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Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms
Key characteristics for each species to aid in identification
Full-color photographs depicting each featured species
Includes recipes for simple backcountry fare to elaborate dishes
With details for harvesting everything from the ever-popular golden chanterelles to the red-cracked bolete, Fruits of the Forest will appeal to both the novice and the avid mushroom hunter. Lifelong mushroom educator and expert Daniel Winkler presents 170+ edible wild mushrooms that flourish across our region, from Northern California to British Columbia. Comprehensive yet accessible and full of personality, this full-color field guide features habitat and seasonality, how to store and prep different varieties, tips for differentiating look-alike species, and much more.
Not only does Winkler have vast experience finding, identifying, and collecting mushrooms, he has also spent decades preparing various species in all sorts of meals. He presents a few dozen recipes, ranging from Chanterelles in Cream Sauce to Bold Bolete Quiche, Breaded Saffron Milkcaps to Candy Cap Butter Cookies. Winkler shares notes on mushroom culture around the world, tips on foraging, ideas for preserving mushrooms, and suggestions for medicinal teas and extracts. With Fruits of the Forest in hand, a delicious world of fungi tastes awaits!
- GenresNonfictionFood
803 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2022
9 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 18, 2023
Amazing. Many field guides are just dry entry after entry, but this one is tremendously entertaining to read through. It's funny! Most entires have lively narratives and applications informed by real experience. The opening material on foraging is valuable material for both beginner and experienced mushroom hunters. The final section on recipes is the most surprising and useful; after all part of the joy of hunting is enjoying the harvest! Lots of good vegetarian recipes and ideas.
September 21, 2024
I have practiced medical herbalism for about 20 years. My bookshelf is loaded with field guides to edible and medicinal plants. Many are strong in one or several aspects, but come up short elsewhere. In the world of mycology, there are some classics everyone should have. I love All That the Rain Promises for its stories, goofy pictures, and celebration of the pure joy of discovering the world of fungi. But as a field guide, it has limited utility.
Daniel Winkler and his writing has been on and off my radar over the years. I was enchanted by his ethnomycological knowledge about Tibet (I used to want to be an ethnobotanist in another life...). I have seen recordings of a few of his talks. Needless to say, Professor Winkler is, like Paul Stamets, a brilliant autodidact in the field of mycology, but unlike Stamets, whose celebrity rose as a result of the attention he received in Michael Pollan's milestone work on psychedelics and modern society, Winkler has remained a somewhat more obscure figure, an unsung hero, a scholar who has stayed in the shadows cast by his own humility. I hope that Fruits of the Forest changes that.
But I digress..
In Fruits of the Forest, Daniel Winkler takes the best aspects of the best field guides and builds on them further. To understand the brilliance of Fruits of the Forest, one must understand a bit about Daniel Winkler. Fruits of the Forest focuses on mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, but Winkler's knowledge is much broader in scope. Austrian born and raised, he has led foraging and education tours all over the world, including Tibet and the insights he applies to our corner of the world are reflected in his cosmopolitan perspective.
Fruits of the Forest fills a void in Western societal public mushroom wisdom which has existed since the loss of our oral traditions of sharing knowledge. For the first time, a guide to identification has been paired with easy-to-follow instruction on the cooking, preparation and preservation of mushrooms, with specific information on flavor. Professor Winkler's writing demonstrates the incredible degree of nuance that exists in the fungiphilic world. For instance, he notes that some people get sick without first parboiling honey mushrooms while others do not. He notes the differences in flavor and edibility based on the age and condition of chicken of the woods.
So many guides treat the concept of edibility as a matter of simple classification, nearly always following this typology: EDIBLE, NOT EDIBLE, TOXIC and occasionally "CHOICE." These authors follow up these classifications with concrete, narrow instructions without commentary on flavor or the chemistry affecting it. I think for the most part, authors (and who can blame them, particularly in America, which is such a litigious society) fear their readers and do not trust their intelligence. Again, I can't really blame them, but none the less, this approach limits their ability to share insights.
Winkler has somehow found the perfect balance synthesizing information from the latest scientific research, best practices in the field, along with his invaluable personal experiences, which are always shared in warm, human, often personally-moving anecdotes that highlight not only his extensive knowledge, but his superior skills as a storyteller. And as a storyteller, it is clear that unlike so many people who wear the "expert" hat, Winklers' stories do not simply celebrate himself and his successes, they also note his mistakes, and the things he has learned from others' experiences as well as his own.
At times, these stories are downright hilarious. I hate to laugh at another's suffering, but Winkler's aside about his teenaged Amanita muscaria "trip" was so funny I had to read it aloud to my girlfriend. Winkler's humor and humility are found in abundance throughout this work. This is the first field guide on any subject I have ever read purely for the joy of the quality of the writing and storytelling as much as for the information contained therein.
Having been so taken with the author's voice and style, it is almost easy to overlook the utility of this work. In addition to the writing and descriptions, the photos are beautiful and helpful in identifying the edible fungi hunter's quarry. The structure and organization of the book is straight forward. And despite the richness of the descriptions and stories, the text is concise; there is no extraneous verbosity here! Winkler makes every word count.
Going on one of Winkler's guided Tibetan trips has been on my bucket list for some time. Alas, I could never afford to go (though I think his trips would be worth any price), but having a copy of Fruits of the Forest may be the next best thing! This book is not just handy to have; it is indispensable, a gift to the world, a book that will be hailed as a classic in the years and decades to come. If you read my other reviews you will see I do not dispense compliments casually or often. I have very high standards, and Fruits of the Forest exceeds them all.
As a member of the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society, I saw one of Professor Winkler's talks on overlooked edible mushrooms in the PNW and it was the most informative, nuanced, in-depth lecture of its kind I have ever seen. I highly recommend Winkler's Mushroaming website, his talks and all the rest of his publicly available resources.
