Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms

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.   "Mushrooms are amazing (and the edible ones taste delicious!), and Rodriguez is here to tell us how to forage, appreciate, identify, and consume these incredible forest treasures."-- Seattle Magazine"A gift of true sustenance. Through storytelling, wild observations, unique kitchen notes, and palpable joy, Ashley Rodriguez guides us into the Pacific Northwest woodlands, where we encounter mushrooms and mycelia in a new way."--Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted and Crow Planet"This manifesto of love for mushrooms celebrates a well-picked selection of Pacific Northwest fungi from culinary, medicinal, and aesthetic perspectives."--Daniel Winkler, author of Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms     Table of Contents:Land AcknowledgmentA Cautionary NoteIntroduction Field Notes from the Forest Floor:Agaricus augustus (the prince)Aleuria aurantia (orange peel fungus)Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)Amanita phalloides (death cap)Armillaria ostoyae (dark honey fungus)Auricularia americana (wood ear)Boletus edulis (porcini)Calvatia sculpta (sculpted puffball)Cantharellus formosus (golden chanterelle)Cantharellus subalbidus (white chanterelle)Chlorociboria aeruginascens (blue-stain fungus)Coprinus comatus (shaggy mane)Craterellus calicornucopioides (black trumpet)Craterellus tubaeformis (winter chanterelle)Dacrymyces chrysospermus (witch's butter)Fistulina hepatica (beefsteak polypore)Fomitopsis mounceae (Western red-belted conk)Ganoderma applanatum (artist's conk)Ganoderma oregonense (reishi)Geastrum saccatum (earthstar)Gomphus clavatus (pig's ear)Gyromitra esculenta (false morel)Hericium abietis (bear's head)Hydnellum peckii (bleeding tooth)Hypomyces lactifluorum (lobster mushroom)Lactarius rubidus (candy cap)Laetiporus conifericola (chicken of the woods)Lepista nuda (wood blewit)Leucangium carthusianum (Oregon black truffle)Marasmius oreades (fairy ring mushroom)Morchella eximia, sextelata, and exuberans(fire morels)Morchella snyderi (mountain black morel)Mycena haematopus (bleeding fairy helmet)Nidula candida (bird's nest fungi)Omphalotus olearius (jack o'lantern)Phaeolus schweinitzii (dyer's polypore)Phallus impudicus (common stinkhorn)Pleurocybella porrigens (angel wing)Pleurotus pulmonarius (oyster mushroom)Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (cat's tongue)Psilocybe semilanceata (liberty cap)Ramaria botrytis (pink-tipped coral)Russula brevipes (short-stemmed brittlegill)Sparassis radicata (cauliflower mushroom)Trametes versicolor (turkey tail)Tricholoma murrillianum (matsutake)Tuber gibbosum and oregonense (Oregon white truffle)Xerocomellus atropurpureus (deep purple bolete) AcknowledgmentsGlossaryResourcesIndex   ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ is a Seattle-based author, cooking instructor, food photographer, writer, partner, and mother of three children. She is the co-creator and host of James Beard Award-nominated outdoor cooking adventure series Kitchen Unnecessary, and the top food blog notwithoutsalt.com. She is the author of three cookbooks, and is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide. When not eating (or talking and writing about food), Ashley loves to be foraging, fly fishing, or hunting, and spending as much time outside as possible.   LIBBY ENGLAND is an artist whose work celebrates nature through both an analytical and spiritual lens.   Sasquatch Books Pub Date: October 15, 2024 0.8" H x 8.1" L x 6.2" W 176 pages hardcover