We wondered what all the people were doing - locals wandering though the forests in the middle of nowhere. We later discovered that berry and mushroom foraging is an integral part of Estonian life. Various mushroom species and berry species form a staple part of the Estonian diet . They also provide a very meagre income to many older, uneducated citizens (mainly women) who catch a bus out to the forest at 5.00 am, forage for an hour or so and then catch a bus back into the city to sell their bucket of mushrooms etc at the local market. In contrast to this unfortunate segment of the population, the younger generation are well educated, speak at least 2 languages fluently and are still equally passionate about their nationality as their older relatives.
@fbailey It's like a national past-time! And they find and eat so many different mushrooms - apparently they all have a "eat this - don't eat this" textbook at home! :)
