The Mushroom Hunters

On the Trail of an Underground America

By: Langdon Cook

Narrated by: Kevin Free

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

In the tradition of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, and Mark Kurlansky’s Cod - a renowned culinary adventurer goes into the woods with the iconoclasts and outlaws who seek the world’s most coveted ingredient...and one of nature’s last truly wild foods: the uncultivated, uncontrollable mushroom.

Within the dark corners of America’s forests grow culinary treasures. Chefs pay top dollar to showcase these elusive and beguiling ingredients on their menus. Whether dressing up a filet mignon with smoky morels or shaving luxurious white truffles over pasta, the most elegant restaurants across the country now feature an abundance of wild mushrooms.

The mushroom hunters, by contrast, are a rough lot. They live in the wilderness and move with the seasons. Motivated by Gold Rush desires, they haul improbable quantities of fungi from the woods for cash. Langdon Cook embeds himself in this shadowy subculture, reporting from both rural fringes and big-city eateries with the flair of a novelist, uncovering along the way what might be the last gasp of frontier-style capitalism.

Meet Doug, an ex-logger and crabber - now an itinerant mushroom picker trying to pay his bills and stay out of trouble; and Jeremy, a former cook turned wild food entrepreneur, crisscrossing the continent to build a business amid cutthroat competition; their friend Matt, an up-and-coming chef whose kitchen alchemy is turning heads; and the woman who inspires them all.

Rich with the science and lore of edible fungi - from seductive chanterelles to exotic porcini - The Mushroom Hunters is equal parts gonzo travelogue and culinary history lesson, a rollicking, character-driven tour through a world that is by turns secretive, dangerous, and tragically American.

©2013 Langdon Cook (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"The thrill of the wild mushroom hunt is audible in Kevin Free's performance of this exposé… Listeners gain respect for the mushroom harvesters as Cook learns about their relationship with nature and the broad environs they traverse." ( AudioFile)

SO good;

I never thought a book about mushrooms would be so riveting! Cook does a great job of bringing you inside the underground world of mushroom picking.

Great Book

Where does The Mushroom Hunters rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have been wanting to mushroom hunt for quite some time. This book had great stories and made me want to hunt even more.

What other book might you compare The Mushroom Hunters to and why?

Not sure. This one is unique. I wish Fat of the Land by the same author was on Audible

lots of stories to keep you busy

loved every morsel. it took me several months to listen to it because of the variety of characters. well worth the mouth watering descriptions of the harvests.

i used to hate mushrooms

I loved how the author immersed himself into the mushroom forging culture to make his storytelling truly authentic.

Great

As a native PNW avid forager I appreciate the work and knowledge of the book. First saw Mr. Cook speak at the Port Angeles, WA Fungi Festival. I may or may not drool when listening to the recipes🤔😊

Professional and amateur mushroom hunters

Where does The Mushroom Hunters rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Midway, I doubt I will seriously hunt mushrooms in the wild, but I am more likely to ask for and try more with meals.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mushroom Hunters?

The unquenchable demand for exotic mushrooms by NYC.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was surprised at the Sierra Clubs opposition to mushroom picking treating it the same as a shrub, tree or an animal.

For the Forager

Great book on the passion for mushrooms that'll give you the hunting itch. Fun listen.

Clunky narrative nonfiction

Once upon a time, narrative nonfiction was a clever new form of writing. This book exemplifies the dead end that narrative nonfiction has become. It is low and repetitive, revealing very little non-fiction content and with a narrative that doesn’t really go very far. Please, publishers, stop the narrative nonfiction bandwagon! I was hoping for a book with more substance. The author went here, the author went there, and what did he discover? Not very much.

Intriguing and full of fun!

What did you love best about The Mushroom Hunters?

This book is full of mini adventures as the author meets all sorts of unusual people in search of mushrooms. Every stitch of the book is interesting and colorful. A wonderful read!

really cool stories!

learned a lot of really cool little things you may not pick up in educational books