Field Notes from a Fungi Forager: An Illustrated Journey Through the World of Pacific Northwest Mushrooms

by Ashley Rodriguez, Libby England (Illustrator)

Overview

This gorgeously illustrated compendium is a love letter to mushrooms—and to the Pacific Northwest.

From evergreen forests shrouded in mist to the urban backyards of Seattle, mushrooms are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest if you know how to look. Here, forager-chef and forest therapy guide Ashley Rodriguez provides an evocative and personal survey of 50 of the most fantastic mushrooms to be found in the region. This book includes the famous Morchella (morel) and Cantharellus (chanterelle) as well as lesser-known species, like the blueish purple Clitocybe nuda (wood blewit) which smells like frozen orange juice, and Hydnellum peckii (Bleeding tooth fungus), which oozes brilliant red droplets that are widely used as a natural dye. Through the lens of these humble fungi, the interconnectedness of all living things comes into focus.
Here you’ll find:

• An introduction to mushrooms in the Northwest landscape.
• Best practices for mushroom foraging and appreciation.
• 50 mushroom profiles, includes information about each mushroom’s appearance (plus scientific illustrations of each species), what distinguishes them from other species, how they have been used throughout different cultures and lore, and personal field notes from the forest floor.
• The most prized edible species are paired with mouthwatering sidebars about ways to use that mushroom in the kitchen.

Infused with a forager-chef's love of edible mushrooms as well as the reverence of an eco-spiritual guide, this fully illustrated book is as much a treat to read as is to look at.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632175366
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ is a Seattle-based author, cooking instructor, food photographer, writer, partner, and mother of three children. She is the co-creator and host of James Beard Award-nominated outdoor cooking adventure series Kitchen Unnecessary, and the top food blog notwithoutsalt.com. She is the author of three cookbooks, and is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide. When not eating (or talking and writing about food), Ashley loves to be foraging, fly fishing, or hunting, and spending as much time outside as possible.

LIBBY ENGLAND is an artist whose work celebrates nature through both an analytical and spiritual lens.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

I contend that the planet’s health actually depends on our respect for fungi.
—Paul Stamets
 
As a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest with conifer-studded woodlands as my backyard, I spent hours creating worlds out of decaying logs, snacking on tart red huckleberries, picking wildflowers—and avoiding mushrooms. There was very little motivation to befriend the fungi. I was terrified they could kill me, and when they did appear on my dinner plate I was grossed out by their slimy presence.

Fast-forward a couple of decades and now I’m loud and proud about my fungi fandom. There were many encounters along the way that led to this dramatic shift in my relationship with mushrooms, some of which you’ll read about in the following pages. The thing about fear is that with knowledge, curiosity, and listening, it can transform into wonder and awe. Once I started to understand fungi more, my appreciation of them has exploded. It began as a desire to enjoy eating them. As a chef and recipe developer, I wanted to expand my palate and overcome my aversion to mushrooms, so I started to add them to dishes, first by chopping them up very finely so I wasn’t overwhelmed by the texture and instead could focus on the earthy, umami-rich flavor. Eating wild mushrooms was a much different experience than dodging the button mushrooms from my childhood. I went from avoiding mushrooms to spending hours and hours in the woods trying to find them. Now, I delight in seeing any and all mushrooms (not just the edible ones). A walk in the woods with me means that our conversation will always be interrupted by mushroom sightings. 

That is essentially the premise and purpose of this book: to share my knowledge and love of the fungal world so that mushrooms can get the appreciation they rightly deserve. I’m honored to be your co-guide, along with the fungi, on this journey. I am a passionate forager and have been for many years. I have had the distinct pleasure of being guided by some of the best and most knowledgeable mushroom experts in the field. I’m also a nature-therapy and eco-spiritual guide, and I’ve been working in the food world for over two decades. Initially, I came to love foraging for the incredible ingredients the woods could provide, but the more I learn, the more I appreciate fungi for the inherent wisdom, beauty, medicine, and healing they provide to the entire ecosystem. 
 

