TROY, Missouri — The morel mushroom found in Troy has quickly become the talk of the town.
Is this a record-breaking morel mushroom? That’s exactly what Scott Simpson is wondering.
Simpson came across the mushroom near a creek on his property when he wasn't even looking.
The 54-year-old loves to mushroom hunt and has been doing it all his life.
This was the first time he uncovered something this big: a morel that weighs almost a pound.
“Ever since I was a little boy, my grandparents, dad and all of us would go out and look for them," he said. "After Easter dinner, we would always pick them. I’ve been picking these mushrooms at this creek since I was a little boy and it’s neat to see something like this.”
“To tell you the truth I wasn’t even hunting for mushrooms when I found this thing. I had some barrels stacked along the creek and I went to move a barrel then I was shocked at what I saw.”
Simpson said the ground was rocky and hard where the mushroom grew.
“To think this thing came out of the ground was just amazing. It popped right out. The whole stem and all. I had no problem pulling it out,” Simpson exclaimed.
Simpson called up the Missouri Department of Conservation to see if rangers could come out and see this monster of a mushroom for themselves. They had him send a photo to add to their next magazine.
Turns out the MDOC doesn’t keep track of mushroom records in the state.
Simpson laughed and said, “Wait, why don’t we start? This is a record mushroom!”
The mushroom measured just over 11 inches tall and weighed 13.9 ounces.
Simpson quickly called his daughter so she could take a picture to post on Facebook. Since posting the mushroom picture to social media, his phone won’t stop buzzing.
“So many people have been so cooped up and sheltered in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, So I think this was something everybody could get excited about.”
“It’s just a crazy mushroom, but I think it gives everybody a little something to get excited about. I know I am happy!”
