Giant Puffball mushrooms information and pictures
The Giant Puffball is hard to miss!
Giant Puffball
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Lycoperdaceae
Genus: Calvatia
Species: C. gigantean
Binomial name: Calvatia gigantean
Puffballs are edible
When puffballs first appear the flesh is white and very firm (no gills and no stem) You can eat them as long as they are pure white and firm -- if there are brown bits and it is not firm then do not eat it.
The flavor is very bland so many mushroom lovers dismiss them, however because they are bland it can be used in many different dishes. You can give it any flavor you want. You can cut it into chunks, slices or strips and use it in anything from stir frys to casseroles.
If you cannot use all the puffball do not try to save it.
Be careful with the smaller varieties of puffballs making sure the flesh is firm with no stem and no gills.
Beware
In the button stage; field mushrooms, puffballs and Death Caps look very similar.
The pictures below are of the field mushroom (I think )-- You should never ever eat field mushrooms you find unless you are a seasoned expert because if you are wrong and mistake the death cap for a field mushroom it would be your last mistake. Even experts have been known to die when the death cap has gotten mixed into a bunch of field mushrooms.
Puffballs are quite unique. They are white and when they first appear the texture is dense and there is no stem or gills.
Field mushroom
Puffballs do not have gills as seen here
Puffballs do not have stems as seen here
