How To Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms

Dedicated mushroom hunter Hyman (foraging columnist, Paleo magazine) condenses his 15-plus years of foraging experience into a compact paperback that’s light on jargon and strong on photos that will help with identification. There are notes on mushroom anatomy, responsible foraging, and safety mnemonics (“When in doubt, throw it out”), followed by entries for 29 common mushrooms, grouped by growing location (e.g., “treeborne mushrooms with gills”). Each mushroom entry includes culinary and medicinal uses, look-alikes, and what to “know before you eat.” Green-bordered pages indicate tasty varieties, while orange-bordered pages (and names like Death Cap and Destroying Angel) denote mushrooms to avoid. Hyman’s enthusiastic entries are accompanied by ample safety notes and reminders to check and double-check identifying characteristics. Also useful: Hyman’s resources for further study (cookbooks; websites), tips for preserving, and notes on foraging tools.