Shakin’ Chanterelles

On my bucket list of mushrooms to find, I knocked off chanterelles this year. I only have oysters and maitake left. I found the chanterelles quite by accident, when we went to my mother-in-laws for a swim in her pool, and again when I decided to take my kids to the local park. They were brightly colored under the shade of oaks, and I took home close to 5 pounds. It looks like August is the season in the northeast for these prized mushrooms.

I don’t know how anyone could mistaken the false gills of the chanterelles, because they certainly are very different from true gills of both the false chants and the toxic jack-o-lanterns.

Their distinctly fruity chlorine smell is also hard to mistaken. While lots of people claim they smell like apricots, I can’t get away from the smell of stone fruits mixed with bleach. It’s not a pleasant smell to me when they’re raw, but once cooked, it disappears and the result is a delicate mushroom with a wonderful texture, not overpowering the way boletes can sometimes be.