I've never found them down low but would love to hear from others who have.
Here's a cool weekend drive....Brinion on Hood Canal. Take any road West from there. Pull over at stuff like Dave V described. You will find them quickly.

Just reread Jason's post. He lives at sealevel.

The first time I was invited to pick the Wild Elusive Chanterelle we got up early and drove about 85 miles. Now granted we each picked alot of them.

However, this year I have found them in second growth less than 200 yards from my back door. As well as second growth in the Coyle unit. After finding them in basically my backyard, I have knocked on a few doors and recieved permission to check about another 20 acres of second growth that is very near by as well. No point in pissing off the neighbors.

For the backyard mushroom grower/harvester check out Puget Sound Exotic. They sell spores for alot of different varities, I am attempting to produce some Shitake and some Pearl Oyster at this time.

I am looking for the pickled mushroom recipe

A couple of weeks ago I went up to my usual spot off the Hwy 3 up the hill. The trees were thinned out as they have been clearing between Clear Creek Rd and the freeway. I went on the other side of the freeway and couldn't find any. Seems that there are not many spots left in North Kitsap. My dad and I used to find them along Bond Rd between Minder and Stotlemeyer roads before Pope and Talbot thinned it out. I know there are a few patches of fir left like over towards Jason's place.

Anyway I went to my dad's old hunting ground across the Hood Canal bridge by Thorndyke, were we found some a couple of years ago. I got two gallon size bags in an hour. Cooked them up, drained the water, and sauteed them in butter, soy, herb, garlic, and pepper. Saved one bag in the fridge and one in the freezer. We had spaghetti tonight.

The only other place I've picked them is down in the hills above Lincoln City a couple of years ago when going on an elk hunt/steelhead fishing in November.

Hint check out satellite maps to see where the forrest is thick.

There are shrooms all over the place. its just a matter of beating others to them and getting far enough from the road to avoid commercial pickers.

Forked horn. nothing for the record books. now its time to fish!

Thanks for all of your help. We finally found some last weekend!

Kanektok Kid - the recipe you posted was excellent! We cooked up a bunch of fish with the chanterelles and they were loved by all. Can't wait to get out again.

Thanks again, Dave

Your welcome Fish Hunter, I`ve been perfecting the road hunters method of chantrelle picking the last few weeks. Found alot of spots, canned and dehydrated them, now if I could just get that fresh heart and liver------ Bill

Sunday morning as I was searching for river access in the Forks area they started popping out at me all along the road. Never found that river but I bagged about 3#'s w/o shutting off the truck. mmmmm good.

I was very surprised to find them at that low elevation near the ocean.

Keep that low elevation site on the coast in mind for early chantrelles next year. I`ve picked them the beggining of August in a spot I know like that. Bill

Just curious... i found some opening weekend of deer ... how long is the growing season for chantrelles and should they be picked or cut?

Chanterelles will keep growing until snow or a couple of heavy frosts in a row. I always cut them but not sure why.

Thanks!! Heading back out this weekend... hopefully the rain will let off.

Another one to look for is Matsutake or Pine Mushroom.
An old friend of mine used to pick them up Hwy 58 out of Eugene.
They're an awesome shroom.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6851766_different-kinds-forest-mushrooms-oregon.html
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6717930_matsutake-mushrooms-oregon.html

DD they are so valuable that there are big camps of pickers up in the Kispiox area. Three years ago they we so thick the buyers would only buy perfect buttons. I saw a buyer with a stack that must have been 5 yards of perfectly good looking shrooms that no one wanted. She gave the wife and me several pounds to try. I wasn't all that impressed with them.

Later we found literally hundreds of them in our campground.

It's weird that so many were rejected. I have heard of gunfights over Matsutake beds.

The ones I had were picked @ around 4000' in the Crescent Lake area of Oregon.
For table fare, I thought that these were right there with Chantrelle. Well, maybe I'd give the edge to Chantrelle but these Matsutake were quite good.

Price of Matsutakes depends on the year. This year, conditions are good and Matsutakes are plentiful. Price is lower than I have ever seen.

Just sounding a note of caution about eating matsutakes unless you are an experienced picker. Unlike chanterelles which are very distinctive, matsutakes look like several other different types of mushrooms, some of which are just not good to eat and some of which are poisonous. In particular, quite a few white gilled mushrooms look similar when they are in No. 1 or 2 button state. Based on what I've seen at the PSMS ID Clinic, only about 1 in 4 that people think/hope are matustake actually are. One way to nail down exactly what the matsutake looks like (and smells like--very distincitive) is to go to the fruit stand in the middle of the Pike Place Market and buy one of the smaller ones.

Sage advice. A PSMS member told me of an edible-looking NW mushroom so deadly that if you consumed even a small amount you would become an immediate candidate for a liver transplant, or you would die. On the scale of toxicity, this fungus falls somewhere between radioactive rabbit crap and black mamba venom. That's why I stick to harvesting easily identified morels and chanterelles. When it comes to mushroom gathering, I'll always be the biggest Chicken in the Woods.

The cold front thats moving on in to the SW WA and cascade foothills of Oregon and Washington throughout the rest of the week and early next, will likely end the Chantrelle pickings for the year.

Unless we get some more warm front rain pushes and some sunshine. Good Luck all! Waiting for spring and hoping its going to be a little bit warmer so I can find some morels.


Dan