Daniel Winkler and his writing has been on and off my radar over the years. I was enchanted by his ethnomycological knowledge about Tibet (I used to want to be an ethnobotanist in another life...). I have seen recordings of a few of his talks. Needless to say, Professor Winkler is, like Paul Stamets, a brilliant autodidact in the field of mycology, but unlike Stamets, whose celebrity rose as a result of the attention he received in Michael Pollan's milestone work on psychedelics and modern society, Winkler has remained a somewhat more obscure figure, an unsung hero, a scholar who has stayed in the shadows cast by his own humility. I hope that Fruits of the Forest changes that.
But I digress..
In Fruits of the Forest, Daniel Winkler takes the best aspects of the best field guides and builds on them further. To understand the brilliance of Fruits of the Forest, one must understand a bit about Daniel Winkler. Fruits of the Forest focuses on mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, but Winkler's knowledge is much broader in scope. Austrian born and raised, he has led foraging and education tours all over the world, including Tibet and the insights he applies to our corner of the world are reflected in his cosmopolitan perspective.
Fruits of the Forest fills a void in Western societal public mushroom wisdom which has existed since the loss of our oral traditions of sharing knowledge. For the first time, a guide to identification has been paired with easy-to-follow instruction on the cooking, preparation and preservation of mushrooms, with specific information on flavor. Professor Winkler's writing demonstrates the incredible degree of nuance that exists in the fungiphilic world. For instance, he notes that some people get sick without first parboiling honey mushrooms while others do not. He notes the differences in flavor and edibility based on the age and condition of chicken of the woods.
So many guides treat the concept of edibility as a matter of simple classification, nearly always following this typology: EDIBLE, NOT EDIBLE, TOXIC and occasionally "CHOICE." These authors follow up these classifications with concrete, narrow instructions without commentary on flavor or the chemistry affecting it. I think for the most part, authors (and who can blame them, particularly in America, which is such a litigious society) fear their readers and do not trust their intelligence. Again, I can't really blame them, but none the less, this approach limits their ability to share insights.
Winkler has somehow found the perfect balance synthesizing information from the latest scientific research, best practices in the field, along with his invaluable personal experiences, which are always shared in warm, human, often personally-moving anecdotes that highlight not only his extensive knowledge, but his superior skills as a storyteller. And as a storyteller, it is clear that unlike so many people who wear the "expert" hat, Winklers' stories do not simply celebrate himself and his successes, they also note his mistakes, and the things he has learned from others' experiences as well as his own.
At times, these stories are downright hilarious. I hate to laugh at another's suffering, but Winkler's aside about his teenaged Amanita muscaria "trip" was so funny I had to read it aloud to my girlfriend. Winkler's humor and humility are found in abundance throughout this work. This is the first field guide on any subject I have ever read purely for the joy of the quality of the writing and storytelling as much as for the information contained therein.
Having been so taken with the author's voice and style, it is almost easy to overlook the utility of this work. In addition to the writing and descriptions, the photos are beautiful and helpful in identifying the edible fungi hunter's quarry. The structure and organization of the book is straight forward. And despite the richness of the descriptions and stories, the text is concise; there is no extraneous verbosity here! Winkler makes every word count.
Going on one of Winkler's guided Tibetan trips has been on my bucket list for some time. Alas, I could never afford to go (though I think his trips would be worth any price), but having a copy of Fruits of the Forest may be the next best thing! This book is not just handy to have; it is indispensable, a gift to the world, a book that will be hailed as a classic in the years and decades to come. If you read my other reviews you will see I do not dispense compliments casually or often. I have very high standards, and Fruits of the Forest exceeds them all.
As a member of the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society, I saw one of Professor Winkler's talks on overlooked edible mushrooms in the PNW and it was the most informative, nuanced, in-depth lecture of its kind I have ever seen. I highly recommend Winkler's Mushroaming website, his talks and all the rest of his publicly available resources.
April 17, 2024
Such a comprehensive book in an easy to digest format.
December 15, 2023
As someone who enjoys observing fungi without consuming them, I found 'Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms' by Daniel Winkler to be a fantastic resource. This guide is bound to become my go-to companion for mushroom-related excursions during the upcoming season.
One of the standout features of this guide is its systematic categorization of mushrooms by type, making it easier to differentiate between similar species. The fact that it clearly labels harmful mushrooms and those with dangerous look-alikes adds an invaluable layer of safety for foragers.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the multitude of edible mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, even if some are described as bland or uninteresting. It's fascinating to learn about these lesser-known edible options, like Witch's Butter, which may not be the most flavorful but are still safe to eat.
The guide's clarity and user-friendliness make it a reliable tool for foraging. And the inclusion of recipes in the back is a delightful bonus, offering exciting culinary possibilities.
I share your excitement for the upcoming mushroom season and your quest for the Giant Puffball! With this guide in hand, you're well-equipped for your mushroom-hunting adventures. Happy foraging!
One of the standout features of this guide is its systematic categorization of mushrooms by type, making it easier to differentiate between similar species. The fact that it clearly labels harmful mushrooms and those with dangerous look-alikes adds an invaluable layer of safety for foragers.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the multitude of edible mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, even if some are described as bland or uninteresting. It's fascinating to learn about these lesser-known edible options, like Witch's Butter, which may not be the most flavorful but are still safe to eat.
The guide's clarity and user-friendliness make it a reliable tool for foraging. And the inclusion of recipes in the back is a delightful bonus, offering exciting culinary possibilities.
I share your excitement for the upcoming mushroom season and your quest for the Giant Puffball! With this guide in hand, you're well-equipped for your mushroom-hunting adventures. Happy foraging!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews