puffball!

[mimitabby]

wow, that is an amazing puffball. The biggest ones i've ever seen were about the size of a hard ball. thanks for the news article!
we've eaten them too; and my sons have had a lot of fun playing with them.

[7rider]

I had mentioned this to Lisa via PM, and now I thought I'd share it with the group...since we all survived!
DH found a humongous puffball in our backyard on Thursday (that's him, holding it in the picture (cellphone camera - sorry for the quality)). He was very excited, as it's been the topic of several conversations recently.
We had a few friends over on Friday for a dinner party....and as Lisa did, we cut up the puffball, dredged in eggwash and breadcrumbs and munched away. We also tried some sauteed (sp?) in a little butter and olive oil with some balsamic vinegar on the side (I used to marinate portabella caps for the grill with that, so figured, what the hay?). All were yummy, but I think my favorite way was the next morning, when I cut up a few slices into cubes, fried them up in butter, and then added them to scrambled eggs and cheese. Subtle, and very good. (and yes, Lisa, after friday night, I ended up peeling off the skin).
We gave a big hunk to a neighbor (who wants some of the soil where it came from in the hopes of propogating some more), but then we were stuck with "what do we do with the rest of it?" We actually had TWO puffballs...the big one, and then one the size of a grapefruit that was attached to it. So...I did some google searches, and found out that you could dry and pulverize it and use the powder as flavoring in future dishes. So I did. Our oven has an awesome drying function, so the pictures below also show the slices drying in the oven and grinding into powder (I filled that peanut butter jar....although I suspect it will settle a bit lower). I may try some in the Thanksgiving gravy.
We have our friends all on puffball hunts now!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Regina,
That's amazing! I never even heard of drying/powdering mushrooms. What a great idea to be able to use the mushroom flavor for months to come in dishes.
Thanks for the photos. That one of DH looks sort if sci-fi spooky.

[RoadRaven]

Wow Lisa... and Regina...

Even though you have both survived your puffball dinners (lol) I would still have great difficulty eating one.

I have never seen any the size of the one in the photo (kewell pic, btw)

All the puffballs I have seen here are golf-ball-size and I have ALWAYS been told they are poisonous (though I have never checked that with a fungi book or anything).

But with over 40 years of messages telling me they are deathly poisonous - I can't see myself ever even nibbling the edge of a puffball anything...

[invsblwmn]

Just happened upon this thread. What a trip. When I was in grade school we lived in a little town, Fox River Grove in Illinois. Our next door neighbor became my adopted grandma and taught me about mushrooms. She and I would walk in the woods behind our homes and collect several different kinds and cook em up. My favorite was the Puffball. We had soup, battered, you name it. Thanks for the memory, ladies.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Just happened upon this thread. What a trip. When I was in grade school we lived in a little town, Fox River Grove in Illinois. Our next door neighbor became my adopted grandma and taught me about mushrooms. She and I would walk in the woods behind our homes and collect several different kinds and cook em up. My favorite was the Puffball. We had soup, battered, you name it. Thanks for the memory, ladies.

Oh wow, how do you make puffball soup??

-Glad to hear from you, Invis!!!!

[invsblwmn]

We sauted with garlic and onion, as I remember, I was like 10 years old But here's a recipe from
**Puffball Soup **
From "A Cook's Book of Mushrooms"
By Jack Czarnecki

1/3 cup butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cups chopped fresh puffballs, in ½ inch cubes
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons dried loose seaweed, such as nori (available at Asian markets)
Salt
Place butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, Add puffballs and sauté 5 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. The soup will thicken slightly. Salt to taste

With all that butter and cream, I think a 100 mile ride might be in order. Save me a bowl, k?

[smilingcat]

Well Roadraven,

maybe in your part of the world, what may look like a puff ball is not the same as in the state and may very well be poisonous. Check with local mycological society or group.

Southern california is not condusive to mushroom hunting. Yes I tried. And yes I looked the part of true hippie. Long pony tail, bandana scarf, ... down to my tire tread sandles. And with my basket, hand trowel/shovel and some wax paper to hold my collection.

Tip toeing through the field, looking for the bumps on the ground. Biggest puff ball I ever found was golf ball size. I picked it up peeled it and nibbled at it while some tourists (not from california was looking at me). Another time I found some morels, black morels. Those you can't eat raw. Again people were just staring at me like I'm some oddball. Morel was yummy in my omlette.

Wood bolete no so good eats.

And why does chantrell always seems to be growing in the middle of poison oak patch. You forget, digging and all of sudden you realize you are standing in the middle of poison oak patch. oops.

Agaricus bisporus good eats common name horse mushrrom (humungous button mushroom). Problem is that in my area we also have Agaricus Xanthrothermus (sp) it gives you diahrea. not so good eats. One stains yellow on stalk the other don't (MOST OF THE TIME!)

Amanita Virosa so white and so pretty. pure white, white gills white cap white stem and vulva. not so good eat. common name death angel. There seems to be a population explosion of this mushrrom around here and no one knows why.

It's too much frustration around here so I gave up. Maybe when I move to Washington or Oregon... Yes I will get a permit. Also went collecting for pine nuts. Darn squirrels. All I coud find was empty cones and no seeds/nuts. Acorns can be made safe. Just have to remove all the tannins and I heard it makes a tasty nutritious meal.

if you want definitive collection of mushroom cookery/canning see
"Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery" and if you live anywhere near his restaurant give it a try. I hope its still there.

oh wow...down memory lane... the article is pretty old.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...v19/ai_3738625

I wonder if the the book is still available?

if you have too much of good thing make mushroom duxelle. Classic french thing to do.

OK TMI bye now
Smilingcat

[OakLeaf]

yay! It's been way too long since I've been home early enough to hunt mushrooms. Yesterday I was out hunting, getting a little distracted and ready to pack it in (isn't it always that way) when I stumbled on the Mother Lode of Morels! I actually had to phone DH to come out with his GPS and mark the spot so I can find it again next year. I stopped picking when I had 65 mushrooms but there were lots more.

Sauteed them with butter, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper and served them with pasta tonight. Deeee-licious!

[OakLeaf]

Acorns can be made safe. Just have to remove all the tannins and I heard it makes a tasty nutritious meal

You heard, huh. So did I when I was in high school. I don't remember HOW many times I boiled those acorns - by the end of it they weren't particularly tannic, and maybe they were nutritious, but tasty? Uh, no. Chacun a son gout I suppose. But I think it's more a matter of how hungry one its

[Zen]

stumbled on the Mother Lode of Morels! I actually had to phone DH to come out with his GPS and mark the spot so I can find it again next year. I stopped picking when I had 65 mushrooms but there were lots more.

WHERE?! WHERE?!



.

[OakLeaf]

WHERE?! WHERE?!



.

Zen, you know a mushroom hunter never tells. But I could pick you up at Columbus airport, blindfold you and take you there

[violette]

What the ^%$ is a puffball????

[malkin]

I love the first pic in #17!
It could be from the original Star Trek.

[hipersons]

yeah, i had no idea what a puffball was... thank you wikipedia.