# Giant puffball



## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

I can't download the photos until I get to work tomorrow, but today, when running the dog this afternoon, it occurred to me that Labor Day was right about when I usually find these really strange fungi-just one a year in this spot-but it's huge...as big as a soccerball, and when it's prime, pure, angelic white. 

Giant puffball.

And so I did...in that exact area. Right on time. First fungi I've found that was edible all summer, we didn't get any chanterelles this year...

Anyhow, this is the first giant puffball I've harvested. I had a few minor issues with chanterelles last summer, so haven't eaten anything but morels and shaggy manes since then. 

Should I try this puffball, which is currently in a place of honor in the fridge? Or find it a good home with a local gourmet restaurant I know of?


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## Richard Cranium (Feb 27, 2008)

Linda...

By all means eat away. Unfortunately you have enough there to feed a small army. 
Have you ever prepared puffball?

Richard Cranium

BTW....I am envious about your knowlege with shaggy manes and chantrelles. I have looked all over and haven't been able to find anyone to learn me on the fine fungi. I almost did last year, but the guy that was supposed to "guide" me was on Michigan Morels and there were some technical issues with their site and we weere unable to contact each other when the time was right, and now he has other endevours that he feels are more pressing (geneology) so I am again out of luck


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Slice some up and fry it, slice the rest up and freeze in ziplock bags for later. Usually don't find the down here till around squirrel season.


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## Richard Cranium (Feb 27, 2008)

LINDA...

Peel the leather type hide from it, slice into 1/4" - 3/8" slices and put it in an egg wash and lightly dredge with fry magic, then fry it up in some butter. The first time we tried to cook them, we didn't know any better and tried to just saute them in butter. Unfortunately they are like a sponge and by the time we were done it had absorbed well over a pound of butter and when we went to eat it, it was like biting into a stick of butter


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Took it down to one of our local gourmet restaurants to an absolutely delighted sous chef, who carefully washed it, sliced off two nice chunks for me to try, and is currently perusing his cookbooks deciding on what to do with the rest of it...LOL...it weighed a couple of pounds. I dredged my two slices in flour and eggwash and ate them...he will call when he has some of it prepared for the restaurant, I get to try it!

This part of northern Michigan is always about two weeks colder than anywhere else in the state, and that includes much of the UP...


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

I have never been a big fan of them, what did you think? My fav way is to grill them justr a lil olive oil on each side of a slice with a lil seasoning.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

No, I wasn't overly impressed. But I could eat it and survive...LOL Still not so sure about that when it comes to chantrelles...

Richard-I heard about chanterelles and trumpets for years, but never really knew what they looked like till last year, which was cold and really wet up here, resulting in one of the best summer shroom crops I've ever seen. This forum helped me a lot when I stumbled into a bunch of really unique looking shrooms while running the dog. I found them in an oak, beech, basswood forest with a fairly high canopy-mature trees. Lobsters and goldens, no black trumpets. I don't think it was the right habitat for the trumpets, but I don't know. I'm sure no expert. Got a couple of buddies started on them, too. 

We picked on and off for a month or more. My buddy and I sold most of ours, there's a big market in the gourmet restaurants up here. 

This summer, nothing...and I mean nothing...too hot and way, way too dry. The puffball was the first shroom I'd seen since the end of May and the last of the morels. 

Now, we're waiting for a few shaggies, maybe this weekend with the expected rain and cold nights. They cook up pretty well in soups and sauces if you get them when they're button size and still pretty tight.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I had the "shaggie shoots" one time, not my most favirote of experiences and probably my last big bowl of "shaggie soup" I'll ever have. Moderation is probably very good advise.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I picked one and left many others, it was dee-lish and the size of a volleyball.


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## DFJISH (Mar 30, 2009)

Richard Cranium said:


> LINDA...
> 
> Peel the leather type hide from it, slice into 1/4" - 3/8" slices and put it in an egg wash and lightly dredge with fry magic, then fry it up in some butter. The first time we tried to cook them, we didn't know any better and tried to just saute them in butter. Unfortunately they are like a sponge and by the time we were done it had absorbed well over a pound of butter and when we went to eat it, it was like biting into a stick of butter


I picked up one today about the size of a volleyball...firm and white. I have always fried them in butter and I know what you mean about them soaking it up. I had the skillet about red hot so they browned FAST. (I also set off the smoke detector!)  I'll try the egg wash/dredge in fry mix and see how it is. I have Drake's Fry mix. Will that work? I love puffballs. I also picked up a meal of what we always called "pink bottoms." I guess they arre really called "common or field mushorroms? Anyway, I know them when I see them and LOVE them. Thanks for the recipe on puffballs.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Found two more puffballs in the last couple of weeks, one was smaller than the first one but located fairly close by, the other was a HUGE, but completely misshapen thing growing along the side of the road about three miles from here. Left both to spore. 

With all the rain the last few days, the shaggy manes have popped everywhere up here...I like them in the smaller button stage, but once they start to "ink out", I leave them...

Plus there's been all kinds of other fungi for the last week or more, I have no idea what any of them are, but they've been everywhere, even the "fairy rings" you hear about.


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## Mushroom Jack (May 28, 2009)

Linda G. said:


> No, I wasn't overly impressed. But I could eat it and survive...LOL Still not so sure about that when it comes to chantrelles...
> 
> Richard-I heard about chanterelles and trumpets for years, but never really knew what they looked like till last year, which was cold and really wet up here, resulting in one of the best summer shroom crops I've ever seen. This forum helped me a lot when I stumbled into a bunch of really unique looking shrooms while running the dog. I found them in an oak, beech, basswood forest with a fairly high canopy-mature trees. Lobsters and goldens, no black trumpets. I don't think it was the right habitat for the trumpets, but I don't know. I'm sure no expert. Got a couple of buddies started on them, too.
> 
> ...


 
Try slicing them like Richard said and batter them in Drakes Krispy Fry Mix and deep fry. Then I either sprinkle them with cinnnamen, sugar and nutmeg, or smear peanut butter & jelly on them. Makes a pretty good desert. 

As far as Shaggy manes go, cut the hard buttons in half, batter with Drakes and fry to a golden brown or, make something like this::


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