Golden Chanterelles

Edible Mushrooms
Picked at Sandy Island Week 7, August 2008

Chanterelles have 3 main characteristics:

1. The gills do not meet in a nice single line on the stem, but instead seem to fade out unevenly.

2. Gills are a membrane instead of a thick and separate part of the body. In regular mushrooms if you break the cap you will see that the the flesh of the body is separate from the thick flesh of the gills. In a chantrelle if you break the cap then the gills will separate and look like a thin flap of flesh.

3. They smell of a mixture of apricots and squash.

The Chanterelle Book by Olle Persson. A treasure trove of Chanterelle mushroom historical fact, lovely illustrations, and sumptuous recipes. This book shows how and why the chanterelle has become one of the most sought-after edible mushrooms. Illustrations of the various species of Chanterelles and their habitats. 120 pages, scores of color plates, index. $16.95 + S/H