The Mushroom Book : How to Identify, Gather and Cook Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

Filled with photographs of prized culinary fungi and notorious poisonious specimens, this book offers advice on where, when, and how to pick and prepare edible species.

The ability to correctly identify mushrooms is, in many ways, an art in itself. With this profusely illustrated, helpful guide providing assistance, it should be possible to acquire a good deal of the skill necessary to differentiate between a delectable parasol mushroom and a species with a similar appearance, the green-gilled parasol, which is highly toxic if ingested. Bright, bold photographs and concise text together describe important features and enhance an extended graph provided for use as an identification key. The large format adds impact to the main body of material: an in-depth field guide that indicates whether a species is deadly poisonous, possibly edible, or a choice selection to include in gourmet recipes such as those featured in the final chapter. Alice Joyce

The bulk of this North American edition is a field guide to 450 mushrooms. Entries include a brief description with a bulleted list of spore deposit, habitat, range, and fruiting. The author is a scientist experienced in mushroom education, and the information presented is accurate. A strength of this work is its color photographs; in each, the whole specimen is shown, accompanied by views from various angles to focus the user on important features. Illustrations depict a typical growing situation, and symbols help the reader quickly identify approximate size and edibility. Other sections provide beginning enthusiasts with an overview of mushrooms and give tips on collecting, preserving, and cooking. Twenty recipes from a cooking authority are included, but those seeking recipes may prefer David W. Fischer and Alan E. Bessette's Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field to Kitchen Guide (Univ. of Texas, 1992). Recommended for extensive fungi collections and libraries seeking to supplement currently held mushroom books.?Bonnie L. Poquette, Arthur Andersen, LLP, Milwaukee, Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.