This highly prised mushroom, which comes in season here in Norway from as early as June, is super tasty, easy to recognise and can grow in big amounts – hence its popularity among wild mushroom enthusiasts. The Østfold forests are full of chanterelles this time of year, and it won’t take you long to find a spot where to pick some. Chanterelles like mixed woods (this means both pine and conifer) but also often grow along forest roads, so just keep your eyes peeled for dashes of gold on the forest floor as you drive around.
How to identify them:
- The cap: bright yellow to orange, smooth, often becomes wavy at the edge as the mushroom matures.
- The flesh: firm and white, tinged with yellow and smelling slightly fruity.
- The stalk: thick and full, not hollow.
- The gills: not true gills, but thick ridges, similarly coloured or lighter than the cap, that run part way down the stem.
Eat them fresh, dry them (on a tray covered with newpapers for 2-3 days, thereafter in a net, preferably somewhere airy), or freeze them (cook them first to get rid of as much of the water as possible). My preferred way of eating them is just fried, with a bit of salt and pepper, on a slice of bread. Or add cream, and a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon – they are delicious prepared this way too. And of course you can use chanterelles in many dishes (see links below). Don’t feel restricted to use them with meat only though. My sister makes a fantastic salmon and chanterelles lasagna – the two go very well together too.
More info, and some recipes, at www.mssf.org/cookbook/chanterelle.html and www.wild-harvest.com/pages/chanterelle.htm