Mushrooms demystified

What Hacker News says

1. ajacksifiedSep 2023
   Hot takes aside, if you're looking for great foraging books, I'd suggest anything by David Arora, such as "All That the Rain Promises and More" and "Mushrooms Demystified". The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is, of course, pretty good too.

   Outside of identification, "Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares" and "Radical Mycology" are good reads too.

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2. mordechai9000Oct 2022
   Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora

   Edit: this is the definitive resource for serious amateur mushroom enthusiasts in North America. It has a wealth of information on understanding the identifying characteristics of mushrooms, as well as keys to aid in the identification of many common genera and species. It's one of those books I find entertaining just to open and read at random. YMMV.

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3. frompdxDec 2020
   I have a variety of hobbies. Maybe to many. I like to rotate hobbies to keep things interesting. My hobbies usually interest and complement each other in various ways.

   - Film photography. Photography is probably the first hobby I picked up. I have a variety of older film cameras in 35mm and medium format. Planning to convert an extra room in my basement into a darkroom in the near future.

   - Blogging. I have been running my blog for a few years now. Most of my post are long form on technical subjects that interest me. I don't post often though. Maybe once a month or less.

   - Game dev. I picked up Godot about two years ago. I've been working on and off on a simulated life game since October. I spent this week redoing the UI and adding more features to the game.

   - Arduino. I tinker with Arduino dev boards. Lately I picked up Forth and have been teaching myself how to program the ATMega328 with FlashForth.

   - Weightlifting. I suppose you could call this a hobby too. Working from home has allowed me to replace my commute time with lifting and I'm very thankful for it.

   - Mushroom identification. For anyone interested I recommend the books "All that the Rain Brings and More" as well as "Mushrooms Demystified" by David Arora.

   - Journaling. I like to organize my thoughts in a notebook on a regular basis. This hobby is probably the genesis of my other hobbies as I usually develop what I want to do with pen and paper first.

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4. frompdxMay 2020
   I have a few:

   - Photography: I have been interested in photography since I was a teenager. I strictly shoot film in 35mm or medium format. I also process my own B&W film although I'm not set up for it at the moment.

   - Writing: I've maintained my blog for close to five years now. Not a ton of articles or traffic but it's a creative outlet for writing.

   - Mushroom Hunting: I like to hunt for mushrooms and attempt to identify them. I combine this with photography and have lots of photos of mushrooms. If anyone is interested in doing this, buy the books "All That The Rain Brings and More" and "Mushrooms Demystified" by David Arora.

   - Electronics: I recently picked up a nice soldering station and a bunch of parts to make various circuits that I have been playing with the idea of making in my head.

   - Making Games: I like to make 2d games with Godot. I recently participated in a game jam for the first time.

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5. eindiranOct 2018
   I'd say the best (and safest) way is to find a local mycologist or foraging group and try to sync up with them. Barring that, see if there are any good guides specifically for your area.

   As a desk guide, rather than an in-the-field guide I'd recommend "Mushrooms Demystified": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-David-Arora/dp/...

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6. InclinedPlaneApr 2016
   Start with the definitive reference: http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-David-Arora/dp/0...

   Take a class or find a friend who is already knowledgeable. Or you could try getting in touch with culinary foraging folks. You'll quickly find out that there are only a few species of mushrooms that people tend to forage for, and there are fairly easy ways to tell the good ones apart from the potentially dangerous ones. There are also only a handful of truly deadly mushrooms, once you have familiarity with both sets it becomes a lot easier to trust eating something you find out in the woods. Generally, avoid the "stereotypical" looking mushrooms (the "little brown mushrooms" and toadstools), and stick to the most distinctive and easiest to avoid confusing edible fungi.

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