The mushroom has a wide number of medicinal properties such as being an antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, immune enhancer, and also used for the treatment of various diseases such as anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretics, etc. According to current information, there are approximately twelve-thousand species in the world, and out of them, 2000 species are reported as being edible. Around 35 edible mushroom varieties are cultivated commercially, whereas almost 200 wild species could be used for medicinal purposes. This book also covers the diversity of edible mushrooms and describes several applications as an alternative source for food production and clinical approach. This book includes: • the diverse types of mushroom and their enzymatic activity • importance of nutritional properties along with their food product development • industrial and clinical applications of macro fungi, i.e., degradation of dyes, anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, etc.
An in-depth exploration of organic mushroom cultivation practices, groundbreaking research and myriad ways to incorporate mushrooms into your life "A clear, comprehensive guide that is a gift to amateur as well as professional mushroom growers. This book opens the doors wide to a diverse and fascinating fungal world."—Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden What would it take to grow mushrooms in space? How can mushroom cultivation help us manage, or at least make use of, invasive species such as kudzu and water hyacinth and thereby reduce dependence on herbicides? Is it possible to develop a low-cost and easy-to-implement mushroom-growing kit that would provide high-quality edible protein and bioremediation in the wake of a natural disaster? How can we advance our understanding of morel cultivation so that growers stand a better chance of success? For more than twenty years, mycology expert Tradd Cotter has been pondering these questions and conducting trials in search of the answers. In Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation, Cotter not only offers readers an in-depth exploration of best organic mushroom cultivation practices; he shares the results of his groundbreaking research and offers myriad ways to apply your cultivation skills and further incorporate mushrooms into your life―whether your goal is to help your community clean up industrial pollution or simply to settle down at the end of the day with a cold Reishi-infused homebrew ale. Inside, you’ll find: The Fundamentals of Mushroom Cultivation Innovative Applications and Projects Using Fungi Basic Laboratory Construction, Equipment, and Procedures Starting Cultures and Spawn Generation Detailed descriptions of over 25 different genus The book first guides readers through an in-depth exploration of indoor and outdoor cultivation. Covered skills range from integrating wood-chip beds spawned with king stropharia into your garden and building a “trenched raft” of hardwood logs plugged with shiitake spawn to producing oysters indoors on spent coffee grounds in a 4×4 space or on pasteurized sawdust in vertical plastic columns. For those who aspire to the self-sufficiency gained by generating and expanding spawn rather than purchasing it, Cotter offers in-depth coverage of lab techniques, including low-cost alternatives that make use of existing infrastructure and materials. Cotter also reports his groundbreaking research cultivating morels both indoors and out, “training” mycelium to respond to specific contaminants, and perpetuating spawn on cardboard without the use of electricity. Readers will discover information on making tinctures, powders, and mushroom-infused honey; making an antibacterial mushroom cutting board; and growing mushrooms on your old denim jeans. Geared toward readers who want to grow mushrooms without the use of pesticides, Cotter takes “organic” one step further by introducing an entirely new way of thinking―one that looks at the potential to grow mushrooms on just about anything, just about anywhere, and by anyone. "This comprehensive introduction to growing and utilizing fungi has something for all mushroom-inclined readers . . . . Both practical and passionate, Cotter offers extensive and detailed information.”—Publishers Weekly
Mushrooms are exciting to find, beautiful to look at, fascinating to identify, and delicious to eat. When you know what to look for, a mushroom hunt is as safe and enjoyable as a treasure hunt. Katya Arnold ranges through the world to find hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, as well as fascinating anecdotes and fun facts that make these wonders of nature exciting and immediate. A walk in the woods will never be the same!
