Wild mushroom season brings out the foragers

By Colleen ThompsonRecipes and styling by Greg BurnsPhotography by Steve Smith, VisionFire

As evening temperatures drop and fall rain settles in, magic happens beneath a canopy of spruce, fir, and oak, and the mushroom season in Atlantic Canada begins to flourish. Puffballs, lion’s mane, hen-of-the-woods, matsutake; beautiful to look at and poetically named, and the forest floor is a veritable feast for a few weeks.

Resembling icicles, cauliflowers, soccer balls, and human brains, they arise from beneath carpets of green moss, sprouting from tree trunks and protruding from dead logs. Some turn bright blue or red when bruised, others glow in the dark. It’s the busiest season for foragers, which means mycological maestros are out from sunrise to sunset, traversing one end of the province to the other in search of fungi. With more than 2,000 varieties and more than 50 types of edible mushrooms, Atlantic Canada is a mycological paradise because of its diversity of microclimates, topography, and tree species.

The early, delicious fall beauties are chanterelles. The gold standard for most mushroom hunters is their distinctively peachy-apricot smell and furled, fleshy golden caps. The mushrooms are the fruit that spring from an underground web of mycelium, and if the mycelium survives, chanterelles return every year. Too much foot traffic can break the web and over-harvesting can reduce the chances the mushrooms have to spread to new places.

Chanterelles are gregarious and grow in clusters, but always in the presence of living trees, forming a symbiotic relationship. The mushrooms draw sugar and carbohydrates from the trees’ younger roots and provide phosphorus and minerals. Despite the best efforts to cultivate chanterelles, foragers still hand-pick them in the woods, which is also why they’re so expensive and popular with chefs.

Mushrooms have unique ecological preferences, whether their relationship with a particular tree species, type of moss, type of substrate, or their proximity to fresh or salt water. Understanding these intricate factors, what to look for, and how to predict where a particular species might be growing in abundance takes years of learning and practice.

Fred Dardenne, of Halifax-based FD Wildfoods, learned to forage for mushrooms as a young boy from his grandfather, growing up in the forests of Belgium. A master of his craft, autumn is a hectic and busy season, as he picks hundreds of kilograms of mushrooms in a day, shipping them to chefs from Halifax to Montreal. The species Dardenne picks depends on certain trees and habitats and can’t be cultivated. Wild fungi require foraging, and Dardenne picks both popular and rare species, including lobsters, blue chanterelles, and matsutake.

“Nothing smells as good as this,” says Dardenne, holding out a giant, white matsutake mushroom. Mycologist David Arora described them as “a provocative compromise between Red Hots and dirty socks.”

“When matsutakes are young, they are almost completely buried underneath the moss,” says Dardenne. “You have to look for small bumps in the moss and pat around with your hands to feel for them.” Matsutakes require more careful picking and handling than any other species because their value is determined on a graded scale. If sold to the Japanese market, they use several observable characteristics, like the veil and the completely intact base.

The popularity of foraging for fungi grows each year, but it’s essential to know your stuff. Just as there’s nothing quite like freshly made risotto ai funghi, there’s nothing like discovering your face bloating like a balloon. Although few wild mushrooms are deadly, the hazards are more likely to range from an extreme laxative effect to kidney failure.

Their presence is fleeting. September and October are typically when the highest diversity of mushrooms is out in the wild, so now is the time to gather your baskets and head into the woods. You’ll need a sharp eye, a delicate touch, and an intense nose as you search for fleshy fungi. The fun is as much in the search as in finding the treasure.

5 wild edible mushrooms

Hen of the Woods: Also known as sulphur shelf, this distinctive mushroom usually grows in abundance in stands of old oak trees. The bigger the oaks, the better chance you will find mushrooms. They grow on the ground near the base but can also be found within a couple metres of the tree. They are delicious in various ways, including sliced and pan-fried, diced for mushroom soup, or battered and deep-fried.

Puffball: If you spot what looks like a white ball in the woods, it’s likely a puffball. Typically 20 to 25 centimetres across, puffballs have no stem and lay directly on the ground. Confirm edibility by cutting the mushroom in half from top to bottom. The inside should be pure, featureless white. Discard if it’s darker.

Lion’s Mane: A striking white ball that grows on a dead log and might be overlooked by everyone except a mushroom forager. This beauty has branches that are adorned with white icicles. It is delicious when sauteed in olive oil or added to eggs or a vegetable stir fry.

Porcini: The name porcini means “piglets” in Italian. They’re also known as the king bolete, cèpe (in French), and steinpilz (the “stone mushroom” in German). Porcini mushrooms can grow a rather large cap, up to 20 centimetres in diameter and are usually brown or reddish with a thick stem and slightly sticky texture. You can find porcini mushrooms on the ground in hardwood and softwood forests throughout the region. Delicious chopped and sauteed with fresh thyme.

