I have never eaten a wild mushroom. I've never even been tempted to eat any mushroom that I've found. In fact, there are only a handful of different mushrooms that I feel confident identifying on my own. However, I found something out in the woods that changed my mind.
I was in town for a workshop, and I decided to take a little nature walk during my lunch break. I had my camera in tow so I could get a few nature shots. I was specifically looking for mushrooms. Just off the trail, I began to notice these familiar looking yellowish-orange specimen. They looked an awful lot like pictures of chanterelles that people had been posting on an Arkansas Mushrooms and Fungi Facebook Group that I'm a part of. So, I took a few pictures and posted them for to find out before heading back to my workshop. In short order, I had the confirmation of several trusted experts.
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They WERE chanterelles!
Not only that, but they were the easier-to-identify (at least for me) smooth variety. Other varieties have gill structures that some refer to as false gills, and I don't have any hands-on experience distinguishing real gills from false ones. This makes it difficult for me to tell chanterelles apart from their poisonous look alikes, jack-o-lanterns (Omphalotus illudens).
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I sat there in my workshop for the next three hours debating whether or not I could bring myself to try eating a self-foraged, wild mushroom. But, by the end of the session, I was chomping at the bits to get back out there and find some more.
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I think I did pretty good for my first time out and only spending an hour and a half or so. I also went back out the next day for about another hour and found about that many more!
I tried a few of them sautéed in butter and garlic, and they were yummy! The rest went into the freezer for storage. I'm not sure that I prepared them all correctly, but I'll be posting a video about it in the near future.
All-in-all, this was a very rewarding experience. The time that I spent out in the woods just quietly walking and observing was much needed, and I walked out with a whole bunch of gourmet variety mushrooms! I can't wait to do it, again!
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