“The Mushroom Hunters” by Langdon Cook

This is a very well written book and really talks about the true life of Mushroom Hunters! It is centered around Seattle, which is the center of the mushroom world for most commercially sold wild mushrooms.

The author gets to know some professionals and is allowed to forage with them and be a part of the rarely known part of this mushroom game, including the marketing and delivery of wild mushroom products to well known restaurants and markets. There are logistics involved that would boggle the average mind!

It is a story of chefs, mushroom pickers and mushroom buyers. I think this book will give the weekend mushroom picker a good idea of what goes on in the professional mushroom world. It will also help the mushroom consumer to understand why wild mushrooms are so expensive and hard to get a hold of. I really enjoyed finding out that there is a group of foodies and chefs that understand the seasonal nature of wild gourmet mushrooms. It is an understanding that is lost with the modern consumer that expects year round availability of everything from our factory farms.

This is a really good read and I could not put it down until I read it cover to cover! The secretive world that he uncovers is amazing and complicated. He also talks about relationships and friendships that are built and sometimes lost in this mushroom world.