The library where I work serves a large population of mushroom foragers, so this is likely to be a popular title. Offers a scientific approach to mushroom cultivation, with charts and graphs, soil and planting data, and more.

A very good guide to growing, cultivating and finding mushrooms. I found the recipes useful and enjoyed learning more about the world of mushroom growing. This I highly recommend for anyone interested in growing mushrooms or anyone curious about learning the different types of mushrooms.

I enjoy growing my own herbs, vegetables, and flowers from seed and try to add new plants every year. I was excited when I saw this book because I enjoy mushrooms, I buy mushrooms but I never considered growing my own. This is a very informative and detailed guide that covers all aspects of growing mushrooms outdoors or inside.
I had no idea that I could grow mushrooms in tree stumps and since I am having some trees removed this book gave me a purpose for those stumps! The authors also cover growing in logs, in wood chips, in straw bales or even in containers. After reading How To Grow Mushrooms from Scratch, I feel that I am well prepared to try and grow mushrooms. There is a wealth of helpful information and I appreciated the guidance on what types of diseases and/or pests could be an issue and how best to avoid or treat them.
Breaded Shiitake Mushrooms with Herb Sauce, Filled Crepes with Oyster Mushrooms and Chickpea Tomato Stew with King Oyster Mushrooms are just a few of the amazing recipes that are also included.
This is the first book I have read on mushroom growing and it is so comprehensive that I think it will be a go-to favorite. I do plan to follow up with some of the recommended readings that are provided, which is another nice feature. The pictures are phenomenal as the volume of information at times seemed a bit daunting, but the illustrations provided clarity for some of the concepts and stages that confused me. I can't wait to see if I can successfully grow mushrooms. I am most definitely a beginner and if you have ever been totally lost after reading a supposed beginners guide, you will know what I mean when I say this book is definitely an A-Z guide for an inexperienced grower.
I received an e ARC from The Experiment through NetGalley.

This book explains how to grow 19 varieties of mushrooms, like button, several types of oyster, reishi, lion's mane, and more. The authors started by explaining how to grow mushrooms outside on logs or on straw bales. They explained what mushrooms do best with each method. They provided step-by-step instructions and photographs on how to use grain or plug spawn and logs or straw bales.

They also talked about how to grow mushrooms indoors on mushroom kits, use straw pellets, grow truffles in woodlands, grow mushrooms outdoors on a bed of hardwood chips or on freshly-made tree stumps (still in the ground). They talked about growing mushrooms on your patio in containers with companion plants or creating mushroom greenhouses. They discussed how to prevent or deal with various pests or diseases that might trouble your mushrooms. They explained how even amateurs can grow spore to spawn to propagate mushrooms.

They talked about 8 mushrooms that have known medicinal uses. They also included several recipes each for the most common mushroom types. The recipes were for things like breaded mushrooms, mushroom sauces, or powdering dried mushrooms for use as a tea. They also talked about selling your mushrooms at a farmer's market. Overall, this book was very informative, but I was left feeling overwhelmed by the process. It sounds more labor intensive than I'd thought.

This book is AMAZING...provided you have a saw, logs, a yard, and space to grow mushrooms...or so I thought until I got to the section of container growing and then I realized, this book is awesome for everyone who wants to grow fungal friends! Sadly my beloved woodears are not suitable for patio growth, but shitakes are so that makes me happy. In all honestly this book is a little too hardcore for me, but I still really enjoyed reading it and absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to grow their own mushrooms, it is am immensely valuable resource. Now, if only I could find a way to grow black trumpet mushrooms!

#HowToGrowMushroomsFromScratch #NetGalley #Sustainable

A very good guide to start harvesting mushrooms. The book blends theory and practices by adding step by step tutorials. The bonus part are the delicious recipes.

My review has been posted to Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch is a new look at a niche gardening topic which has become more popular recently. I am a huge fan of sustainability and local production and consumption of foods and goods. I remember when I was a kid, my dad ordered a 'grow your own mushroom' kit with a glass vial of spawn and some compost and a transparent plastic box. This must have been 40+ years ago.

I remember we got a couple of decent flushes of button mushrooms which we chopped up and almost ceremonially topped our Saturday night pizzas for a few weeks. :)
This is not your dad's mushroom growing book and boy, things have changed in the past 40 years with regard to techniques and availability of products for mushroom growing and use.

Authors Magdalena & Herbert Wurth have teamed up with The Experiment publishing to present this 144 page book, available in ebook and hardback and expected to be released 4th September, 2018.

This is an English language translation and re-release in the US from the original German Pilze selbst anbauen from Löwenzahn in der Studienverlag published in 2015. The book is very well written and practical, easy to understand and if English isn't their first language, they're certainly 100% fluent and the book does not suffer from that fact. The translator did a good job of making the translation seamless.

It's a short book, but very well illustrated and packed full of information. The information presented is mycologically/botanically correct and accessible to laypeople. There's a fine line with technical how to books and this one does a great job of presenting 'enough but not TOO much' info.

The book starts with an introduction of the authors' backgrounds and a presentation of what fungi are and what the life cycle of a typical fungus involves. The text is accompanied by clear line drawings and color photos.

The book continues with an explanation of the methods and cultural requirements for raising and safely harvesting several types of edible fungi along with very good color photos of the authors' setups and methodology.

The book presents several different options for cultivation including outdoor, indoor and woodland/wild cultivation. Each of these environments presents challenges and benefits and the authors explain them clearly.

There is also a small chapter dedicated to introducing methods of propagation aimed at experimenters, folks with more advanced enthusiasm or experience and the die-hard hands on garden fans.

Following the culture part of the book (roughly 75% of the content by my count), there's an interesting chapter on the uses of mushroom for medicine and culinary applications. There are many appealing recipes with mouthwatering pictures.

Finally there's a short chapter about the marketing potential for farming and selling fresh mushrooms.

The book also includes appendices, sources, bibliography and a fairly comprehensive recommended reading list and closes with an index.

Really well done, and I've read and reviewed a 'crop' of mycology books lately. This is a very good one.

Five stars