After a childhood spent being warned against wild and possibly poisonous mushrooms, it's no wonder I still have an arm's-length relationship with fungi.
But mini mushroom farms could change that:
Above: Kits from specialty growers, such as California-based Far West Fungi, will grow indoors and are capable of producing multiple crops of shitake or oyster mushrooms. Image via David Ing.
Above: Far West Fungi, which has a retail store in the Ferry Building in San Francisco, offers a Pre-Activated Shiitake Mushroom Farm for $25. Image by Dawn Endico, via Flickr.
Above: A Back to the Roots Mushroom Garden is $19.95; grown in recycled coffee grounds, the yield can be as great as 1.5 pounds.
Above: Oyster mushrooms, via Hunger and Thirst. (N.B: For handmade fungi foraging tools, see Stalking the Wild Mushroom.)