Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113945 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Synopsis
After years of living in dread of mushrooms, we can't get enough of these rich, delicate morsels. When the local forest or market no longer suffices, it's time to grow your own with this guide to cultivating 31 species. Recipes are included so growers can savour the fruits of their labour.

Customer Reviews

Seductive mushroom growing
The photographs are sublime. Stamets succeeds in luring the curious into having a go. His enthusiasm breathes life into the unsung occupation of mushroom production and yet manages to deliver the necessary technical information. Without getting bogged down in the langauge of biological sciences, Stamets offers a wealth of information on the growth parameters of a panolpy of fungal delights.

I was truly inspired by the book as the breadth of species that can be grown suggests even the most exotic are within one's grasp. The depth of information lends the reader the knowledge to choose the species that they can grow from raw materials that are available locally. I live in Ireland, so straw is cheap and freely available, hence mushrooms that grow on such materials are a more sensible option to mushrooms that prefer oak-logs and sawdust. Further the reader will be able to decide on the type of mushrooms that may prove most lucrative locally. This book is a doorway into a surprisignly immense world.

Beginners might be advised to get a night course on microbiology or find a geek to show them asceptic technique. Otherwise read the small print and apply yourself.

Love the cute pictures.

Excellent resource for the serious mushroom grower.
This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive text on growing mushrooms there is. Covers just about every aspect of practical mycology from laboratory cultivation to large scale mushroom farms along with numerous methods of mushroom cultivation. Featured in the center of the book are 16 pages of beautiful color photographs of most of the mushrooms featured in the book as well as some electron scan micrograph photos of spores and mycelium. The book begins with on overview of the mushroom itself, it's natural habitat and growth cycle. This is taken into how this translates into the cultivation of mushrooms in various situations like natural landscapes or indoors. The middle section of the book detailed growth parameters, microscopic features, mycelial characteristics and cultivation methods for 25 species including Shiitake, Oyster mushrooms, Reishi, Maitake, Morels and Psilocybe cyanescens. The book also contain appendices describing the construction of laboratories and grow room complexes and a resource directory plus some useful data conversion tables. The sheer scope of the book can make the task of mushroom cultivation seem daunting but this is an unbeatable book and reference source for any mushroom grower novice of professional, a must.

Must own!
Fungi fanatic must own this book! Teaches you everything you need to know for growing fungi. A bit intermediate level. Get the other mushroom growing book by paul statements if you are a total beginner, then read this book and you can start growing fungi.