On Friday morning, Yvonne Westermark took the boat from Vaxholm out to the landing on the island Stor-Saxaren in the Stockholm archipelago. When she walked along the forest path to the house, she saw to her great surprise how it shone on the ground.
– I then stopped and looked and then there were chanterelles. Then you were a little surprised. It has never happened before in February, she says.
Usually found at the earliest in the summer
In the place where the chanterelles were found, Yvonne Westermark usually picks the yellow gold – but at the earliest in the summer and then in the autumn.
What did you think when you saw the chanterelles?
– At first I thought it couldn’t be possible. Then I started raking a bit in the moss and then it was “oh there, oh there, oh there”. At the same time, it is somewhere a little scary. Chanterelles should not grow in February. But it was kind of amazing. You get a little spring feeling.
Surprised by the find: “A bit strange”
The snow has still not completely melted away on the island and the ice remains on the bay below the house.
It almost sounds a little surreal that you found chanterelles now?
– People can believe what they want, but it’s true. Why would one lie about such a thing? But you’re almost a little shocked yourself when you see something like this that doesn’t match the times. It’s a bit strange, says Yvonne Westermark.
Do you think you will make more finds in the future?
– You don’t know that, but now you will be very curious to go and look all the time to see if you see any mushrooms, she says.
Not entirely unusual with chanterelles now
Finds of this kind in February are not entirely unusual, however, according to experts.
– We have picked chanterelles in January and February before. Everything is about how the winter has been and the conditions in terms of heat, cold, rain and humidity. However, I would not think that these are new yellow chanterelles, but some that have been hanging around since 2023, says mushroom consultant Theresia Lückner.
It’s all about the texture of the mushroom, whether it’s fresh and firm or wet and slimy. If it is the latter, it is likely that the mushroom belongs to the 2023 season.
– But you should never say never because the climate is changing, says Theresia Lückner.
The warning: Is not old mushroom
However, after finding the pictures from Yvonne Westermark, the mushroom consultant is convinced that these are not new yellow chanterelles. And raises a finger of warning to whoever finds old mushrooms this time of year.
– Don’t eat it. You have to think the same way you think with meat. The mushroom must be fresh and nice. It can lead to serious stomach upset otherwise, says Theresia Lückner.
When can you be sure that it is this year’s yellow gold that you have found?
– The earliest finds are usually around midsummer. But it can happen as early as May if the conditions are favorable, says Theresia Lückner.
When TV4 Nyheterna later calls Yvonne Westermark to ask about the texture of the yellow chanterelles, she takes a small piece off a raw one and puts it in her mouth.
– It tastes as usual. Sure, it’s a little wetter and not as dry as a summer chanterelle, but it can be that in the summer and fall as well. But after receiving this information, we won’t be eating chanterelle sandwiches tonight, she says.