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Project Noah Nature School
Calvatia gigantea
These were massive, larger than a basketball. They are very much edible and people look for them for that reason. The white one is the "ripe" one and the brown puffballs are over ripe.
Most commonly found in open areas. This one was found in an opening in the forest canopy.
If you want a size comparison, I wear a size 14 shoe. The largest brown puff ball had a walnut inside of it.
Spotted on Oct 4, 2013
Submitted on Oct 4, 2013
11 Comments
Wow - that's a monster.
I went ahead an added what the white one looked like on the inside. From what I can remember it was like some brittle foam. Once cooked I could only imagine the inside being very soggy and not very appetizing.
How interesting, Lucky. I wondered if the flesh of a puffball was firm enough to, say, slice and saute. One person who commented on the Facebook posting of your puffball said you could also cut a round plug out of the top, hollow them out, fill them with stew, replace the plug and then bake the whole lot. Sounds pretty ... but I think I'd be too hesitant to eat a mushroom I picked in the woods!
Hey Suzanne, I not a fan of eating fungus, but from what I can find, these can be mixed with egg which I would presume would make a pancake like batter. Slices of puffball can also be breaded and sautéed then covered in sauce. There's even a recipe for making crêpes. They can be dehydrated and make into powder which can be added to a variety of things. And some other dishes include Parmesan Puffballs, Chicken Baked with Puffballs, Puffballs with Scallops and Broccoli, and a few soups.
They can be put in a pan like a steak. I never ate one, but they are said to have not much taste. I know it as the forest workers schnitzel. Also you can make fire with it, when you dry it and use it as cinder with a flint stone or firesteel.
Fun Fact! Giant puffballs grow rapidly, reaching their full size in around two weeks. The largest reported specimen of this edible fungus attained a diameter of over 150 centimeters and would have weighed more than 100 kilograms when fresh! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...
How do people eat them, LuckyLogan, do you know?
Yea, they were a cool find, the white one felt like a balloon and the brown ones were like sponges.
Massive! First time I see them so big! :-)
Really cool!
These are biggest mushrooms I've ever seen.