Something that was helpful for me when starting to learn about wild mushrooms was signing up for a mushroom walk led by an experienced guide. You could try looking on your local listserv or asking at the food coop. Or there’s always Google. 🙂
I’m mostly interested in mushrooms for their medicinal value. A lot of the medicinal ones (like Chaga and Reishi) grow on trees instead of the ground and there are far fewer poisonous tree mushrooms.
I just learned that Shiitake (also a tree mushroom) is high in amino acids (for protein), minerals and enzymes. It’s good for the thyroid, blood circulation (helps lower cholesterol) and the liver/detoxification (skin health).
Keep us posted on your progress with growing your own Shiitakes!