Hunt for Chanterelle Mushrooms in Autumn

Hunting for chanterelle mushrooms is a fun activity especially if you enjoy hiking in the woods and viewing wildlife. My husband and I discovered that the heavily wooded landscape that surrounds the Ozark Mountains is an ideal hunting ground for wild mushrooms. We took a stroll in the woods in the middle of September and discovered many mushrooms however most of the fungi that we found was highly toxic. Therefore we needed to do some research to learn more about wild mushrooms. 

Image Credit Wikipedia Creative Commons

The library had many books on mushrooms grown in the wild.  We studied the books and learned the characteristics of the Chanterelle mushroom;  they have a sweet scent like apricots and that they do not grow in rotting wood, but rather in areas close to the ground by oak, pine, birch, maple and other hardwood trees. We also learned that the best time of the year to hunt for these mushrooms in the wild was September through October and if the weather continued to be mild you could hunt for them in early November. 

The chanterelle mushroom is easy to locate as long as you keep your eyes on the soil line, they are a brightly hued orange-yellow, although there is a copycat mushroom that is highly poisonous. So you need to be certain that what you are picking is a chanterelle mushroom.  After weeks of studying books on wild mushrooms we decided it was to our best interest to hire a mushroom picker to make sure that what we found was edible. My brother volunteered his services and thus it was a fun autumn family activity.

We selected a day in autumn when there was rain in the forecast and we prepared for the day by gathering our rain gear, hiking boots and pest repellent.The expert mushroom picker met with us in the morning and we spend most of the days in the woods hunting for wild chanterelle mushrooms. 

Note:  Hunting for wild mushrooms is nothing like strolling down a nature trail, to be successful in mushroom hunting you need to go off trail and walk through leaf piles, climb over timber and cross over streams.  You may find the mushrooms in moss or pine needles and it will require you to gently move the moss or needles away from the mushroom stalk and you may get your hands dirty.   If this is not to your liking then trust me hunting wild chanterelle mushrooms is not a hobby for you.  

Mom's Homemade Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Mom's homemade chocolate walnut brownies are for anyone who loves rich chocolaty brownies with a hint of walnuts.  These brownies are sensational and will satisfy your cravings.  Whenever I feel a craving coming on for these rich and chewy dark chocolate brownies, I need to stop what I am doing and make a batch.  

 As far back as I can remember my mom would make these brownies for us for dessert on Sunday.  She would serve them warm from the oven with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.  I remember I would close my eyes whenever I took the fist bite, and as the chocolate and the ice cream melted in my mouth I always thought that I must be in heaven.  Mom's chocolate  walnut brownies are a timeless pleasure for the chocolate lover.

 If you are craving chocolate then follow these tips and make this recipe for homemade chocolate walnut brownies. One bite and you will know that they are worth the effort.

Gather products and ingredients for chocolate walnut brownies.  Set everything on the kitchen counter. 

Note I modernized this recipe; Mom melted the butter and chocolate on the stove and I use the microwave.

 4 squares of unsweetened, all natural chocolate 

¾ cup of no salt butter 

 ½ tablespoon of no salt butter 

3 eggs (or egg beaters)

2 cups of sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla (all natural)

1 cup flour 

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ tablespoon of no salt butter

13x9x2 Glass baking dish 
Medium size microwavable bowl  
Apron  
Wire whisk 
Mixing spoon  
Measuring cup  
Teaspoon  

Brownie Diet by Sandyspider

The first step in making  chocolate walnut brownies is to adjust the oven rack to the center. Then turn on the oven heat to 325 F for glass baking dish.  Let the oven preheat while you prepare the brownies. 

Chop the chocolate with a knife.  Add the chocolate and butter into a microwavable bowl. Set the heat on high and heat for two minutes or until both butter and chocolate are melted. 

Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate with your wire whisk. Make sure the chocolate is completely melted if not put back in the microwave. 

When the chocolate is melted add the sugar to the chocolate and stir. 

Next, add the eggs and the vanilla. Mix these ingredients with your wire whisk.  When the sugar, chocolate, eggs, and vanilla are blended, you would then add the flour and the nuts. 

Use a large mixing spoon to mix all of your ingredients until blended.

Grease your baking dish with no salt butter. Spread your brownie mixture into the baking dish. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes. Check to see if the brownies are done by Inserting toothpick into the center of the brownies. If the toothpick is clean when you remove it from the brownies are ready to come out of the oven.

Tips: 
Chocolate is rich in antioxidants and thus makes the brownie a healthy snack or dessert for your family and friends.  

For a healthier brownie substitute white all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. 

Here is a food network video showing you the BEST brownies:  enjoy....

Brownie image credit: jeffreyw, Wikipedia creative commons attribution 2.0

Plan to Celebrate the Autumn Season

Autumn is visiting me and I am making plans to celebrate the season. The leaves are starting to fall from the trees in my hometown. The nights are dipping into the low 50's and the days are no warmer then the mid 50’s. This is an indication that summer has ended and the season called autumn has begun.

This is the time of the year when we start to think about comfort foods rich hearty soups, chili and stews. Pot roast for supper, melt in your mouth popovers,pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. 

 Autumn is also a time when we participate in outdoor activities with your friends and your family.    Today I went to the Audubon nature center and hiked on the nature trail. The trees along the creek were in peak color. I watched the colorful leaves float in the breeze. It was as if they were slow dancing. 

 The sun was bright and I could feel the warmth upon my face. There was a cool breeze that I felt whenever I walked in the shadows and that is when I thought of pumpkin spiced coffee. 

At the end of the nature trail, there was a park bench directly next to a sugar maple tree. I sat at a park bench and thought about all of the things that I must do. 

I will make a butternut squash soup for supper, and while it is cooking, I will roast some pumpkin seeds for my family to snack on. 

Then I will run to the craft store and pick up a few items to start my autumn decorations. Run by the farmers market to select some juicy apples for an apple crisp for dessert. I will serve this delicious dessert to my family by the fireplace. I am wondering does autumn get better than this?

I had better get busy, as I have many things to do. Why not make some plans of your own to celebrate the autumn season.