Picking mushrooms in the woods on a sunny day can be fun for the whole family . . . but only if you do it safely! Here mushrooms are divided into four identification categories so anyone can recognize what he or she is looking--and forage without worry!
There are thousands of different species of fungi, so it can be hard to tell which are edible and which are poisonous when you are picking them for yourself in the wild. Safe and unsafe species often closely resemble each other, and worrying about which mushrooms are safe and which might be deadly can take all the fun out of mushrooming. Enter Mushrooming with Confidence!
Improving on the usual overwhelming and exhaustive wild plant guidebook, Mushrooming with Confidence is a slim, handy manual that focuses on the tastiest and most common mushrooms, so that you can easily spot those that are not only safe to eat, but also a delight to cook and share!
Here mushrooms are divided into four identification categories so that anyone will be able to recognize what he or she is looking at quickly and correctly. Thirty of the most common and delicious types are explained in detail, from the common field mushroom to the pretty purple amethyst deceiver and the prolific and tasty charcoal burner. Each mushroom includes a "Positive ID Checklist" that the reader can go through to be absolutely certain they have the right species, and more than 300 color photographs make it a snap to know exactly what kind of mushroom you've found . . . and whether you really want to pick it!
With lists of the best tools for mushrooming, the best techniques for getting a mushroom out of the ground in one piece, and even how to remove worms, Mushrooming with Confidence will extinguish any fear or doubt that might stop you from hunting down your own delicious mushrooms. This will prove a fun and essential guide for novice and experienced pickers alike!
Table of Contents:
How to Use This Guide -- The Mushrooming with Confidence Method -- What does edible mean? -- Learn to leave a mushroom -- Look-alike poisonous species -- The tools of the trade -- Worm-infested mushrooms -- Cutting or pulling? -- Raw mushrooms -- What Is a Mushroom? -- Gills, Ridges, Tubes, and Spines -- Gills -- Ridges -- Gills and Ridges in Comparison -- Tubes -- Spines -- Positively Identifying Mushrooms -- Mushrooms with Gills -- The Field Mushroom -- The Wood Blewit -- The Shaggy Mane -- The Parasol -- The Shaggy Parasol -- The Oyster Mushroom -- The Charcoal Burner -- The Amethyst Deceiver -- Mushrooms with Tubes -- The King Bolete -- The Red Cracked Bolete -- The Larch Bolete -- The Slippery Jack -- The Bay Bolete -- The Birch Bolete -- Mushrooms with Ridges -- The Chanterelle -- The Trumpet Chanterelle -- Mushrooms with Spines -- The Hedgehog Fungus -- Mavericks -- The Morel -- The Common Puffball -- The Hen of the Woods -- The Horn of Plenty -- The Cauliflower Mushroom -- Trees and Mushrooms -- Handling, Storage, and Cooking -- Index.
Skyhorse Publishing
Pub Date: November 13, 2012
176 pages
paperback