For the past few weeks, Nevada teen Nicholas Williams, 13, has had a friendly $10 wager with his dad, Travis, as to who would find the first morel mushroom of the year.

On Wednesday, Nicholas claimed bragging rights and the 10-spot with a find in Jasper County, Missouri. His proof: a photo he took of his mushroom lying on top of the front page of that day’s Joplin Globe.

“We’ve been going out each day, and he was convinced he’d find one before me,” his dad said. “And he did.”

Morels are an edible mushroom that can be found from late March through May, according to Field & Stream. These “prized” mushroom can be found in forests throughout North America and are collected for both personal consumption and commercial harvest, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is estimated that over 50 million people harvest morels internationally, according to the USDA.

Morel hunters have been speculating in chat rooms, on Facebook pages and in coffee shops as to how soon they’d see the tasty fungi pop up in their neck of the woods.

“Comparing notes and sharing photographs like Nick did, maybe on a receipt or a newspaper or by your cell phone showing the date, is important so people will know when to expect them at their peak,” Travis Williams said. “Every county varies greatly. So for the folks in Jasper County now, they know for sure that in two weeks there will be morels, so get ready.”

Early?

Each year as May apples stretch toward the sunlight from the forest floor, and ferns and phlox blanket make their annual appearance, morel mushroom seekers gear up for a hunt that happens only a few weeks out of every year.

Some say bur oak leaves must be the size of fox squirrels’ ears. Others say wild asparagus must begin to show. Still others say start hunting when lawns need their first mowing.

Nothing is guaranteed, and in Missouri, where the topography, soil, and temperatures can vary wildly within a 50-mile radius, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. But most enthusiasts agree: It’s early this year.

“I think it’s time,” said Becky Gray, a Southeast Kansas morel hunter for many years after taking up the hobby in her native Colorado and the Pacific Northwest and who plans to begin hunting this weekend.

It’s no secret that the usual harbingers of spring appeared several weeks early this year: Redbud trees have nearly finished their brilliant display of color, as have pear trees and forsythia.

Ron Cook, who administers the Missouri Morel Hunting page, said his followers already are making reports. The Kansas City-area resident compiles those reports from across the state, and he said Wednesday that while things were just starting to get active in his area, there were confirmed reports elsewhere. His map indicates a progression line of morels fruiting from St. Joseph to St. Louis.

Gray hasn’t had any luck yet in Kansas. But she hopes to in coming days. If and when she finds some, she’ll guard their location closely.

“Morel hunters do get secretive,” she said with a laugh. “We don’t want the competition.”

Why go to the effort?

“The thing I love is just being out in the woods and seeing nature’s revival in the spring. It’s an intimate experience seeing everything come back to life right on front of you,” Cook said. “Then to finally come across a patch of morels is an indescribable exciting feeling. I’ll never get tired of doing it.”

Gray, who always looks for any excuse to get outdoors and hike, considers it a bonus if she finds them while in the woods — “like a geocache,” she said.

She also finds it to be a great activity to do with her children, and one that doesn’t require any special equipment or skill, other than slowing down and being observant.

And, like most who seek them, she loves their flavor.

“The best spring meal ever is fresh-caught crappie, new asparagus and morels,” she said.

Travis Williams said he’d never heard of them until four years ago when a 98-year-old resident of the nursing home he works at began discussing them with her sister, who had brought in some she’d pan-fried.

“She gave me a taste. I was not a mushroom fan of any kind, but I ate that and said, ‘Wow, that’s unbelievable,’” Williams said. “They told me all about them, where to find them, let me taste them. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

The sisters passed on to him their 80-plus years of knowledge in morel hunting, and now he is passing it on to Nicholas and his four other children.

Last year, Williams bagged 257 of them.

“They have a distinct flavor, the No. 1 mushroom you’ll find. None better. But it’s also the thrill of the hunt — you have a short time to get them,” he said. “You just have about 14 days when they’re going strong, and that’s it.”

“Spring seems to have arrived early this year, so let the hunt begin.” 

Stefanoni is a reporter at The Joplin Globe.