Puff Balls

**Shredhead** · 09-30-2013, 01:24 PM

Anyone eat these? I'm a big fan of Morels, but I've never eaten a puff ball.

We had about a 1/2" of rain Saturday night and Sunday these things were popping up big time. I was on my MTB, so I didn't get any. But I could easily take a bag with me tonight.

I've seen eastern European types out picking these, but not like morels where tons of people are out hunting.

**Tippster** · 09-30-2013, 01:41 PM

Careful, hope they're the giant ones:

While most puffballs are not poisonous, some often look similar to young agarics, especially the deadly Amanitas, such as the death cap or destroying angel mushrooms. It is for this reason that all puffballs gathered in mushroom hunting should be cut in half lengthwise. Young puffballs in the edible stage, before maturation of the gleba, have undifferentiated white flesh within; whereas the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined.

The giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea (earlier classified as Lycoperdon giganteum), reaches a foot (30 cm) or more in diameter, and is difficult to mistake for any other fungus. It has been estimated that a large specimen of this fungus when mature will produce around 7 × 10¹² spores. If collected before spores have formed, while the flesh is still white, it may be cooked as slices fried in butter, with a strong earthy, mushroom flavor. It can often be used in recipes that would ordinarily call for eggplant. It does not store well in a freezer - the entire freezer rapidly acquires a strong mushroom smell.

**grrrr** · 09-30-2013, 02:15 PM

I've eaten them. Okay, not as flavorful as morels.

**iceman** · 09-30-2013, 03:43 PM

a delicacy

**ate'em** · 09-30-2013, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by Shredhead

Anyone eat these?

not really. nothing about them to reccomend other than they wont kill you. better for batting practice than anything else.

comparing them to morels is like comparing cordoba to killington.

**Shredhead** · 10-01-2013, 09:57 AM

I picked a medium sized one, about the size of a large grapefruit. Some are the size of volleyballs. Sliced up, I couldn't fit it all in a regular sized frying pan. About the consistency of dry tofu, very much like eggplant.
Sauteed with garlic in olive oil, it had a nice mild mushroom taste.
I think it would be better than eggplant in most recipes. I'll try to grill some this weekend.