Output Specification
This Output Packet links to my overall learning pathway of Leading through examples. The example I offer is two fold. One, it offers an example of my process of my initial approach of writing a book about something I love, mushrooms. Two, I aim to offer a book about an important food source that can be both wild harvested and cultivated by nearly everyone. This Output will help bring more life to my mushroom endeavors by taking steps to enhance them. While my example is not complete as a final product by the time this Output Packet is finished. I’ve laid out the pathway for me to achieve my learning pathway goal. My goal for my learning pathway is to have concrete examples for sustainable living. Mushrooms can fit into sustainable living on many levels. They have been sustainably harvested by cultures around the globe for millennia. They also are great recyclers of nutrients and fit well when creating closed loop systems. Mushrooms also help us sustain our health with their many health benefits. I tried a new approach to my project and have set it up through a goal, barrier and strategy approach. With the scope of my goal this helps me break it down into manageable parts. This also adds to my professional development as a writer and as a project manager. Having foreseen barriers to my goals I can devise strategies best suited for overcoming them.
Project Specification
This output is about my process of preparing to share something I love in a book form. Background on how I came to love mushrooms can be found in the appendix. There are two goals for this output. One goal is to create a solid “road map” for writing The Great Mushroom Book; the other is to offer examples of identifying goals, barriers to those goals and devising strategies to overcome the barriers. The “road map” will be a result of the goals, barriers and strategies that I’ve identified. So this output packet will be my strategies for creating the Great Mushroom Book. I will share my own passion for the subject by describing my experience and how I got inspired to write a book about it. I will have to determine what I want to present in the book, showing my process and offering insight to others. For my output I’ll present my process of creating a template to write the Great Mushroom Book, and how I aim to achieve writing the book.
This Output Packet can be read straight through. It offers a glimpse into the book I will create. Some more background information of my own growth in my relations to mushrooms can be found in the appendix. More mushroom sources can also be found in the appendix, including the bibliography that I’ve started to compile
Introduction
My first memories of mushrooms are that of direct experience. My interest was peaked through my own fascination with a wild harvested crop. It wasn’t until later on that I became aware of the health benefits of eating mushrooms as well as their ecological roles. These both furthered my interest in mushrooms and I don’t intend to stop learning about them. Through my direct experiences with mushrooms, foraging, learning to eat, learning their biology, cultivating, and marketing I have gained much insight into the world of mushrooms. While I’m far from a top expert I have enough energy and passion for the subject to motivate myself to write this book. For each aspect that I want to include I will have to find sources for information, inputs and collaborations. As I won’t delve into each aspect too deep I will speculate on possible inclusions in each. I realize that as much as I want it to be a certain way, the deeper I look into the subject new ideas and plans may arise. I am open to adding more than I can foresee right now but don’t want to lose sight of my goals.
How do I go about writing a book about something I love? Where do I start? I initially wanted to write a mushroom cookbook but had much more in mind than just offering recipes for mushrooms. Part of my goal for the book is to continue the demystification of mushrooms in our society. Living in one of the most fungophobic societies in the world I want to diffuse some of the fear people have with mushrooms and offer an educational and interesting read. But how do I do it? Before it was time for me to start working on this output packet I found myself wondering, “am I really going to write a book for an output packet?”. It seemed such a daunting task to write a book for an output that I decided I might go a different avenue. I figured I would stick with the mushroom theme but change the output to a mushroom business plan for wild harvested and cultivated fungi. I have invested much time and energy in both wild harvesting and cultivating mushrooms and plan to continue and increase my investment in both ventures. It seemed like a worthwhile output to spend my time on. But it didn’t hold water as an output packet when I looked into it further. Some of my work here can be found in the appendix
My first three output packets fulfilled the basic requirements as far as presentation goes but I was interested in pushing my edge at creating output packets so I scheduled some skill flex advising with Dave Shaw. He asked me what it was about creating an output on a mushroom business plan that offered any substance to other associates or the world. I had much difficulty coming up with a solid answer that felt good. After talking to Dave Shaw he helped me to realize that I wanted to write the Great Mushroom Book. It includes much of what I have been inspired by from mushrooms and more. We agreed that this was a much more “juicy” output packet project. Dave introduced me to Ten Speed Press’ “Great” series of books. He informed me that there wasn’t a Great Mushroom Book and perhaps I should write it. It sounded good to me so I began thinking about writing the Great Mushroom Book.
Getting it Together
The following outline for a table of contents was a co creation from some of Ten Speed Press’ “great” series books, Dave Shaw, and myself.
I. Acknowledgements
II. Foreword
Ian Garrone- I’ve already spoken to him of the possibility,
Todd Spanier
others
III. The History of mushrooms
Cultural History
Asia
Europe
S. America
Australia
Africa
The most popular mushrooms
Mushrooms in Myth and Magic, Literature and Art
Mushrooms today
Paul Stamets,
David Arora
Andrew Weil
Others
Government studies
IV. Me and my mushroom experience
V. Mushroom Basics
Buying and Storing mushrooms
Cooking mushrooms
Mushroom cultivation
Mushroom foraging
VI. A Guide to mushrooms with recipes
Name
Description
Photo
Recipe(s)
VII. Contributing chefs
VIII. Sources for mushrooms
IX. Mushrooms on the internet
X. Bibliography
XI. Photo captions
XII. Index
XIII. About the author
This is the guideline that I have to create the Great Mushroom Book. But I will need to strategize this goal even more than this.
