This week’s guest is Frank Hyman, a certified mushroom forager who teaches mushroom identification to chefs, arborists, organic farmers and the general public. Frank’s latest book is called ‘How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying’ and contains guidance on mushroom identification, on your suitability for becoming a mushroom forager on which subject he writes “if you have a reputation among your friends and family for exercising poor judgement…you may not be a very good candidate”, about the sniffy attitude of the English to mushrooms versus that of mainland Europeans and a whole host of other myco-related topics that should help you in your quest to survive foraging. Despite dealing with a potentially lethal topic, both book and author are laugh out loud funny and I was delighted that Frank agreed to an interview.

Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Viruses

What we cover

Can you take a mushroom guide from one country or continent and use it in another?

Frank’s three different types of mushrooms

Mycophobia

Should you be careful of the soil mushrooms are growing in?

Nutritional and medicinal values

Cleaning and cooking mushrooms

About Frank Hyman

Frank is a certified mushroom forager who teaches mushroom identification to chefs, arborists, organic farmers and the general public. His writing on foraging has appeared in Forbes, Paleo Magazine and Hobby Farms. He lives in Durham, North Carolina. 

Links

How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms by Frank Hyman

Other episodes you might like:

Edible Mushrooms with Geoff Dann

In Search of Mycotopia with Doug Bierend

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