It is a cottage industry, around here this time of year. I am not a fan of mushrooms of any sort, so usually don’t partake, but I must say that on Christmas Day, I was treated to a chanterelle/beef dish that was heavenly.
This one was found today, by a friend:
Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle or golden chanterelle, is a fungus. It is probably the best known species of the genus Cantharellus, if not the entire family of Cantharellaceae. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It has a fruity smell, reminiscent of apricots and a mildly peppery taste (hence its German name, Pfifferling) and is considered an excellent food mushroom. (from Wikipedia)
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This mushroom is nature's beautiful abstract. I am intrigued with all its bends and twists.
As far as I know, collecting mushrooms on US Forest Service and BLM public lands, for personal family use, is legit unless otherwise posted. On private land, with permission of the owner, the same holds true.
As for Big Sur, don't pick any kind of flora in our parks and wilderness botanical reserves. Otherwise, there's a lot of chantrelle habitat in the Los Padres NF: So. Coast Ridge Rd, Nacimento-Ferguson Rd, Plaskett Ridge Rd come to mind.
In much of that area, stroll ten minutes from the road and you can be in pristine old-growth public woodlands. Keep an eye open for our rare, endemic Santa Lucia fir, an especially tall and handsome tree that grows nowhere else. You can know it by the super-sharp long, prickly needles, and pale green/blue-green color.