The overall impression and story that Stamets tells about fungi, mycelium and the role they have to play in the world. The basic science goes like this: Microscopic cells called “mycelium”–the fruit of which are mushrooms–recycle carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements as they break down plant and animal debris in the creation of rich new soil. What Stamets has discovered is that we can capitalize on mycelium’s digestive power and target it to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce silt from streambeds and pathogens from agricultural watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and generally enhance the health of our forests and gardens (mycoforestry and myco-gardening). The first half of the book also left me curious about patent law as it applies to living organisms and how Stamets and others operate in this space.

Common newbie mistakes in propagation, particularly as many pasteurization techniques are cost prohibitive for a small scale runner. More support for determining what mushrooms are native to your area or could be cultivated outdoors in your climate--maybe a world map with annotations? This is a concern for those of us in the arid southwest with less organic content in soils, bacteria-dominant carbon cycles, and not much of a cold season. Stamets’s best work to date, Mycelium Running provides a wealth of information showing how fungal mycelia and mushrooms can profoundly improve the quality of human life. Should be mandatory reading for government policy makers.” Mushrooms are the link between plants and animals. (!!!!!!!!!) They have existed for eons, for billions of years. Throughout cosmic wind storms, when 90% of the life on the planet was decimated, throughout dinosaur evolution and extinction, and now up to this teeny tiny period of time humans have been around. But my curiosity still remains about why the supposed power of mycelium is not being utilized. The world is practically on fire right now and I have read elsewhere that we don’t use mushrooms because the restorative effects of mycelium after a forest fire are too slow. From what I’ve read mycelium germs (seeds?) can be planted after the restoration process has been completed and will help with keeping plants moist in draught and assist with pest control etc., but this isn’t utilized either.

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However! If I someday have a home in a mountain forest (as I often fantasize), I would definitely try to cultivate multiple mushrooms in various contexts, mostly in food production and soil improvement. Maybe some magic stuff, too? Although I do not agree 100% with some of his premises, his approach seems new and enriching to me. A paradigm-changing book. Stamets’s visionary insights are leading to a whole new understanding of how mushrooms, scarcely seen and rarely appreciated, regulate the earth’s ecosystems.“

I drink a lot of coffee. So that means a lot of coffee grounds accumulate in my compost, and a few months ago I looked at that and wondered if it could be used to grow mushrooms. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World is the sixth book written by American mycologist Paul Stamets. From a purely scientific perspective, I enjoyed what this book had to offer. From a literary perspective, however, I ran into some serious stylistic problems. This book, from my understanding, is scientific literature meant for the general public, to pique their interest in mycology and hopefully spur more dialogue about its importance. But such scientific literature has a threefold job - it has to be accessible, persuasive, and authoritative all at once. It can't bog down the reader with excess terminology, nor can it dumb things down too much or become overzealous; otherwise it loses credibility. I hate to say it, but Mycelium Running falls into the latter categories. The first 1/3 suffers from these common science-writing traps, while the rest read better though still with occasional flaws. Overall, this book could have been better written, edited, and organized. But to be fair I'll review it separately on what I did and didn't like. This is the kind of book I love: highly factual and practical and mixed with the spiritual content that sets the great writers apart from all the rest.“

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The Fermentation Edition at Why is this interesting? brought up an twist that I wanted to add in here. Paul Stamets manages to convey his passion for mushrooms, making all of us who are passionate about them build a small mycelium that unites us. He also spreads that little great hope that makes you think that maybe we still have time to save the planet if we listen to the earth. This book is a manual for the mycological rescue of the planet. Setting the stage for the mycorestoration revolution, Mycelium Running unveils new methods for growing mushrooms, generating mycelium, and implanting mushroom colonies into the environment. Capitalizing on the digestive power of mycelium, this pioneering book shows how to strengthen sustainability of habitats while providing a multitude of biological benefits. Based upon the premise that habitats and humans (animals) have immune systems, and that mushrooms are the beneficial bridges for both, Mycelium Running marks the dawn of a new era: the use of mycelial membranes for ecological health. Linking mushroom cultivation, permaculture, ecoforestry, bioremediation and soil enhancement, Stamets makes the case that mushroom farms can be reinvented as healing arts centers, steering ecological evolution for the benefit of humans living in harmony with its inhabitants. Four components of mycorestoration are described in detail: