(Part 2) Best products from r/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.

I would not recommend the Audubon guide it is very out of date (this can range from outdated taxonomy all the way to toxicology that has changed over the years).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

Generally, it takes about a 10deg temperature drop, but yeah, if it's been in your basement it's probably cool enough. Can you post a pic? What you want to happen is to have the dowels 100% colonized with mycelium (the white stuff). That signals the mycelium to fruit because it thinks it's out of food (I'm out of food, I better reproduce.) Post of a pic of what you have and also of the instructions it came with. Meanwhile, check out this book, it could prove to be quite helpful in helping you understand the process a little better. http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mushroom-Farming-Mycoremediation-Experimental/dp/1603584552

The Mushroom Cultivator is a fantastic book. Can't do without it. Sterile culture, expansion, fruiting, everything. Must have. Same goes for all of Paul Stamets' books, really.

Cloning is actually pretty easy if you have the right environment and a few bits of kit. Good luck! I look forward to photos of your grow.

TMC gives:


Spawn Run:

Humidity: 90-100%

Substrate Temp: 78-84F

Duration: 10-14days

CO2: 20,000PPM or 20% by volume

Fresh Air Exchanges: 0

Light: None



Pinning:

Humidity: 95%

Air Temp: 55-60F

Duration: 7-14 days

CO2: less than 600PPM

Fresh Air Exchanges: 4/hr

Light: 2000lux / hr for 12 hours a day. Grow-lux type bulbs recommended.

Watering: regular misting once to twice daily until fruiting bodies are 30-40% of harvest size, at which point water is used to prevent cracking.



Cropping:

Humidity: 85-92%

Air Temp: 60-64F

Duration: 5-7 weeks

CO2: less than 600PPM

Fresh Air Exchanges: 4-6 per hour

Flushing Interval: 10 days.

Light: 2000lux / hr for 12 hours a day. Grow-lux type bulbs recommended.



Edit: Giving credit where credit is due. It's a good book. Buy it.

yeah, the best thing to do with oysters is tempura fry them! Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada has 2 really great charts for cooking mushrooms; one where he correlates different species to types of wine for cooking and one where he ranks various methods of cooking for every mushroom (tempura fry ranks highly for most mushrooms).

Thanks! Ya I haven't been here in quite some time, but this post has made me want to pick it up again.

As for what gear I use, it's an OMAX 40x-2000x Microscope and a digital camera which I can't remember nor have anymore.

And did you mean x-post to r/MicroPorn? I read the guidelines and it seems they don't want albums. But thanks for the info, I'll definitely post there when I start doing some more.

I'm a huge advocate for taking the time to clean every mushroom before i put it in my bag. I find this way less dirt kicks around while i hike and its a lot easier than trying to clean them all later. This is what i currently use:
https://www.amazon.ca/Opinel-Beechwood-Handle-Mushroom-Knife/dp/B000KIMSG6

I'm not a super huge fan of it, but its the best i've found so far. I've never been a big fan of folding knifes, so I usually also have this on my hip: https://www.fallkniven.com/en/knife/f1/

Oh, and if you're up in the Bay Area, you really ought to check out Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast; it was just released last year and is by far the best and most up-to-date mushroom hunting book for your region. It's also chock-full of beautiful color photos.

Sweet! If you've never read it before, I recommend this book. Very detailed, easy instructions for various projects. There's so many cool things you can do with fungi.

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.

That is pretty nifty. I've wanted to do microscopy on the spore prints I've taken, but microscopes tend to be quite pricey. That user that occasionally posts some of his microscopy posted a link to this which is about the same price as a nice smartphone if you don't already have one.

Lol! Thank you for assuming I have any idea of what I am doing. I got a little brick that you just water. This is my second attempt after a very frustrating first one a few months ago. The one in the picture was purchased from Amazon, here is the listing (sorry I don't know how to link better):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07681XTGV/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apap_QZqcfjxsgAFqo

They have grown as big as you can see in the picture in about 10 days. They are now growing so fast that there's a huge difference from night to morning!

Pink Oyster Mushroom Farm - Beautiful Mushroom Growing Kit - All in One Indoor Growing Kit - Exotic Mushroom https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07681XTGV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_fdLGjrDhxGS96

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

http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Mushrooms-England-Eastern/dp/1556437951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310261109&sr=8-1

I got this one and just eat some wild tasty mushrooms today and still alive :)

At $30 it's not that much of a splurge.

Opinel makes great knives for the price and there's tons of folks who mod/personalize them.

Ya man. I’ve been growing for 10+ years, but since I’m an adult now I wanted to do some non-psychedelics. Instead of going the whole route of inoculating jars and making a fruiting chamber and stuff, I just went into amazon and bought a few grow kits. Depending on the type of fungi you wanna make they grow on different substrates (ie saw dust for shiitake cuz they grow on wood, or wheat, whatever). Anyways, when you order you get a bag of substrate completely colonized by the fungi mycelium. My shiitake log all I had to do was soak it in water overnight then stick it in the fridge for 24hours to start the fruiting process. After that I placed it on a plate in a cold spot in my house (needs to be under 75 degrees Fahrenheit to not grow mold) and covered it with this little plastic bag with holes it in to keep humidity in. It came with a little spray bottle and you just spray it a few times a day. I just did it in the morning, lunch break, after work, and maybe before I go to bed. Once they started pinning you water it as often as your able. In about 5 days they were all fully grown and I plucked em. Now I let the log dry out for a few days, then I dunk it again in water overnight and put it in the fridge then BAM another flush. Supposedly can get up to a pound over 3 months from just one.

The oysters are a little different. Just cutt an X in the bag and place it near a window and spray it as often as you can. Once I saw them grow they were ready in 3 days. Literally growing an inch or more a day.

Here’s the ones I bought. Keep in mind when your more experienced you can use their substrate that’s colonized to do a bulk grow and can harvest TONS at once.

Root Mushroom Farm-Shiitake... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076YP4WMB?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Pink Oyster Mushroom Farm -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07681XTGV?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I ordered a white oyster one and its total crap. Don’t buy this one

Back to the Roots Organic Mini... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TUYGRU4?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Lmk if you have any questions bud

NC rank amatuer here - When I was just getting into it, a couple of mycologists recommended two guides: A Field Guide to Southern Mushrooms and the 1991 ed of Mushrooms of North America by Roger Phillips, which I believe has been superseeded by this book. Alas, the local mushroom club disbanded and the experts moved away before I gained confidence in self-identifying and eating more than canterelles, morels, hen-of-the-woods, sulfur shelf and oyster. And since then, our favorite morel grounds has become a series of soccer fields. But, I still find oysters with some regularity on river walks where I know the terrain and the downed trees. That may be way too basic for you, but do check out FG to Southern Mushrooms.

Im in New Hampshire these are some of the species that are edible and grow wild around here....Mushrooms with gills Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Hedgehog, Horse and Meadow Mushroom, Parasol, Shaggy Mane, Matsutake, Blewit, Oyster Mushrooms.....
Mushrooms with pores King Bolete, Two Colored Bolete, Maitake, Dryads Saddle, Morels, Puffballs, Lobster Mushrooms, Aborted Entoloma, Chicken of the woods....
Mushrooms that have Medicinal properties Maitake, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Chaga, Artist's Conk.
Here is a good field guide for New England http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Mushrooms-England-Eastern/dp/1556437951/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Paul Stamets is the Gold Standard.

Look Here That's the one I've got. But he has a newer one too, which I haven't seen. I think the inclusion of "At Home" in the title sounds like it is more for the novice and home scale grower.

Take a look at the North American Mycological Association and find a club near you!

Also I'd recommend Roger Phillip's book to start out with. I'd also look for a book that was made specifically for your area of the US.

This book and this book are the bibles of growing mushrooms. They cover growing both psychoactive and non-psychoactive including Coprinus.

I was curious, so I looked one up

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KIMSG6/ref=sxts_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537502719&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

The Opinel one has a brush too.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TJ5CEG/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_SC_dp_1

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mushroom-Farming-Mycoremediation-Experimental/dp/1603584552

https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Mushrooms-England-Eastern/dp/1556437951%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJ2AME6KQOPD23XQQ%26tag%3Dalwaysfishertoys-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1556437951
"Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada"
I google'd "mushrooms new england".

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Kuo/e/B001ILI9G2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603582142/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/The-Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800/ref=pd_sim_b_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V56Q93CSRKQYV2W1C0B http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472030361/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0472031260/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394519922/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580085792/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-Cultivator-Practical-Growing-Mushrooms/dp/0961079800?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0961079800

If by ‘good kind’ you mean psilocybin containing, you are dangerously far off. Buy and cherish Paul Stamet’s Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World(https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397) if you want to know what to look for.

If by ‘good kind’ you mean edible, then you should read the sticky on how to properly request an ID as you are missing key features used in identification of your mushroom.

Based on the initial picture I would say very likely a no to both possibilities of a good kind.