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u/squidboots · 2 pointsr/mycology

I grew up in northwestern MD, so around the same area as you. I own and have used most of the guides folks here have mentioned. Most of them are good, but the guide I always find myself plopping in my basket is Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians by William Roody. The book itself is a little larger than other field guides (like Audubon's guide, for example), but the photos are MUCH larger and the descriptions of the mushrooms are informative without being overwhelming. I also found the layout of the book to be extremely intuitive.

Mushrooms Demystified is not a field guide. It is a large book and jam-packed with information. It is much more useful as an "after field guide" when you have your mushrooms at home and want to key them out. There a few color plates in the book but the book's real utility is in the identification keys for each genus.

I would also throw Mushrooms of Northeastern America as another "too big for the field" book. That book is massive. BUT, it is also the book I go to when I'm home from my mushroom hunting. It's a fantastic book to have.

All That the Rain Promises is a great little book. Very entertaining. But it's definitely a west coast guide.

I find the Audubon guide to have photos that are much too small to be very useful for at-a-glance ID in the field, and the breadth of material to be unnecessarily wide. The information contained within is definitely useful, but I have found other books that have a better layout and better pictures with the same or better information. The only real advantage it has over most other field guides is its size. If you're planning on shrooming around where you live, you're probably better off getting a guide for your specific region.

The Field Guide to the Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania And the Mid-atlantic is an alright book. All of the information it has is very good, but I did not find it to be comprehensive enough with the species it covered. Also, I hated the form factor of the guide itself (tall and skinny) because I could not keep it open by weighing down each side with a rock or just laying it on its spine, it had to be held open. I am someone who likes to fondle the mushrooms as I'm looking over the description in the guide, but it might not be the case with you. Just something to consider.

Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field-to-kitchen Guide is a great guide if you're out for edibles. It is not a good guide if you are out and want to identify everything you run across just for the fun of it. But with that in mind, I definitely would recommend it. I have only tried a few of the recipes myself, but they have all turned out well.

I agree that having good, clear photographs in a field guide is important - I'm a visual person and photos are the first thing I turn to when faced with an unfamiliar fungus. All that said, please remember that photos alone are not enough to positively identify a mushroom. They're great for getting a general idea of where to start, but they are not end-all be-all.

And as a last aside, a book that I picked up on a whim (just because I'm a bit of a mushroom book magpie) called Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams: Fungi, Lichenicolous Fungi, Lichenized Fungi, Slime Molds, Mosses, and Liverworts actually has (in my opinion) the best overview of mushroom physiological variations. There is a line drawing illustration of the character in question (for example, gill attachment) and then the terminology used to describe each variant of it. Other guides certainly have all of this information, but it is laid out in an incredibly elegant and intuitive way in this book. It helps a lot to know these things when working your way through keys.

Anyway, hope this was helpful!

u/fomentarius · 2 pointsr/mycology

Look into local chapters of the mycological society or mushroom hunting groups/clubs in your area. This site lists a few options. Looks like the one in Albion may be near-ish to you.

I've also found many of the links in the sidebar helpful, especially mushroom observer and the mushroom hunting and identification forum on The Shroomery. The Shroomery's ID forum is where I go to confirm my suspected ID's after keying out specimens on my own.

I use Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora, as a my post collection ID book. It's both huge and dated (i think it's latest edition is from the early or mid 80's) so it's functionality as a field guide or the final word in ID is lacking. Even so, it is good to learn to work through dichotomous keys like the ones that it employs and it usually gets you headed in the right direction. Other guides like Rogers Mushrooms, All the Rain Promises and More, and The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms are good resources, too (I'm sure other folks can add to this list, I'm just dropping the names that first come to mind).

As much as I clash with some of his professional/ethical decisions, Paul Stamets has contributed a ton to the accessibility of Mycology to the masses. Check out Mycelium Running and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms as introductions to the Fifth Kingdom.

