Seasonal Guides
Summer Sourcing: What's Wild and In-Season in Michigan
Summer is the most generous season for Michigan wild-foods sourcing — the longest window, the widest variety, and generally the most forgiving in terms of how far ahead a restaurant needs to plan compared to the tighter spring morel season.
What's available
Chanterelles are the summer signature, typically available from early summer into fall. Lobster mushrooms and chicken of the woods both fruit through the warmer months as well, alongside fresh culinary herbs like holy basil, lemon basil, and Blue Spice basil, which are at their best during the Michigan growing season.
Planning for a longer season
Because summer's wild-mushroom window runs considerably longer than spring's, restaurants have more flexibility to plan a rotating series of features rather than a single short-run special — though supply is still weather-dependent and finite, so a standing seasonal order is still the most reliable way to guarantee quantity for a planned menu run.
The start of fall crossover
Late summer often overlaps with the beginning of fall's wild-mushroom season, giving kitchens a natural transition point to plan a menu shift around rather than an abrupt seasonal cutoff.
In the apothecary
Look up what each of these pairs with, how it is prepared and what to watch out for.
From our shop
- Holy Basil Dried 4 oz (sold out for now)
- Blue Spice Basil Dried 4 oz (sold out for now)
- Lemon Basil Dried 4 oz (sold out for now)
- Chanterals Dried 16 oz | Cantherellus Spp (sold out for now)
Keep reading
Seasonal Guides
Michigan's Wild Mushroom Calendar: A Year-Round Sourcing Guide
A season-by-season overview of what wild Michigan ingredients are typically available, for restaurants planning a menu around them.
Michigan Cities
A Seasonal Sourcing Calendar for Grand Rapids Restaurant Menus
What to plan for and when — a season-by-season guide for Grand Rapids kitchens building wild-foraged features into their menu calendar.
Seasonal Guides
A Chef's Guide to Michigan's Spring Foraging Season
Spring is the shortest and most anticipated wild-foods season in Michigan — here is what typically becomes available, and when to start planning for it.
Seasonal Guides
Morel Season in Michigan: What Restaurants Need to Know
Morel season is short, weather-dependent, and the most competitive sourcing window on the Michigan wild-foods calendar. Here is how restaurants plan around it.