Puffball Mushrooms

Updated: Apr 2, 2023

vegan – gluten free

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Mushroom Harvest Disclaimer: Only consider eating mushrooms you can positively identify with absolute certainty. As a beginner, start with the mushrooms that are the easiest to identify and have the least amount of possible false positives. Always know what separates the edible mushroom you are foraging for from toxic mushrooms that share some similar characteristics. Always cook wild mushrooms thoroughly before eating. When consuming, eat very small amounts of mushrooms you haven't tried in the past, then wait 48 hours or longer to monitor for any possible adverse effects before eating more. All other aspects of the foraging disclaimer and recommendations apply to wild mushrooms foraging.

background and distribution

widely distributed, found on every continent

identification

"Taxonomically, the term "puffballs" is incoherent, since they are so diverse and come from many different families and genera (even different phyla!). Many belong in the gilled mushroom order (many in the Lycoperdaceae family) while others are more closely related to the boletes, a few are related to the stinkhorns." (https://www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html)
puffball mushrooms come in a variety of sizes and can be as large as a basketball
often white and round
often attached to the ground with little or no stem
must be all white on the inside, discard if yellow or powdery
internal consistency should be uniform
"surfaces may be smooth, covered with small or large warts, or ornamented with spikes." (https://www.mssf.org/cookbook/puffballs.html)
"When sliced open, puffballs contain only flesh—or, if they have matured, spore dust. This separates them from buttons of some gilled mushrooms that have universal veils and can appear like puffballs, since those mushrooms display the future mushroom in cross-section." (https://www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html)
"While most puffballs are not poisonous, some often look similar to young agarics, and especially the deadly Amanitas, such as the death cap or destroying angel mushrooms. Young puffballs in the edible stage, before maturation of the gleba, have undifferentiated white flesh within; whereas the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined. These can be very toxic." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball)