A Google search can tell you that 2023 is the "year of the mushroom", (and so was 2022, 2021...). In decor and as in cooking, mushrooms have become quite the trend in the past few years. Reselling and thrifting groups on Facebook regularly have posts where someone has "scored" a great deal on the vintage 1970s mushroom canisters,
(I think someone in my family must have owned them at some point but, I don't really know for sure). The spread of fungi has spored seamlessly into the gnome trends of crafting and cottagecore. The consumption of mushrooms is also popular. According to a 2022 report by the USDA, the Volume of U.S. sales of mushroom crops totaled 702 million pounds, and while this was a 7;% decrease from the previous season, it was still valued at $1.02 billion in sales.(https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/mush0822.pdf).png)
Some states have made movements toward the decriminalization of psilocybin, the main active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. Thus far Oregon and Colorado are the only states to have passed laws to decriminalize and regulate adult-use psilocybin, however, several other states have legislation pending. This recent push to decriminalize psilocybin and the rise in its use has led to what an article from The Hill has called "America’s'psychedelic revolution'" and the research into the benefits has shown potential for its use in treating depression.
https://www.womblebonddickinson.com/us/insights/blogs/move-over-cannabis-movement-legalize-psychedelic-mushrooms-ready-share-spotlight)
Foraging has become increasingly popular and is linked to the reduction of stress and anxiety. eattheplanet.org offers a list of foraging tours and classes in Illinois. Foraging for mushrooms does come with some rules, regulations, and permissions. The Forest Preserves of Cook County will charge a fine of $50-$500 to anyone caught foraging and a recent article discusses the damages that have been caused by it.
Wild mushrooms can grow in abundance, especially during the rainy season. According to birdwatchinghq.com Illinois alone has thousands of varieties of mushrooms but not all are safe to eat. The Centers for Disease Control cites a study that states that 1,328 accidental poisoning from mushroom ingestion was treated in Emergency Departments in 2016, and from 2016-2018 there were adverse outcomes for 8.6% (48/556) of patients seeking care for accidental poisonous mushroom ingestion. Illinois Poison Control Center, among many other sites, will tell you that you should not eat wild mushrooms and poison.org is adamant about leaving it to the experts: "How can you tell the difference between an edible wild mushroom and a poisonous one? Unless you are very experienced in mushroom identification, you can't!! There are a lot of mushroom look-alikes." Dr. Robert Bassett, the associate medical director of the Poison Control Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is quoted as saying: “Right now ... I don’t think the technology is reliable enough to make a decision that could have life or death consequences.... The safest way to ensure that (you) are eating mushrooms that are non-toxic, that are non-poisonous is simply to buy them in a store,” https://www.today.com/health/disease/mushroom-poisoning-foraging-rcna57912)
Additional Links:
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/oct/10/the-gospel-of-mushrooms-how-foraging-became-hip
https://eagle1023fm.com/midwest-foraging-nature-food-fun/
https://www.thegreatmorel.com/morel-sightings/
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/167398-overview?form=fpf
Book descriptions featured are provided by the publishers.
Mushrooms: A Falcon Field Guide covers 80 of the most common and sought-after species in North America. Conveniently sized to fit in a pocket and featuring full-color, detailed illustrations, this informative guide makes it easy to identify mushrooms in the backyard and beyond. Each mushroom is accompanied by a detailed listing of its prominent attributes and a color illustration showing its important features. Mushrooms are organized in phylogentic order, keeping families of mushrooms together for easy identification. This is the essential source in the field, both informative and beautiful to peruse.
From the basics of using mushroom kits to working with grain spawn, liquid cultures, and fruiting chambers, Stephen Russell covers everything you need to know to produce mouthwatering shiitakes, oysters, lion's manes, maitakes, and portobellos. Whether you're interested in growing them for your own kitchen or to sell at a local market, you'll soon be harvesting a delicious and abundant crop of mushrooms.
Mushrooms have been the stuff of dreams, fairy tales, and even hallucinations. Kane explores the history, folklore, and future of common and not-so-common fungi. She catalogs iconic fungi species and details their lore and mystical properties. She also provides helpful guidance on enhancing your magical practice with mushrooms, including utilizing color energies and spellwork to manifest your intentions. -- adapted from back cover
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Sheldrake, Merlin
Do you know your mushrooms? This is the only mushrooming book that will introduce you safely and with confidence to the not-so-"underground" hobby of mushroom hunting and gathering.
Gathering edible wild food is a wonderful way to forge a connection to the earth. Mushrooms are the ultimate local food source; they grow literally everywhere, from mountains and woodlands to urban and suburban parks to your own backyard. The Complete Mushroom Hunter will enrich your understanding of the natural world and build an appreciation for an ancient, critically relevant, and useful body of knowledge. Amateur mycologists and mushroom enthusiasts will find this is a guidebook for their passion.
