COMMON EDIBLE MUSHROOMS,CHRISTENSEN,1943,HCDJ,IDENTIFY

COMMON EDIBLE MUSHROOMS

BY

CLYDE M. CHRISTENSEN

PROFESSOR OF PLANT PATHOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

CHARLES T. BRANFORD COMPANY

NEWTON CENTRE, MA

1964

FOURTH PRINTING

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"SAVORY AND DELICIOUS WILD MUSHROOMS CAN BE FOUND ALMOST EVERYWHERE OUT OF DOORS.  THE CHOICEST KINDS CANNOT BE CULTIVATED AND CAN SELDOM BE HAD FOR MONEY, BUT THEY ARE AVAILABLE IN ABUNDANCE TO EVERYONE FOR THE MERE PLEASURE OF PICKING THEM."

"FOR MORE THAN TWENTY CENTURIES WILD MUSHROOMS HAVE RANKED AMONG THE MOST DELECTABLE OF FOODS, PRIZED FOR THEIR FLAVOR AND FOR THE ZEST AND VARIETY THEY ADD TO OTHER DISHES.  IN MANY LANDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD MUSHROOMS HAVE LONG ENJOYED THE FAVOR TO WHICH THEIR EXCELLENT QUALITIES ENTITLE THEM, AND IN THE LAST FEW DECADES THEY HAVE ATTAINED A WELL DESERVED PLACE IN THE DIET OF AMERICANS."

"EVEN IF YOU ARE NOW ENTIRELY UNFAMILIAR WITH ANY KIND OF MUSHROOM, YOU CAN QUICKLY LEARN TO KNOW A FEW OF THE COMMON ONES WELL ENOUGH TO EAT THEM WITH PERFECT SAFETY. WITH NO MORE TIME OR TROUBLE THAN ITT AKES OT LEARN TO RECOGNIZE HALF A DOZEN FLOWERS OR TREES OR EDIBLE WILD BERRIES, THE BEGINNER CAN LEARN TO KNOW AN EQUAL NUMBER OF WILD MUSHROOMS. NO OTHER PRECAUTION IS NEEDED THAN TO LEARN A FEW SPECIES WELL AND AVOID ALL OTHERS!"

"AMPLE PROOF OF THE EASE WITH WHICH ONE CAN LEARN TO KNOW MUSHROOMS IS OFFERED BY THE MANY MUSHROOM ENTHUSIASTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, MOST OF WHOM RETAIN AN UNCLOUDED AMATEUR STATUS.  IN NEARLY EVERY CITY MEMBERS OF MUSHROOM CLUBS OR MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETIES COLLECT AND EAT AN AMAZING AMOUNT AND VARIETY OF WILD MUSHROOMS."

"THE SUPPLY, HOWEVER, STILL FAR EXCEEDS THE DEMAND."

"IN THE SECTION OF THIS BOOK CALLED THE FOOLPROOF FOUR, THE MOST DELICIOUS, MOST COMMONLY FOUND, AND MOST EASILY RECOGNIZED OF THE EDIBLE VARIETIES ARE DISCUSSED AND DESCRIBED. EACH OF THESE HAS SUCH A CHARACTERISTIC APPEARANCE THAT ONCE YOU HAVE SEEN IT, HYOU WILL NEVER CONFUSE IT WITH ANY OTHER EDIBLE KIND OR ANY POISONOUS VARIETY.  THIS SECTION ALONE WILL ENABLE THE BEGINNER TO FIND AND SAFELY EAT FOUR DELICIOUS KINDS FOUND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES."

"THE SECTION ON MUSHROOM COOKERY TELLS YOU HOW MUSHROOMS MAY BE BEST PREPARED FOR THE TABLE. THERE ARE GENERAL RECIPES SUITED TO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS, AND OTHERS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO BRING OUT THE BEST POINTS OF PARTICULAR VARIETIES. THROUGH COMPARATIVELY LOW IN FOOD VALUE, MUSHROOMS ARE RICH IN FLAVOR.  AND THEY MAY BE HAD FOR THE PICKING IN ALMOST EVERY SECTION OF OUR COUNTRY."

"EIGHTEEN SPECIES ARE SHOWN IN FULL COLOR.  FORTY SEVEN EDIBLE VARIETIES ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL AND ILLUSTRATED WITH 67 REMARKABLE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY THE AUTHOR.  SO THAT THE BEGINNER WILL ALSO BE WELL AWARE OF THE NEED FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DISCRIMINATION IN EATING WILD MUSHROOMS, SEVERAL POISONOUS KINDS ARE DESCRIBED  SO CLEARLY THAT THEY CANNOT BE MISTAKEN FOR ANY OTHERS."

"MUSHROOMS HAVE A PAST THAT IS RICH IN FANCY AND FOLKLORE.  IN THE OLDEN DAYS PEOPLE ASSOCIATED THEM WITH FAIRIES, WITCHES AND OTHER UNEARTHLY DENIZENS OF FIELD AND FOREST AND USED THEM AS CHARMES TOWARD OFF EVIL.  OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THEM HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY GROWING, BUT THEY STILL RETAIN MUCH OF THE QUAINT MYSTERY WITH WHICH OUR FOREFATHERS ENDOWED THEM".

THIS BOOK IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.  THE DUSTJACKET IS PROTECCTED WITH MYLAR.  IT IS LIGHTLY SOILED, WITH A FEW SMALL RIPS, CREASES AND SCRAPED EDGES.  THE COVER IS CLEAN, EDGES AND CORNERS BUMPED AND SCRAPED.  THE BINDING IS TIGHT AND ALL PAGES CLEAN AND INTACT.  A NICE COPY WITH 124 PAGES, FOUR BEAUTIFUL COLOR PLATES AND MANY PHOTOGRAPHS.