California Chanterelles
I just bought 10 pounds of the largest chanterelles I've ever seen. It has been a slow mushroom season due to the drought. These came from Santa Barbara County. The best way to enjoy them is a simple sauté of mushrooms with a touch of garlic and shallots.
When I first came to Santa Barbara in 1981, almost nobody was harvesting wild mushrooms. A woodland sprite of 80 something names Francis Dwight introduced me to the local cantherellus californicus and the rest is culinary history. I harvested and brokered some 6 tons in the 1983-84 season and in 1984 escorted Julia Child on a chanterelle foray in the local oak woods.
Chef Michael Hutchings
