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Just got the Philips Mushrooms and other Fungi book

 
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jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28100
Location: escaped from Swindon
PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 04 8:28 am    Post subject: Just got the Philips Mushrooms and other Fungi book Reply with quote
    

Seems a bit thin on details for begginers, but what an incredible reference book

I really didn't realise there were wuite so many varieties. Kind of impresses on you, the need to go with some experience people on your first mushroom forages.

jema

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 04 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's very odd, we got differing opinions on this book on the various forays we went on this year.

Think their conclusion was that Phillips is either a good reference book for beginners interested in fungi in general, or as a back up to a basic book for more details. But if you're solely interested in edibles, you should think about having something simpler as well - Foolproof Fungi or Mushrooms, quite a new one, was the one the "edibles" expert had this year, last year it was something different, but along the same lines, lots of big pictures and not too much detail.

Btw, be careful if you borrow mushroom books from the library. If it's anything like my local one some moron will have torn out all the bits about the liberty cap. Some people have no imagination.

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 04 8:53 am    Post subject: Re: Just got the Philips Mushrooms and other Fungi book Reply with quote
    

Good choice of book!

It isn't a beginners guide, but it's an essential reference work for an ambitious beginner!

If you also have a copy of, say, Richard Mabeys classic work 'Food for Free' alongside Phillips then you're fairly well set; Phillips tells you how to precise, Mabey tells you where you don't have to be.

Getting out with some people with a bit of experience is certainly useful, although I never had that luxury. I started picking feld mushrooms as a kid, then found horse mushrooms, got a copy of food for free because I kept finding all these other mushrooms about, and because I was picking blackberries, elderberries, raspberries, apples and pears from the wikd and wanted to knowa bit more, and before long I was happily picking dozens of species. Then I got a few more books over the years, and by the time I'd finished my degree I was comfortable picking well over a hundred species. I've long since lost count.

If you get a foraging guru, it'll add only a little to your ability to identify things, but it'll add HEAPS to your confidence in being able to do so.

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 04 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ha, mention of libery cap has provoked a Google ad for "P. C. spores". Not sure how ethical that is

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28100
Location: escaped from Swindon
PostPosted: Mon Nov 29, 04 8:59 am    Post subject: Re: Just got the Philips Mushrooms and other Fungi book Reply with quote
    

Cab wrote:

If you get a foraging guru, it'll add only a little to your ability to identify things, but it'll add HEAPS to your confidence in being able to do so.


The long deescription in the book of death by deathcap mushroom certainly inspires the need to be sure

jema

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