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Blackness in the Forest
The black trumpet (Craterellus cornucopioides), also known as the black chanterelle and horn of plenty, is a distinctive mushroom in both appearance and flavor. It resembles a very dark petunia, with black, gray, or brownish flesh forming a trumpet shape. It is smooth both inside and out, with no gills. It is perhaps the most difficult mushroom for the eye to see in the woods, rivaling if not surpassing the morel in its ability to hide undetected against the background of the forest floor.
Black trumpets are pickable at two or three inches in height, but can sometimes grow up to six or seven inches tall, resembling clusters of black or dark gray rabbit ears. Fresh or rehydrated, they have a unique deep, delicious taste; not ‘mushroomy’ at all, and unlike any other flavor with which I am familiar. Black trumpets are a true wild mushrooms which cannot be cultivated, so their appearance in markets and restaurants is restricted to their natural season during the few winter months of the year.
In Northern California, “blacks,” as mushroomers call them, are generally found growing with tan oak trees, often near redwoods scattered within a tan oak woodland. They also tend to appear beneath huckleberry bushes, making for some serious hands-and-knees activity under the shrubbery. On sunny days when the forest floor is dappled with light and shade, it’s especially difficult to pick out the mushrooms’ dark, hole-like forms. The best conditions for hunting black trumpets are lightly overcast days. Heavier overcast makes the woods dim, which is challenging, but still easier on the eyes than the harsh contrasts of a bright sunny day.
In Northern California, black trumpets usually begin fruiting in late December, and will continue to appear through March or April. As with all mushrooms, some years are better than others for the black trumpet. In a good year, at a good area, one can fill a grocery sack in an hour or two. In a poor year, one is lucky to fill a lunch sack. They often come in groups or clusters, and can be quite picturesque. They are rarely attacked by insects or foraged by other animals, so the hunter’s main competitors are only other mushroom hunters.
An Amusing Tale...
When hunting mushrooms, there’s a certain natural process of visual acclimation. Once the eye tunes into the look of a certain mushroom, it becomes much easier to find. Conversely, if they eye is not attuned, the treasures are incredibly easy to overlook. I had an interesting incident a few years back that illustrates this quite well.
I was taking a recreational walk with a non-mushrooming friend (I do have a few) in a local Sonoma County park. We weren’t looking for mushrooms, but as we passed through a small copse of tan oak, I noticed a few black trumpets fruiting. My friend suggested we pick them, but I thought it would be better to wait and pick them on the way out, so we wouldn’t have to carry them. I felt very safe in this plan, since we were in an area not especially known for mushrooms, and I had never seen other pickers at this spot. So we continued on with our walk.
We returned an hour or so later. To my great shock and dismay, I saw a young man down on the ground with a small paper sack. He was about 10 yards away from the mushrooms we had spotted earlier. As he noticed us coming into view, he hastily stood up, with a rather guilty look. We said hello, and my friend and I gravitated over to the spot where we had earlier seen the mushrooms. They were still there. As the young man came over to join us, a little girl appeared from out of the trees, carrying a large amanita mushroom. The man told us that he knew a few mushrooms and picked sometimes, and we chatted for a few minutes.
All this time the black trumpets were between us, right at our feet. At first, I wondered if he knew there were blacks at our feet. Then I wondered if he was wondering if I knew there were blacks at our feet.
After a bit, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I asked him what was in the bag in his hand - maybe his lunch? He looked a little sheepish, then opened the bag to give me a look. It was full of acorns! He said he was collecting them to sprout, with the idea of selling the seedlings to a nursery. I had a hard time keeping a straight face. After some more friendly chat, we parted ways, heading in opposite directions. As soon as we were out of sight, my friend and I hid behind a big tree. We waited about five minutes to see if he returned to pick the mushrooms. He didn’t reappear, so we went and made a fine harvest. Luckily for us, he never even saw them!
Into the Kitchen
In the kitchen, black trumpets are a culinary treat. There are so few black foods that their appearance can be a little daunting in a dish, but once the taste is perceived, they become an object of beauty. The flavor goes quite well with red bell pepper or asparagus, and the bold color combinations are unusual and pleasing to the eye. Black trumpets’ flavor also harmonize well with smoked foods such as smoked cheese or fish.
These mushrooms are generally easy to clean, assuming the dirty stem bases are trimmed at the time of harvest. Because of their trumpet-like shape, they sometimes accumulate a bit of forest debris in the center, so they should be torn open and examined before cooking. Rinsing in a basin of water will usually allow any debris to float to the top, where it can be easily removed. Because they do not have gills and their flesh is not especially absorbent, it is okay to get black trumpets wet. A trip through the salad spinner will remove any accumulated water.
With their strong, distinctive flavor, black trumpets carry themselves well in most dishes where mushrooms are appropriate. Sautéing is generally the best cooking approach, although they also do well in soups and stuffings. They will become tender with about 10 minutes of cooking, and usually contain enough natural moisture to use the dry sauté method described in the previous article about gold chanterelles. One of my favorite ways to use black trumpets is on pizza (see accompanying recipe).
Drying in a food dehydrator is the best way to preserve an over-abundance of black trumpets. If you use dried blacks, be sure to include the rehydration liquid in the cooking process, as it contains lots of flavor and nutrients.
Copyright 2007 Charmoon Richardson
Black Trumpet photo by
Taylor Lockwood
www.taylorlockwood.com
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