The Edible Mushroom: A Gourmet Cook's Guide

This little volume perfectly covers the Mushroom, not from an hunting and gathering standpoint but from that of the gourmand who wishes to fully appreciate the power of the mushroom in all its variations to stimulate all the senses. The first delightful aspect of this purchase was definitely the Seller, Karen P. Davis, of Bumbling Bunny Books, who sent such a volume in, a third edition (1986) in BEAUTIFUL condition: has lovely illustrations in tight hardcover with dustjacket, like new. It was so carefully wrapped that no damage occured to it as so often does when many 2nd Sellers who send their books between sandwiched pieces of thin corrugated cardboard. I'd recommend Bumbling Bunny Books as your first stop/place of inquiry if you are looking for excellent merchandise in used books. Then I found within its covers such a personable touch in the voice of Margaret Leibenstein. She begins with a short history of edible mushrooms and some general rules for buying, washing, preparing and preserving mushrooms. The remainder of the book is arranged by season and contains information and tempting recipes for that season's crop of mushrooms. This reminds us in this day and age of getting anything we want on U.S. shelves-- shipping from anywhere in the world or by growing greenhouse without concern for or awareness of season's--that there was a time when achieving the best appreciation of all our food was within a conscious state of living attuned to the world, the climate, the season's. Each chapter concentrates on anecdotes and information that explain the distinct quality of each kind of mushroom. And last but not least, these recipes are dynamite. So delicious!!! From soups to salads, duck dishes to chicken casseroles, the flavors produced are so intense and exact. It's a pleasure to cultivate how to bring to one's family table the tastes sensations of these little treasures. I managed to find some hedgehog mushrooms in season, with their "irregularly shaped wavy yellow-orange cap...the total effect is of a slightly drunk, perpetually off-balance gnome wearing a floppy hat," their woodsy taste is heavenly in the Mushroom-Herb Bread. And the Mexican Huevos Rancheros con Hongos (Spicy Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms) with the same hedgehogs, is what you want to wake up to every morning. It's a pleasure to buy a quantity of the same mushroom, take it home and begin to discover all the ways in which you can use the one ingredient, from tasty breakfast fare to elegant supper dining for two. I love this book and highly recommend it! If you can find it, buy it at once. And check with Bumbling Bunny Books first--no, I don't know or work for them, but I do buy an awful lot of USED BOOKS and it's good to know of reputable sellers.