More Chantrelles 10-28-10

Snoqualmie National Forest 10-28-10

So a couple weeks back I went out to see if the Chanterelles were still popping.  I decided to head east out of Seattle on Interstate 90.  I went a little further than normal in the Snoqualmie National Forest to the Bandera area. It was the first sunny day in a while with a high in the upper 50's so I was pretty optimistic.  So I pulled up to a nice thick evergreen forest that had a nice and open understory. I starting walking in on what seemed to be a game trail of some sorts, and within 100 yards I had my first find.

I walked around for about 3 hours, a found 50-60 Chanterelles.  However, about half of the Chanterelles that I found were past prime.  They really took a beating from the previous 3 days of rain.  Nevertheless, found plenty that were on there way up.

After what I saw today, I would venture to guess that we have at least 2-3 more weeks of gooooood Chanterelle hunting.  So get out there and see what you can find.

Chanterelle Mushrooms (10-01-10) – Southeast of Monroe, WA

Chanterelle Mushrooms (10-01-10) - Southeast of Monroe, WA

So this weekend I decided to check out some new areas.  After a little Google maps searching I decided on a nice patch of coniferous forest off of the Woodinville Duvall Rd. just south of Monroe, WA.  I was a little pessimistic at first.  It just seemed that it would be too easy to find the golden fungus so close to home.  Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised.  After driving a few easy miles off of Hwy 203 I decided to park at the end of a county road.  I grabbed my bag and charged straight into the woods.  In the first 50 feet I stumbled upon two smaller guys that were a little past there prime.  Things were looking good. I walked around for another fifteen minutes or so passing all the amanitas, russulas, and corals until BOOM. I stumbled upon an area that seemed to be the remains of a road that once was.  It was the single largest collection of chanterelles that I have ever seen.  I would have to guess around 300 or so.  They seemed to be at varying ages.  Most prime for the picking.  Another great day in the Pacific Northwest.  Chanterelles are in full swing, so get up and get out there.

Chanterelles Mushrooms (9-13-10) – Snoqualmie National Forest

Edible Mushroom Update (9-13-10) Snoqualmie National Forest - Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius)

I went up into the Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state outside of Seattle just last weekend. I wanted to see if the Chanterelles were popping yet. After asking around the web I found that some people were finding baby Chanterelles in MID AUGUST! So I figured I better get to hunting since its already half way through September. Great news is that there are plenty of Chenterelles in the Snoqualmie area right now! AND even better news is that most of them were mid-sized to small. So, it seems to me that the season still has room to grow! If you haven't gone out yet you still have some time! Although I did see manygreat looking edible Chanterelle mushrooms, I wouldnt say that they were SUPER easy to find. I had to hike around for several hours before I found a good amount of larger sized Chanterelles. If you have been wondering where can I find edible Chanterelle mushrooms in Washington state and when, we have the answer. Snoqualmie, NOW!

Lone Chanterelle Mushroom in Snoqualmi Nat. Forest

Here is the first mushroom I found. This great healthy Chanterelle was right in the middle of the trail I was following. This is when I started to get excited. This was a great first find!

Two Chanterelles In Tall Moss

Another 100 steps and I stumbled on this small patch of two Yellow Chanterelles. It seemed like things were picking up and they were! These were two more in my mushroom bag!

Nice Patch of edible Yellow Chanterelle Mushrooms

Walking for another HOUR I started to feel like I was maybe not going to see any more good sized Chanterelles but then as I walked onto a overgrown skid road I hit the jackpot! Funny thing was the Chanterelles seemed to love this overgrown road but just a few feet off the road and there was no mushrooms at all. I don't understand the growing pattern but I was happy to find this treasure trove!

A small bag of choice Chanterelles after a few hours of picking

After a few short and fun hours I ended up with this small amount of choice Chanterelles. Look at how fresh and healthy they look! Alright, well get out there and let me know how the mushroom foraging is going! Washington state edible fall mushrooms are blooming right now!