Smooth Chanterelle, Home

Given all the recent rain and heat, there are mushrooms popping up everywhere. These arose in the grass by one of our large oaks, and there was something about their general color and shape that said to me, "I've seen you before... and I think it might have been at the dinner table." They were certainly curious, since they had neither gills nor pores. They also had almost no smell, so I didn't really have much to work with. But I had several books and plenty of Internet resources, particularly Michael Kuo's MushroomExpert.com site. It took a fair amount of thumbing through pages, but eventually I got to what I thought was the right place—and it was a delicious one. The fungus that graced me with its presence was a Chanterelle, the mushroom group the guidebooks identify as "edible... choice." I can't be 100 percent sure, but it would appear to be the Smooth Chanterelle... Cantharellus lateritius. Years ago in the White Mountains I found and ate Chanterelles, maybe even this species. The guidebooks were right about its delectability then, and I was certainly happy to see history repeating itself at dinner tonight.