SAVOR CHANTERELLES

Summer is Chanterelle season. The season generally sweeps the globe, beginning with the winter thaw. Eastern Europe's forests are carpeted in small, nearly uniform chanterelles - the carpet of gold that Dorothy was really looking for.

As the thaw (and freeze and thaw and...) moves toward the U.S., we have double the reason to wander in the woods. Morel season - while on a temporary hiatus - often dovetails with the summer mushroom season. All depends upon the weather. One thing is sure; chanties produce all through the summer and into ... with the ozone's permission ... February.

Eager foragers are already reporting golden buds, amidst the little crusts of melting frost in clearings. Wait for them to grow, then clip with a knife rather than ripping out the roots. They ain't flowers, but god love 'em, they grow again and again in the same spot.

What to do once you have the chanterelles? Roast, bake, saute, grill (in foil). Go-withs include pork, ham, eggs, pasta, red meats. Just about anything you'll want to cook for the next 8 months. Dare to dream!

In other news, it's time for the annual Michigan Drive-Thru Morels. Reports from the field are so sated with pasta and morels that they are begging for more recipes. Get the book, John! To tide you over - Stuff morels w/goat cheese and herbs and bake; skewer olive-oil rubbed pieces and grill; saute up a mess 'o morels, saute with a ton of herbs, some chix stock and heavy cream, and stuff into ravioli or baby puff pastry bites (use mini muffin tins).

For tastings, recipes, seasonal updates: www.transatlanticfoods.com.

Fresh Morels Hit the East Coast

Fresh morels have landed from the Pacific Northwest! As the "Burns" make their way to the plates of restaurant chefs and gourmands, let's take a minute to talk about them.

There are several varieties of morels, which begin in late March and take us through to the end of the season, perhaps late June or July. Since morels are a wild mushroom, their season is flexible, according to weather both before the Spring and during it.

The first morels are Rounds, and they come from Turkey and its neighbors. These grow in sandy soil, are always firm and dry. After this first taste of earthbound delights the season takes off on a gallop. The round morels are quickly followed by Conica, which grow in the pacific northwest, Kentucky, Louisiana, and patches of forest throughout the US. Saute 'em, roast 'em, grill 'em, smoke 'em :).

Burns take over when the weather warms up. Hot dirt means increased worm activity, and guess what worms like to feast on....morels. Pickers move up the mountains to where forest fires have wiped out anything but new growth. In fact, certain states auction off picking rights to commercial harvesters. Burns, then, are nearly guaranteed to be free of insects and their larvae offspring. These morels are firm, medium-sized, and can be a bit sandy depending upon what kind of soil they grew up in. Saute these with some foraged ramps or fiddleheads, or asparagus, for a great combo of grassy and earthy.

When the weather gets hot hot hot we turn to the drive-through morels. These Blondes, or Naturals, come from Michigan and other spots. They are big and juicy. Stuff them, grill them on a skewer, and get ready for more morel for your buck.