Diane Borsato - Mushrooming: The Joy of the Quiet Hunt - An Illustrated Guide to the Fascinating, the Delicious, the Deadly and the Strange

Absolutely terrific. This is a volume that, at first glance, is a field guide. But peering closer, as every mycologist knows, brings reward. Borsatos species descriptions are bright and lyrical; accompanying caps and stems rendered lovingly by Oseid. From art to culture to food, Mushrooming is a celebration of the human relationship with fungi.

Every turn of the page in Mushrooming reveals surprising delights, between the eye-catching illustrations, cleverly quippy commentary and insightful background information. Whether you're the sort to dig in the dirt in search of mushrooms, are considering your next gastronomic adventure, or are simply eager to learn more about the natural history of our fungal friendsthis book will speak to the mycologist in everyone.

Fungi are an order so mysterious they push our wonder and horror buttons simultaneously. In Mushrooming, Borsato uses her radical curiosity to consider what they have to teach us about interconnection, the diversity of life, and the wildly creative possibilities of risk and attention.

Mushrooming is, in every way, a delightful book.

Mushrooming

The joy of the quiet hunt

Diane Borsato,
with illustrations by Kelsey Oseid

Text Copyright 2022 Diane Borsato

Illustrations Copyright 2022 Kelsey Oseid

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, .

Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd.

P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0

www.douglas-mcintyre.com

Edited by Artie Goshulak

Indexed by Chandan Singh

Cover and text design by Diane Robertson

Printed and bound in South Korea

Printed on FSC-certified paper

Douglas and McIntyre acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Mushrooming : the joy of the quiet hunt--an illustrated guide to the fascinating, the delicious, the deadly and the strange / Diane Borsato ; illustrations by Kelsey Oseid.

Names: Borsato, Diane, author. | Oseid, Kelsey, illustrator.

Description: Includes index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20220224471 | Canadiana (ebook) 2022022448X | ISBN 9781771623377 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781771623384 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: MushroomsNorthern HemisphereIdentification. | LCSH: MushroomsNorthern HemispherePictorial works. | LCSH: Edible mushroomsNorthern HemisphereIdentification. | LCSH: Edible mushroomsNorthern HemispherePictorial works.

Classification: LCC QK617 .B67 2022 | DDC 579.60912/3dc23

Mushroom identification is extremely complex, even for people with many years of experience. Many common edible mushrooms have toxic and sometimes deadly look-alikes. The possession of some mushrooms may also be illegal in your area.

The author, illustrator, publisher and agents that have produced this book advise that you do not rely on this guide to identify mushrooms for consumption, and do not violate laws in your area. Consume and/or possess wild mushrooms at your own risk.

This book offers insights , anecdotes and details about more than 120 common and charismatic fungi species in the forest, field, marketand even in the basement.

From thousands of species that are well represented across Canada and the northern United States (and in northern Europe and elsewhere globally around the northern hemisphere), Ive selected an idiosyncratic bunch of common species; beloved edibles, hallucinogens, medicines and aphrodisiacs; some specimens mythologized for their provocative shapes and colours; the enchantingly named; and many other weird and colourful personal favourites. Among the mushrooms, Ive also included a few related things that might present themselves when mushrooming, including lichen, slime moulds, bones and plants. Finally, this uncommon field guide expresses my perspective as an artist and arts educator, as I have included a selection of recent, socially engaged contemporary artworks that feature fungi as a material or subject. These works variously explore themes of decay, environmental remediation, spiritual experience and/or the natural connectedness among living beingscontributing to some of the most important conversations we are having today about who we are and how we want to live in relationship with the natural world.

While I hope that beginner mushroomersas well as advanced mycophilesmight learn new and surprising things about familiar species and find inspiration to connect more intimately with nature and one another, I would suggest you do not rely on this book (written by an artist, not a mycologist) to make accurate identifications of your specimens. There are thousands of known mushroom species and untold thousands of unknown mushroom species, so this book represents only the narrowest sampling of their diversity and splendour. Note, too, that common names are very fluidthey can be completely different in different places, time periods, and even among individual mushroomers. There can be many common names for the same fungus, and common names can broadly include several similar species. The common names I used in this book are specific to my own experience, references and region. There is a lot of leeway and creativity around common naming, so sometimes I even dare to make them up! I strongly recommend that you refer to several other up-to-date technical field guides for fungi in your region to deepen your knowledge of mushroom identification and edibility. I have suggested other references at the end of this guide.

I also hope this book will make the case that even if you dont find an edible mushroom, or arent sure if what you have found is edible, that the close looking, research and even the mystery are part of the fun of mushrooming. Instead of eating a mushroom, you may just want to enjoy it for its poetic name, beauty, mythology or specific weirdnesswhich is a very safe and surprisingly fruitful activity.

Its easy to love mushrooms just for being themselvesfor emerging and swelling and dissolvingas an immediate expression of the weather, the season, a place and a time. It is a slow and contemplative thing to go mushrooming, letting you feel at once connected to everything and apart from the world.

There is no easy way to know if a mushroom is safe to eat; its specific identity must be determined. Every myth, trick or rule of thumb you have ever heard is incorrect when it comes to knowing whether or not a species is poisonous.