Shrooming in Iowa is extremely competitive and there a several “categories” for bragging – First, Smallest, Largest and Most. I believe you will find the attached pictures suitable for the bragging rights board for the smallest. There is of course a story that goes along with the pictures. As I said I make the trip to Iowa every year on or about Cinco de Mayo and the timing is generally pretty good. I arrive when the Lilacs are blooming and the May Apples are out – just in time f or Morels. In 2002 the weather did not cooperate and it was still chilly when I arrived home. All we found that year were the little grey ones – which is fine - you just have to find more to fill a skillet.

Anyway my big brother and I had been hunting all morning and I had found 36 mushrooms and they were very small. They ALMOST 1/2 filled a cigarette cellophane. We stopped at the local tavern to eat a tenderloin and I had them sitting on the table with a cluster of 3 little bitty ones out of the cellophane. A friend of mine from High School (I might add that he is a shroomer extraordinaire) named Moose walked by, looked at my shrooms, said “that ain’t nothing” and walked off. I told Paul it was not anything to get mad about and back comes Moose. He hands me a toothpick and I said “So??” He said “Look at the end of it – I had to sharpen it to get it on there”. I’ll be damned if there was not the tiniest mushroom I had ever seen skewered on the end of the toothpick. I said “I’ll give you five bucks for it.” He said “No – you can have it”. I refused that and renegotiated with “How about 5 Long Necks?” The deal was made.

Now I pride myself on my eyes and my ability to find the little bitty ones so had no plans to show off Moose’s mighty room – I wanted to find my own. So I said “How the heck did you find that?”  He told me and in 2007 you will see from the attached pictures that I have since found the world’s smallest morels."