Featured image credit: Boleslaw Kuznik (Bolek)
On January 1, a slew of new California laws will take effect, impacting minimum wage, health care, public transit, and more. It also means, for the first time ever, California will have an official state mushroom. And, no, it’s not that kind of mushroom. Sure, California mushrooms may not impact our daily lives as much as say the bill allowing Glendale, Long Beach, and LA to install speed cameras. But there is a certain amount of state pride that goes into recognizing our first official fungus thanks to the passage of AB 261. So, without further ado, let’s make room for the shroom our state has been waiting for: the majestic California golden chanterelle!
Not Your Everyday Chanterelle
Part of the Cantharellus genus with its chanterelle brethren, California’s state mushroom further distinguishes itself with its scientific name Cantharellus californicus. However, this is a relatively recent moniker. Until November 2008, the California golden chanterelle was simply part of a group of chanterelles under the umbrella name Cantharellus cibarius. And that’s a wide-reaching umbrella, extending to cover even European chanterelle varieties! Noting that its unique qualities earned it some distinction, David Arora and Susie M. Dunham published a paper in the journal of Economic Botany, inspiring the Cantharellus californicus descriptor.
It Takes Two
The California golden chanterelle enjoys a symbiotic relationship with a number of trees, displaying particular affinity for oaks. Sometimes referred to as “oak chanterelles”, these California mushrooms grow from the ground near these oaks in what’s called a “mycorrhizal” relationship. This basically means that the golden chanterelles colonize the trees’ root systems. The oaks get the added benefit of additional hydration and improved nutrient absorption. Meanwhile, the trees use photosynthesis to feed carbohydrates to the growing mushrooms.
Shroom and Gloom
You’ll be hard-pressed to find these chanterelles in the Greater Los Angeles area unfortunately. They’re much more common up near San Francisco, thriving in coastal regions during the cooler months. While November through April is prime California golden chanterelle season, you can still find them well into the summer during the right atmospheric conditions. They tend to enjoy a particularly soggy fog. They are fungi, after all.
Visual Signifiers of the California Golden Chanterelle
The California golden chanterelle earns its name with its yellowish orange mushroom cap, formally known as a pileus. This radiant color is often partially obscured by mud, dirt, and leafy debris. Likewise, the color can be eclipsed by a rusty staining as the mushroom ages or sustains injury that can deepen into a brown coloring. In cases where the chanterelle is being prepared as food, these bruised areas should be trimmed away.
At the edge of the cap, the chanterelle begins to display ridges (reminiscent of gills) of a lighter orange coloring. These tend to drift down to about the midway point of the stem, technically called a stipe. As the chaparral ages, these gills get deeper. The stem more or less maintains the yellow-orange of the cap. When the California golden chanterelle begins to produce spores, they’re distinguished by their light yellow, bulbous appearance.
They Can Grow in Excess of Four Pounds
Arguably the most impressive feature of the golden chanterelle is its immense size. These California mushrooms enjoy the liberty of indeterminate growth, meaning they simply keep growing larger without restraint. This is uncommon amongst mushrooms; even other chanterelles. Most mushroom species grow into a fruiting body with a limited lifespan. This body grows for days, producing spores along its surface. Once the spores are dispersed, its life cycle is over and the mushroom rots away.
Not the California golden chanterelle. These gilded California mushrooms actually continue producing new spore-bearing layers over the older ones for anywhere between weeks and months. Because of this uncompromising growth, the California golden chanterelle is the largest chanterelle species on earth. Foragers have even recorded specimens in excess of four pounds in weight! Being an edible chanterelle, this means that one of these California mushrooms could feed a family, assuming the specimen was on the larger side.
Among the Most Delicious California Mushrooms
Interestingly, humans seem to be the only creatures that enjoy eating the California golden chanterelle. Forest creatures, bugs, and even pigs have been known to turn their snouts up to these delectable California mushrooms. That’s not to imply that foraging for this particular variety of mushy is a party. They’re prone to mud and other filth, earning these shrooms the alternate moniker of “mud puppy.”
Everything you’ve heard about never washing your mushrooms? Throw that out the window with the California golden chanterelle. These will need to be cleaned of any mud as soon as you get them home. However, once they’ve been thoroughly cleaned and properly dried, they store quite well. Pop them in a paper towel-lined Tupperware container and you can expect these hearty California mushrooms to stay good in a fridge for weeks.
Trick Or Treat?
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But foragers still need to remain vigilant. The golden chanterelle holds visible similarities to a toxic species of California mushrooms known as Omphalotus olivascens. Their more common name? The Jack ‘O Lantern mushroom. And they’re all about the trick with absolutely none of the treat. There are a couple of ways to easily differentiate the Jack ‘O Lantern mushroom. For one, its gills often take on a greenish tint. Failing that, orange inner flesh is a dead giveaway of this toxic mushroom variety. The California golden chanterelle produces white inner flesh.
Enjoying These Delectable California Mushrooms
Foragers fortunate enough to find the California golden chanterelle can look forward to enjoying a globally celebrated delicacy. The flavor of these wild California mushrooms has been described as peppery and earthy with a fragrance that recounts apricots. You don’t need a lot of culinary skill to bring out the best in a golden chanterelle. Simply sauteing with oil, butter, or cream will unlock its rich, complex flavor.
It seems that state icons like the poppy or the grizzly bear are in great company with these massive California mushrooms. However, the California golden chanterelle doesn’t get to bask in its elevated status until the new year. Until then, the Golden State will just have to carry on shroomlessly.