I'm also really enjoying Tradd Cotter's new book, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Fungi for the People and The Radical Mycology Collective have also been hugely influential in my personal growth as an amateur mycologist. If you ever get a chance to attend any of their events, I would recommend doing it.

Best of luck and enjoy your journey!

u/Crypta · 4 pointsr/mycology

The mushroom you have there is a Red Chanterelle, inactive, although rather delicious.

If you're hunting for the real deal, try searching for Panaelous Cinctulus. They often grow in well fertilized lawns, and in or around horse dung. P. Cinctulus occurs in all 50 states and in many countries worldwide.

My best advice to you if you are serious about doing this (which you seem to be), is to learn how to properly identify a mushroom. I highly recommend you purchase a field manual such as "Mushrooms Demystified" by David Arora; it was my first mushroom book and is what spurred my now unending interest in fungi.

I know some people have made suggestions about further reading online, but, I urge you to check out shroomery.org. Besides having a ton of free information on what you're looking for, they have a very active and helpful forum that will be able to assist you in correctly identifying mushrooms. Be sure to read the rules (stickied at the top of the forum) before posting.

Goodluck and be safe. If you have any questions in the future or need a little help, feel free to PM me. Peace.

u/lard_pwn · 2 pointsr/mycology

Love your typo!

All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms, by David Arora is definitely a good place to start. For people in the U.S.

There are good edible Russula, Lactarius and Amanita mushrooms, but the species you've listed are not commonly eaten. I do believe A. rubescens is edible, but I would not suggest anyone who is new to mushrooming even pretend to think about eating any species of Amanita until they have familiarized themselves with the genus and the Amanitas in their harvesting areas. Stick with the numerous other edible genera for a season or two, and learn all you can. Russula and Lactarius are great places to start; very delicious and often abundant.

Good luck. If you wanna come back and post pics of your finds, make sure to get them in focus and get shots of all parts, including the gills and their attachment to the stipe. Try to get into the habit of making spore prints of unknown specimens, as this can narrow down considerably the number of potential genera your specimen could belong to...

Have fun!

u/Fatboat · 2 pointsr/mycology

I can't speak to some of those questions with great certainty, I don't have any formal education in this topic. Though I know enough to hunt for many edible mushrooms.

And a copy of Mushrooms Demystified.

What book are you referencing?

Concerning the spore measurements, you do indeed need a microscope to discern individual spores.

Though taking a spore print of a mushroom is pretty simple, Here ya go.

> If you don't want to separate the cap from the stem, make a hole in an index card, place the card on a paper cup and slide the stem of the mushroom through the hole until the underside of the cap is resting on the card; then proceed as above.

You assure that you will not make a big mistake by sticking to tried and verified mushrooms that are well documented.

Search engines are an incredible resource for learning this kind of thing.

Many people who love mushrooms love to share their knowledge so many resources are available online.

Most importantly you should find people to hunt with to help you ID your finds.

Good luck, happy hunting!

u/nhlord · 3 pointsr/mycology

The two you've listed are my personal favorites. I also make use of National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, 100 Edible Mushrooms, North American Mushrooms: A Field guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi (not my favorite, but a useful cross reference at times), and Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America (this one has fantastic photos. While it is never recommended to ID by appearance alone, the cross cuts and underside photos in this book can be very useful). If you live in the southern east coast then I'd recommend Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States if you can find it affordably (as far as I know it is out of print and even used coppies are pretty expensive, but it is a fantastic book for southeastern mushrooms).

As far as websites I am a pretty frequent visitor of MushroomExpert.com. It offers some good keys and there are a lot of mushrooms listed.

u/najjex · 2 pointsr/mycology

I would not recommend the Audubon guide it is very out of date (this can range from outdated taxonomy all the way to toxicology that has changed over the years). It is useful because it lists species other guides lacks but you'll learn to hate it.

Buy a location specific guide. It depends on where you live. If you get really into field hunting buy some specific guides that give you a more in depth understanding and help you not to die. Joining a local mycological society is also an extremely valuable resource in understanding mycology.

