DAMN IT Don't you know it - every time you get a season where you can't stop finding chanterelles... like, it's annoying to keep harvesting them... you go to a friggin grocery store and there they are, in better condition than the frankenbabies you picked yesterday, and they are $10/lb. Do you know what a pound of chanterelles looks like? A LOT. Here's a friggin picture that I took specifically to demonstrate. All joking aside, it is glorious to be in a glut of wild mushrooms. This is one of those years when chanterelles in the PNW look like they have had a real nice time munching on pure lard all season long. But not every year is like this, and... reminder... many mushrooms require entire ecosystems to be in harmony in order to fruit. For example, Cantharellus Cascadensis (newly recognized species!) requires old Fir or Hemlock trees in order to fruit. If our old-growth forests are logged we won't see these mushrooms again until the trees are old enough to support and trade nutrients and water with chanterelle mycelium. This could mean a 50-year chanterelle drought in places that have been logged. So! Don't forget to do everything in your power to protect forests and wild places if you love mushrooms. Also here's a recipe for Chanterelle and Chicken Paté for the years when all you'll have are sad little crumbs. Meanwhile if you're in a glut, just brown a whack of them in butter and eat them on toast. Them's the Dregs |
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October 2019
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