***

This is not a foraging guide. It’s not meant to be a scientific tome used for proper identification in the field. There are many incredible resources out there for that (my recommendations are listed on page 000). Rather, this is for the open-minded ones who are eager to learn a little bit about the hidden knowledge that fungi possess and their role in the interconnection of life, all centered in the beautiful and fertile ground of the Pacific Northwest. Our journey through the world of fungi aims to dispel misconceptions and replace them with delight, awe, wonder, and a little bit of whimsy. 
We’ll begin by learning more about how fungi function and interact with the natural world, including ourselves. We’ll touch on current research about how mushrooms are helping to save the planet and our mental health. We’ll look at the ecosystems and ecology of the Pacific Northwest and its lush and welcoming habitat for many species. Next, we’ll cover best practices for foraging or simply going out for a mushroom appreciation hike or wander.

The bulk of the book is a collection of field notes from the forest floor: an exploration of the many different types of mushrooms that call this special region home, from the famous Morchella (morel, pages 000–000) and Cantharellus (chanterelle, pages 000–000) to the lesser-known species that are equally fascinating, like the bluish-purple Lepista nuda (wood blewit, page 000) and Hydnellum peckii (bleeding tooth fungus, page 000), which oozes brilliant red droplets. Here, we’ll befriend each of these mushrooms by getting to know their appearance and what distinguishes them from other species, and we’ll look at how some of them have been used throughout different cultures and in stories or myths.

This book is an ode to the fungi among us, a celebration of the natural world and the magic that can be found in even the smallest things. Through the lens of these humble fungi, we’ll explore the interconnectedness of all living things and gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of our bioregion. Whether you’re a seasoned forager or just starting to appreciate the beauty of mushrooms, there’s something in these pages for everyone. Allow the scent of damp earth and the sight of vibrant caps, hidden mycelial webs, and puffs of smokelike spores be our guide.

Table of Contents

Land Acknowledgment
A Cautionary Note
Introduction

Field Notes from the Forest Floor:
Agaricus augustus (the prince)
Aleuria aurantia (orange peel fungus)
Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)
Amanita phalloides (death cap) 
Armillaria ostoyae (dark honey fungus) 
Auricularia americana (wood ear) 
Boletus edulis (porcini) 
Calvatia sculpta (sculpted puffball) 
Cantharellus formosus (golden chanterelle) 
Cantharellus subalbidus (white chanterelle) 
Chlorociboria aeruginascens (blue-stain fungus) 
Coprinus comatus (shaggy mane) 
Craterellus calicornucopioides (black trumpet) 
Craterellus tubaeformis (winter chanterelle) 
Dacrymyces chrysospermus (witch’s butter) 
Fistulina hepatica (beefsteak polypore) 
Fomitopsis mounceae (Western red-belted conk) 
Ganoderma applanatum (artist’s conk) 
Ganoderma oregonense (reishi) 
Geastrum saccatum (earthstar) 
Gomphus clavatus (pig’s ear) 
Gyromitra esculenta (false morel) 
Hericium abiệtis (bear’s head) 
Hydnellum peckii (bleeding tooth) 
Hypomyces lactifluorum (lobster mushroom) 
Lactarius rubidus (candy cap) 
Laetiporus conifericola (chicken of the woods) 
Lepista nuda (wood blewit) 
Leucangium carthusianum (Oregon black truffle) 
Marasmius oreades (fairy ring mushroom) 
Morchella eximia, sextelata, and exuberans(fire morels) 
Morchella snyderi (mountain black morel) 
Mycena haematopus (bleeding fairy helmet) 
Nidula candida (bird’s nest fungi) 
Omphalotus olearius (jack o’lantern) 
Phaeolus schweinitzii (dyer’s polypore) 
Phallus impudicus (common stinkhorn) 
Pleurocybella porrigens (angel wing) 
Pleurotus pulmonarius (oyster mushroom) 
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (cat’s tongue) 
Psilocybe semilanceata (liberty cap) 
Ramaria botrytis (pink-tipped coral) 
Russula brevipes (short-stemmed brittlegill) 
Sparassis radicata (cauliflower mushroom) 
Trametes versicolor (turkey tail) 
Tricholoma murrillianum (matsutake) 
Tuber gibbosum and oregonense (Oregon white truffle) 
Xerocomellus atropurpureus (deep purple bolete) 

Acknowledgments
Glossary
Resources
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A gift of true sustenance. Through storytelling, wild observations, unique kitchen notes, and palpable joy, Ashley Rodriguez guides us into the Pacific Northwest woodlands, where we encounter mushrooms and mycelia in a new way.”
—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted and Crow Planet

“This manifesto of love for mushrooms celebrates a well-picked selection of Pacific Northwest fungi from culinary, medicinal, and aesthetic perspectives.”
—Daniel Winkler, author of Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms