Chanterelles, A Gold Rush in the Woods

Chanterelles, A Gold Rush in the Woods

Gold Rush, A vien of Chanterelles or 'Kurka!'
 as my Polish friend Tom exclaimed with delight on seeing them.

June is departing and my thoughts are turning to the woods and areas where Chanterelles faithfully return that is unless some other forager has trespassed into the little patches of territory in Dublin’s hinterland that I have staked out in my mind as being mine, and term as my spots, every mushroom hunter does the same. Many good hours spent in my early days trekking through woods and forest off the beaten path in search of veins of the golden morsels makes one feel secretive and protective of their location. After a while in the woods you develop the sense of  knowing whether or not an area has been passed through of late or ever by another forager, if never seems to be the answer, automatically you thinks it's yours and stake it in your mind as such. Of course there are areas where one knows that can’t be claimed and that  ‘the first come first served’ rule applies in your mind. 

Chanterelle. Cantharellus cibarius, Girolles, Pfifferlinge, Kurka.
What to observe. 
Cap. Convex funnelling wavy margin deep yellow. ( tankard/cuplike in mature specimens)
Gills. Forked ridges rather than gills merging into the cap.
Spores. pale yellow / white
Flesh.  yellow into white, tough. 
Stem. Deep yellow short with veins emerging into the cap. 

Smell. Apricot, peppery taste
Habitat. Acid soils mossy river banks coniferous forest and with beech.

Tasting notes.
There's very little Chanterelles don't go with, sautéed on their own and added to scrambled eggs, in cream sauce with Chicken, with a pasta dish or simply served with Turbot,the two meaty textures standing up well together, like I had them one evening in a small restaurant in Baden-Baden , Germany dining with my son Isaac who's now currently on a well deserved post Leaving Inter-rail trip, hopefully he'll capture some good market stall images for future post as he winds his way through Europe.I like the German descriptive name Pfifferlinge, denoting a peppery note to the usual apricot references.

Nb. as with everything cross reference before going picking! beware of confusing with the False Chanterelle Hygrophororopis aurantiaca or in more central and south European areas Omphalotus olearius.

Last season after coming out of woods on that hadn't yielded much, I saw couple of cars just parked behind mine, not unusual for the area,the occupants were still getting themselves together and seemed to be conducting an interview with one of the group,  I naturally viewed them with suspicion, were they hill-walkers, tourist or competition? This is how it went down.

Foraging for wild mushrooms in west Wicklow       DV8 click on link