jgpo@iwu1c.UUCP (06/16/83)
It should go without saying, but PLEASE!!!!!, if you're an inexperienced mushroom hunter, TAKE SOMEONE WHO HAS THE EXPERIENCE ALONG WITH YOU the first several times you go mushrooming. There are many good field guides to fungi available, but no book is a substitute for the trained eyes of someone who has stalked the wild mushroom for a number of years. Wild fungi are delicious, and some are unmistakable (the heavenly puffball, for instance (slice, coat with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry to a golden brown; YUM!)), but some of the poisonous varieties have the nasty habit of looking like an edible species. So enjoy your mushrooming. It's loads of fun. But be careful and use common sense. John
solomon@uwvax.UUCP (06/19/83)
Mushroom hunters: What books do you recommend? I've heard the warning before that one should learn from an experienced mushroom hunter rather than trusting a guide book, but what do you do if an experienced mushroom hunter is not available? I understand that some species of edible mushrooms look too much like poisonous varieties to take chances if you don't know what you're doing, but there are others that look nothing like any conceivable imposter. In the absence of a mycologist, one might have to avoid the former variety, but a good field guide should be adequate for the latter. -- Marvin Solomon Computer Sciences Department University of Wisconsin, Madison WI solomon@uwisc ...!seismo!uwvax!solomon
rael@inuxe.UUCP (06/20/83)
The best book I've seen for familiarizing one's self with edible mushrooms is "MUSHROOMS Wild and Edible" (or something close to that) by Vincent Marteka (I'm sure about the author's name). This book is written for begginners in the mushroom hunting field and it tells about species that are unique enough to be easily identifies (including the foolproof four: Morels, Sulphur Shelf, Shaggy Manes and Puffballs). It also tells about species to keep away from, and also how much you need to check in a particular species to be sure you have the right mushroom. I'm very thankful to Mr. Marteka, since he sent me well on my way to becoming a mushroom hunter. As far as fieldguides go, I own a copy of the Audubon Society Fieldguide of Mushrooms. It is very extensive, but I am not very impressed with it. It groups mushrooms in a funny way (it took me days before finding the Shaggy Mane) and the colour is not very good. I also have another fieldguide which I like a lot better, but I don't remember the author off-hand. I will post this name (along with the forgotten address of the Kinoko Co.) in a soon to come article. Dan Vanevic inuxe!rael