September's gone

[altivo]

Oo-oo-oh. September's gone.

Plucked a nice big (6 inch diameter) puffball out of the grass next to the sheep pen this evening. White, slightly elongated, fresh and solid. That's going to be tasty. Washed it off and put it in the refrigerator so I can take a day or two to decide what to make from it. We haven't seen a puffball here in about three years I think. Have to look in all the usual spots now. This one was in an entirely new place, though.

Seems like I accomplished little today other than normal barn chores and making dinner (home made pizza) even though I only had to be at work this morning. Well, no matter, I'm worn out now and need to get some sleep.

Gary came back from his evening class with severe cold symptoms. Now I'm coughing, so I suspect I'm about to get the same thing. Not a good time for it, but you never get to choose, do you?

Comments

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I had no idea puffballs were not poisonous.

[altivo]

The giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea, is not only edible, it is quite delicious. At least, if you like mushrooms, which I do. These are the white, firm puffballs that often grow to amazing size just overnight. The surface has shallow pockmarks that resemble the craters on the moon, caused by growth so rapid that the outer skin breaks and stretches. Best picked while still growing and before they turn dry and leathery. Once they dry out they are no longer edible.

Once you have seen these, you are unlikely to mistake anything else for the same mushroom. They are solid and firm inside, without hollows or other features. Creamy white throughout, with the familiar scent of white mushroom. The only other thing that looks much like them here is the earth star, which is smaller and quite leathery and tough, and hollow when you cut into it.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I love mushrooms. Especially with butter. :D

[moonhare]

Heh, we used to wait for puffballs to get dark and, well, puffy, and then play with them (grade schoolers=throw them at someone). Never considered eating them.

Sorry to hear you're coming down with something. Lots of cough-cough colds out this way.

[altivo]

Yeah, they used to grow in great numbers on my grandmother's land. She had sandy soil and was on a lake shore. Once they start to dry you can stomp them and produce a great explosion of dusty spores, hence the name.

To eat them you want to pick them well before that stage, when they are still growing and quite solid. The taste and texture is similar to the white button mushrooms you can buy at the grocery.

[shadow_stallion]

*snickers* I guess it shows where my mind is when I immediately thought of being out in the fields hunting Psilocybin mushrooms. :P

[altivo]

No experience with that. Wouldn't know one if I found it.

I can identify maybe five edible mushrooms that I know are safe, though only two of them are worth the bother. Those are the morel and the puffball.

[shadow_stallion]

I wouldn't know a fresh one if I saw it. According to Wiki and their maps you wont see them in your area. It's mostly a southern thing from what I saw.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*looks at the puffball with interest* What is it? In the last few years you did have some poor rainfall though didn't you? That might be it.

Sorry you and Gary have a cold, and when a horse sneezes everyone knows O.O I'm quite surprised I don't get more colds with the crap ventilation where I work. *feeds you potato and leek soup*

[altivo]

Puffballs are a type of mushroom. The fruiting body is spherical and white, and grows rapidly, in some cases to very large sizes. Diameters of up to a meter or so have been reported, but 10 to 20 cm. is more typical. They are very tasty, and can be used in most dishes that call for mushrooms, though obviously not entire. You need to chop them up.

I've heard of slicing them and coating with breadcrumbs, then frying. I usually just cut them into smaller pieces and use them in soup, stir fry, or on pizza.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

What do they taste like? *prods at the mushroom with a tentative paw* Do they have a strong taste?

[altivo]

They taste like brown meadow mushrooms, only they're white. That's the best I can do to describe them. In the US, and probably in AU as well, the most commonly marketed mushroom for food use is the white meadow mushroom, which is cultivated in caves or dark buildings especially for the purpose. Its wild relative, the brown meadow mushroom, has a similar fragrance and flavor but is (you guessed it) brown in color. The puffball is snow-white but has a similar flavor and texture.