I show how to identify Golden and White Chanterelles.
Here are my rough notes:
Chanterelles are the most popular wild eatable mushroom in Oregon and Washington.
They are probably the first wild mushroom that get people into foraging.
For a lot of people it's the first time they foraged anything!
It can be daunting because we all have heard that mushrooms can be poisonous.
Luckily Chanterelles have some unique characteristics that make them easy to identify.
Learning to identify them is going to pay off in spades not only for their culinary usages but it's also a fun hobby that almost anyone can enjoy.
So let's get into the identification.
The most common chanterelle that people are familiar with is the golden chanterelle.
Their name comes from their golden color.
But they are not the only golden color mushroom out there. So how can we tell a golden mushroom is a chanterelle?
It has to be the right time of year. Autumn is the time of year that Chanterelles come out, you should start looking for them from Late August to Late November.
If you find a golden mushroom in the fall time pay attention to its size. The cap should be larger than a quarter but smaller than 8 inches.
It bottom should be vase shaped. The top should be mostly flat and smooth with older mushrooms being wavy around the edges.
The top part should not be flaky or scaly.
If it looks correct you can pick up the mushroom and inspect it. Even deadly mushrooms will not harm you when touched.
Flip the mushroom upside down and check for gills.
The 'gills' on a chanterelle should be more like folds in the skin. They will be the same color as the cap of the mushroom.
If you look closely they will split and merge with each other. They will run down the stalk of the mushroom.
They will be blunt and not paper thin like a true gilled mushroom.
Go ahead and smell the mushroom. They will not have a strong oder.
If anything the smell should be more akin to fruit like an apricot.
The stem should be fibrous and not snap like chalk.
If it passes all of these test you probably have a chanterelle. Use this video and compare it to what you found.
Watch the end of this video to make sure it's not a Woolly chanterelle.
A woolly chanterelle will not kill you but they can upset your stomach.
Other videos to watch:
How to find Matsutake Mushrooms. White Chanterelles and Chicken of the Woods tips.
• Matsutake (Pine) Mushr...
Matsutake (Pine) Mushroom Hunting Tips. National Forest Gold. Tips for Foraging King Bolete.
• National Forest Gold. ...
Mushroom Foraging Tips (Chanterelle, Lobsters, Bear's Head Tooth, and Cauliflowers).
• Mushroom Foraging Tips...
Mushroom Foraging Tips (Bear's Head Tooth, Boletes, Chanterelles, and Hedgehogs).
• Mushroom Foraging Tips...
How to Find Cauliflower Mushrooms.
• Video
00:00 Intro
00:40 Indentification
02:22 Fake Gills
04:55 White Chanterelles
06:20 Wooly Chanterelles
07:00 Chanterelle pictures.