What a year its been for the Giant puffball mushroom - they are popping up all over the place! Got one today and cooked up a nice omelet for lunch with bacon and oyster mushrooms. What's your favorite way to prepare puffballs?
Look for giant puffballs on the ground in well-fertilized fields or pastures where the underlying fungus has plenty of underground manure to decompose.
The large puffballs have no poisonous look-alikes, so they're a good mushroom for beginners.
This mushroom is a choice edible. Trim away the cuticle (covering) if it's encrusted with dirt, and cut out any bad parts with a paring knife. Try not to wash this mushroom under water, or it will become too soggy to sauté.
Slice the puffball, sauté it, steam it, or simmer it in soups, like other mushrooms. It's also great baked or grilled. It has a rich, earthy flavor with a texture of marshmallows.
(Information sourced from "Wild Man" Steve Brill, naturalist.)
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