There is something indescribable and quietly special about hunting for edibles in the wild. It awakens a hidden drive, so dormant that you had not previously felt its existence. Perhaps it’s a nod to those hunter-gatherer genes historically ingrained, or maybe it’s just one of the most fulfilling ways to experience nature as she was meant to be seen. Whatever it is – a fair warning to you my friend – once you catch the fever, it’s nearly impossible to quell.
Your kids will think you are crazy and your friends and family will wonder about your strange new obsession, but none of that will stop your raw need to go on the hunt. Despite the slightly weird stigma associated to this hobby, it is one of the most wonderful experiences I have discovered in life. We modern foragers embrace the weird with gusto and excitedly forge new pathways thru varied terrains and landscapes.
What’s With This Mushroom Thing Anyway?
This is something I often hear from folks I haven’t seen in awhile… I see you posting on Facebook, “what’s with this mushroom thing anyway?” Two hours later when I come up for air, maybe they are sorry they asked. For me, this mushroom thing is nothing short of an obsession. In March when I start to feel the quickening breath of spring, I am already thinking about mushrooms – getting excited for our May trip to Oregon and hoping for a moist and warm Colorado summer. In June I am nearly dying to get out there and check some of our favorite mushroom haunts, just to see how they are coming along.
The strangest part is that I couldn’t really tell you what exactly is behind this obsession. Do I like to eat mushrooms? Sure, of course. But it’s not about that. Somehow it’s literally about the waiting, then the hunting and collecting. And along the way, all of the peripheral benefits – brisk hikes, stunning vistas and wildflowers, camping, exercising the dog, practicing photography and discovering more of Colorado.
As the years go by, never bored, the yearning to know more deepens. It’s a wild and wonderful phenomena this mushrooming thing.
What fuels your obsession?
