Psilocybin Mushroom Handbook: Easy Indoor and Outdoor ... (ISBN 0932551718)

Mushrooms?! What Mushrooms?!:
I will have to admit, prior to this piece of literature I was completely ignorant of ANYTHING and ALL THINGS mushroom. For me to make any inclination towards whether the scientific lingo, or the description of the biology of a mushroom, is correct or incorrect would be intellectually disingenuous. However, the book is very definitive in those avenues that I cannot either confirm or refute. So, with that disclaimer aside I can scribe my review: The book begins out of a comical, humorous and sarcastic fashion that ensnared my attention to what I thought was going to be a very soporific read. After the first three chapters of the introduction to the biology of mushrooms and other technical aspects, of which the authors' comical bearings aid interest, the book starts to yield some of what you seek. However, the fourth chapter is on sterility of the environment and materials-which the authors inundate you with pervasively- this seems extremely inane at first. I was initially feeling that their emphasis on sterility was nothing short of a nuance of madness. Throughout the book I asked myself was the processes, materials and sterility too meticulous, but after I finished the book I understood why it was so. When cultivating these species on a mass scale you may NEED to use the ornate procedures and materials to render the fruits of your labor and to obviate contamination. At times you can feel that some of the information seems self-contradicting, but if you read the book from cover to cover prior to your endeavor you will understand why it is that you confused yourself. Merely floundering around the book will manifest some confusion due to the myriad of processes and avenues described. For instance, there are different procedures you may take with one method that you will not use on another, such as materials, temperatures, containers, etc. I exhort you, as do the authors, to read the book in full prior to your mushroom cultivation. This book, in my opinion, offered intricate and salutary references for ALL materials needed, and even those you do not. The chapter on materials has indications in the form of symbols meaning whether or not certain materials are needed initially, where to procure said items and free or cheaper alternatives. In this section I do have a few disagreements though. There are a few items that you DO NOT need to start that are indicated as items needed as a beginner (in their defense, the key states that the symbol means "likely to be needed as a beginner"). Those items are: a pressure cooker, petri dishes, media flasks, alcohol lamp, scalpel, funnels, measuring pipette & bulb, graduated cylinders, parafilm and malt extract. If you extricate these from your materials needed you will save two hundred dollars or more. Most of those items can be replaced by cheap alternatives or altogether negated from the process. In the end I felt I got my money's worth due to the confidence that was vibrant and resonant with me after the read. Each process is definitively describe step by step. I even felt well educated on the biology of mushrooms and alleviated of several societal misconceptions. In closing, I do recommend this book and feel that it is very user-friendly to even the most doltish individual destitute of knowledge on mushrooms and their cultivation. So, kudos to the authors for their work and amalgamation of the latest techniques and procedures for the discreet cultivation of such a benign (depending upon species) substance!

Good place to start:
This isn't the most comprehensive guide to cultivating mushrooms, but it's a good reference to have because it touches on all the topics relevant to growing, preserving, and enjoying these wonderful fungi. It gives a novice a decent understanding of what a fungus is and how to go about growing the 'magic' ones you want without boring you to death. One of the best parts of the book was the list of websites in the back, definitely helpful for the aspiring shroomer. This book gives some good advice on sterilization, equipment, and step by step instructions on a few topics like agar prep, spore germination, and a few different cultivation methods. If you want more info I'd recommend picking up Stamet's books (Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home). And as another reviewer said, check out the PF Tek videos on Youtube. Those helped me understand what the authors were talking about when it came to PF Tek. However the videos don't present the alternate fruiting methods and such that are in this book.

Where to buy the supplies?:
Can someone please tell me where to buy vermiculite and mushroom spores as mentioned in the PF Tek method? I think I know where to get brown rice flour. Thanks,

Great book:
This book is very detailed and is an excellent source for information, grab it you won't regret. I has details on how to grow, where the got their sources and how it all began in regards to the procedures on how to grow and maintain mushrooms.

Good for beginners.:
Not just good for Psilocybes, this book helps you understand what Paul Stamets is such a master of. I had his Cultivation books first, but it was too technical for me to understand. So I thought I would look for a book directed toward psilocybe growers in the hopes that the directions would be in lamens terms and it was just what I expected. Now I grow all kinds of gourmets, but it is good for psilocybes.