Here's a bit of everything

Regional guides

Alaska

Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams

Western US

All The Rain Promises and More
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest

Mushrooms Demystified This is an old book, while still useful it definitely needs updating.

The New Savory Wild Mushroom Also dated but made for the PNW

Midwestern US

Mushrooms of the Midwest

Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States

Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest

Southern US

Texas Mushrooms: A Field Guide

Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States

Common Mushrooms of Florida

A Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms It's old so you'll need to learn new names.

Eastern US

Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians

Mushrooms of Northeast North America (This was out of print for awhile but it's they're supposed to be reprinting so the price will be normal again)

Mushrooms of Northeastern North America

Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America(Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America)

Mushrooms of Cape Cod and the National Seashore

More specific (Advanced) guides

Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World

North American Boletes

Tricholomas of North America

Milk Mushrooms of North America

Waxcap Mushrooms of North America

Ascomycete of North America

Ascomycete in colour

Fungi of Switzerland: Vol. 1 Ascomycetes A series of 6 books.

Fungi Europaei A collection of 14 books.

PDFs and online Guides

For Pholiota

For Chlorophyllum

American species of Crepidotus

Guide to Australian Fungi If this is useful consider donating to this excellent set of guides.

Websites that aren't in the sidebar

For Amanita

For coprinoids

For Ascos

MycoQuebec: they have a kickass app but it's In French

Messiah college this has a lot of weird species for polypores and other things

For Hypomyces

Cultivation

The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home (If your home is a 50,000 sq ft warehouse)

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

Mycology

The fifth kingdom beginner book, I would recommend this. It goes over fungal taxonomy Oomycota, Zygomycota and Eumycota. It also has ecology and fungi as food.

The kingdom fungi coffee table book it has general taxonomy of the kingdom but also very nice pictures.

Introduction to fungi Depends on your definition of beginner, this is bio and orgo heavy. Remember the fungi you see pop out of the ground (ascos and basidios) are only a tiny fraction of the kingdom.

NAMA affiliated clubs

u/saurebummer · 4 pointsr/mycology

For a pocket guide I'd recommend All That the Rain Promises and More. It has a little bit of a bias towards species in western North America, but it's still very useful in the east (I'm in New England and I love it). Mushrooms Demystified is pretty big for taking into the field, but it is a great companion to ATtRPaM, and it is the best all around field guide for North America, in my opinion.

u/rayjbady · 1 pointr/mycology

I don't care about downvotes, I care about saying what I know to be true at all times. What was irritating is that you just said no, meaning that what I said was completely wrong, and I know for a fact it is not. (I didn't get sick or die). The information I had on chanterelle classification was from [this field guide] (http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-West-Virginia-Central-Appalachians/dp/0813190398). I loathe being denied and then not given a reason.

Secondly, re-read it and I didn't phrase correctly about the pattern bit... I do know how spore prints are done and their purpose, just didn't phrase it correctly. I had trouble originally with chanterelles because I had never seen them, and the most confusing bit was what the internet was saying about the gills. When I researched a [jack/false chant/golden chant] (http://theforagerpress.com/fieldguide/jack.htm) image, I was thoroughly confused because my finds had tight 'gills' like the topmost image but lacked forks and had the correct spore print color and interior cross-section. Mine also did not have a gradation in color and were more yellow than orange, but the margins were more rounded than wavy like most chanterelles... but since exterior characteristics are always tricky to rely solely on, I did more tests. So, those two tests made it clear to me that I had found true chanterelles I could eat. And I did. Since my comment does make me sound like a giddy girl, I will change it to be less...... naive.

On a more positive note, 'rustled your jimmies' made me giggle. Haven't heard that one before.

That's all, apology accepted and forgiveness asked; good night.

u/NoTimeForInfinity · 3 pointsr/mycology

I moved from Denver to Southern Oregon. Walking in the woods here you'll see amazing things, and you can eat almost all of them. I got a copy of All the Rain Promises and More and I was off. It helped that they were buying matsutakes for $100 a pound that winter.

