Spore Print Press-Issue01-Foraging/Hunting

ONCE YOUR FORAGING IS DIALED IN, ODDS ARE YOU’VE FOUND A PLACE SACRED TO YOU. PROTECT THIS SACRED SPACE, AND LIMIT YOUR IMPACT.

WHERE FOOD RESIDES

GATHER WITH INTENTION

But when the food does not come from a flock in the sky, when you don’t feel the warm feathers cool in your hand and know that a life has been given for yours, when there is no gratitude in return—that food may not satisfy. It may leave the spirit hungry while the belly is full. Something is broken when the food comes on a styrofoam tray wrapped in slippery plastic, a carcass of a being who’s only chance at life was a cramped cage. That is not a gift of life; it is a theft.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, BraidingSweetgrass

HATS OFF

Spring is a time where a half hour of wandering can lead to a hat, or shirt-basket, full of produce. Its the perfect time to be in the woods. Species to be on the look out for are morel and oyster mushrooms, ramps and fiddle head ferns are fair game too. Trout and turkey season are opening up dependent on your home state, opportunities are abundant.

THE NATURE OF TYPE TWO FUN

There is something to be said when one finds succes after a period of hardship. This in-between period is known to most enthusiats as type two fun. In the moment, its the thought of why do I continue to do this; afterwards, its what drives us to return to the area bordering the mental and physical boundries of one’s mind. Its a near constant inner conversation questioning what am I doing here? But, when youre back home, your thinking I can’t wait to go back.

EXISTENCE

There exists an obvious weight here. Human existence effects all; whether your food comes from the mountains, farm or market, a footprint is left stamped into the Earth. Have an awareness of this relationship and become a steward of what resources reflect your existence.

Maybe stalking the woods is as vital to the human condition as playing music or putting words to paper. Maybe hunting has as much of a claim on our civilized selves as anything else. After all, the earliest forms of representational art reflect hunters and pray.

Steven Rinella, American Buffalo

UNEXPECTED

Theres something to be said about finding and retrieving food; often times, its unexpected. A lot of folks will tell you “you’ve got to put in the miles”. I’d agree, it definitely ups your odds, the more ground you cover, though sometimes its complete happenstance. Keep your eyes peeled, and enjoy the journey.