Table of Contents Introduction to Mushrooms Introduction So What Is a Mushroom? Mushroom Fungophobia Fairy Rings Mushroom Hunting Cultivation of Mushrooms How Are Mushrooms Grown Making a Mushroom Bed Best Mushroom Compost Compost Fermentation Pasteurization Mushrooms in Shelves or Trays Spawning Watering of Mushrooms Ventilating Casing Harvesting Mushrooms in Cuisine Mushrooms in Medicine Conclusion Mushroom Identification Mushroom Guide Is a Mushroom Edible Getting to Know More about Morels Learning about Truffles Starting up a Mushroom Business Author Bio Publisher Introduction Just look at the illustration of any fairy story with a number of fairies, elves, gnomes, and other imaginary creations of the writer’s imagination. You are going to see them sitting on toadstools and mushrooms. The Amanita muscaria is one of the easiest recognizable of all these illustrations, because you see it ever so often in illustrations, associated with gnomes. In ordinary terms, this is called a toadstool.
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.
Known as the meat of the vegetable world, mushrooms have their ardent supporters as well as their fierce detractors. Hobbits go crazy over them, while Diderot thought they should be “sent back to the dung heap where they are born.” In Mushroom, Cynthia D. Bertelsen examines the colorful history of these divisive edible fungi. As she reveals, their story is fraught with murder and accidental death, hunger and gluttony, sickness and health, religion and war. Some cultures equate them with the rottenness of life while others delight in cooking and eating them. And then there are those “magic” mushrooms, which some people link to ancient religious beliefs. To tell this story, Bertelsen travels to the nineteenth century, when mushrooms entered the realm of haute cuisine after millennia of being picked from the wild for use in everyday cooking and medicine. She describes how this new demand drove entrepreneurs and farmers to seek methods for cultivating mushrooms, including experiments in domesticating the highly sought after but elusive truffles, and she explores the popular pastime of mushroom hunting and includes numerous historic and contemporary recipes. Packed with images of mushrooms from around the globe, this savory book will be essential reading for fans of this surprising, earthy fungus.
The book deals with all practical aspects of cultivation technology of four commonly grown mushroom viz. oyster, paddy straw, button and milky mushroom. The cultivation technologies illustrated are suited to tropical and sub-tropical conditions that are very easy to adopt and economically viable. Methods to distinguish edible and poisonous mushrooms are well depicted. The historical events of mushroom cultivation and recent developments are recorded in a chronological order and concise manner. An exhaustive list of edible, non-edible and poisonous fungal species is an important compilation which can serve as a check list of mushroom flora. Further, description of selected wild edible mushrooms and preparation of compost from spent mushroom beds are the unique additions. Most of the information are presented in a bound format of “Mushroom Cultivation�, a newly offered optional course for 3rd year B.Sc. (Ag.). Hence emphasis in this book is two-fold: to acquaint students and all the beginners with mushroom culture and to appraise the people with the importance and multiprong use of mushroom.
A narrative nonfiction book about the world of Fungi.Enter our world. The world of fungi¿ the most mysterious and misunderstood kingdom on the planet. We are not plants. We are not animals. So what are we?From Veiled Ladies to Bleeding Teeth, learn how we eat, live, and control a part of the world you rarely even notice. Peek beneath the crispy leaves, peer inside your old lunch box, and poke between your smelly toes¿We¿re here, we¿re growing, and even when you think you can¿t see us¿we can always see you.
A detailed and comprehensive guide for growing and using gourmet and medicinal mushrooms commercially or at home. “Absolutely the best book in the world on how to grow diverse and delicious mushrooms.”—David Arora, author of Mushrooms Demystified With precise growth parameters for thirty-one mushroom species, this bible of mushroom cultivation includes gardening tips, state-of-the-art production techniques, realistic advice for laboratory and growing room construction, tasty mushroom recipes, and an invaluable troubleshooting guide. More than 500 photographs, illustrations, and charts clearly identify each stage of cultivation, and a twenty-four-page color insert spotlights the intense beauty of various mushroom species. Whether you’re an ecologist, a chef, a forager, a pharmacologist, a commercial grower, or a home gardener—this indispensable handbook will get you started, help your garden succeed, and make your mycological landscapes the envy of the neighborhood.