These days you're lucky to get $15 for #1's and you're competing with Asian slave labor.

Now I only pick for pleasure
The variety here is amazing. Mushroom picking is one of the best ways to spend a grey winter day.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/mycology

I suggest you start with something local to your region. If you can't find that, start with Audubon.

My opinion is that you are better off with at least two books for two reasons. First, you get more pictures of the same species, because no matter how lucky you get, mushrooms in the field look just a little different than mushrooms in the book. And second, different books have different keys, meaning they start from different ID characters. Audubon starts with spore color (for the most part) whereas All That the Rain Promises starts with visual/physical characters and uses spore color as confirmation (and/or differentiation).

More than anything, take your time. Learn to recognize a species or two (or however many) on sight, no matter the age or condition. This will ensure you don't confuse it for a lookalike, but it also helps your overall ID skills (IMO).

Also, as /u/thefrisker said, certain mushrooms species always and only grow with certain tree species (mycorrhizal) so your tree knowledge will help as well.

u/TheSweatyCheese · 2 pointsr/mycology

One of my favorite books to take hunting is All That Rain Promises and More. It's pocket-sized and the pictures are clear (plus the cover is great). The author also has some interesting recipes and narratives in the book. As far as not poisoning yourself, I suggest starting with species that are very unambiguous in whether or not they are another poisonous mushroom. Morels, chanterelles, and hen/chicken of the woods have solid identifying features unlike some stalked white mushrooms. Know the lookalikes though! False morels can be very poisonous, so know how to tell the difference between the two (hollow stem of morel).

Know the season/habitat of what you're looking for, it will save you time and help you ID. When you do find your first shrooms, there are methods to ensure you don't poison yourself, like chewing a bit and spitting it out before ingesting the whole thing. I believe there is information about that in the book and of course more online.

Happy hunting!

u/utini · 3 pointsr/mycology

This is where I get my mushroom plug spawn.

There are many others out there but I pretty much stick with Everything Mushrooms.

Here's a good page on how to do the log cultivation.

I used Gulf Wax instead of cheesewax because I wanted the logs to be vegan, turns out cheesewax is still vegan.


It's good to have a second person. My grandfather was a huge help having a lot of experience with torches, tools, and lumber in general. He marked a 5/8" drill for the proper depth and drilled all the holes while I went around with a rubber mallet nailing the plugs in.

Once we finished drilling and hammering we rigged up an old food can with some metal handles and melted the wax in it with a torch. Using some old craft brush, I'd dip the brush in the hot wax and dab it on all the plugs, the g'pa would reheat the wax as needed. Then we stacked the logs. Now, we wait.

It's probably too late to do an outdoor cultivation unless you happen to be in a part of the world that isn't going to go below 50 degrees F for another few months. There is always the PF Tek.

If this stuff fascinates you then you need to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Paul Stamet's Mycelium Running. It doesn't get into step by steps but covers a wide variety of cultivation methods with lots of pictures of insane outdoor grows.

u/Taricha_torosa · 31 pointsr/mycology

A friend took me when I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed college kid. I took our findings to a mycologist on campus who spent 20 minutes describing proper browning-in-butter protocol. I was hooked- both on mushrooming and the goofy people involved. I already collect field identification books, so I have a shelf in my bookcase just for mushroom ID and foraging. Every time i go out i try to ID a new mushie. Anything im super lost on i take to a mycologist friend in town, or i email the prof at OSU (which is 30 minutes drive) and bug them with it.

I also have permits for personal collection of mushrooms in all the local national forests (most were free) and researched the county and state park rules for collection on their property. Gotta be responsible, yo.

