This is actually the first chanterelle I ever found on my property. I was so excited! And also a little wary, as I needed to make sure I identified properly before I put it in a dish of risotto. In general this is a relatively easy mushroom to identify, and the clincher for me (although you should always take a spore print!) is that these chanterelles do actually faintly smell of apricot. Seriously!
Since this mushroom is mycorrhizal with trees, it can’t be grown in artificial culture. All the more reason it’s such a gift to find it in the wild!
Some people confuse this with the toxic Jack o’ Lantern mushroom (which is orange, and is a shelf mushroom) so be really careful when you’re identifying. And again, this site is NOT to be used for actual identification for eating.
Size: 3-17 cm broad Family: Amanitaceae Habitat: Solitary growing, scattered, under hardwoods and mixed woods. Fruits in summer and fall. Identification: Deeply depressed in center like a shallow funnel. Orange, orange-yellow or yellow color. Flesh is firm and light yellowish to white when cut open. Chantrelles do not have true gills, but rather blunt ridges that fork and extend down the stem, with veins connecting the ridges. Smell fruity like apricot. Spore print is pale yellow.
