Chanterelle mushrooms from Northern Saskatchewan is known for high quality. (Facebook/Boreal Heartland Herbal Products)

By Derek Cornet

northern delicacy

Average harvest expected in 2021 for northern chanterelle mushrooms

Aug 11, 2021 | 5:00 PM

The hunt is on for chanterelle mushrooms near La Ronge, which are harvested annually and enjoyed for their unique flavour.

Keewatin Community Development Association CEO Randy Johns, who operates Boreal Heartland Herbal Products located in Air Ronge, expects the majority of mushrooms this season will become mature in the next couple of weeks. He believes the heat wave in the region earlier this summer delayed them a bit.

“They don’t like it. Wetter weather is better for them,” Johns said. “The heat wave came really before the mushroom season. Any that came out before the heat wave kind of dried up or it wasn’t that good early.”

While 2020 was described as a bumper year for chanterelle mushrooms because of high precipitation, Johns thinks 2021 will be average to below average. On Tuesday, he raised his price from $6 per pound to $6.50 to encourage more pickers to sell to him.

Every summer, many tri-community residents participate in mushroom picking as a means of income or as a traditional activity. There are currently other buyers set up at the Highway 2 and Highway 165 junction about 50 kilometres south of La Ronge.

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“We do have orders for mushrooms, so we want to encourage people to bring them to us,” Johns said. “The problem is if we aren’t buying right out there and if there are buyers there, then people tend to bring them to the closer ones.”

Chanterelle mushrooms can be enjoyed fresh or dried after being reconstituted with water. Cravings Late Night Food in Air Ronge purchases mushrooms from Boreal Heartland, which are then added to dishes the restaurant serves.

So far, chanterelles have been added to soups, poutines, pasta and burgers.

The chanterelle burger is a popular menu item this time of year. (Facebook/Cravings Late Night Food)

“People really love the chanterelle burger, especially being on a fried bannock bun and adding wild rice,” owner Jamie Charles said. “People really like the northern elements on their burger.”

Charles has been using chanterelles for about three weeks now and will continue to do so until the supply dwindles. He noted tourists, in particular, have come into the restaurant wanting to get a taste of his special burger.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno