Nice Pair of Morels

From the Circleville Herald:

Local man finds giant mushrooms
Biggest Morel of find weighs 22.6 ounces

Trish Bennett

Mother's Day turned into father's day for Wade Hamilton of Stoutsville when he struck mushroom gold in northern Pickaway county.

Hamilton, an agent for Circleville Realty, said he spotted the giant Morel crop after just a few minutes in the field.

"I've been mushroom hunting since I was a kid," he said. "I've found some big mushrooms before, but nothing like this."

The largest he found Sunday measured more than 12 inches long with a three-inch diameter base. Together, the two mushrooms tipped the scale at 22.6 ounces.

Hamilton said the first thing he had to do was show them to his father and uncle, lifelong mushroom hunters now in their 70s.

"My uncle, especially, can usually give you a story that's one better or that he's seen bigger," Hamilton said. "But they said they've never seen anything like it in their lives."

Morel mushrooms are a prized commodity, selling at area farmer's markets for as much as $35 to $40 per pound.

But Hamilton said he has no intention of selling these.

"We're going to eat them," he said. "When those bases are thick like that all the way through, they're just like steak."