Foraging - chanterelles

Foraging is one of my passions, and foraging for mushrooms in particular is my ultimate delight. I am lucky enough to have been taught about mushrooms pretty much ever since I could walk, by my parents and grandparents during countless foraging trips. I most definitely don't know all the mushrooms, especially that Scotland has surprised me with many species I had never come across before, but the ones I do know, I know well. Fresh wild mushrooms are ridiculously expensive to buy (if you can find them in a shop in the first place), so knowing my mushrooms is one of my most valuable skills.

The other day I went for a walk along the field behind our house. It's a fairly large field, and it borders with a small forest. Around 20 minutes into my walk, I came across a lovely troop of mushrooms that turned out to be one of my favourite kinds - chanterelles. Many of them had been largely eaten by slugs but that doesn't bother me - I'm happy to share.

I picked them and brought them home; cleaned and weighed them - I had 180g which is a good amount for a meal. A note on cleaning mushrooms: you don't want to wash them with water as they will soak it up like sponges. Just brush off the visible dirt.

They are now sitting in the freezer, waiting  to be used - maybe in a risotto or a lovely creamy sauce. I will definitely be going back to that spot soon to see if any have grown back. I am also planning to expand my foraging area and hope to find other things, too!