The Mycocultural Revolution: Tranforming Our World With Mushrooms, Lichens, and Other Fungi

by Peter McCoy, Robert Rogers (Foreword)

Discover the glorious world of mushrooms, lichens, and micro fungi, as described by Peter McCoy, one of today’s foremost experts in the field. Covers essential information and skills for identifying, cultivating, and celebrating the uniqueness of fungi. Easily engage in the art and science of mycology—the study of fungi. Mycology offers vast opportunities to enhance our lives, support our communities, and heal the environment. Learn general mycological facts, essential information and skills for identifying common mushroom types, foraging tips, delicious recipes, a growing guide, mycoremediation (using fungi to treat contaminated areas in our environment), mushroom-based crafts, and so much more!

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Biology, Gardening, Food, Plants

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 29, 2022

About the author

Self-taught (gaining knowledge and experience for sixteen years!) mycologist Peter McCoy is an original founder of Radical Mycology, a grassroots movement and organization that teaches how to work with fungi for societal, personal, and ecological resilience. He's the mycology advisor for Open Source Ecology and Permaculture Magazine North America, lead cultivation expert for the Amazon Mycorenewal Project, and a recurring guest on the Permaculture Voices Podcast, as well as a musician, artist, lecturer, community organizer, and teacher. McCoy lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is a wonderful resource for anyone curious about mycology! Peter McCoy wrote a book that is halfway instruction manual and halfway manifesto about how fungus and mushrooms can help us make the world a better place. I love his approachable style, and his enthusiasm is definitely infectious, sometimes to the point of being almost evangelical in his fascination with fungi!

Mycology is a subject I am quite passionate about, but there are many aspects to this science, and it is easy to get overwhelmed, and figuring out where to begin can be tricky. McCoy’s little book is a great tool because he keeps the broad categories of myco-activities organized and clear: he gives detailed instructions on the best ways to approach identifying, foraging for, cooking with and growing mushrooms for people who have no idea where to begin. He also talks about mushrooms’ place in medicine, culture and art, and concludes the book with some information about how fungus can be used to break down pollution and landfill – a process known as mycoremediation.

He wrote this book to be a companion to his other work, “Radical Mycology”; I managed to find a copy of that one (not an easy - or cheap - feat!), because I am pretty sure that my issues with “Mycocultural Revolution” would be resolved by reading the other book. I wanted more details, more history, more science, more everything! McCoy is part of a really wonderful movement of people who are passionate about mushrooms and who approach their passion as ‘citizen scientists’, experimenting at home with cultivating mushrooms, using their crops to make medicinal extracts, mead and even art! He is mostly self-taught, and gained a lot of his knowledge through experimentation and hands-on experience, and I have great respect for that.

This book might be tiny, but it contains a lot of food for thought and is a wonderful and thorough introduction to the amazing world of fungus!

[Jonáš Gruska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical introduction to the all mycological. Full of recipes and useful information for beginner foragers, cultivators and overall enthusiasts.

[Ava Farquhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good reference book that covered a wide FORAY of knowledge especially on cultivating which I don’t know much about

[K Marigold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like someone else said, it’s partly a manifesto. He talks a lot about “human-fungal relations” with a a spiritual reverence. And honestly, I fuck with it. I like the passion. Lots of good information and a great intro guide to the current state of mycology. Easy quick read. Might try to grow mushrooms using one of the more easier/beginner friendly methods mentioned in the book.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get more involved in the world of mushrooms. It talks about ways to forage for them, how to use them, how to be safe while identifying the edible ones from the poisonous ones. I read this quite quickly because I skipped all the recipes and some of the other sections that were just instructions for setting up different structures and whatnot. But McCoy had a lot of interesting things to say. I'm glad I read this.

[Maud Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Five starring mostly since I just love mushrooms so this book was an easy read!) Versatile, quite a solid starter book for all of those wanting to hook into the multi-faceted fungi world that’s ever so important in our current times of crisis. Not gatekeeped at all. Has wonderful advice on foraging, recipes, snazzy diagrams, and more. Cheers Mr McCoy!

I thought I knew it all about harnessing mushrooms, but no! Time to make my own mead I guess! And make my own myco material paper mache-esque crafts!!!!??!??!!!

What this book also underlines as well as the many ways one can interact with + harness the power of fungi from their own home, is the urge for more ‘citizen scientists’ to participate and further the mycology science. Absolutely exciting, let’s make mycology an idiosyncratic wondrous art-science blend, a people’s science… lets not just revolutionise a vision of a sustainable future, but also science itself!

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. An excellent introduction and guide to understanding the multiple roles that fungi play in our daily lives. McCoy abridges his larger work, Radical Mycology: A Treatise On Seeing & Working With Fungi, to make accessible some basic tips for foraging, growing, cooking, and otherwise being creative with mushrooms.

