Thank you for your very professional review, melangell. I, for one, plan to read this book as a result of reading what you had to say about it.

Hi anelson
One of the drawbacks to “gardening with gourmet and medicinal mushrooms” (as suggested in Chapter 12 of Stametz’s book) which we have to deal with in Australia is the lack of general knowledge about fungi—our own indigenous species and those Paul has listed. I think that about an estimated 1% of our native species has been scientifically identified. This is not only because—with the exception of a few keen mycophiles (?) who have brought their knowledge of enthusiasm for edible fungi from Europe—there exists no fungi-appreciation culture in this country (generally, we are frightened of any mushroom not purchased “safely” from a supermarket), but is also because we are generally only interested in what will promise some sort of direct benefit to us, like a visible and tasty mushroom, rather than healthy soils which will grow better foods of all sorts and for all creatures
.
Interested in learning about how I might reestablish mycorrhizal health to my soils, I attended a seminar given by a most informative woman whose life’s work involves enabling ignorant folk like me to identify fungi. Most of those who attended were interested in identifying the edibles and a few were focused on learning about what was indigenous. I think I was the only one interested in soil health and it was here that I first heard about Stametz’s book. The seminar was well-illustrated with “live” examples of a wide variety of fruiting bodies (mushrooms) from the surrounding areas as well as detailed instructions as to all the things to look for when identifying mushrooms. I took copious notes and—having prided myself most of my life on my ability to notice all those little things that distinguish one thing (snakes and birds and plants, especially) from another look-alike—I felt pretty sure that I could accurately identify a mushroom at the base of one of my trees as a species that boded ill for other things I was growing. I asked a neighbour, who has advanced significantly in his ability to identify fungi, if he wouldn’t mind checking. In fact, I was quite mistaken—it wasn’t a bad fungus at all—but it showed me just how easily I could make a mistake. Recently 5 people, new to Australia, mistook mushrooms in Canberra for those they were used to eating in China; they cooked them up as a New Year’s treat; 4 of them died and the 5th has devastating liver damage.

Sorry to go into such detail here and probably bore the pants off you, but I did just want to caution you about the mushrooms in your garden if you were wondering if you could eat them.

But perhaps you were referring to the earlier Chapter on cultivating Mushrooms on Logs and Stumps. Trametes versicolor is pretty common around here, and I would like to establish its energy in my garden.
I have been able to get a supplyof mycorrhizal fungi—in powder and pelleted form— quite inexpensively which I broadcast over my acre last winter. As I am only just starting my garden, there is little to compare the results to, but I have had folk stop their cars to comment favourably on the results and complements from quite unexpected sources. I sense that, at a deep level, good things are happening out of sight.

Hope some of this helps.

no i am not planning on eating random fungi, but i am interested both in deliberately trying to innoculate edible fungi to harvest and in the benefits of fungi in my soil for the vegetables.

I do go mushroom hunting for edibles, but always stick to species i know i can safely identify, dont worry.

I am also hoping to find a club around here. And an expert who can “show and tell” me through what is OK to eat. I am of Polish descent and do not know anyone from that country who does not have a story of untimely demise resulting from being too adventurous in regards to mushrooms. So I am a wimp and stick with morels and puffballs even though there are many others which I know are edible in the woods right behind my field.
And I would SOOOOOO love to be able to cultivate morels on my own property. We used to find them back in our woods each year. Friends and family have been successful in starting their own by dumping spores on their property. Even in some unlikely areas, like their lawn. We have the perfect spot on our property line – a string of half-dead apple trees with great loamy dirt underneath them. Now I just need some morels to shake about underneath them.

Thank you for the link. A couple of summers ago my husband and I started photographing and studying our local fungi. We even brought them home and dissected them with the kids. We still have some “preserved” samples in our home. All we had for identification was a field guide though, so it was impossible to be sure of what we really had.
I try to teach everyone who will listen that there is no such thing as a “bad” fungus. Most may not be edible and some may offend our sense of aesthetics when they pop up in places they are not wanted, but they are there for a reason. When trying to eliminate fungi I think it is best to alter the environment so they go away on their own. Just killing off the fungus does not make sense to me – its presence can serve as a warning of bigger problems.