So mushrooms are not one of my favorite foods, but they are so healthy and you can find several types right here! Get out, explore, and see what you can find for wild mushrooms, then read these books to learn which are safe to eat and how to cook them. Or, try to grow your own!

Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table by Michael Karns, Lisa Golden Schroeder, Dennis Becker (Photographer)
“Step into nature, whether in a park, forest, prairie, or lakeland, and you are surrounded by edible wild foods–if you know where to look. Old traditions of foraging have seen a passionate resurgence of interest among midwestern chefs and home cooks intrigued by the vitality of foods growing just footsteps–or a healthy hike–from their doors. But many hesitate over collecting wild mushrooms: How do you know which ones are okay to eat? And once you do, how should you prepare them?”

Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms by Teresa Marrone
“Hundreds of full-color photos with easy-to-understand text make this a great visual guide to learning about nearly 400 species of common wild mushrooms found in the Upper Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The species (from Morel Mushrooms to Shelf Mushrooms) are organized by shape, then by color, so you can identify them by their visual characteristics. Plus, with the Top Edibles and Top Toxics sections, you’ll begin to learn which are the edible wild mushrooms.”

Midwest Foraging: 115 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Burdock to Wild Peach by Lisa M. Rose
“The Midwest offers a veritable feast for foragers, and with Lisa Rose as your trusted guide you will learn how to safely find and identify an abundance of delicious wild plants. The plant profiles in Midwest Foraging include clear, color photographs, identification tips, guidance on how to ethically harvest, and suggestions for eating and preserving. A handy seasonal planner details which plants are available during every season. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and North Dakota.”

Mushroom Cultivation: An Illustrated Guide to Growing Your Own Mushrooms At Home by Tavis Lynch
“Understanding how mushrooms grow is crucial to successfully cultivating them, and Mushroom Cultivation offers comprehensive instruction both on how mushrooms grow and how you can cultivate them yourself to enrich your soil, speed up your composting, and even to suppress weeds. Some cultivate mushrooms for medicinal use or make them into teas and tinctures.
After reading Mushroom Cultivation, you’ll discover that growing a mushroom is really no more difficult than growing a tomato.  You just need a slightly different set of skills.”