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

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 "Profusely illustrated with artist/illustrator Libby England's museum quality, full colored, page sized mushroom drawings throughout, "Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms" is exceptionally informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation." —Midwest Book Review “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 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. Introduction I contend that the planet’s health actually depends on our respect for fungi . —Paul Stamets   As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest with conifer-studded woodlands as my backyard, I spent hours creating worlds out of decaying logs, snacking on tart red huckleberries, picking wildflowers—and avoiding mushrooms. There was very little motivation to befriend the fungi. I was terrified they could kill me, and when they did appear on my dinner plate I was grossed out by their slimy presence. Fast-forward a couple of decades and now I’m loud and proud about my fungi fandom. There were many encounters along the way that led to this dramatic shift in my relationship with mushrooms, some of which you’ll read about in the following pages. The thing about fear is that with knowledge, curiosity, and listening, it can transform into wonder and awe. Once I started to understand fungi more, my appreciation of them has exploded. It began as a desire to enjoy eating them. As a chef and recipe developer, I wanted to expand my palate and overcome my aversion to mushrooms, so I started to add them to dishes, first by chopping them up very finely so I wasn’t overwhelmed by the texture and instead could focus on the earthy, umami-rich flavor. Eating wild mushrooms was a much different experience than dodging the button mushrooms from my childhood. I went from avoiding mushrooms to spending hours and hours in the woods trying to find them. Now, I delight in seeing any and all mushrooms (not just the edible ones). A walk in the woods with me means that our conversation will always be interrupted by mushroom sightings.  That is essentially t