Hedgehog: Perhaps the easiest of all wild mushrooms to identify. Its yellow/orange cap and fruity smell resemble chanterelles, but its toothlike underbelly distinguishes it. The rich, earthy flavour makes it a great addition to stews and casseroles.

Safe mushrooming

• Always cook wild mushrooms before eating. Never sample a raw wild mushroom.

• Join organizations such as the Nova Scotia Mycological Association, where you’ll learn from experts.

• Purchase a reliable mushroom foraging book with photos.

• When in doubt, throw it out. Only eat a wild mushroom if you are sure of its identity.

Mushroom Tart

Yield: 8 slices

Pastry

2 ½ (625 mL) cups allpurpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

6 tbsp mL) unsalted butter, chilled 2/3 cup (158 mL) vegetable shortening, chilled ½ cup (125 mL) ice cold water

Mix the dry ingredients (flour and salt) in a large bowl. Place bowl in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Cube the cold butter and measure out the shortening. Combine butter and shortening with your dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or two forks. Do not overmix the dough to cut in the fat. When you are done, you should still see some larger pieces of butter and shortening.

From a cup of ice water, measure ½ cup and add slowly to your dough, a little at a time.

Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. You may not need all the water.

Fold the dough together using floured hands and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to five days.

Once your dough is formed into a 12-inch pie pan, dock it (punch holes) with a fork. Use parchment paper and fill the dough with rice or dried beans to keep the dough from puffing up.

Par bake the dough at 350F/177C for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Mushroom Filling

8 cups (2 l) assorted mushrooms

2 shallots, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup (125 mL) parsley, chopped

¼ cup (60 mL) thyme, chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter

2 tbsp (30 mL) oil

Salt and pepper

½ cup (125 mL) goat cheese

1 extra shallot for pickle

Juice of 1 lemon for pickle

Slice 1 shallot and combine with lemon juice for a quick pickle.

Heat a large sauté pan to medium/ high; add butter and oil. Next, add mushrooms. Sauté down about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, shallots, and herbs. Finish sautéing for another 2 minutes.

Fill par-baked pastry with the mushroom mixture.

Top with goat cheese crumbles on top of the mushroom mixture, then finish with your pickled shallots and enjoy.

You can also make the tart ahead of time and place it in the fridge. Re-heat in a 350F/177 C oven for 20 minutes.

Pickled Chanterelles and Green Tomato Toast

2 cups 500 mL) water

1 cup (250 mL) white vinegar

½ cup (125 mL) white sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) kosher salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp (5 mL) black peppercorns

1 cup (250 mL) chanterelles, cleaned

Add all ingredients, except the chanterelles, to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Pour boiling pickle liquid over chantarelles. Set aside for at least 1 hour.

For Toast

sourdough bread, sliced

1 large or 2 small green tomato

1 small ripe tomato

3 garlic cloves oil for frying

¼ cup (60 mL) mayonnaise

¼ cup(60 mL) fresh basil, chopped

½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ cup (125 mL) panko

½ cup (125 mL) breadcrumbs

½ cup (125 mL) canola oil

Slice the green tomatoes ¼ inch thick (or the depth of your pinky finger). Set up the breading station. You will need 3 bowls for the flour, beaten eggs, and panko/breadcrumbs. Start by covering the green tomatoes in flour. Next, dip in eggs. Then coat in panko/ breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Add ¼ cup of canola oil or other neutral oil in a small saucepan. Add garlic cloves and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until soft and golden. Strain oil. (Keep the infused oil for a salad dressing). Add chopped basil into the mayonnaise and fold in.

Grate the fresh ripe tomato on a box grater.

Assemble toast

Toast your sourdough. Fry the green tomatoes in a frying pan with ¼ cup of oil for 1 minute per side until golden. Spread the confit garlic on sourdough toast, then spread the grated tomato on top. Add fried green tomatoes and a dollop of basil mayonnaise. Place pickled chanterelles on top and enjoy

Tempura Mushrooms

Yield: 4 servings

¾ cup (213 mL) of light beer or sparkling water (cold)

¾ cup (213 mL) rice flour

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder Oil for frying (canola or vegetable)

2 cups (500 mL) oyster mushrooms, torn in pieces

Whisk beer (or sparkling water) in a bowl with the rice flour until smooth. Add salt and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Heat oil to 375F/190C. Dredge mushrooms in batter, coating completely, and letting any excess drip off. Deep-fry, turning once, until golden (about 3 minutes).

Transfer to paper towel. Season with seasoning salt.

Serve with soy sauce or your favourite aioli.