How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch by Magdalena Wurth; Herbert Wurth

How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch by Magdalena Wurth; Herbert Wurth ISBN-13: 9781615194919 Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: The Experiment Released: Sept. 18, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Yes, you can grow mushrooms from scratch! How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch covers 19 varieties, from button (always versatile) to reishi (a medicinal powerhouse). Plus, here are delicious recipes, preserving methods, and more. Mushrooms will thrive in your garden, on your windowsill, and even in your basement. The key is to pick the right growing medium for your mushroom—a log, a bale of hay, or a simple pot of dirt—and give it a little shade.

Experts Magdalena and Herbert Wurth explain every step of cultivation—whether starting from a kit, a culture, or a grown mushroom you’d like to propagate. From protecting mushrooms in extreme weather, to troubleshooting pests, here is expert advice for beginners and experienced growers alike!


My Review:
How to Grow Mushrooms from Scratch explains how to grow 19 varieties of mushrooms, like button, several types of oyster, reishi, lion's mane, and more. The authors started by explaining how to grow mushrooms outside on logs or on straw bales. They explained what mushrooms do best with each method. They provided step-by-step instructions and photographs on how to use grain or plug spawn and logs or straw bales.

They also talked about how to grow mushrooms indoors on mushroom kits, use straw pellets, grow truffles in woodlands, grow mushrooms outdoors on a bed of hardwood chips or on freshly-made tree stumps (still in the ground). They talked about growing mushrooms on your patio in containers with companion plants or creating mushroom greenhouses. They discussed how to prevent or deal with various pests or diseases that might trouble your mushrooms. They explained how even amateurs can grow spore to spawn to propagate mushrooms.

They talked about 8 mushrooms that have known medicinal uses. They also included several recipes each for the most common mushroom types. The recipes were for things like breaded mushrooms, mushroom sauces, or powdering dried mushrooms for use as a tea. They also talked about selling your mushrooms at a farmer's market. Overall, this book was very informative, but I was left feeling overwhelmed by the process. It sounds more labor intensive than I'd thought.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.