Matsutake mushroom pickers bring their harvests to buyers in Crescent Lake Junction, Oregon. Dozens of brokers in makeshift booths bargain with pickers over the best price per pound. Dollar amounts vary widely, depending on the quality of the mushroom and the demand of the Japanese market. A good picker can easily average several hundred dollars per day. In 1993, matsutake prices peaked at $600 per pound, but they normally average between $10 Ð 30. At the nightly auction stations, as much as $6,000 in cash can change hands in an hour.
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