Go Forth & Forage Book Review

Have you wanted to forage for your own mushrooms in nature? As someone who loves mushrooms, I have always been amazed at the few varieties in grocery stores. You wouldn’t know there are hundreds of different types of mushrooms, with fifty varieties common in North America alone. While I have loved almost every mushroom I have tried, it feels challenging to find them unless I order them at a restaurant or get them from a specialty store (sometimes Misfit Market has them in stock). While I would love to try more types of mushrooms, I know very little about finding them in nature.  My husband knows some about them from his Boy Scout days; it isn’t exactly something we trust since it was decades ago.

Luckily, we recently found the perfect book for people like us who would love to learn more about foraging their own mushrooms – Go Forth and Forage: A Guide to Foraging Over 50 of the Most Common Edible and Medicinal North American Mushrooms by Whitney Johnson. We couldn’t wait to start reading once our complimentary copy of this book arrived!

Go Forth and Forage: What Is It

Do you love mushrooms but are unsure how to find them yourself in nature safely? If so, we think you will love Go Forth and Forage: A Guide to Foraging Over 50 of the Most Common Edible and Medicinal North American Mushrooms. Here is what the publisher has to say about this new book:

Let expert forager and Appalachian native Whitney Johnson (@appalachian_forager) be your friendly guide to foraging over 50 North American species of edible and medicinal fungi. 

Go Forth and Forage is a detailed field guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing wild-foraged mushrooms through all four seasons. From spring treasures such as morels and woodears, to summer finds like black trumpets, chicken of the woods, and boletes, straight through to fall and winter harvests of lion’s mane, oyster, and enoki, each species profile includes color photos, identification advice to confirm edibility, and tips on how to harvest responsibly. You’ll also find culinary preparation advice and recipes to feast on your finds successfully and deliciously. 

In her signature warm and folksy tone, Johnson also offers insight on: 

• How to find wild mushrooms (hint: identifying trees is involved)
• Understanding mushroom anatomy and how it informs your harvest
• The best gear for mushroom foraging, from knives and bags to clothes and boots
• Using spore prints to help confirm proper identification
• Words of wisdom on what to do before you take a bite
• Being a responsible and ethical forager
• Common mushroom myths 
• Finding and using mushrooms in medicinal forms, such as tinctures and teas

Humans have foraged for wild mushrooms for untold generations. Now, with help from Go Forth and Forage, you’ll be on your way to mastering this age-old skill and enjoying all the delicacies the craft of mushroom foraging has to offer.

Our Thoughts

As someone who loves nature and having control over my food, I have to say that I loved Go Forth and Forage. This resource book has everything you need to get started finding and picking your own mushrooms safely in nature. One of the major focuses of the book is taking the fear out of foraging mushrooms by learning how not just to identify various mushrooms but also prepare each of the different types without putting yourself in danger. Unlike some resource books, it makes the subjects of mushrooms very approachable, allowing everyone of all knowledge and experience to find something useful, even if it is just a refresher on the various mushrooms of North America. I especially love the gorgeous pictures throughout the books, showing you what the mushrooms look like from various angles and tricks to ensure you correctly identify and prepare the mushrooms. If you genuinely love mushrooms and nature, Go Forth, and Forage is definitely the right book for your collection!

Go Forth and Forage: Where to Purchase

Would you like to purchase this fantastic book on picking your mushroom in nature for yourself or a mushroom lover in your life? You can find Go Forth and Forage on Amazon.com for under $25 in paperback or for your preferred Kindle device. Who knew finding your mushrooms in nature could be so easy?

About Susan Bewley

Susan Bewley is a professional writer who has been writing content online & in print format for over 10 years. As well, she is an alumni of the University of Louisville with a Masters Degree in Special Education. When not working as an online business consultant or ghost writing, she can be found writing on Budget Earth, on her own novel, or working with various entities in the pet industry.