All plants /Mushroom /Chanterelle
Chanterelle
Cantharellus texensis, chanterelle family. Seasonal in East Texas.
At a glance
- What
- The whole fruiting body, cooked
- How
- Sautéed; never raw
- When
- Summer, one to two weeks after soaking rains
- Where
- Oak woods in East Texas, on soil, never on wood
- Value
- Flavor; some B vitamins
Caution: The jack-o'-lantern mushroom is the dangerous double: it grows in clusters ON wood and has true gills. Chanterelles grow from soil with blunt false ridges. Mushrooms demand expert confirmation; when in doubt, throw it out.
Harvesting
Hunt oak woods a week after summer rain. Cut or pinch at the base, brush off the leaf litter, and carry them in a basket so the woods get their spores back.
In the kitchen
Dry-sauté first to drive off water, then add butter. The apricot smell survives cooking and makes these the East Texas prize.
Photo: George Chernilevsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.