For many years my field guide was almost exclusively Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada that is still available on Amazon.ca for very reasonable price of around 29$. Sure, this guide has flaws and does not cover some mushrooms that I regularly encounter in my area. Plus many names and classifications changed over time so there is two editions. In any case this is still my favorite guide. It covers around 600 species.
Last year Tom Cervenka published Wild Edible Mushrooms of Ontario, classified also as field guide. This book covers 60 species and is quite a bit thinner than Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada, although price is almost identical (27.49$). The booklet is nicely organized and information is very well presented, including some culinary tips and suggestions.
Somewhere in the description it is mentioned that book is intended for novice mushroom hunters. This maybe partially explains my main big objection to this guide – it misses a great number of good edible species that I encounter in my area (Southwestern Ontario).
Here is the list of edibles NOT in this guide:
- Blewit (Clitocybe nuda)
- Two-colored Bolete (Baorangia bicolor)
- Orange Bolete (Leccinum aurantiacum)
- Charcoal Burner (Russula cyanoxantha)
- Crusty Russula (Russula crustosa)
- Voluminous Milky (Lactifluus volemus)
- Hygrophorus Milky (Lactifluus hygrophoroides)
- Wood Mushroom (Agaricus silvicola)
- Brick Top (Hypholoma lateritium)
- Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera)
- Gipsy (Cortinarius caperatus)
This is the list that I compiled just of the top of my head, without detailed research or comparisons.
Considering that for 35$ you can buy Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, an excellent book with tons of mushrooms and valuable info Wild Edible Mushrooms of Ontario does not compare well. Unfortunately that book does not deal with edibility.
