The winter 2010-2011, was a bumper crop for Santa Barbara County chanterelles. We have been monitoring and unusual summer bloom that has continued up to the present. We discovered a micro-climate that has supported a continuous fruiting well into September. We have encouraged the mushroom growth by watering the area every 3-4 day.
We have watched this bud grow from an erasure size to about 3/4 of an inch. The mushroom feels moist and cool to the touch. I suspect that there have been other years when there have been fruiting in the summer, but this is rare.
The location will be kept a secret but I will say that it is in the fog zone near downtown and there has been some dripping of condensed fog from the oak trees. The topography channels any rain so this are was super saturated by last winter's storms.
Chef Michael Hutchings
Michael's Catering
Santa Barbara
