Cantharellus for dinner tonight

[kkstep]

Good Afternoon,

It's my first post since joining the site. There is a small smooth sided chanterelle that grows in my park. Last year I picked and served them several times and they are delicious. I've seen pictures of various different Cantharellus species that look just like them, but I'm not absolutely sure which these are. I only picked the biggest ones, and they are quite small. In the picture for comparison is a small paring knife. Any help with identifying them would be appreciated and even more so any ideas about serving them. I have friends coming over tonight and we are grilling steaks. I was planning on sauteing up the mushrooms in butter on the side and letting any of the adventurous give them a try.

Thanks.

[Tasso]

kkstep, Looks to me like Cantherellus minor. They are otherwise identical to cibarius, just very small. Look here: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cantharellus_minor.html Can't go wrong sauteeing them in butter although I like to finish them with a little garlic and parsley. Enjoy.

[Dave W]

I think those are Cantharellus lateritius, the Smooth Chanterelle.

[kkstep]

Well they ended up sauteed in butter and cream and served over grilled steak. They were tasty. I wish I had the parsley handy as Tasso suggested. I've always assumed they were Cantharellus lateritius, but the many online pictures vary so much that I've never been sure. Perhaps it's because the ones I see are always immature because they get harvested very quickly in my area.

[Evan]

I like to saute chants and then simmer them in cream until i have a nice thick cream reduction and serve over pasta. Kind of like a chanterelle alfredo. Out of curiosity, where are you? I found my first chants ever last year the first week of august.

[kkstep]

Evan, I'm just North of Pittsburgh, PA. I've got a 3000 acre park right across the street that's booming with chants right now. How about yourself. Where are you that the chants come in August?

[theplanets]

Kkstep, can you describe the features of your environment where you are finding the chants? For us newbies to focus the hunt a bit better. Like type of trees, grading, sun/shade, under growth etc. thanks!

[kkstep]

Planets,

This year they are almost everywhere in my big park. They are mostly growing on a steep hill but in both deciduous and coniferous areas. They are almost always in the leaf litter and never in the grass. Some are growing out from under exposed roots. They are growing on all sides of the hills. Mostly I am seeing them close to the trails. I'd like to think this might be because of me carrying them home last year along those trails and the spores spreading :-).

On my run this morning I saw at least 7 areas that they were growing where they were not growing last year. I also saw three really big Berkley's polypores, a couple of Destroying Angels and a few Russulas.

[Evan]

I live south central PA not to far from gettysburg. I have permission to hunt mushrooms on private land so no competition for chants. All of mine were growing under beech.

[Dave W]

I usually find the Smooth Chants along paths in oak woods.