The black trumpet has several names: The poor mans truffle, Horn of Plenty, Trumpet de Mort, Black Chanterelle, Black Trompet and Craterellus Fallax. They are part of the chanterelle family. It has a rich flavor that is commonly used in egg, cream sauces, dishes with fish, cream sauces and goes very well with wild game. It has a smoky, buttery flavor that contrasts beautifully with pale foods.

This mushroom has a unique look, it is flower like and hollow inside, like a trumpet. It is black or brown.

We also carry dried black trumpets all year. They are a great substitution for fresh, they rehydrate very well. The fresh to dried ratio is approximately 12 pounds of fresh black trumpets makes a pound of dried black trumpets.

Here is a recipe that you can try:

Recipe from Yummly

We carry dried portabella, dried oyster and dried shitake if you need to substitute them. If you google “black trumpet recipes” there are quite a few recipes out there. I like epicurious.com, but there are only 3 there.

The season for the golden chanterelles in the United States starts in the Mid West after they start getting heavy rain in late summer- around August, which means we stop importing them. Around late August, we start getting the chanterelles from the coast of Oregon. These chanterelles are bigger than the European ones, they have an excellent aroma and flavor. They have been described as having a faint fragrance of apricots, a mildly peppery taste and exquisite woodsy flavor.

Preparation: There are many ways to cook chanterelles.They are not typically eaten raw because their rich and complex flavor is best released when cooked. Most of the flavorful compounds in chanterelles are fat soluble, making them good mushrooms to sauté in butter, oil or cream. They also do  well to recipes involving wine or other cooking alcohols. Many popular methods of cooking chanterelles include them in cream sauces, soufflés, sautés and soups. The shelf life is around 2 weeks fresh.

We sell dried chanterelles and powdered chanterelles as well. They have a rich buttery flavor with a meat like texture, they are slightly chewy. Avoid using chanterelles with ingredients that have strong flavors. The dried chanterelles are great to use for gravy, sauces or pizza toppings.  To reconstitute dried chanterelles soak them in warm water for 1 hour.
To use the powdered chanterelles, just shake it into your sauces, stews, or on top of your dishes that you want to add the chanterelle flavor to.

This is one of the most popular mushrooms we carry, they are a hearty mushroom and versatile. There are many recipes out there, from very easy for the budding chef, to complicated for those who are able to cook complicated recipes. Here is a link to some recipes: Chanterelle Recipes

Original recipe

1 oz Dried Chanterelle Mushrooms (you can substitute porcini, shitake, or a dry mushroom mix)

1 cup Coarse ground Kasha (Groats)

2 1/2 cups Veal Stock

1 medium Sweet Onion cut in half and thinly sliced

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Egg

1 package Knorrs onion soup mix

Ground black pepper

Olive oil to sauté onions and mushrooms

Simmer mushrooms in the veal stock until reconstituted. (15 – 20 minutes) 

Remove mushrooms and filter stock through a coffee filter or French Coffee Press and and return to pot.  Sauté onions and mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil until onions start to brown. (a mix of olive oil and butter adds flavor). Remove from heat. Add the onion soup mix to the reserved stock, 1 tbsp  butter and  1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground black pepper.  Follow directions on the onion soup package  and then reduce heat to a bare simmer to keep hot.

Combine Kasha and slightly beaten egg in a small bowl

Heat a 10 inch skillet (not a non stick) over medium heat. When hot, add Kasha mixture and stir constantly until the grains are separated, and dry. Reduce heat to low.

Add onions / mushroom mix, and pour in the hot stock mixture carefully to avoid splatter, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until kasha is tender, Serves 4 as a side dish.

The Grades of Matsutake that we have are:

Grade #1 Matsutake, which means the veil is intact all of the way around the cap to the stem.This is the grade that is great for giving as gifts and have a strong aroma and flavor.

Grade 2,3 Mix Matsutake, which means some of the mushrooms have the veil intact at least half way, and others will have almost no veil. These are great for cooking with in non traditional Japanese dishes and soups. The flavor and aroma are not as strong as the #1 Matsutake or the small Matsutake.

Small Matsutake are great for any dishes that need the strong aroma and flavor of the #1 without the price. They are what we call “dinks” they may have a cap, but they are under 2.5 inches, and usually look like a stem, because the cap has not formed, therefore they will usually not have a veil.

The Matsutake Mushrooms is known as: Ponderosa Mushrooms, , Matsitaki, O-Matsu, Pine Mushrooms, 松茸 Tricholoma magnivelare or Matsi. This mushroom has a firm white flesh with a distinctive aroma of cinnamon and pine and a firm, spicy flavor and chewy texture. They are highly prized by the Japanese culture and are thought to bring fertility and by extension fortune and happiness. The matsutake is excellent in tempura, sukiyaki; also, matsutake rice and dobin mushi (steamed in a teapot), and soup are also delicious dishes. Broil, grill, steam or bake.