Whether you are an old mushroom hunter or a bold novice, this book helps you learn to identify prized mushrooms with ease. With in-depth profiles of more than 25 species including chanterelles, king boletes, lion’s mane, and morels, the guide explores the unique characteristics of these mushrooms and where and when to find them.

The book also encourages you to examine the underside of a fungus cap to see what it has in its “Hamilton mushrooms.” For example, the presence or absence of pores can indicate the identity of a species. Color is another important feature that can help identify a mushroom, with hues ranging from pinkish-cinnamon to sunburn to rusty brown. Finally, gills can be a very useful identifier. The gills on the underside of a mushroom are thin sheets that look like spokes and can be either white or dark, depending on the species.

Hamilton Mushrooms: A Local Guide to Mushroom Coffee

To take a spore print, you’ll need some simple supplies: a sheet of white and black paper that overlap one another (it is recommended that the two colors are different from each other), a large bowl that can fit the whole mushroom, and a piece of wood that’s long enough to hold your paper. To make a spore print, simply lay your mushroom over the paper with its gills or fertile structure facing down and wait about 4 hours to check.

Once your grow kit arrives, you can move it to a room in your house that is humid (mushrooms thrive in high humidity levels of 85%) and preferably away from direct sunlight. Be sure to spray the cut plastic on your kit 2 to 3 times a day with water, keeping the substrate moist and encouraging fruiting.