The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms

Starred review from September 15, 2014

Russell, owner of the Hoosier Mushroom Company and founder of the Hoosier Mushroom Society, has written a step-by-step, how-to guide for growing gourmet mushrooms at home. The book stresses indoor cultivation methods for consistent, year-round yield. The author starts with the basics for beginners who want to supply their own dinner tables, then moves to more complex ways for raising enough to sell at farmers markets. He intends the book to be a comprehensive reference for small-scale growers to replace classics like The Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home (1984) by Paul Stamets and J.S. Chilton and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (2011), also by Stamets. VERDICT Thorough and clearly written with helpful photos on nearly every page, this guide is a must for anyone who wants to move beyond premade growing kits. With Russell's emphasis on building basic skills, advice for avoiding common mistakes, and sections on troubleshooting, the book will be a valuable resource for those interested in growing a variety of gourmet mushrooms.--Stefanie Hollmichel, Univ. of St. Thomas Law Lib., Minneapolis

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Elaborating on the gospels for small-scale mushroom growers, Paul Stamets' influential Mushroom Cultivator (1983) and Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (1993), Russell delves into beneficial at-home cultivation methods and challenges home mushroom growers commonly encounter. Emphasizing that there is no right or wrong methodology, he structures his guide in the step-wise manner of building blocks, starting with the basicsmushrooms' many uses (not including as poisons and hallucinogens). Plentiful illustrations and photos complement sections on cultivation, growing options (including ready-to-grow kits that are great for beginners), and combating contaminants. Perhaps most directly engaging is The First Grow, a detailed overview of incubation, sterilization, fruiting in a terrarium, and harvesting. Russell then moves on to more advanced approaches. Complete with a handy list of resources, this is a comprehensive guide that boosts confidence as well as skills and should draw traffic in this growing (yes, pun intended) interest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)