I especially appreciate McCoy's use of illustrations and diagrams to convey the importance of the information he shares. Covering a broad cultural, medicinal, and agricultural history, this is the book to start with if you are interested in learning more about why mushrooms are seeing a cultural resurgence.

[Kelly Maust · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic little introduction to the world of applied mycology accompanied by McCoy's so very pleasing woodcut illustrations. If you want to know why people like me are obsessed with mushrooms, this the perfect way to get a manageable taste of topics like foraging, mushroom gardening, identifying species, potential mushroom-based sustainability practices, health benefits, recipes, and even (in my favorite chapter) ideas for creating art based around mushrooms. (seriously, Chapter 5: Language of a Mycofolk is like everything I want in my life). This is a small book packed with tons of very practical information from a leader in this field.

[Tyler Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to this concept of mycoremediation, which will be considered a major component of reconciliation ecology. Peter is an amicable writer, whose words are filled with hands-on experience and long-lived passion for the subject. I can immediately see why Peter's work has been proliferating across the nation and will love to share these concepts within my community. Tactics and how-to's in the citizen science base of mycoremediation are a blast, I want posters of these pages for classrooms. Peter's love for fungi will fuel a paradigmatic shift of perspective for many as his work continues to culturally ripple.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excited to start using the tutorials inside for gardening and growing my own mushrooms. I was surprised how easy things like making homemade mead could be - just need the right few supplies. I think I'm going to reread this for years to come and I'm already planning on reading the author's other books. In parts it got a little corny with the whole "we are changing the world" talk reiterated a lot. But it really is life changing, especially the potentials for mycoremediation for those most affected by environmental injustice, who are largely racially marginalized. Thus, learning to cultivate mushrooms and teaching others, combined with mycoremediation research findings, could result in increased environmental, racial, and social justice. Pretty powerful stuff. Not to mention extremely tasty when used as food, and uses agricultural waste products for effective composting and recycling. I was very surprised to learn about sweet or almond flavored mushrooms and the addition of mushrooms to cookies. Sold.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mycocultural Revolution: Transforming Our World With Mushrooms, Lichens, and Other Fungi by Peter McCoy (Microcosm Publishing 2002) (579.5) (3845).

This book is an extremely simplistic look at the cultural uses of several common edible mushroom species and the methods employed to grow them in home mycological cultivation. Though this is not stated in the book (as far as I could tell), the author’s account is at best an overview for beginners, for the cultivation processes described by the author mention only a small percentage of the required steps to successfully culture fungi at home or in a lab.

I recommend taking a pass on this one.

My rating: 7/10, finished 8/8/23 (3845).

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent reference book with some really good information, I especially enjoy the list of online resources at the end, and some of the recipes. I did not expect this book to be a reference book based on the title and cover, and would have enjoyed it more if it was a little less so. And for a reference book, it was not as in depth as I would have liked.
Perhaps I should have went straight to Radical Mycology.

This book would be most useful for someone who is curios about mycology and wants to see more what it is like, rather than someone who is already in the sphere.

[snorwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro. Includes detailed "recipes" for growing edible mushrooms at home by several accessible methods. Cute illustrations.

General idea of de-mystifying mushroom foraging and home cultivation. Author's hope is that one day growing edible and medicinal mushrooms will be as commonplace as growing tomatoes or peppers in the home garden.

[Calliope Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to the wonderful world of mycology! I especially enjoyed the experiments, recipes, and resources presented.
My only complaint is that it's hard to interpret some of the photos, since everything is in black and white.

[Rachel Ellenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well… I was less interested in the “make a play about mushrooms!” section of the book and more interested in the mycoremediation discussion but that didn’t come in until the last 5 pages of the book. The author’s obviously passionate, I’ll give him that.

[Charli Linz · Rating 4 out of 5]

was such a fun and explorative book would 100% recommend to anybody whos interested in general biology or fungi specifically. i never thought he fungi community would have drama but i sure enjoyed the discussions about the drama!

[Mel B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this with my most recent spawn order from NorthSpore to grow mushrooms and I enjoyed it a ton. Great intro to mycology

[Nick Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many experiments I want to try! McCoy's passion for the field and for encouraging potential new amateur mycologists is palpable.

[Doc Kinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book had some good nuggets but was light on practicality.

[Jeffrey Raugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for beginner mycologists. Covers many important topics but not in depth.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun one! Want to buy a hard copy for the recipes and other details!

[Natalie Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mushrooms are magic. Read this and learn why and how.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a ‘how to’ to get into mycology but I have an interest in fungi so thoroughly enjoyed the book and took inspiration away from it. Not sure I’d recommend to anyone not into mycology but for me it was perfect