Giant puffball mushrooms ( Archived) (20)

my friend used to have an airing cupboard with a load in there.. a constant supply.. lol

I remember the first time I tried them.. I thought.. hmmm.. crap!

Then went to the loo.. as I was sat there.. I looked at the bottom of the door..


and thought.. what the hell?? ..... as it was doing the Mexican wave .. LOL

I don't know what they are .
Are they magic mushrooms or something ????????

Hello ladies & thanks for the responses.

Yeah these are huge 9" in diameter, there is no Amanita that large.
Not in the states anyway.

They have to be older and ready to drop spores to poof when you kick them. These are very fresh and firm(ha that oughta get a guy or 2 in here), some are still fist size. If ya have asthma, breathing the spores could be deadly, possibly. I think I read that in an average
sized puffball(of this variety) there are 7 trillion spores.

I believe you are correct about muscaria, be careful, too many of those can put you in a deep sleep, almost coma . I think this is the one that one of the Caesers was killed with. His wife wiped off the white
flakes/warts and fed them to him as Amanita caesarea, which were his favorite.

I was just wondering if anybody had a good recipe.


I'm sure there are the blue bruisers here too, sadly I don't know which ones for sure.



Hey Ms. Trish!

Ive heard they are edible.But u have to get them while they are still fresh and firm on the inside.The way I fix Hickory chips(mushrooms)slice them soak in salt water a few hours,dip them in egg and milk mixture and then roll in floer and fry in oil.

Here something that tells a few recipes for them.

Recipe Instructions
Puffballs come in many sizes, some as small as a marble and some as large as a basketball. The name "puffball" is used here to refer to three genera of fungi, Calvatia, Calbovista, and Lycoperdon. Their surfaces may be smooth, covered with small or large warts, or ornamented with spikes. Puffballs are usually white and round, and are attached to the ground with little or no apparent stem.

Puffballs seem to prefer disturbed earth, and enjoy surprising the forager, for they are seldom the prey being sought. The largest ones are members of the genus Calvatia. It is estimated that the average mature specimen of C. gigantea contains 7 trillion spores stored inside the puffball!

Most puffballs are safe to eat, although rare reactions have been reported. Assuming you have obtained reliable puffballs, you should sitll follow these steps before eating them:

1. They must be all-white inside. Any shade of yellow or purple makes them inedible or upsetting.

2. When cut, they must have a uniform internal consistency. The external appearance of immature Amanita species is similar to puffballs. However, the cap and gills of these unexpanded mushrooms become apparent when the egg-shaped fungi are cut in half. The Amanita genus includes the most poisonous species of mushrooms.

u Cleaning: Clean them as necessary and dry on paper towels. Some people develop intestinal irritation from the outer covering, so peel this layer with a knife.

u Cooking: Some people refer to puffballs as "breakfast mushrooms" because they blend so well with eggs. But they also serve beautifully as side dishes with dinner entrees. A thick slab of puffball develops a lovely golden color when browned in butter. They are often cut into cubes for cooking.

Dip slices in a batter of egg and milk and cover with bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Saute in butter and serve with a piquant sauce as the main course for a vegetarian dinner.

Thinly sliced and pan-seared large Calvatias can be used as crêpes. Rolled around crab meat, tuna, or other fillings, and held in place with a toothpick, they can be baked for your next party.

u Preserving: Chop and saute them before freezing. The larger species may be sliced and slightly fried, then frozen for later use as crêpes. Separate each portion with waxed paper. Dehydrated puffballs can be powdered for flavoring bland foods.

Thanks again MYlife, I was also wondering if there were ways to store them and you covered it.

Well with a dozen, I'd better get filleting!

Have fun. I want Morels, anyone got a freezer full they don't need, I didn't get any this year, they got flooded out and rotted.

I picked a couple dozen off the hill in the backyard, I heard from a lot of friends that some people were getting hundreds of them. Not me!

I got a few dried and smoked.