cantharellus tubaeformis......
the winter chanterelle is a modest looking relative of the attractively colored chanterelle… it pops up overnight so quickly that you could almost watch it grow… tubaeformis means: trumpet-shaped… it is an endearing mushroom not least because it tends to appear in great numbers in the forests rich with conifer and douglas fir… the hollow stem and hole in the cap let water flow through so the edible forest floor commodity remains frost-resistant… the color and shape vary according to age and weather conditions on the forest floor…each individual trumpet chanterelle has more than one color… the cap is brownish and has that unmistakable hole in the center… the ridges and the stalk range from brown-yellow to gray-yellow to gray-lilac… a positive id on these guys is: found in groups, hollow stem, ridges, brownish, thin fleshed… they are about an inch when mature, appear from December to February in the pacific northwest, mossy banks are a favorite habitat…. my close friend, chef and internationally known forager and mycological expert VERONICA WILLIAMS has just started to bring in the winter chanterelle, first basket is small, about a pound and a half… the next basket is plump as hell, now I can start to use these beauties for all applications in my kitchen… the next few baskets weight in at over 30lbs a piece…. wooooooo weeeeeeee the chanterelle needs the forest to thrive…. they love trees, and trees love them….!
as a foraging chef the pacific golden chanterelle is my favorite- the flesh is firm and fibrous like chicken breast with a fruity odor akin to that of apricots or ripening field pumpkin… the mild, slightly peppery flavor harmonizes well with pasture raised eggs, creamery butter, fresh cream and all wild game… the yellowfoot is so small that they can be used whole…
