This is a very simple recipe to execute well - but a number of aspects of it are likely to be unfamiliar to many readers.  And that, of course, is why I write these things.  Below you'll find some notes about finding chanterelles, what exactly dry frying is, and some details on the preserving process as it pertains to these pickled chanterelles in particular.

Before we dive deeper, I'll mention that I designed this recipe for a very small batch of mushrooms (about 125 grams, or 4.5 oz).  I did so because a) it's nice to try out a little of something before committing to big batches, b) wild foraged mushrooms can be pretty pricey, and c) it can be scaled up with ease to larger quantities if you like.

Expect to get about 1 small 1/4 pint (125 ml/4 oz) jar of finished pickled chanterelles when you're done.

Buy 'Em

Easy answer first: you can buy chanterelle mushrooms from farmers markets and some specialty grocery stores (usually the fancy-pants and organic-focused ones). Chanterelle season varies depending on climate, but they're generally around between late summer and early winter. For more detailed seasonality, Google chanterelle season in your region of the world.

Various chanterelle species exist around the world, and collectively these mushrooms are fairly common across much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa.  Note that any chanterelle mushroom you buy at a market will have been foraged from the wild.  Chanterelles have thus far resisted any attempts at domestication or cultivation.  As such, it's imperative that you buy from a trusted and capable source.  Avoid mushroom sellers that try to pass off older, mushier, or wormy mushrooms on you.

Finally, if seasonality or location aren't in your favour, consider buying dried chanterelles.  Chanterelle mushrooms dry very well and can easily be rehydrated and treated like fresh mushrooms.

Find 'Em

On to the more complicated answer: foraging.  Chanterelle mushrooms are one of the most popular foraged wild mushroom varieties out there, being both delicious and fairly easy to identify.  That being said, this recipe is definitely not the place to give you a rundown on the technical and ethical intricacies of mushroom foraging.  If you are interested in foraging for chanterelles, I would encourage you to do a lot of reading first. Normally I'd recommend a specific link here, but a lot of the guides out there are somewhat regionally specific, or focused on trying to sell you stuff.  This is why I would also highly recommend looking within your community for foraging groups and classes.  If you're serious about learning to forage mushrooms, you'd do best to connect with experienced and passionate people who know your corner of the world best.  Go forth and make mushroom friends.

For the uninitiated, this step can feel a bit odd. Dry mushrooms go into a dry frying pan - no oil, no butter, no nothing. It seems strange, but it works beautifully because chanterelles contain a lot of water, and they will begin to release this water into the pan very quickly.  You don't even need to use a non-stick pan (I used a well-seasoned cast iron pan).  Just use gentle heat to get started, and keep the mushrooms moving by stirring gently with a wooden spoon (or something similar).

Once the mushrooms have given up all of the water that they're going to, continue to gently saute until the liquid is largely evaporated.  After that, you're going to rescue all that flavour from the bottom of the pan by deglazing with the brine you're going to use to pickle the mushrooms.

This is a quick- or fridge-pickle recipe. We are NOT canning these mushrooms with a hot water bath or a pressure canner.

Let me be clear - I do a lot of home preserving, and I'm well-versed with canning methods.  I'm also a scientist by training, and perfectly comfortable talking about chemistry and food microbiology.  But we're not even going to think about shelf-stable canning methods here for two very big reasons.  The first is that I have no idea how safe this recipe would be.  It's certainly fairly acidic, but it's untested, and therefore not worth gambling on.  Secondly (and rather importantly), the steps used in this recipe are not conducive to longer term canning from a purely culinary standpoint.  We're cooking the mushrooms (see above), at which point we're done with the heat.  Hot water bath canning and pressure canning would both require the mushrooms to continue cooking at or above boiling temperatures for several minutes, potentially yielding bland and mushy mushrooms.  'Mush' might be in the name, but it's not what we're going for.

Now, I should point out that you're not really limiting yourself much by fridge-pickling these chanterelles.  They keep for a very long time in the fridge (at least 3 months).  And, because this recipe specifically yields a fairly small batch, you're not all that likely to have them very long anyway!

As I mentioned earlier in the recipe, this brine for these pickled chanterelles is quite intentionally simple. It's mildly sweet, tart/acidic without being overpowering, and flavoured very lightly with ginger. The idea is to create a pickled chanterelle that puts the flavour of the mushrooms at the forefront while keeping the finished product versatile.

With that said, you can in fact make some modifications without much difficulty.

Rice vinegar can be swapped for white wine vinegar.  In theory, any other 5% acetic acid vinegar could be used too, but I would stay away from white vinegar (too biting and harsh) and any highly flavourful vinegars (e.g. malt or balsamic).

Both the salt and sugar are kept relatively minimal here.  You could use a bit more salt if you wanted a more pronounced kick, but because I cook with these mushrooms (rather than eating them on their own), I prefer them not to be overly salty.  Likewise, you could increase the sugar content - and many recipes for pickled chanterelles do.  I personally don't think that sweetness is the flavour I want to emphasize here, but you can play around a little if you like.

Finally, let's talk about added flavours.  I make this brine with just a bit of ginger, which I remove from the jar so as to ensure that the flavour doesn't overpower.  It's a small touch, but one that works very nicely.  Many pickled chanterelle recipes instead emphasize more conventionally European preserving and cooking herbs and spices like bay, black pepper, thyme, allspice, and garlic.  If you know that you plan to use these mushrooms in a way that will really align with one or more of those ingredients, feel free to add a little bit to your brine.  Do remember that less is more when it comes to pickling and spices, and the impact of these ingredients will become more pronounced over time in the fridge.