Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Dave's Mycelial Mayhem Journey
Kristin's Mycelial Mayhem Journey
Section I: Mycelia
1. Why Mushrooms?
Why Not Mushrooms?
Mushrooms Are Part of Our Fabric
Mushrooms for the Future
On the Mushroom Path
2. Mushroom Basics
Fungi: A Kingdom of Its Own
Mushroom Structure and Life Cycle
Relevance of the Life Cycle to Cultivation and Harvest
Facilitating Growth and Reproduction
Fungi in Our Ecosystems
Mushroom Life Cycle and Ecology as Teacher
Section II: The Stem
3. Growing Mushrooms
The Assessment
Outdoor Cultivation
Wine Caps (Stropharia rugoso annulata)
Oysters
Pink Oyster (Pleurotus djamor)
Italian Oyster (Pleurotus pulmonarius)
Golden Oyster (Pleurotus cornucopiae)
King Oyster (Pleurotus eryngii)
Nameko (Pholiota nameko)
Pioppino or Black Poplar (Agrocybe aegerita)
Lion's Mane or Hericium (Hericium erinaceus)
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
Maitake
Black, Yellow, and Grey Morels (Morchella angusticeps, M. esculenta and M. deliciosa)
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
Indoor Cultivation: The Mayhem Within
4. Wild Collecting and Purveying
Tenets to Follow When Collecting Wild Mushrooms
Tenets to Follow When Purveying Wild-collected Mushrooms
5. Companion Planting and Other Sustainable Methods
Systems Thinking: It's Not Just About the Mushrooms
What's the Difference? Economics vs. Ecology
What's the Difference? Sustainability vs. Resilience
Biomimicry
Permaculture Principles
Putting It All Together: Resilient Design
Applications for Mushroom Growing
Composting
Recycling Spent Growing Medium
Materials and Energy Reduction
Business Resilience
Sharing Your Bounty
Section III: The Fruit of Your Labor
6. Umami of Edible Mushrooms
What Is Umami?
From Harvest to Feast: Handling Mushrooms for the Best Umami
Complementary Food Pairings for Umami and Health
The Taste, Texture and Presentation of Specific Mushrooms
Culinary Supplements
Recipes
7. Nutritional Benefits of Mushrooms
Nutrition and Medicine
Nutritional Content of Mushrooms
The Known Benefits
The Super Seven Medicinal Mushrooms
Mushrooms' Major Health Improvement Functions
How to Maximize Nutritional Content
Cautions
8. Niche Business or Supplemental Income
Mushrooms As a Business?
Knowing How to Grow
Formulating Your Idea
Evaluating Your Market: Conducting a Market Analysis
Getting Started
9. Marketing Mushrooms
Challenges and Opportunities
Developing Your Story
Traditional Advertising
Target Marketing and Understanding Your Unique Market
Crafting Your Online Presence
Collaboration
Face Time
Developing Your Unique Marketing Strategy
Evaluating Your Efforts
Looking Forward and Anticipating Change
Section IV: Spreading the Spores
10. Conclusion: Spread Your Spores
Appendix: Marketing and Communications Materials
North American Resources by Subject
References
Index
About the Authors
