Field Notes from a Fungi Forager

This gorgeously illustrated compendium is a love letter to mushrooms—and to the Pacific Northwest. From evergreen forests shrouded in mist to the urban backyards of Seattle, mushrooms are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest if you know how to look. Here, forager-chef and forest therapy guide Ashley Rodriguez provides an evocative and personal survey of 50 of the most fantastic mushrooms to be found in the region. This book includes the famous Morchella (morel) and Cantharellus (chanterelle) as well as lesser-known species, like the blueish purple Clitocybe nuda (wood blewit) which smells like frozen orange juice, and Hydnellum peckii (Bleeding tooth fungus), which oozes brilliant red droplets that are widely used as a natural dye. Through the lens of these humble fungi, the interconnectedness of all living things comes into focus. Here you’ll find: An introduction to mushrooms in the Northwest landscape. Best practices for mushroom foraging and appreciation. 50 mushroom profiles, includes information about each mushroom’s appearance (plus scientific illustrations of each species), what distinguishes them from other species, how they have been used throughout different cultures and lore, and personal field notes from the forest floor. The most prized edible species are paired with mouthwatering sidebars about ways to use that mushroom in the kitchen. Infused with a forager-chef's love of edible mushrooms as well as the reverence of an eco-spiritual guide, this fully illustrated book is as much a treat to read as is to look at.