I recommend picking up All That Rain Promises and More (link) and the unabridged Mushrooms Demystified link2 because i reference both a TON, The first one is waterproof, and David is a certified goofball.

u/Crskub · 1 pointr/mycology

You did not trouble me at all, please keep researching because there is lots of good information on here and you may come a crossed and expert who could really help you more. I would recommend you order this book from your local library “ Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms” by Paul Stamets

Amazon link:
Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580081754/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pNRIBbYJKPYP1

YouTube video: of Paul Stamets and Joe Rogan interview
https://youtu.be/mPqWstVnRjQ

u/stoicsmile · 3 pointsr/mycology

That warm tray looks like it will work just fine for this project.

In the future, I would recommend Pleurotus ostreatus (Blue Oyster) for cooler growing temperatures. It is an oyster, so it is aggressive and easy to grow, and it has a lower optimum temperature for colonization and fruiting.

There is a good book by Paul Stamets called Growing Medicinal and Gourmet Mushrooms. It contains break-downs of the optimum growing conditions of pretty much any kind of mushroom you could think of growing. If you want to continue with indoor growing, it is an incredible resource.

Warning: Stamets is a little crazy.

u/BarryZZZ · 3 pointsr/mycology

Retired pro chef here and long-term wild mushroom forager pick up some Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus common in grocery store especially those with an Asian audience.

Get a saute pan so hot you'd be worried about damaging it, add a little clarified butter and before it catches fire, put the mushrooms in, gill side down, and sear them hard get them brown. Use a spatula to hold them hard against the hot pan. Turn them and brown the other side. You will be richly rewarded. Oysters are about as easy to identify as a wild mushroom can get.

Mushrooms Demystified is a fine field guide but, considering that you are taking your life in your hands when foraging wild stuff, the learning curve is a bit steep. In my earliest foraging days, I spent more time learning to recognize what not to pick than anything else.

Best wishes and good fortune be upon you.

u/flip69 · 1 pointr/mycology

Well, that's a good thing to be and do

If you're really interested, this is a good book to have

Many fungi are indeed edible and many of those are medicinal along several fronts. It's good to learn about them :D

u/golin · 3 pointsr/mycology

better to learn both poisonous and edible.

Eastern US

Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada The most recently published for the NE

Mushrooms of the Northeast by Walt Sturgeon An excellent pocket guide, Walt does a good job mentioning the lesser known look alikes.

Mushrooms of Northeast North America A great guide for beginners, with many pictorial and dichotomous guides to ID fungi.

Mushrooms of Northeastern North America Has the most species listed for the NE.

u/es_macro · 2 pointsr/mycology

You should get All That The Rain Promises and More by David Aurora. It's 3x as cheap and probably has loads more personality than that California Mushroom book. Just look at that cover! The book is a field guide (small enough for a back pocket) for western mushrooms with tons of mushroom pictures for ID and pics of the generally quirky/interesting people interested in mycology holding specimen, etc. I don't even live on the West Coast but it's still an enjoyable book. I have one in hand, let me know if you have any questions.

u/mave_of_wutilation · 4 pointsr/mycology

Invest in a good field guide. All That the Rain Promises and More is good to get your feet wet, and Mushrooms Demystified is the bible. Also, see if there are any mushroom clubs near you. Have fun!

u/Azabutt · 2 pointsr/mycology

My book All that the rain promises and more suggests this is a bolete, but I don't think I can pick one that suits it. Perhaps someone can help me figure it out?

I did not have a knife to cut it with, because I am a failure! Just kidding, I mean, I wasn't prepared to find mushrooms that evening, we were chasing waterfalls. But I hacked it in half with a stick and was delighted to see my first blue bruising mushroom! I tried not too touch it too much (I'm not sure why, I usually do), but when I did touch the top, my fingers were stained yellow.

