Edible
Yellowfoot, winter chanterelle
Craterellus tubaeformis
The character that does the work
A hollow yellow stem under a small brown funnel with blunt ridges.
The specimen sheet, in examination order
01Cap
2 to 6 cm, brown to grey-brown, funnel-shaped and often perforated at the centre, with a wavy margin.
02Underside
Blunt forking false gills, grey to pale ochre, running down the stem.
03Stem, and the base
Hollow, bright yellow to ochre, which is where the name comes from.
04Flesh, cut
Thin, pale.
05Spore print
White to cream
How to take one06Where it grows
Mossy ground and rotting conifer wood, in very large troops.
When to look
Typically Sep to Jan in the northern hemisphere. Fruiting swings by weeks with rainfall and by a month or more with latitude, so this is when to look rather than when it will be there.
Northern Europe and North America.
What is worth knowing about it
Fruits in enormous numbers, late in the season and often under snow, and has no dangerous look-alike. Small, so it takes patience to gather a meal, but it dries very well and is an excellent species for a beginner to build confidence on.
Confused with
- Other Craterellus species, all edible
In the kitchen
Dries and rehydrates better than the golden chanterelle. Good in stews where its slight chewiness stops it disappearing.
The techniques, and why they workThis page tells you what to check. It does not tell you the mushroom in your hand is that species, and it cannot. If you are not certain, do not eat it. If you have already eaten something and feel unwell, contact a poison centre and keep an uncooked specimen.
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