With rain, comes mushroom. This morning I stopped by our neighborhood farmers market and found a bountiful of locally foraged wild mushrooms: chanterelles, black trumpets, lobsters, cauliflowers, and king bolettes, also known as porcini mushrooms.



I also found this little girl putting on a beautiful smile which instantly brights up an otherwise wet and greyish Sunday.

Given that it rains a lot in this part of the Pacific Northwest, we can almost ‘harvest’ mushrooms all year round. With proper knowledge and education, you can go foraging on you own. Last year I went with a guide to the Olympic Peninsula, we didn’t have to venture far into the woods to get a bagful of fragrant chanterelles. But admittedly, I prefer to stay warm and dry, so I get mine from this stand at the farmers market.

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle, golden chanterelle or girolle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genusCantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It emits a fruity aroma, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent edible mushroom.

With chanterelle mushrooms, I prefer to prepare them the simplest ways: sauté and omelette. Continue reading “Chanterelle Mushrooms – Sauté & Omelette” →