Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

We've been getting lots and lots of mushrooms through our "Dogma Box" recently, and they've been stacking up in the refrigerator.  I finally had the idea to make some mushroom barley soup over the weekend, and added some dried chanterelles that I've been meaning to use for awhile.  The soup came out excellent, and gives me a chance to write about mushrooms again!

History: The chanterelle, also called the golden chanterelle, has a distribution throughout the world, mostly in temperate climates.  It remains a 100% foraged mushroom, and can be confused for poisonous species so don't try it unless you really know your stuff!  There are actually many edible species which are called chanterelle, but this one is the classic.

Worldwide Production: 220 thousand tons - just over an ounce for every man, woman, and child in the world, per year.

Growing: Okay, so there are case reports of successful cultivation of chanterelles.  But this won't ever be viable on a large scale because these mushrooms are symbiotes with pine trees.  In fact they really only grow best around older and ancient pine trees.  "Commercial" production refers to intentionally planting pine trees and hoping that the chanterelles will grow around them.

Harvesting: Chanterelles are hunted from the summer months until the first frost.  The locations of the best chanterelle-bearing trees are jealously guarded secrets amongst mushroom hunters, although places where they are abundant (such as the Pacific Northwest) are perhaps more easy-going.

Eating and Processing: Because of their rarity and limited season, most of these are dried and sold as such.  Fresh chanterelles are usually snapped up by gourmet restaurants.  They are described as having a peppery, apricot-like flavor and can be used any which way.

Health Information: A dubious claim on Wikipedia states that up to 6.7% of a chanterelle is vitamin C.  I doubt this, and in general very little is known about the nutritional qualities of mushrooms.  Unlike some that I've written about, the chanterelle doesn't seem to have a firm place in herbal or folk medicine.

Sustainability: Chanterelles are dwindling but not because of overharvesting.  This is because the old pine trees that they rely on are being cut down on a fairly regular basis.

Where to Find: If you live on the west coast you can find fresh ones at places like Far West Fungi from September through April.  If not, you will probably need to settle for the dried varieties.

Relevant Blog: Cooking Up a Story: A post on the chanterelle.

References:
1. Wikipedia
2. Image from the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market