One of my favorite things about hiking in the woods is
looking for mushrooms. You don’t need to go far, as mushrooms can often be
spotted around the sidewalks and trees in Urbana (last spring I actually
tripped over a morel on an evening walk in my neighborhood). There is something
mysterious and almost magical about how they can pop up over night, and how
most of the organism is underground. There are such a wide variety of types and
colors and shapes out there and it can be fun to see how many you can spot. Morels usually surface around mid-April to
mid-May here in the Urbana-Champaign area, and many other types will be
appearing as well due to the warmth and the rain. It's the perfect time to get outside and see what you can find! Oddly, I don't particularly like to eat mushrooms, but I love finding, identifying, and photographing them. Two new
books that shed light on mushrooms and their strange appeal area Mushroom by Nicolas Money and Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone.
Mushroom talks
about the basics of mushroom biology and introduces several eccentric
mushroom-lovers from history. Beatrix Potter studied mushrooms, as did Civil
War Veteran Captain Charles
McIlvaine, who set out to document the edibility of all the mushroom varieties
of America.
Mycophilia gives a
fascinating overview of the field of mycology, which is the general study of
fungi, and explores many new facts and theories about this strange life-form.
She also delves into the subculture of obsessed mushroom hunters and fans. Did
you know there are mushroom hunting competitions and mushroom festivals?
Both of these books give a fascinating introduction to the
science of mushrooms as well as the many facets of the mushrooms appeal and
uses. If you are interesting in learning
more about mushrooms, check out these other resources that can teach you all the
ways to identify, cook, and enjoy mushrooms:
Know Your Mushrooms (DVD)
No comments:
Post a Comment