From what I gather, all Chanterelles have 'false gills' which are firmly attached ridges under the cap, as opposed to fragile 'gills' which are easily broken and which no Chanterelles have (easily broken gills, that is). I have learned that there are many species, over 10, which share the general characteristics of 'Chanterelles'. I did not harvest any by pulling them up.which is considered poor form. The video below shows an imposter mushroom followed by a chanterelle.my apologies for tearing the chanterelle from the ground rather than cutting it, I wanted to show the difference in the two mushrooms and forgot my knife.

They do not have thin fragile 'gills' that break when you run your finger across them. Underneath, they have firm ridges that run along the underside and then the ridges split off into multiple ridges towards the outer edge of the underside of the cap. the ones I find are orangish, and 2 to 3.5' across on the top. They grow from the ground, not from dead wood. Probably best to wear long pants as you may be climbing through underbrush, there are mosquitoes and tics around, so one could wear bug repellent, or do what I do which is to shake out my clothes wellwash them, take a shower and check each other out for ticks same day as walking through the woods.Ĭhanterelles grow in Wisconsin in hardwood forests, in summer and early fall.Never eat raw wild mushrooms, always clean and cook them well.I slice them, clean them, get rid of any critters, and then sauté them in butter with garlic.A big one can be kept in the refrigerator, for example I may eat a large Hen Of The Woods over the course of a week. I clean up the mushroom with a dry soft paintbrush and usually cook them right away.There will likely be some in a Hen of the Woods. Be not afraid of a wee little insect you may find. Mushrooms are natural little guys that live close to the ground, and other little critters and bugs live around and in them.

Rainfall can spur-on mushroom growth, looking a couple days after rainfall can be a good idea.Carry your harvested mushrooms out of the forest in a mesh bag so that spores from the mushroom can fall into the forest and perhaps yield new mushrooms in the future.If you are hunting Hen of the Woods mushrooms, take a long knife as the base of the mushroom can be a long way in from the outside of the big mushroom. Take a sharp knife to cut the mushroom off just above the ground.If in doubt, do not eat it, there are deadly poisonous mushrooms. Use a mushroom identification guide and be completely certain that you have positively identified the mushroom before eating it.More detail and photos of these mushrooms may be found below. You will find them within a couple feet of the base of oak trees or right at the base of the tree. Fall is when we look for Hen of the Woods mushrooms that grow at the base of Oak trees or stumps in the fall. Chicken of the Woods can be found on the trunks and near the base of Oak trees in summer in this area.ĪUTUMN: Chicken of the Woods may still be found in early Fall. Chanterelles don’t grow on dead wood, they grow from the ground, it's not a Chanterelle if it isn't growing from dirt. SUMMER: In summer we look for Chanterelles in a forest of living oak and hickory. In late May and June we look for Aspen Oyster mushrooms, which grow on standing dead Aspen trees. SPRING: In spring we look for Morels that grow near dead Ash, elm, or apple trees, I have found success looking in the woods near small rivers but have also found them in the woods nowhere near a river. Step 1: Research what it is you're looking for, and what season it emerges in, and what trees it grows near or on.

Time zone for wisconsin usa