Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States
About the Book
Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred gorgeous full-color photos, this engaging guidebook carefully describes forty different edible species of wild mushrooms found around Illinois and surrounding states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. With conversational and witty prose, the book provides extensive detail on each edible species, including photographs of potential look-alikes to help you safely identify and avoid poisonous species. Mushroom lovers from Chicago to Cairo will find their favorite local varieties, including morels, chanterelles, boletes, puffballs, and many others. Veteran mushroom hunters Joe McFarland and Gregory M. Mueller also impart their wisdom about the best times and places to find these hidden gems.Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States also offers practical advice on preparing, storing, drying, and cooking with wild mushrooms, presenting more than two dozen tantalizing mushroom recipes from some of the best restaurants and chefs in Illinois, including one of Food & Wine magazine's top 10 new chefs of 2007. Recipes include classics like Beer Battered Morels, Parasol Mushroom Frittatas, and even the highly improbable (yet delectable) Morel Tiramisu for dessert.
As the first new book about Illinois mushrooms in more than eighty years, this is the guide that mushroom hunters and cooks have been craving.
Mushroom Hunting in Southern Illinois from Claudette Roulo on Vimeo.
About the Author
Joe McFarland has been an outdoor writer for nearly twenty years and is a staff writer for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources magazine Outdoor Illinois. He lives in Makanda, Illinois. Gregory M. Mueller, an internationally known mycologist, was curator of fungi at the Field Museum of Natural History for over twenty-three years and is now vice president of science and academic programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden.Reviews
"Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States should be required reading by all wild mushroom hunters in the Midwest, especially beginners. It will be an instant success throughout the Midwest and beyond!"--Fungi"[A] beautifully photographed, chummily written guide."--Chicago Reader
"A lively, beautifully produced read."--Mushroom the Journal
"Perfect for any mushroom hunter or wannabe hunter."--Illinois Country Living
"Essential information for naturalists and cooks alike."--Illinois Times
Blurbs
"Finally! This is the mushroom book we've all been waiting for. Any mushroom hunter in the Midwest will find it incredible. If we owned only one mushroom book, this would be it."--Tom and Vicky Nauman, founders of Morel Mania, Inc.
"This book should be required reading for all wild mushroom hunters in the Midwest, and especially beginners. McFarland and Mueller have come up with an entirely new format for getting the uninitiated involved in the joys of wild mushrooming. The writing is learned but very easy to understand, entertaining, and witty--at times hilarious. Bravo!"--Britt A. Bunyard, publisher and editor in chief, Fungi magazine
"An important contribution to the culinary world as well as to the world of amateur mycology. This book will appeal to anyone interested in edible mushrooms, their identification, or how to prepare them for the table."--Andrew N. Miller, Illinois State Mycologist, Illinois Natural History Survey
"Complete with interesting vignettes and delightful recipes involving wild mushrooms, this book will be of use to anyone interested in collecting and eating wild mushrooms in the Midwest. A thought-provoking, humorous, and practical guide."--Andrew S. Methven, professor and chair of biological sciences, Eastern Illinois University
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