Manzanita. In northeastern North America, the mushroom is generally found in Jack Pine forests. T. magnivelare is typically called White Matsutake as it does not feature the brown coloration of the Asian specimen.

More information: Tricholoma matsutake: Wikipedia and Tricholoma magnivelare: Wickipedia

 

September 206 was dry and we were really searching hard to find a mushroom. September 15 is McDowell’s parents anniversary and usually she celebrates with a day of foraging chanterelles. This year she managed to find one in the forest on Lower Road. Well, even one chanterelle is enough to celebrate with. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad and to everyone in the mushroom world kicking off another fall season!

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

Woods have been so dry this summer that mushrooms were hard to find.

McDowell was traipsing around finding nothing when she heard Balfour cry Oh Jayun. And behold a little family of chanties of which one was massive. McDowell immediately called out Biggest Summer Chanterelle Ever! Balfour, who is not as excitable, declared it the Biggest August Chanterelle.

 

McDowell would have been happy finding the two little ones. But that Balfour always pulls a chanterelle out of a hat… And then McDowell puts it into a frying pan!

 

So even though the mushrooms haven’t started popping, it’s the dog days of summer and McDowell has figs to harvest, firewood to split, deer hanging in the backyard, a new skateboard and late nights of kayaking and howling at the moon. Happiness abounds.

Every August McDowell has 100s of figs to harvest and holds Figlapalooza. Just look for the big fig tree, listen for the music and come on by!

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

What happens when McDowell goes into a hot dry forest holding out her (surfing) hat?

Balfour fills it with summer chanterelles and a few hedgehogs!

The chanterelles remind McDowell of the mushrooms she picks in Ontario: Firm, perfect texture and bold concentrated taste. We just gathered a hatful because the dogs were whining about not getting a decent walk in with us stopping to ooo and ahhh over these babies.

The hedgehogs (not shown because they were first picked and in the bottom of the hat) are a mystery to us, usually they don’t appear until fall. We’ll have to ask them.

Just look at the ridges standing proud. Yes bit dry on the ends. What a beauty.

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

Walking with friends and what do we find in February but the apt named Winter Chanterelles aka Yellowfoot / Yellowfeet?. Not as golden as their cousins and a bit waterlogged from the winter rains, but still a delicious and welcome treat, in the cold months.

February 20, 2016

 

A pretty good collection for February!

 

About Craterellus tubaeformis

Craterellus tubaeformis (formerly Cantharellus tubaeformis) is an edible fungus, also known as Yellowfoot, winter mushroom, or Funnel Chanterelle. It is mycorrhizal, forming symbiotic associations with plants, making it very challenging to cultivate. It is smaller than the golden chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) and has a dark brown cap with paler gills and a hollow yellow stem. C. tubaeformis tastes stronger but less fruity than the golden chanterelle. It has a very distinctive smokey, peppery taste when raw. It grows in temperate and cold parts of Northern America and Europe, including Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, and the British Isles, as well as in the Himalayas in Asia, including Assam, in the central parts of the Indian Subcontinent, and in Thailand .

C. tubaeformis is a yellowish-brown and trumpet-shaped mushroom found in great numbers late in the mushroom season, thus earning the common name winter mushroom. The cap is convex and sometimes hollow down the middle. The gills are widely separated, and of lighter color than the cap. It grows on moss or rotten wood, and in Northern America it is found mostly in conifer bogs. It is an excellent food mushroom, especially fried or in soups, and is easily dried for preservation.

More information: Craterellus tubaeformis, Wikipedia

A snowy walk with the pups at Sprockids on the Sunshine Coast and we got a bit off track. We were following Stringer Trail and then we weren’t. But what does McDowell’s eye catch on the periphery – could it be, that familiar golden colour… By golly, yes it was. The top of a chanterelle. And what do McDowell’s eyes do then? They grow wide, her mouth opens to utter an oh oh oh and Balfour turns to see what’s going on. And then of course the trained chanterelle-sniffing dogs (not) try to jump on top of it. But crisis is averted and a beautiful slightly frozen chanterelle is unearthed from the leaves and snow covering it. Balfour (the official caller of whether or not it will count) affirms that this is to be recorded a find.

And so this is the latest-in-the-year chanterelle ever found by Meronwood.

December 27, 2015

Pretty darn gorgeous for a December baby!

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

And the chanterelles keep giving. A rainy fall day, foraging the woods on Mount Elphinestome, breathing that fresh air and finding golden chanterelles against the beautiful green backdrop of the forest.

A dry fry to get the water out and Fay’s your aunt, dinner is served! And yes what would Julia say with the mushrooms touching in the pan.

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia

 

Who doesn’t love the sight and taste of a chanterelle. It’s the mushroom on everyone’s lips. And why not – beautiful golden colour, rich texture and sooo delicious! McDowell eats so many mushrooms she tends to forget how wonderful the ubiquitous chanterelle is until she finds one and  it’s love at first sight all over again.

 

Yes, McDowell was recently back from Cuba and posed the beauty chanties with a bottle of rum. Arrr matey. Which segues into a riddle from my friend Jay.

What’s a pirate’s favourite letter?

R   (I responded – duh)

Ahh yes, but they also like the C

 

About Cantharellus cibarius

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

More information: Cantharellus ciborium, Wikipedia