100 Edible Mushrooms

by Michael Kuo

With a dash of humor and a dollop of science, Michael Kuo selects the top 100 mushrooms best suited for cooking. Like Kuo’s very popular book Morels , 100 Edible Mushroom s is written in the author’s inimitable, engaging, and appealing style, taking the reader on the hunt through forest and kitchen in search of mycological pleasures and culinary delights. Kuo describes in detail how to identify each species, where and when to find them, and how to cook them in creative and delicious recipes. The mushrooms presented in the book are the most often eaten varieties, and a description of the button mushrooms found in the grocery store is included. All of the mushrooms have at least one full-color illustration and some several more to aid in identifying and distinguishing look-alike and nonedible species. An indispensable book for mushroom hunters, naturalists, and cooks Michael Kuo, an English teacher in Illinois, is the developer of mushroomexpert.com, a popular online resource for mushroom identification and morel hunting.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food, Field Guides, Reference

344 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2007

Reviews

[Foxthyme]

I'm really mad that I lost this book. And I lost this book because I took it everywhere with me. So I still might find it in one of the summer locales camp / cottage or farm work areas. Maybe in the depths of my car. In a hiking bag. I don't know but it is missing and it's driving me mad.

It is a very good book. And if I don't find it near the beginning of this mushroom hunting season I'm going to have to buy a new one. Worth it.

[Benjamin Plume]

Excellent. As a beginning mushroom hobbyist I found this guide superbly instructive. The author also runs a website, mushroomexpert.com, which is equally excellent.

[Tim]

A great book to learn how to identify and prepare 100 of the easiest wild mushrooms. If you want to learn more about edible wild mushrooms, plants, and insects. Check out @MNforager on instagram and Ironwood Foraging Co. on Facebook.

[Lili]

I am a big time mushroom hunter, I fancy myself an armchair mycologist, but I won't eat mushrooms. Ok I will eat a mountain of Black Trumpets and Wood ears given the chance, but I am not a mushroom hunter who eats what they forage. Yes there is the toxicity scare, but mainly, I don't like the texture.

That little bit aside, I can safely say this is my favorite book in my mushroom collection. Michael Kuo takes a subject that can be pretty dry and makes it hilarious and interesting.

The book does something I am very pleased with, before it gets into the subject of mushrooms you can eat, it starts with ones you can't eat. Any book that is going to cover the subject of edible mushrooms should start with this, because people sometimes are kinda daft.

Each mushroom is given advice on cleaning and preparation, making even Old Man of the Woods look tasty, and that is saying something. Even the recipes look fantastic...maybe I need to rethink my decision to not eat mushrooms.

[Kym]

While this book has excellent descriptions and photographs of edible mushrooms, the author is clear about the possibility of poisoning oneself. It is wonderful to use an identification guide for shrooms growing in the yard and beyond, but I would not feel confident in eating any without the recommendation of an experienced mycologist.

[Rick Jackofsky]

Excellent reference for beginner and intermediate mushroom hunters and foragers. I took it out of the library but plan on buying a copy to have and to hold. Michael also maintains a great website; (www.mushroomexpert.com) for identifying fungi.