Mushroom guru Gary Lincoff escorts you from the mushroom's earliest culinary awakening, through getting equipped for mushroom forays, to preparing and serving the fruits of the foray, wherever you live.
Inside you'll find:
-A brief, but colorful history of mushroom hunting worldwide
-How to get equipped for a mushroom foray
-A completely illustrated guide to the common wild edible mushrooms and their poisonous look-alikes: where to find them, how to identify them, and more
-How to prepare and serve the fruits of your foray, plus more than 30 delicious recipes
-Plus, dozens of colorful, priceless anecdotes from living the mushroom lifestyle
"For readers of Entangled Life and The Hidden Life of Trees comes an illuminating account of the "invisible" fungi that share our world: from the air we breathe to the dust beneath our feet. The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi traces the intricate connections between fungi and all life on Earth to show how these remarkable microbes enrich our lives: from releasing the carbon in plants for the benefit of all organisms to transmitting information between trees, to producing life-changing medicine, to adding umami flavor and B vitamins to our food. Divided into sections, each one exploring an environment where fungi live, this enthralling, science-backed book ventures into our homes, bodies, farms, and forests to profile the fungi that inhabit these environments, most of them invisible to the naked eye. Along the way, the author, the esteemed career mycologist Keith Seifert, explains the latest research into where these fungi came from: how yeast, lichens, slimes, and molds evolved and adapted over millions of years. And he shows us that, surprisingly, fungi share almost a quarter of human genes. We may have more in common with yeast and slime than we think ... But not all fungi are good for us. In fact, fungal diseases lead to over 1 million deaths each year and more than a quarter of our food goes to waste. How can we strike a better balance with our microbial cousins, both for their sake and ours? The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi urges us to better understand our relationship with fungi--and to plan our future with them in mind--while revealing their world in all its beautiful complexity."--. Provided by publisher.
"With her first book, Regan announced herself as a writer whose extravagant, unconventional talents matched her abilities as a lauded chef. In her follow-up, she digs even deeper to express the meaning and beauty we seek in the landscapes, and stories, that reveal the forces which inform, shape, and nurture our lives"--. Provided by publisher.
"The average American spends ninety percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Today, kids can spend up to seven hours per day looking at screens. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for our kids' physical and mental health, it calls into question their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment. We can talk about environmental stewardship, but until more people make meaningful contact with nature, the welfare of our planet is in jeopardy. Thankfully, with the right mindset, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Now, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting your kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, guided by black-and-white illustrations throughout-with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location-rural, suburban, or urban-caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as: Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire. Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work. Foraging for wild berries, nuts, and mushrooms as a way to experience the delight of discovery. Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure. Cooking together with naturally sourced ingredients you procured. Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food"--. Provided by publisher.
Return to the Museum with exquisite, detailed images of some of the most fascinating living organisms on this planet--fungi. Exploring every sort of fungi, from the kinds we see on supermarket shelves to those like penicillium that have shaped human history, this collection is the definitive introduction to what fungi are and just how vital they are to the world's ecosystem.
When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began an adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.
In 2003, a parasitic fungal infection ravages the planet, turning humans into violent creatures known as the Infected. Twenty years later, hardened survivor Joel is hired to smuggle fourteen-year-old Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone in hopes of delivering her to the rebel Fireflies. But what should be a quick job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they traverse the desolate U.S. while depending on each other's unique skills for survival.
Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred gorgeous full-color photos, this engaging guidebook carefully describes forty different edible species of wild mushrooms found around Illinois and surrounding states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. With conversational and witty prose, the book provides extensive detail on each edible species, including photographs of potential look-alikes to help you safely identify and avoid poisonous species. Mushroom lovers from Chicago to Cairo will find their favorite local varieties, including morels, chanterelles, boletes, puffballs, and many others. Veteran mushroom hunters Joe McFarland and Gregory M. Mueller also impart their wisdom about the best times and places to find these hidden gems.
Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States also offers practical advice on preparing, storing, drying, and cooking with wild mushrooms, presenting more than two dozen tantalizing mushroom recipes from some of the best restaurants and chefs in Illinois, including one of Food & Wine magazine's top 10 new chefs of 2007. Recipes include classics like Beer Battered Morels, Parasol Mushroom Frittatas, and even the highly improbable (yet delectable) Morel Tiramisu for dessert.
As the first new book about Illinois mushrooms in more than eighty years, this is the guide that mushroom hunters and cooks have been craving.
Visit the book's companion website at www.illinoismushrooms.com.
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