Puffball

[Kevin J Legg]

I was able to get a couple puffballs. My favorite way of preparation is dredge in egg, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and fri in a pan spayed with Pam. After flipping I put on thin layer of spaghetti sauce and a sprinkle of parmigiana cheese.
  Puff ball tends to have little flavor and this gives it a pizza like twist.
Also since very little egg sticks and almost no oil is used it is low calorie and healthy.

[Grady95]

Ha!  I just came home from a mushroom foraging trip this morning.  We found two Calvatia Gigantea or Giant Puffballs this morning along with a good variety of others including Heracium Americana or Bear's Tooth, Wood Blewits and a real nice specimen of Maitake or Hen of the Woods.

Unfortunately, both puffballs today had a bit of yellow in their centers.  They were inedible, but where there's one, there are sure to be more.  And they do make an interesting alternative to pizza dough.

Suggest that after you cut them into steaks, take a rolling pin and roll the steaks out.  They cook better, especially with that preparation. 

Great time of year to be out mushroom hunting.

[Sk8man]

What is about the yellow in the center that makes them inedible? Flavor or toxicity of some kind? I seem to  remember as a kid that they seemed to have something of a urine smell to them.

[Grady95]

6 hours ago, Sk8man said:

What is about the yellow in the center that makes them inedible? Flavor or toxicity of some kind? I seem to  remember as a kid that they seemed to have something of a urine smell to them.

The purpose of a "puffball" is to disseminate spores.  What we enjoy eating is the fungus in an immature state before it has begun the process of spore formation, which occurs from the center outward.  Are they toxic?  Possibly, probably not, and nothing like a Deathcap or a Destroying Angel.  Probably more likely to give one a nasty GI upset but as you recall correctly, when they do begin to change, they do start to smell pretty unappetizing to say the least and you're not likely to eat it anyway.  Fortunately, where there's one, there are bound to be more so if you're looking for them, you just have to sort them out.  I usually just cut a wedge into the ball in the field with my knife.  You can usually tell the good ones from the ones starting to go.  Also, give them a good thump.  Good ones sound different and the balls feel "solid" rather than yielding to pressure.

I found five today all tolled, only two made it home and none were good enough.  Tomorrow is another day!

[Kevin J Legg]

21 hours ago, Grady95 said:

Ha!  I just came home from a mushroom foraging trip this morning.  We found two Calvatia Gigantea or Giant Puffballs this morning along with a good variety of others including Heracium Americana or Bear's Tooth, Wood Blewits and a real nice specimen of Maitake or Hen of the Woods.

Unfortunately, both puffballs today had a bit of yellow in their centers.  They were inedible, but where there's one, there are sure to be more.  And they do make an interesting alternative to pizza dough.

Suggest that after you cut them into steaks, take a rolling pin and roll the steaks out.  They cook better, especially with that preparation. 

Great time of year to be out mushroom hunting.

 

[Kevin J Legg]

Grady 95,

Great information. I tried the tooling pin but had better luck pushing down with the heel of my hand to flatten. It worked well. I was fortunate that both of mine had the solid thump and were good.

[damiendada]

Very good information, it looks very good!

Edited August 23, 2023 by damiendada

[tuffishooker]

Careful what you pick ! Some are deadly !

[Kevin J Legg]

Giants are easily identified.

[jabberjaws]

I asked an old timer if a mushroom I had found was edible and without even looking he said shure is then after a long pause he said the important thing is if you can eat one a second time. He never did actually answer my question but I got his point.

[Grady95]

1 hour ago, jabberjaws said:

I asked an old timer if a mushroom I had found was edible and without even looking he said shure is then after a long pause he said the important thing is if you can eat one a second time. He never did actually answer my question but I got his point.

Sage advice to be sure.  You can add my favorite one:  "Never munch on a hunch!"  Mushrooms have been around a lot longer than grocery stores.  Are they safe?  Yes.  Are they dangerous?  Yes.  Should we be crippled by a fear of them?  Absolutely not.  Knowledge is power.  And mushrooms aren't the only thing.  There's lots of food out there if you know what to look for.

[Kevin J Legg]

Good advice. I love being able to harvest things nature provides. Some are very good, some ok, and some not worth bothering with.