Goals, Barriers and Strategies
There is the macro goal of an entire book and the micro goals of each topic I presented. I will need to identify the barriers that I must overcome to achieve writing the Great Mushroom Book. With the barriers identified I can devise strategies that will help me achieve the goals. At the macro level of having a book written and published the macro barriers include filling in all of the Chapters and working with a publisher or self -publishing the book. At the micro level, each goal would be a chapter in the book. The goal is to complete each chapter with a good introduction to the topic. I hope to intrigue readers to look beyond my book for further learning. I will have to offer threads of information for people to follow if they want to learn more. The barriers to each topic can be multiple or singular, with the main barrier being just doing it. I’ve never written a book, so I will have to get over it and just not think about it. Other barriers may include my own lack of knowledge on the topic, difficulty in finding resources, etc. I will have to just do the best that I can do. It won’t come out perfect right away but the more I refine it the better it will become. I will just have to keep at it. Each topic will present different levels of challenge due to my own experience and understanding of each topic thus far. I will try to present a balance of each topic. I most likely weigh in more heavily on the more interactive elements in the book, i.e., recipes, foraging, and cultivation. My plan is to work bit by bit, perhaps with a goal of writing a few pages a week. I won’t be in a rush to finish each chapter, but rather spending the time to find the best possible resources available, at the same time creating one of the best possible resources available.
Following I will discuss my strategies for overcoming barriers that I foresee in each chapter. The barriers will be explained through completing each chapter or section of the book.
Acknowledgements
The goal for acknowledgements is to pay respect to all of the support received while writing the book including inspiration, help, tolerance and any other support. Even though all the support I receive will only be represented in a small portion of the book, it will really be one of the biggest parts of the book. The only barrier here would be not keeping records of all of my support. While major support may be easy to remember, the small things that people do still count. My strategy will include keeping a log of all of my support during my journey.
Foreword
My goal for the Foreword will be to have someone within the industry write it. A possible barrier would be finding someone else to write a foreword, but I have already spoken to Ian Garrone of <Far West Fungi> about the possibility. My strategy will be to do the best I can on the rest of the book to inspire a great foreword.
The History of Mushrooms
The History of Mushrooms is a little known subject, especially in a fungophobic society like ours. The barrier here will be trying to create a short and accurate description from such a rich and deep subject. Mushroom history can be broken down into cultural history and biological history. While I have some direct experience and have read quite a bit about cultural history. I know Asian countries have over 5000 years of history in using mushrooms both medicinally and for a culinary. Native peoples all over the planet have used mushrooms in all sorts of ways, from starting fires, making hats, for food, used as a general tonic, spiritual use, etc. I know very little about biological history. I know mushrooms are more closely related to mammals than plants, I know they’ve created symbiotic relationships with algae to form lichens, and they’ve helped create the soils that support all terrestrial life on earth. My focus here will be on their evolution and their biological function. I don’t want to go too deep on biological history so I’ll keep it short. Cultural history offers some interesting tidbits and stories so I’ll elaborate it a little more than biological history. This section in the book won’t be very extensive but it will offer an intriguing introduction to the history of mushrooms.
The Most Popular Mushrooms
The most popular mushrooms used may lean heavily on western use, however I would like to offer several cultural lenses to look at popular mushrooms through. Availability of mushrooms obviously has a big impact on which mushrooms are popular. Seasonal availability makes some wild mushrooms revered when they are available. Every mushroom is not available everywhere on the planet, at least fresh. I can look at the mushroom’s popularity through sheer volume of mushrooms eaten or I can look at them through the prices paid for them. The cultivated white button mushroom is the most popular mushroom by sheer volume with the majority of them being used on pizza. While the uncultivated White Matsutake can fetch some of the highest prices per pound, up to $100 per pound.
Mushrooms in Myth and Magic, Literature and Art
Mushrooms in Myth and Magic, Literature and Art also lend themselves to be looked at through cultural lenses. The barrier here is the breadth of my knowledge of these subjects. There is possibly no end in sight for what these subjects have to offer as just about every culture on earth has a story to fulfill these. Myth and Magic can be represented through the story about a jolly fat man, flying in a sleigh with eight reindeer pulling him through the sky. The Amanita muscaria, which is red with white polka dots is responsible for this story and is also one of the most well known images of mushrooms in the world. I would like to briefly touch on these subjects mainly focusing on the most popular representations. My strategy will include keeping my own eye out for it locally, and looking for other representations through the Internet, literature and other resources.
