Editors Letter vol 14 no.1

With this first edition for the year I wish to heartily say: YOU DID IT, YOU MADE IT TO 2021!

I think I speak for all of us when I say good riddance and I hope we do not have a repeat of last year. I truly hope you and yours have come through with your good health intact. I feel blessed that although, like many, my family took a major financial hit but remain in very good health as I write this. And 2020 was not a very good year for mycophiles … most mushroom festivals and fairs were cancelled, “virtual” lectures online are just not the same as in-person, and the mushroom seasons were mostly duds everywhere I went from the East to West Coast, and mid-continent. I remain optimistic. One can find good from just about any situation, if you look hard enough. Many of us were forced to get more creative in our own home kitchens. (If you’re like me, you added “pandemic pounds.”) And the pandemic spawned a new fashion craze—the facemask as fashion statement. Not to be outdone, mycophiles got in on the act (check out pages 14–15)!

We’re hoping to shake things up with this first edition for the year. Starting things off, we feature … cultivated mushrooms? Why not! I’ve heard from so many readers that during the pandemic they tried growing their own mushrooms at home and were (mostly) really thrilled with the results. I’ve grown several kinds of edible mushrooms on and off over the years and find them to be as good as or better than most wild mushrooms that I collect year in, year out. In this edition, we feature data on cultivated species worldwide (did you know that the wood ear is the second most cultivated mushroom in China nowadays?), a timeline on mushroom cultivation in North America (it began with Italian immigrants near Philadelphia where they had plenty of horse manure from all the horse racetracks), and dispel myths about consuming fresh (and wild) mushrooms.

Another exciting announcement with this first edition for 2021: we are going digital! Well, not entirely. If you are like me and prefer printed magazines and books, nothing about FUNGI will change for you. If, however, you prefer to take your news on the go or enjoy reading on your home computer, we are going to offer a digital version of FUNGI. Everyone will be sent a digital copy of this edition to try out. (Expect your print copy to arrive first; if you have not yet seen the arrival of your digital copy, give it a few days.) It will not be locked so you can share with your friends for free. Share with everyone and see what you think. Future digital editions will be locked so only the purchaser will have access. We’ll be offering a print + digital subscription for the same price as currently; digital only subscriptions will come with a price break resulting from no postage and lower production fees. With the rising cost of postage, especially for our subscribers overseas, I’m confident that a digital edition will be welcome news to many. Let us know what you think.

FREE DIGITAL ISSUE!!
Click Here to Download Vol. 14 No.1: Mid Winter 2021 FOR FREE!!

Stay hopeful everyone!