Go Forth and Forage: A Guide to Foraging Over 50 of the Most Common Edible & Medicinal North American Mushrooms

by Whitney Johnson

Let expert forager and Appalachian native Whitney Johnson (@appalachian_forager) be your friendly guide to foraging over 50 North American species of edible and medicinal fungi. 

Go Forth and Forage is a detailed field guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing wild-foraged mushrooms through all four seasons. From spring treasures such as morels and woodears, to summer finds like black trumpets, chicken of the woods, and boletes, straight through to fall and winter harvests of lion’s mane, oyster, and enoki, each species profile includes color photos, identification advice to confirm edibility, and tips on how to harvest responsibly. You’ll also find culinary preparation advice and recipes to feast on your finds successfully and deliciously. 

In her signature warm and folksy tone, Johnson also offers insight  

How to find wild mushrooms ( identifying trees is involved)Understanding mushroom anatomy and how it informs your harvestThe best gear for mushroom foraging, from knives and bags to clothes and bootsUsing spore prints to help confirm proper identificationWords of wisdom on what to do before you take a biteBeing a responsible and ethical foragerCommon mushroom myths Finding and using mushrooms in medicinal forms, such as tinctures and teas
Humans have foraged for wild mushrooms for untold generations. Now, with help from Go Forth and Forage, you’ll be on your way to mastering this age-old skill and enjoying all the delicacies the craft of mushroom foraging has to offer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Outdoors

456 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

Whitney Johnson was named one of the world's fifty most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50 in 2017.

She is the author of the forthcoming Build an A Team (Harvard Business Press, 2018) and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work (2015). Publisher's Weekly described it as "savvy...often counter-intuitive...superb" while the Boston Globe called it the "'What Color is Your Parachute?' career guide for the entrepreneurial age."

Through writing, speaking, consulting and coaching, Whitney works with leaders to retain their top talent, to build an A team, and to help them earn the gold star–be a boss people love.

She formerly was the co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard's Clayton Christensen, where they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at $5+ billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising, and the development of the fund’s strategy. During her tenure, the CAGR of the Fund was 11.98% v. 1.22% for the S&P 500.

She is also formerly an award-winning Wall Street analyst. She was an Institutional Investor-ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years, and was rated by Starmine as a superior stock-picker. As an equity analyst, stocks under coverage included America Movil (NYSE: AMX), Televisa (NYSE: TV) and Telmex (NYSE: TMX), which accounted for roughly 40% of Mexico's market capitalization.

Whitney is a frequent contributor for the Harvard Business Review, she has over 1 million followers on Linkedin, and her LinkedIn course The Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has 1 million+ views.

She is a member of the original cohort of Marshall Goldsmith's #100 coaches.

Reviews

[Melissa Conn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every word of this book, you can read in her voice. I've never read a nonfiction book with near as much personality (maybe The Last Book on the Left is a close second). This is such a good read, even if you don't give a lick about foraging. But this will make you want to GO FORTH AND FORAGE

[Susan Bewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves nature and having control over my food, I have to say that I loved Go Forth and Forage. This resource book has everything you need to get started finding and picking your own mushrooms safely in nature. One of the major focuses of the book is taking the fear out of foraging mushrooms by learning how not just to identify various mushrooms but also prepare each of the different types without putting yourself in danger. Unlike some resource books, it makes the subjects of mushrooms very approachable, allowing everyone of all knowledge and experience to find something useful, even if it is just a refresher on the various mushrooms of North America. I especially love the gorgeous pictures throughout the books, showing you what the mushrooms look like from various angles and tricks to ensure you correctly identify and prepare the mushrooms. If you genuinely love mushrooms and nature, Go Forth, and Forage is definitely the right book for your collection!

[Siriusly]

Maybe I should have given this a better chance, but the writing. Oh the writing. It’s in the same vein as the …for Dummies books - which I absolutely loathe. The author tries too hard to come off as if she’s speaking casually, but it’s obnoxious. Grating like a fake Southern US accent.

[Jessica Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book for beginner foragers!! This book first explains the parts of a mushroom in a way that you absolutely understand so that you can identify them and then gives GREAT profiles of the mushrooms you are most likely to see in your area. The pointers on ID she gives make you CONFIDENT you can handle mushroom foraging and Whitney's zeal is infectious. Great resource and fun read!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitney does such an amazing job of laying out the qualities of each item, along with lookalikes and uses. Add in foraging knowledge and helpful tips it is such a well written book and will make a fantastic addition to my Mushroom and Natural Wellness Library!

[Hannah Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Unlike typical boring field guides, Whitney’s book is funny and tells a story. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in foraging. I have been an avid forager for years and still learned a TON from her book. Tons of pictures and advice. Loved it!

[Patricia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book with lots of color photographs. Although it is full of great mushroom foraging information, it is written with humor. In fact, you might even laugh out loud sometimes.