A week or so ago I had the fun of going out in the woods with my Dad and in about 15 minutes each of us had a gallon bucket full of Chanterelle mushrooms. These are an edible mushroom that is quite easy to spot in the woods (unlike morrells) and they taste very good and keep quite well too.
I have had lots of fun using them in our meals. I have put them in scrambled eggs, stir fries, with green beans, in rice dishes, you name it. I am not sure how much nutritional value they have but it is a bunch of organic food that is free!Here are a couple of links about them that I found quite informative.
- Wild about mushrooms has info about them, how to clean them, cook them and preserve them as well as a bunch of recipes using them.
- Wild Harvest has nice pictures and information about them.
Do you harvest any wild mushrooms? I think it is very fun to do but something I am very careful with. You want to be absolutely sure that you know you are getting an edible mushroom. There are many poisonous ones out there that can be quite deadly and you do not want to take any chances. I am very blessed to have someone (my dad) who is very knowledgeable in this area to teach me.
5 comments:
wow, that is sure neat. I never thought of harvesting mushrooms. I wouldn't even know where to start. Living in Alaska, I'd have to check and see if those particular kind are even native to our state (I sorta doubt it). Our big thing up here is Fall berry picking. Starting in about a week, berry pickers (my husband and I included) can be found all throughout the hills and mountains of the outskirts of Anchorage (and beyond) hunting for blueberries, raspberries, high-bush cranberries, etc. Then it'll be a 2-3 week process of making and canning jam, freezing our berries for using later throughout the winter, and just having a great time snacking on our free, organic berry feast! haha
Sorry for such a long comment, I'm not usually quite this long-winded. But I love your blog and thought I'd stop by and say hello.
In Him,
jessica preston
I don't harvest mushrooms now but I picked them as a kids. I grew up in NW OR. There were several years where money was tight and my dad, my sister, and I picked them for money. There was a place that bought them from us. Actually quite a few people did this to make money. And we did not make much money but it was money. It takes a lot of mushrooms to amount to enough to make much. But Chanterelles have great flavor and taste. And they are very expensive to buy in the stores. I hope you enjoy them.
I have gotten more interested in learning about edible wild plants. Do you have any book suggestions?
Bridgett,
I am sorry I didn't repley sooner. I really like Stalking the Wild Asparagus and any other books by Euell Gibbons. He makes you get very excited about collecting wild food and he gives good details on collecting and using. The only drawback is that he just has drawings not actual photos. I think a book with real photos would be a real plus but I don't have one. If you are going to try collecting mushrooms and think photos are a nessesity! (I don't personally have one but my Dad does and I don't go mushroom hunting except with him or for Morrels which I am quite sure about.
Also Jessica and Lynn, Thanks much for stopping by and commenting! And Jessica ~ I very much enjoy long comments so make them as often as you like.
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