I should get a book like that... 🤔

Needs descriptions of uses for humans, and preparation guides.

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REI usually has a number of handy pre laminated pamphlets. In store ones will be mostly pre selected for your area. We buy 1 or 2 whenever we go there since we noticed. Great quick references and for kids. That photo is of their pamphlet.

Mushrooms, seashell identification, foraging edible foods, knots, and topo maps of some local hiking trails in our collection so far. There are a few we have our eye on like medicinal plants and more topo of the local trails.

Since they are laminated pamphlets they are light and durable enough to carry in my rucksack when hiking and always go with us camping.

If you are completely new to mushrooms and need to learn the skill of mushroom identification, "mushrooming with confidence" by Alexander Schwab is the best book I know of. Terminology for ID explained with example pictures, only desirable edible species included so you aren't overwhelmed, culinary rating for each species.

If you are anything like me you'll get all excited, learn ID, head out into the woods, and find a ton of poisonous things but nothing edible. Still worth learning.

The smart way to learn is probably to master 1 species at a time. Giant puff-ball are dead simple for example, super obvious to spot in a field with a dead simple ID so you won't poison yourself.

I didn't know the puffballs were dangerous... Err maybe I misread that. I always stomp them. Can't help myself.

The puffballs that are black inside and puff into little black clouds when you stomp them are not edible.

The puffballs that are white the whole way through and just squish when you stomp them are edible. The tiny ones are OK but giants are pretty good.

Never occurred to me to try eating them. I guess I could make a mission out of this.