Foraging Chanterelles In Autumn Forest

Golden chanterelles carpet the mossy floor of an autumn forest, growing in loose clusters among ferns, fallen leaves, and lichen-covered stones. A group of foragers in wool hats and jackets kneel and crouch to gather them into woven baskets, some already piled high with the curling, trumpet-shaped caps. White birch trunks and dense spruce rise around a narrow clearing where a wooden drying rack hangs strung with mushrooms threaded on cord. Orange and yellow leaves cling to the branches overhead, framing a strip of pale blue sky where two birds cross. Baskets rest at different points across the clearing, some full, some just started, marking each forager's own patch of ground. The overlapping baskets and drying strands turn one big harvest into many small piles, each one its own tidy heap to gather.