What is Winter Chanterelle Mushroom?

Chanterelle Mushrooms or Cantharellus, Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus are one of the most popular wild mushrooms in Finland. There are 2 types of chanterelles I know and have tasted both. One of them is called the winter chanterelle which can be found and collected freely in the forests around Finland in the late autumn and early winter and for that reason, they are often referred to as the ” Winter Chanterelle” or ” Winter Mushroom”.

The above chanterelle is not as common as the winter chanterelle in our farm. This is the chanterelle mushroom most people eat however, in my experience, I like the winter chanterelle better. These days, the winter chanterelle can easily be spotted on a wet or grassy moist hidden directly from direct sunlight. They grow together and often occupying a certain area so if you find them somewhere, chances are there are more of it around, so stick around. Sometimes leaves of the same color can hide the mushrooms pretty much but once you found the area, you can get your bucket full in a few minutes.

HOW TO COOK CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS THE EASY WAY?

It is simple to cook and enjoy your winter chanterelle mushroom. This idea is taken from the Finnish way of cooking.

1. Clean your mushrooms. Cut the root part, but do not wash with water. Mushrooms are composed of 90% water already so you don’t want to add more water to it.
2. Put your cleaned mushrooms in a pot or a wok and heat up on low fire. Don’t worry, it will not burn. It will start to excrete water. Leave it cooking in its own liquid. Keep it that way until the water evaporates slowly and the mushrooms become a little bit dry.
3. Once the mushroom is a bit dried up, you can add salt, grounded pepper and oil and taste it according to your liking. You can also cook it until its dried and fried, your choice. Otherwise, the mushroom is ready to serve hot.