Giant Puffball Mushroom - with update of more pics
Really giant puffball mushroom found at my friends farm. This was the largest at the time but since there have been ones 2 to 3 times this size grow. It weighed over 3 lbs and was solid white all the way through with no bug holes or rot anywhere.
These puffballs are edible and can be cut into "steaks", but I found the mushroom flavor to be FAR too strong and off putting. I dried a bunch on my food dehydrator which made the mushroom smell even stronger and left a lingering smell in the dehydrator for quite a long time. The house smelled like a crowded locker room for a few days till it aired out well enough.
Oh, and that is one of the best beers ever!!!! In Ellensburg, WA Iron Horse Brewery's Mocha Death and Irish Death are outstanding beers!
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UPDATED - MORE PICS
This is the dried mushroom in the bag. You can see the thickness of the pieces really well. I cut the mushroom into steaks about 1/2 inch thick and they dried to 1/4 to 3/8 inch.
The pieces are a bit brittle now so break easily but you can see the lines from the dehydrator tray still in the surface of the mushroom. I have desiccant packs in to help keep them from re-hydrating.
Nice! I haven't had the chance to try this kind of mushroom yet.
Yum! Great find!
I love puffballs! I always though thet were almost tastless making them like tofu, I can use anywhere. I LOVE mock eggplant parm with puffs!
Holy crappers! That's insane! I've never seen a mushroom that big in my life.
That's some good mushroom #foraging! I like those giant puffballs sliced into 1-inch thick steaks, then dredged in egg and then flour seasoned with whatever spices you like. Then I cook it slow in a cast iron skillet until one side is crisp, and then do the same for the other side. They are really good that way!
As long as they look like an all-white marshmallow, with no color from starting to turn into spores. Did you chop yours up to put them in the dehydrator? It would be neat to cut them into biscuits and dry those -- they would be useful in a casserole! Enjoy your puffballs!
Just updated post with pics of dried.
That's really neat. I'll have to try dehydrating them sometime. Let us all know when you use them, too! That would be a great #foraging post! Did you put any seasonings on them before putting them in the dehydrator?
I did not. They went on plain. Being unsure what to do with so much mushroom I figured this was the easiest method for long term storage. It would be interesting to try like potato chips with all the flavors, adding them before dehydrating. Or maybe a brine?
Thanks for the extra details! With dehydrating them, like you've done, Giant puffballs have so much potential! You will be the Puffball Master!
I bet you were smiling when you saw those! Giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) are one of the unmistakable edible mushrooms when they are that size! It's nice that you mentioned the inside was a solid white. As long as the interior still is completely white, like a marshmallow, that is a real score! :D
Very big smile! The patch is getting larger each year and the puffballs keep getting bigger. My friend has seen them up to about 2 ft diameter, depending on the weather or just yearly variation.
That's a lot of good eating!
Wow! Cool! Upvote & resteem!
DANG! That puppy is huge. I don't think I've ever found one that size, although I've found several the size of the smaller on in your other hand. I like them, but you are right that they can be very "mushroomy" I find they are great to use in sauce or stirfry the same way you'd use the white button mushrooms from the grocery store.
However there are several smaller varieties of puffball mushroom that are quite good with just a little butter and salt.
We tend to use small, ie. 1 to 2 inch sized, like buttons the most. I think of the giants puffballs like I do zucchini, better smaller for flavor or else you have this monster that you don't know what to do with.