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Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the World
Mushrooms are among the most intriguing and striking inhabitants of the natural world, as highly regarded for their distinctive flavors and uses in cooking and medicine as for their sometimes strange, often beautiful shapes and forms. Some are medicinal, others poisonous or even lethal. Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the World is a well-rounded look at mushrooms, including their cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, and the fascinating roles they play in nature. The authors provide expert advice on how to identify and distinguish between edible and poisonous wild mushrooms and how to record important details, with suggestions for taking photographs and preparing spore prints. More than 250 stunning photographs accompany the text. Truly international in its coverage, this engaging introduction to the world of mushrooms will appeal to naturalists, students, photographers, chefs, hikers, and potential growers from around the world.
372 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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May 21, 2016Dec 06, 2015
Once upon a time two collected mushies, gathered at a window....
I've heard that 10 people, per year, die in Europe,due to the ingestion of the deadly Amanita Muscaria, The Fly Agaric Mushroom. But to be lethal you would have to ingest at least 5 kg, someone argues. Whatever, they (mushrooms) do have medicinal and other properties needing research. The Shamans in Siberia used them....
I'll keep my own search... and investigation.
-By the way, Sir Lizzard, have you been chewing up my mushies??
Be careful.
You tell Lady Sppider they're mine.
And so, by the evening, Lady Sppider showed up, looking sad. Yes, she'd been having terrible visions, but she didn't specify the type of mushie, she'd taken a bite, or how many bites; even, for how much time....
But then I've found this:
UPDATE
It appears Lady Spidder has been busy overnight....
Once upon a time two collected mushies, gathered at a window....
I've heard that 10 people, per year, die in Europe,due to the ingestion of the deadly Amanita Muscaria, The Fly Agaric Mushroom. But to be lethal you would have to ingest at least 5 kg, someone argues. Whatever, they (mushrooms) do have medicinal and other properties needing research. The Shamans in Siberia used them....
I'll keep my own search... and investigation.
-By the way, Sir Lizzard, have you been chewing up my mushies??
Be careful.
You tell Lady Sppider they're mine.
And so, by the evening, Lady Sppider showed up, looking sad. Yes, she'd been having terrible visions, but she didn't specify the type of mushie, she'd taken a bite, or how many bites; even, for how much time....
But then I've found this:
UPDATE
It appears Lady Spidder has been busy overnight....
March 23, 2021
It all started when I spotted a peculiar looking mushroom in our garden the other day!
Looking more carefully around, I found more of the same kind in different shapes and sizes.
They would have formed a fairy ring if not for the building walls cornering them.
It was shocking enough to find my very first wild mushrooms, but then, in discovering so many of them I also got a little bit freightened as I was afraid that they might be poisonous and contaminating for other plants nearby.
Hence, began the search to identify and learn more about our not very welcome little guests!
After lots (And I mean it! Lots!) of Googling It became clear that these mushrooms are from the genus Helvella, more specifically: Helvella leucopus or Palefoot saddle.
I did not find much info about the species online. There were two related published researches available; Where, in one, it was stated that as far as chemical analysis shows, H. leucopus are edible; The other research, contained statistics that affirmed that these mushrooms are consumed in parts of Spain.
As it turns out, they are extremely rare to find and are vulnerable to extinction.
Consequently, the lack of information online led me to look for some in books. however, neither were helpful.
Although, this one was very well written, better detailed, and fun to read!
P.S., I have not touched those mushrooms nor am I willing to. For the time being we've left them alone but I guess we ought to get rid of them before any more show up.
Looking more carefully around, I found more of the same kind in different shapes and sizes.
They would have formed a fairy ring if not for the building walls cornering them.
It was shocking enough to find my very first wild mushrooms, but then, in discovering so many of them I also got a little bit freightened as I was afraid that they might be poisonous and contaminating for other plants nearby.
Hence, began the search to identify and learn more about our not very welcome little guests!
After lots (And I mean it! Lots!) of Googling It became clear that these mushrooms are from the genus Helvella, more specifically: Helvella leucopus or Palefoot saddle.
I did not find much info about the species online. There were two related published researches available; Where, in one, it was stated that as far as chemical analysis shows, H. leucopus are edible; The other research, contained statistics that affirmed that these mushrooms are consumed in parts of Spain.
As it turns out, they are extremely rare to find and are vulnerable to extinction.
Consequently, the lack of information online led me to look for some in books. however, neither were helpful.
Although, this one was very well written, better detailed, and fun to read!
P.S., I have not touched those mushrooms nor am I willing to. For the time being we've left them alone but I guess we ought to get rid of them before any more show up.
August 23, 2010
After a long intro there is lots of information on how mushrooms are cultivated. The bulk of this book is information about and pics of various wild mushrooms. As a field guide its semi-usable but I'm sure there are books out there that are better suited for that job. Granted I am a sub-novice at this stuff but I was only able to identify with 75% certainty three different types of mushrooms that I ran across in soccer fields and parks close to my home. The best thing in this book for me though was the beautiful photographs of various mushrooms in their natural habitat.
June 19, 2012
Great little book which covers much of the world despite growing out of an Australian new Zealand work. Not the best book for identification but it does have the basic keys for visible identification in the field. What it does have is great photos and lots of information about a wide range of common fungi. I assume the Chinese sections are correct, appreciate species I have never come across such as Termitomyces eurrhizus and also like the cultivation section.
Great book to pick up, open on any page and read for 15 minutes. Shame I only found it in the Whistler library BC.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews