Much-needed Information on Puffball Mushrooms Along With Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare puffballs for eating? ›

I sliced the peeled puffball into inch-thick slices. In a large skillet, I melted some butter over medium heat, and then added the puffball slices, seasoning them with salt and pepper. I cooked the puffball slices for a few minutes on each side, until golden-brown.

Interesting Facts: Some puffball mushrooms are edible while the inside is still white and fleshy (never eat a wild plant or mushroom unless an adult says its ok!). There are even medicinal uses for puffball mushrooms. The spores can be used to clot blood on large wounds and was used by the Lakota Indians.

If it isn't solid white it isn't a true puffball. You don't want to see any evidence of gills or any sort of coloring. Only young puffballs are edible. If you find one that is soft, brown, or full of spores inside then it's too mature for you to eat.

Be sure to peel off the outer layer of each puffball with a knife or your fingers since eating the skin may irritate your stomach.

Set a large frying pan over a low heat and add some olive oil. Gently fry the puffball slices until softened and lightly golden, for about a couple of minutes on each side. Lay the cooked puffball slices on kitchen paper to drain, and leave to cool.

Studies show that giant puffball mushrooms have active ingredients with antioxidant properties. They help prevent oxidative damage and protect your body from illnesses. Giant puffballs also have antibacterial and antiviral properties, which can help prevent infections.

Puff ball mushrooms seem to be safe when eaten in food amounts. There isn't enough information to know if puff ball is safe to take by mouth in the larger amounts typically used as medicine. Inhaling puff ball spores can cause side effects including breathing problems, pneumonia-like symptoms, and chest X-ray changes.

Giant puffball mushrooms are edible. Some say they have no real taste of their own and just absorb the flavors around them like tofu. Others have described their taste as rich, earthy, and nutty. If you're lucky enough to live in an area where they're sold, you can pick one up at the store.

When you do find a good puffball, it is best to process it for eating or freezing very quickly, for they can deteriorate rapidly and become inedible in a day or two. To prepare the puffball for eating, you need a very sharp knife for slicing.

Only young, immature puffballs are edible. The interior tissue must be soft; bread-like; and uniformly white. Once the flesh changes color and/or becomes mushy, spores are present. The mushroom is past its prime, no longer edible, and can cause digestive problems.

Are there any poisonous puffballs? ›

Warning: although puffballs are edible, rule out poisonous look-alikes before eating any! Cut puffballs in half from top to bottom and look closely at the cut surface. The outer rind should be as thin as an eggshell; if thicker, the fungus may be a poisonous earthball (Scleroderma sp.).

All true puffballs are edible when they are young but they can be mistaken for quite a few other species, for example, the Common Earthball (Scleroderma Citrinum) and Deathcaps (Amanita Phalloides) both of which are toxic so it's important to know what to look for.

To distinguish between them, slice the ball-like structure in half from top to bottom. The entire inside of an edible puffball is uniform and white. The inside of an egg of a death cap is not uniform and within, a young mushroom with half-moon-shaped developing gills may be visible (see image above).

They range in size from about golf-ball to a beach-ball, the latter being a Giant puffball mushroom (Calvatia gigantean), which is a highly-prized find by wild food foragers. Most species like to grow in relatively open areas such as fields, by roads and trails, and in grassy clearings in the forest.

This mushroom is eaten cooked. The skin is tough so should be removed first. It is best to remove the "warts" in the field as they get everywhere! Hazards Do not consume if any part of the specimen is showing signs of going to spore – yellowing or browning of any part of the flesh.

Giant Puffball Recipes

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Dip each puffball slice into the beaten eggs and then coat it in the bread crumb mixture. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the coated puffball slices until golden brown on both sides.

Depending on the puffball species, flavors have been described as relatively flavorless (kind of like tofu, they absorb the flavor around them) to having a nutty, earthy flavor.

As with anything when foraging, it's important to maintain caution when determining what is or isn't safe to eat. Edible puffballs are entirely white on the inside and outside, while non-edible puffballs will have dark interiors.