Mushrooms Today
The state of Mushrooms today offers some exciting developments. The barriers include not being aware of what is on the cutting edge of mycology and everything else mushroom. Other barriers include enticing contributions from mycologists such as Paul Stamets, David Arora, and health experts like Andrew Weil. At the very least I will include some of the works of the aforementioned individuals. I will also be looking at various mushroom journals to check in on some of the most recent findings. I will be looking into the latest in mycotechnology, mycorestoration, mycomedicinals, and mycophagy to offer the cutting edge in inspiration. Mycotechnology will include tidbits on products such as myconol, an alcohol made from mushroom cultivation byproducts or insulation made from mushroom mycelium. Mycorestoration can include several restoration projects such as oil spill cleanup, pathogen reduction, heavy metal removal, and soil building. Mycomedicinals can include my brother’s own testimonial of his use of turkey tail mushroom extract in conjunction with chemotherapy while fighting Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he’s now in remission. The oldest and newest knowledge on the use of mushrooms as medicine will be touched on in this section. Mycophagy, which is the eating of mushrooms, will be looked at here if I can offer something that isn’t covered elsewhere in the book.
Mushrooms and Me
To explain my own involvement with mushrooms my own mushroom story will be included. How did I stumble upon such an exciting subject? From my first mushroom ever picked to where I am today. My wild foraging endeavors to my stepping into the realm of mushroom cultivation. With a list of all of the mushrooms I’ve foraged for and attempted to cultivate. And finally, where I’m headed with mushrooms.
Mushroom Basics
A very important and informative section of the book will be Mushroom Basics. This section may prove to comprise the bulk of reading material in the book. The goal is to offer readers a mushrooms 101 section. My strategy here will be to approach it as if explaining it to someone for the first time, but I won’t bore fungophiles with only basic information, I will add interesting tidbits to keep all readers intrigued. This will be one of the most accessible parts of the book as it gives people a chance to begin their own interaction with mushrooms. I will offer tips for buying and storing mushrooms in general. Offering what to look for when purchasing fresh mushrooms and different storage and preservation techniques that work well with mushrooms. Also included in this section will be basic cooking techniques. I will describe the range of flavors and textures found in the great diversity of mushrooms. The difference between fresh, dried, frozen or pickled mushrooms can be discussed. Mushroom cultivation techniques will be discussed from mushroom farms to home cultivation. This section lends itself to speaking of mushroom biology so people can understand a mushrooms’ life cycle. Easy home cultivation techniques will be examined to inspire home gardeners to try it. Mushroom farms will be touched on for the entrepreneur. Wild foraging will be discussed briefly as a source for many gourmet varieties. A disclaimer stating that this book is not to be used as an identification book will be here. This section offers a spot to talk about poisonous mushrooms. However, I don’t want to scare people so I will offer good information on poisonous species and highlight the fact that there are very few deadly mushrooms. The mantra “ when in doubt throw it out” will be touted. I can also offer people a pathway to learn more about mushrooms. I will provide a list of resources or offer a live link on the internet that will be updated with current links to other resources for further learning, such as the many mycological societies, mushroom festivals, mushroom publications, websites, forays, cultivation classes, etc. Many sources are available on the internet. NAMA is the North American Mycological Association, it is to “promote, pursue, and advance the science of mycology and is one of the best compilation of sources available.
A Mushroom Guide with Recipes
A mushroom guide with recipes will offer another bulky section of the book. The goal will be to offer enthusiasts and novices alike a visually appealing and enticing guide to cooking with mushrooms. This will be more than basic cooking instructions but the exciting recipe section. I would like to offer a small mushroom biography for each mushroom highlighted in this section. The mushroom biographies will have a few nice photos of the mushroom and include a culinary description of each. A list of recipes that work well for each mushroom will also be included. Broad range and mushroom specific recipes will be presented. Some recipes will work well for several different types of mushrooms such as pizza or simple sautés, others will be more mushroom specific for recipes like candy cap cookies or candy cap ice cream. The recipe section will have a range of recipes, including many traditional as well as contemporary recipes. It offers the possibility for contributing chefs. I’m sure I can get contributions from chefs that I work with already as well as some more widely known ones.
Conclusion
I’m glad I went back to my original plan of creating a mushroom book. Now I’m one step closer to writing this book. I’m very satisfied with the table of contents that was created for this output, but also realize that it may change slightly still. After breaking apart the book into micro goals it doesn’t seem so daunting. The strategies that I’ve included to reach those goals offer an exciting adventure for me to follow. New barriers may arise that I will have to strategize my overcoming them. I’m excited to explore some of the elements further and add to and refine my understanding of mushrooms. As I dig deeper into certain subjects I will have to discern what to include and what to exclude. I’m sure that everything I find and learn won’t make it into the book. Only the best representations will make the final cut. I see the need for the book and I am glad to begin creating it for my own development as a writer and to add a new resource for mushroom novices and experts alike.
Process Reflection
This was not the easiest output packet to create. With so much speculation on what I plan on doing it feels a little more distant to me than having a finished product that I have documented and can reflect on. Not that I don’t have a finished product but that the end goal for the related project is much bigger than an output packet needs be. So it has left me feeling like I still have a long way to go. My last Output packet was mush more satisfying as far as being able to finish a project and be able to reflect on it. I plan to choose output packets that allow for much more documentation of DIY projects and lend themselves to workshops and classes.