Autumn Hunters: The Harvest of Sea, Mountain and Tidal Flat

The hairtail currently being caught are small, so the fishermen are not very satisfied.

They expect the big hairtail to start coming in only once full darkness settles over the offshore waters.

It holds the precious memory of father and son spending nights together, hoping for a full boat.

When the autumn squid returned after a long absence, he shared them with his crew, visibly moved by mixed feelings.

Sangrok and his son, veteran fishermen with 40 years of experience, read the shrimp schools by watching the movement of the gulls.

Drawing on this know-how, they keep up an efficient operation.

Fisherman Sangrok, watching the shrimp fatten, said, "I feel like autumn is already slipping away."

He voiced deep regret that this year's fishing is coming to an end and looked back on a year of toil.

Sangrok and his son encouraged each other, looking ahead to next year's fishing and steeling their resolve for the next autumn.

Matsutake, whose freshness is its life, must not be touched by human hands or by any metal.

Fisherman Shin Jung-ho said that the spots where matsutake grow feel springy when tapped with a walking stick.

When harvesting matsutake, the rule is to dig carefully with a wooden stick, and this delicacy is the secret to preserving their value.

Senior Jung-ho taught that instead of metal, a wooden stick should be used to dig safely from the base. After checking the root, inserting the stick protects the spores while harvesting.

Sun-young harvested matsutake herself using a stick. She expressed satisfaction with the aroma and taste of her first harvest.

Matsutake parasitize pine tree roots and form colonies centered on pine groves.

Neungi mushrooms, which are sensitive to climate anomalies, are much harder to find.

Veteran foragers said that unlike this year's matsutake, neungi are in poor harvest, signaling uncertainty in yields.

Honey gatherers minimized damage to the hive and protected it by covering it with a myeongdeok so the bees could safely survive winter.

After harvesting the honey, they showed ecological care by relocating the bees safely, pursuing coexistence with nature.

Daesung uses cave honey, a precious product of nature that he never handles carelessly, as medicine for people who are sick, and he sweetens everything with honey instead of sugar. His philosophy is that honey is like life and cannot be treated lightly.

He valued it highly because honey can serve as medicine for patients fighting illness.

Growth is so slow that it takes 30 to 40 years to reach an edible size, and because it must be harvested by hanging from sheer rock faces, labor costs are high.

Reaching an edible size takes at least 30 to 40 years, making it a precious mushroom.

Harvesting requires hanging from a near-20-meter sheer wall, which drives up labor costs and its price.

Choi Jin warned that rushing out to hunt octopus without timing it to the tide only leads to hardship.

Octopus become active as the water starts to come in, so one must wait for this moment.

The key is judging whether octopus are present by reading the holes in the mud and subtle movements.

Pressing the spade in and digging at 45 degrees is the key to harvesting.

This spade costs around 100,000 won and is regarded as a tool optimized for octopus harvesting.

Digging out at a 45-degree angle while pressing the spade in plays the decisive role in catching octopus without harm.

Octopus born in July and August grow to this size around now and boast a tender, soft texture.

Eating freshly caught three-footed octopus as tangtang-i, with soy sauce and sesame oil, brings out the best flavor.

Mudskipper fishing is a snag method: a hook is cast without bait and used to catch the mudskipper's body or tail.

Without skill it easily turns into wasted effort, but once mastered, one can haul in a mudskipper with every cast.

This snag fishing is a traditional technique passed down over two generations, and it is the secret of Hwaseong, who has 40 years of experience.

Rice mushrooms are toxic, so caution is needed before eating. They must be blanched once in water mixed with salt.

Even after blanching, they must be soaked in water for about two days to fully remove the toxins before they can be eaten safely.

Cliff bellflower is valued as a prized specimen for its rarity and medicinal properties, and its value is recognized when the root is left undamaged.

Because it is pulled from crevices in rocks, breaking the root is unavoidable, and it is a demanding crop whose price is determined by whether the fine roots remain.