I didn't think my non-mycology-fascinated friends would like me bringing any home, so I only managed low light photos which aren't as crisp. My phone is wonderful in the daylight but not so much at dusk.

u/AccusationsGW · 1 pointr/mycology

Mycology Running has a great science focused breakdown of proven medical benefits of certain species.

u/lencioni · 3 pointsr/mycology

If you are planning on eating wild mushrooms, I really recommend using more than one guide to identify. Get at least a good general guide, like Mushrooms Demystified, and then a more regional guide. I live in Minnesota and just got Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States. Both of these have information on spore prints.

u/orlicker · 3 pointsr/mycology

Well, you said field guide, so I am assuming you don't want to lug around the 30 lbs of Mushroom Demystified in the woods as you forage. This one is MUCH smaller. It is pretty good with a ton of good pictures.

u/xenwall · 4 pointsr/mycology

Here's the specific resources link via the /r/mycology FAQ.

https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/wiki/specific_resources

I have their Texas recommendation, Texas Mushrooms: A Field Guide and while it's a good general guide Texas is too vast and varied for it to be universally perfect. That being said, while it's imperfect for me in the Hill Country there are a lot of East Texas entries (I believe the authors are based out of Houston) and so it will probably be far more useful to you than to myself. Overall I'd recommend it for you as at the very least it will introduce you to the concepts and methodology and covers a lot of the bases. There's only so much you can ask for out of a field guide anyways, since hauling around an encyclopedia isn't practical.

u/infodoc1 · 1 pointr/mycology

1 looks like some old puffballs (Calvatia sp.)

2 maybe Trametes sp. like T. elegans

3 looks like Trametes versicolor

Not sure about the outdoor growing question, as far as midwestern guides I like this one

u/daedaldawdle · 1 pointr/mycology

Mycelium Running: How mushrooms can help save the world is a good read. Furthermore, Paul Stamets is the man; a myco-champion on a mission.

u/nodochinko · 1 pointr/mycology

I recommend a good region specific mushroom guide if she doesn't have one or Mushrooms Demystified if she doesn't have it. Another good option could be a mushroom knife.

u/pdxamish · 1 pointr/mycology

A good overview of mushrooms is Mycelium Running. If you are interested in cultivation other Stamet's books are also useful.

u/Pseudo_Prodigal_Son · 2 pointsr/mycology

Big flat white ones with brown spot in middle are a Lepiota species. I think the little bell shaped ones are a Mycena species. Not sure about the other guy.

As for resources: I think this is still considered "the bible" . Lots of the names are out of date now-a-days but you can't beat David Arora's keys and descriptions. For websites Mushroom Observer is the best place to see well identified pics. Just don't post there until you get more experience as they are not always welcoming to amateurs.


u/wellthawedout · 5 pointsr/mycology

My favorite parts of the post;
"Always wear gloves  – It’s surprisingly easy to absorb toxins through fingers" and " the data was drawn from The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms"

u/Egotisticallama · 4 pointsr/mycology

I would suggest picking up Mushrooms Demystified and All That the Rain Promises and More. Great books to get you into identification.

And remember; There are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters!

u/CalvinOnce · 2 pointsr/mycology

Mushrooms Demystified is a great reference but when i'm out in the woods I like something a little less brick-like. NAS Field Guide is my constant companion when I venture off into the trees.

u/Tursiart · 5 pointsr/mycology

With all the recent taxonomic changes, that's fair.

For my region specifically, my recommendations are:

Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest
and
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast

Amazon links for anyone interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Pacific-Northwest-Timber-Press/dp/0881929352

https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Redwood-Coast-Comprehensive-California/dp/1607748177

u/commanderkielbasa · 2 pointsr/mycology

Can't help or make a recommendation, but atleast the conversation is going in the right direction. Someone will probably chime in with a book rec

Would you consider yourself midwest? This seems like it may be worth considering: Mushrooms of the Midwest https://www.amazon.com/dp/0252079760/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8U8SCbDR5ZS4H

u/chickeninthewoods · 2 pointsr/mycology

I'd like to recommend Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest due to your location. I've got it and it's one of my go-tos along with Aurora's books. ("All That the Rain Promises... And More" is conveniently pocket-sized)