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Chantarelles-what do they look and feel like

12K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Mudd 
#1 ·
After a good solid rain, my hubby and I tromped our property looking for the elusive morel and came across this cluster of orange fungus. Since I am a newbie to shrooms hunting and can identify a motel alright, I am wondering if this might be a chantarelle. It is firm, light on the underside, dense. Before I sink my teeth into it, i need some expert advice. Found it on the side of a old stump, either ash or oak. Opinions?
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#5 ·
Thank you, morelmaniac. I'm learning while exploring the property. The neighbor said he used to find lots of morels behind the house, and last year i found two. Those were the best two ever. This year, i found zero, so i checked the cedar thicket. I only found this, and it was pretty huge. It is kinda pinkish on the underside. That old neighbor, he said it was a chicken. Good thing the life insurance policy is paid up...just in case.
 
#6 ·
The picture in my avatar is a very large chantarelle. Typically they are yellow to peach colored, trumpet like shape, never hollow although there may be insect burrows present in the flesh. The gills are false, they rub off easily. True gills are like the pages of a book. Also where the gills meet the stipe is always irregular, never uniform.

There are other color and size variations but those are the main points in Chant identification.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Jack O Lanterns have true gills, very well developed like pages in a book. On a chant they are rudimentary, just ridges not actual "flaps". The false gills will fork and be irregular running a ways down the stem.

Jacks are also growing on wood, it may not always be the best id key as the wood may have long been buried or rotted to the point it is unrecognizable. The gills will attach directly to the stem.

I found a pic that is a great side by side comparison of the two.
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#10 ·
Howdy folks! I actually own the site that the comparison pic above came from, and am an active contributor to the Texas and OK rooms here, though I also forage in the Ozarks as well when I can.

My site has a good primer on identifying chanties. They grow prolifically all over Arkansas, starting in about early June and running through fall. July is prime season, especially if it has been very wet. They grow beneath oaks and are the easiest edible to find in abundance in Arkansas. They love hot humid weather. They look like bright orange or yellowish flowers. (The tiny bright red cinnabar chanterelles are also common, but it takes a long time to gather enough for a serving, and they virtually disappear when you cook them.)

Their only common poisonous lookalike, as already stated, are jack o lanterns, which are easily identified because they have true gills and orange flesh. Chanterelles have ridges, rather than paper thin gills, and their flesh is white/cream under the orange outer layer. The false chanterelle, uncommon in Arkansas, is eaten by many people, but causes mild gastrointestinal upset in some.

Of all the wild mushrooms, chanterelles are my absolute favorite. They have a deep, rich, steak flavor...a wonderful, dense texture, and in a good season, you can gather several pounds easily and quickly in any oak Forest.

The photo in the original post for this thread is a sulfur shelf, usually grouped with Chicken Mushrooms (also called Chicken of the Woods) and is a delicious edible with no poisonous look alikes.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
Here in MN chants grow from late jun to september, ive found some in october but they look stressed. Most jacko lanterns dont look anything like chants and they usually grow clustered. Chants will rarely grow clustered in more than 2 or 3 specimens. Also there is smooth chanterelles that will have almost no ridges and white chanterelles that instead or orange are pale yellow. They are all delicious.
 
#14 ·
After a good solid rain, my hubby and I tromped our property looking for the elusive morel and came across this cluster of orange fungus. Since I am a newbie to shrooms hunting and can identify a motel alright, I am wondering if this might be a chantarelle. It is firm, light on the underside, dense. Before I sink my teeth into it, i need some expert advice. Found it on the side of a old stump, either ash or oak. Opinions? View attachment 6148
If it came from a stump its not a chanterelle...nice to know its edible tho....another low risk mushroom on the list
 
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