Mushrooms Heating Up

I have seen this dehydrator in action and it is definitely on my wish list because it can give a more quality end product, it can also heat soups! Click on the link to see more, you shop any products from the link not just the ones that I highlight. There is no cost to you to use the link and I get credit for sending clients to my affiliate. If you happen purchase any product for the millions of things they sell from my link, I may get a small commission from the company. Thank you.

The wild Chanterelle crop last year was dismal, the weather patterns held dry when we needed moisture in the woods to get the conditions just right for the fungus to grow abundantly. Oh sure, we had enough meager gatherings to enjoy a few meals, get a smattering dehydrated for the winter months and freeze a couple quart bags full of cubes for stews, but we did not have the bounty we enjoyed a couple of years ago.

This year is setting up to be a humdinger, the conditions popped up a few real early mushrooms in August for a rare early treat, and now our very unusual rainfall amounts for September has created an explosion in the forest. The mild 50 degree nights allow for the mushrooms to grow at a quick pace and we are finding large, platter-sized specimens that are still nice and firm to the touch. Perfect for dinner, dehydrating, freezing and for passing along shares to neighbors and friends. I put a fork in the picture for scale.

These mushrooms would not be considered prime #1’s (for those in the industry) they are too big and many have splits around the outside, but hey are perfectly wonderful to eat and to preserve. If we wanted to sell to markets, the mushrooms would have to be smaller without splits, tears or broken edges.

My one hour walk in the woods yesterday filled a five gallon bucket full to the top. The hardest part about mushroom picking is getting the full bucket or buckets back off the hill without spilling them. The area that I had picked five days ago should be ready to pick again, now I just have to find time between cleaning and processing this current bunch to go picking again.