Hey everyone.
I probably know of several of you, and I'm sure many of you have never seen me around here.
To be honest, I've been away from this forum for a long time, mostly due to the advent of Facebook and the insane amount of mushroom and fungi groups there.
I reside in Ontario, Canada and have a great love for the outdoors.
Years ago, I traded in my bows, rifles, shotguns and black powder accessories for a field guide and a mushroom knife.
Having hunted morels as a small child, I was always curious about other fungi I often saw.
So, for the past 15 years, I've spent as much time in the woods as possible, teaching myself, using guides and the internet to broaden my knowledge of mushrooms. I love them. To me, no greater relationship exists than that of a host tree and the fungi it helps to support.
I pick for my table and I also sell to a few, select chefs. I conduct small, local forays, where folks that want to learn about common fungi, both edible and otherwise compensate me for sharing with them.
Most recently, with the downturn in the economy, I've been left unemployed and existing on a fraction of what I used to make.
These activities help me out.
Unfortunately, when one turns to a hobby for monetary gain, something becomes lost along the way. It got to the point that I wouldn't even take the time to photograph mushrooms, always looking for what might make me a dollar.
A mistake, out of necessity, you might say. Although I still make money doing what I love, I've learned to take the time to remember the love and not concentrate on the end result so much.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I take an all or nothing approach to most all I do.
Cheers.