“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.
This guide to growing edible mushrooms covers 19 varieties, from button mushrooms to immune-boosting reishis—plus recipes and preserving methods. Mushrooms are a joy to grow—for food, as a garden feature, or just for fun—and it’s easier than you think! Mushrooms will thrive in your garden, on your windowsill, and even in your basement. The key is to pick the right growing medium for your mushroom—a log, a bale of hay, or a simple pot of dirt—and give it a little shade. Experts Magdalena and Herbert Wurth explain every step of cultivation—whether starting from a kit, a culture, or a grown mushroom you’d like to propagate. From protecting mushrooms in extreme weather to troubleshooting pests, here is expert advice for beginners and experienced growers alike!
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.
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
Every spring under the right conditions, thousands of morel mushrooms carpet charred forest floors West of the Rockies. This e-book will teach you how to use our curated maps to locate ideal morel burn sites. You'll find an overview of elevation, forest types, accessibility, necessary permits, lands where you can and cannot hunt, natural indicators, portable technology and much more. With the proper information you can become a pro at finding them!
A practical introduction to growing and enjoying mushrooms at home Cultivating your own mushrooms is simple and satisfying once you've mastered a few basics. Growing Mushrooms for Beginners is full of advice, techniques, and step-by-step instructions for growing a range of edible and medicinal mushrooms at home, whether you have a sprawling backyard, a tiny balcony, or no outdoor space at all. Cultivation at a glance--Get started with a straightforward guide to the basics of the cultivation process, and explore simple setups that require minimal space and investment. A variety of growing mediums--Learn everything you need to know to successfully grow mushrooms on logs, straw, sawdust and woodchips, compost, and in mason jars. Project-specific pointers--Find troubleshooting tips for every growing project, plus instructions for freezing, drying, and cooking with your harvest. Popular mushroom profiles--Explore detailed profiles of 7 novice-friendly mushroom types, like oyster and lion's mane, including their unique characteristics, flavors, health benefits, and specific growing requirements. 30 culinary and medicinal recipes--Discover delicious recipes to showcase your mushroom harvest, from Cordyceps Tea to Tri-Mushroom Curry. Learn how to grow and utilize a wide variety of mushrooms at home with help from this beginner-friendly guide.
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.
Since the publication of the first edition, important developments have emerged in modern mushroom biology and world mushroom production and products. The relationship of mushrooms with human welfare and the environment, medicinal properties of mushrooms, and the global marketing value of mushrooms and their products have all garnered great attenti
Boom times for gourmet mushroom growers. In recent years, demand for gourmet mushrooms has skyrocketed, creating opportunity for new growers. The most profitable culinary mushrooms are shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Both oyster and shiitake are easy to grow and can be produced on "waste" products like sawdust or straw. They are quick to grow to maturity - about 6-8 weeks from start to harvest. Best of all, you can grow a lot of both varieties in a small area. Using the "grow bag" method, experienced growers can grow 12,000 pounds of gourmet mushrooms in a 500 square foot space every year. At current prices of $6/pound wholesale and $10/pound retail - well, I'll let you do the math. In this book, you'll discover: 5 steps to growing gourmet mushrooms. 6 best "value-added mushroom products. 24 free and low-cost ways to sell your mushroom crop. Sources for mushroom growing supplies and videos.
This revised and expanded edition of mushroom expert Bill Russell’s popular Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic provides both novice and experienced mushroom foragers with detailed, easy-to-use information about more than one hundred species of these fungi, including twenty-five varieties not found in the previous guide. From the Morel to the Chanterelle to the aptly named Chicken of the Woods, mushrooms of the mid-Atlantic region can be harvested and enjoyed, if you know where to look. Each entry in this field guide contains a detailed description, current scientific classification, key updates and information from recent studies, and high-quality color photographs to aid in identification. Thoughtfully organized by season, the guide shows you how to locate and identify the most common mushrooms in the region and recognize look-alikes—and explains what to do with edible mushrooms once you’ve found them. Featuring over one hundred full-color illustrations and distilling Russell’s fifty years of experience in hunting, studying, and teaching about wild mushrooms, Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic is an indispensable reference for curious hikers, amateur biologists, adventurous chefs, and mycophiles of all stripes.
