Customer Reviews

Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada

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If the Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is like a telephone directory, which lists every number, then David Spahr's Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada is the "little black book" of mushrooms, containing intimate details about your very best and favorite specimens.

Spahr's book covers about two dozen "easy-to-find, relatively safe, edible and medicinal mushrooms." He provides lots of detailed, practical advice, including what to take (and not take) on a mushroom hunt, exactly where and when to look for them, how to take good photos, and how to prepare them.

Since acquiring this book, I've been able to identify a Giant Puffball, Parasols, Blewits and others which I had previously never seen. All I have to know is, "it's in the book" and I can quickly identify, prepare and eat it (without fear of poisoning). The book has also enabled me to more positively identify other mushrooms, including Artist's Conk, Honey Mushroom and Turkey Tails.

Spahr has eliminated the head scratching, time wasting and fumbling around, looking for a photo that matches your mushroom. Best of all, you won't leave behind a great mushroom because you're not sure what it is.

MUSHROOMS - Edible and Medicinal by David L. Spahr
Reviewed by Dr. Joseph S. Maresca

This volume has virtually every variety of mushrooms popularized
in the organic foods marketplace. Each mushroom type is presented
in full color together with its proximate location and use; namely,
edible, non-edible or medicinal.

Mushrooms are fungi. The fungi release digestive enzymes to
decompose living and dead matter. There are 100,000 species
consisting of molds, yeasts and mushrooms. There are specific
rules for collecting mushrooms and identifying them.
i.e. pores, teeth and ridge networks.
There are specific tree types which host mushrooms
i.e. Maples host Oyster Mushrooms in the fall and early winter .

Digital cameras with at least 5 megapixels should be employed to
obtain high quality pictures of mushrooms in their natural state.
The Maitake mushrooms are known to have considerable medicinal
properties. For instance, they aid in boosting the immune system to
fight cancer and stabilize blood pressure. Secondary uses include
anti-hypertension and anti-diabetic properties. A full 98% of the
Maitake mushrooms are found around oak and dead tree trunks.
Ideally, mushrooms should be washed with a sink sprayer.

The book provides an extensive section on compatible wines to
specific mushroom types. For instance, Chanterelle mushrooms
may be eaten with a dry white wine. Hedgehog mushrooms
go well with Sherry or Port wine. The Horse Mushroom goes good
with dry red wine.

This acquisition would be excellent for the food connoisseur in
your household. In addition, physicians, nutritionists,
health buffs and professional chefs will enjoy this book immensely.
An excellent bibliography is provided for the readership.
The book is priced reasonably.

Great Pictures, Thorough and detailed wriiten ID info, in a friendly whimsical style. Includes great ideas for starting your own fungal paradise.

This book will take the guess work out of collecting mushrooms in the northeast and give the reader a lot of very specific pointers on where to find these wonderful edible species. The book focuses on collectible varieties, helping the beginner pass by the confusion of trying to identify immature/non-edible kinds. We just love it for its ease of reading, ancedotes and preparation information.

David L. Spahr's book, Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada, seems at first glance to be a very specific geographical area's mushroom guide. I live in Oregon's Pacific Northwest and it applies very well to this area also. We have a large percentage of the mushrooms in this book here in Oregon as well. So much for the title, even though it is accurate as worded.
Of the many things I like about this book, the best part for me is the photographs. David has a great eye for what makes a good picture and that is seen throughout his book. He has also used his commercial harvesting knowledge to give us that special insight into the money side of mushrooms. They are more than tasty!
There are recipes and other information that will be useful to the novice and 'shroom savvy' as well. I am very happy to have this resource in my mushroom library!

This made a perfect birthday present for a man who was interested in the properties of
mushrooms and who also like to cook. Well written and illustrated

If you are squeamish about picking wild edible mushrooms, please get David Spahr's new book. It takes the mystery out of an often seeming complex discipline. I had the opportunity to meet David in his home surroundings. A wonderful fellow and one is who truly inspiring. The book has not yet made it to my bookshelf. Instead it is in my rucksack, the front seat of my truck, or my wife has pinched for use in the kitchen. I use it along side of two well know mushroom field guides. I am a new comer to foraging mushrooms. Since I have read David's book, foraging has taken on a much deeper view and understanding of environment and habitat. It has made the experience much more satisfying and most especially, delicious. I am now doing what my grandparents used to do.

I urge you to read it. You will learn something new and lasting.

This is the first year I have been out looking for edible mushrooms and I have to say David's book is with me constantly. It didn't even reach the bookshelf. It is in my car, in my backpack or at arms length for ease of reference. It has the most stunning photos (taken by David himself) and really inspires confidence about knowing what you are looking for. It is such a clear and easy reference and has interesting things other field guides are missing, like ideas of how to cook the mushrooms. As a total beginner this was a perfect introduction to mushrooming but I have to say I have a friend who has been mushrooming for 30 years who is also a fan of this book and has found interesting new information inside it.

I highly recommend this book whatever level of skill you already have.

When I got my copy I could not wait to have a couple of hours to read it. My hunch was right, I could not put it down once I picked it up. The quality of David's photography is stunning. I especially liked the photographs that showed mushrooms at different perspectives in their natural habitat. But pictures in the world of mushrooms do not tell a thousand words. To harvest quality wild mushroooms you need detailed descriptions and variable information such as location, season, environment, etc. Each mushroom David choose to highlight provides all this information and more. This is a fantastic book for everyone and anyone even vaguely interested in mushrooms, edible or not. The idea of profiling where and how to find them and what to do with them afterward is a novel approach that I practice myself.

He has captured in a book form the essence of what we as coaches to others attempt to do. I have no doubt this book will become the defacto standard for both the inexperienced just starting out and the textbook for those experienced that want to share what they know and "leave behind" a knowledge source for them to use. His book captures this spirit and puts a guide into literary form.

David Spahr has taken the oft complicated discipline of wild mushroom hunting, and made the subject matter easy to understand. David gives us an insider's view and shares with the reader some of his best tips for great mushroom photography. This book has something for everyone. From the weekend forager or the casual mycophagist, to the amateur nature photographer or the casual wild-foods chef -- this book will inspire every mycophile. Liz Cornish, MushrooMania Editor.