Chanterelle season has started in our area, and there are many different kinds of them out in the woods right now. These mushrooms are sought after and hunted worldwide for their prized flavor, and we are lucky to have them growing in abundance in our area.

One of the most common is going to be called a Smooth Chanterelle – Cantharellus lateritius. All varieties of chanterelles have false gills, but this variety has virtually no “gills” on the underside. As can be seen in the third picture below, the underside of a Smooth Chanterelle has very fine ridges where the gills usually are. Sometimes the ridges can even be non-existent, and the underside can be completely smooth.

Smooth Chanterelles are often referred to as “weedy” because they often grow in great abundance. We started with this variety because they seem to be the most common in our area. Another type of Chanterelle with an orange color is called Cantharellus minor. These are usually found growing in mossy areas along the sides of trails. The distinctive feature of this chanterelle is the small size. They will rarely be over a few inches tall, and the stem is going to be fairly thin, as compared with other chanterelles.

A third type of chanterelle that can be found is called Cantharellus cibarius. This is the mushroom that people are talking about when refer simply to “Chanterelles”… this is the standard chanterelle. It has false gills, but the gills are generally much more well developed than that of the Smooth Chanterelle. It also typically has much more of a yellowish hue than its smooth cousin, which is typically orangish.

A fourth variety of chanterelle that is popping up locally is called Cantharellus appalachiensis. The distinguishing feature from other chanterelles is the brown area in the central depression of the cap. (Sorry for the picture quality…this was pulled off the cell). We usually see this mushroom on the sides of hills.

There are even more vareities of chanterelles than this that can be found in the woods. These include red and black varieties…although they are usually found less frequently.  Look for chanterelles from now through the fall in hardwood forests, especially under oaks.

Hope you enjoyed learning a little about chanterelles. Dont forget that the first meeting of our mycological society will be at 7:30pm on Tuesday July 6th. Hope you can make it.

We will be holding regularly scheduled meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. The first of these meetings will be on July 6th at 7:30 pm. at The Hoosier Mushroom Co. store in Nashville, Indiana.

This first meeting will be an introductory meeting. We would ask those who are interested in attending, to go out in the woods at some point before the meeting, and collect 5-10 different types of mushrooms to bring along with you. We will work as a group to identify the finds, allowing individuals to gain exposure to what is currently out in the woods.

We will also be discussing where to hold future meetings, what types of events our members would like to participate in, etc.

Please plan on attending and helping us to get this organization off of the ground.

We will be attending the 2010 Indiana Sustainable Living Fair this Saturday in Indianapolis, IN. At 10:05 am, we will be demonstrating the inoculation of logs using “plug spawn” – an easy and effective way to grow your own mushrooms outdoors. Here is how the show desribes themselves:

The 2010 Indiana Sustainable Living Fair (ISLF) is a collection of seminars, demonstrations, workshops, exhibits, and trade show vendors that promote practices contributing to sustainable lifestyle choices.

The Fair will offer creative solutions and practices in a wide range of sustainable living topics such local chemical-free food that promotes excellent health, renewable energy, alternative fuels, environmental & social responsibility, complementary medical therapies, natural building, local economies, holistic veterinary practices and more. This subject matter will assist in the development of satisfying, healthy, socially rich, and economically sound lifestyles, while minimizing ecological impacts.

Hope we can see you there. It should be a great way to spend a Saturday with lots of unique vendors and businesses involved. Check out the full list of demonstrations and vendors at the ISLF website.

The regularly scheduled log demonstration for this weekend has been rescheduled to Monday 6/21 at 2pm. It will resume at the regular time, next Saturday, 6/26, at 2pm. Sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused.

The local newspaper ran a story this week featuring the many aspects of The Hoosier Mushroom Company.  They mentioned our indoor and outdoor growing kits, as well as the new Hoosier Mushroom Society – a place where anyone can join and learn more about mushroom identification, cultivation, cooking, and art.

We have been open for about 3 months now and the word continues to spread. Locals are beginning to be exposed to more mushrooms other than just morels:

“We do Reishi, Nameko, Lion’s Mane, Maitake, Oysters and Shitake. And we’re trying to introduce a few more, like Chicken of the Woods and Shaggy Manes. They’re all gourmet and edible varieties,”

And the more locals learn, the more they are interested.

“A lot of people have been real excited to see a unique store come to town, something that’s nature-based and can integrate with the park. Most of our feedback has been really positive, people excited to hear something new,”

We know that you can find something new and interesting at The Hoosier Mushroom Company. We intend to be as much of an educational resource as we are a retail store. Let us know if we can help you!

Read the Full Article from the Brown County Democrat.

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Thanks – HMC Staff

We had a great time camping out at the Bioblitz. The fungi team was able to identify over 70 species of mushrooms during the weekend. A species list can be found below. As time permits, we will be updating The Hoosier Mushroom Society website with pictures of many of these species.