Emma Wilson
Puffball mushrooms are a group of mushrooms that includes several different species. They are easily identifiable by their spherical shape and their lack of gills, caps, or stems. Young puffballs are edible and have a solid white interior. When preparing puffballs for cooking, it is important to inspect the root base for larvae and cut out any infested portions. To store puffballs, they must be chilled as soon as possible, although their large size can make this challenging. They can be dehydrated or pureed to save space. If you are looking to get rid of puffball mushrooms in your yard, you can mow them, remove decaying organic matter, adjust your watering habits, aerate your lawn, or apply a fungicide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Round and white with no visible gills and spongy flesh |
| Habitat | Anywhere their spores have landed, including fields, woods, trails, and lawns |
| Edibility | All true puffballs are edible if picked young enough, but some false puffballs are toxic |
| Identification | True puffballs will be solid white inside with no gills; false puffballs may have a stalk and are inedible |
| Storage | Inspect the root base for larvae and cut out any infested portions; chill as soon as possible |
| Removal | Break off or mow; remove decaying organic matter; adjust watering habits; aerate the lawn; use fungicide |
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What You'll Learn
Identification: Puffballs are spherical, white, and lack gills
Puffball mushrooms are distinctive because they are spherical and lack gills. They are usually pure white, like a marshmallow, and can be quite large, sticking out against the green grass they grow in. They are often shaped like pears, eggs, or soccer balls.
Puffballs are easy to confuse with other poisonous mushrooms, such as the common earthball (Scleroderma citrinum) and the young destroying angel (Amanita virosa). To ensure that you have found a puffball, cut the mushroom in half from the top of the cap to the bottom. The inside should be solid and pure white, with no patterning, marks, or colours. If there are any gills present, it is not a puffball mushroom.
The giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) is the easiest to identify. It can grow to an immense size, with a recorded specimen weighing over 23 kg (51 lb) found in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The giant puffball is commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests in late summer and autumn.
It is important to remember that not all puffballs are edible, and they must be identified correctly. Only young puffballs are safe to eat, and even then, they must be pure white inside. If you find one that is soft, brown, or full of spores, it is too mature for consumption.
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Edibility: Only young puffballs are edible
Puffball mushrooms are a group of mushrooms that includes several different species. They are solid spheres of fungus without any gills, caps, or stems. Young puffballs are solid balls of spongy tissue and are relatively easy to spot in nature, as they can be quite large, round, and white.
Only young puffballs are edible. If you find one that is soft, brownish, or full of spores inside, then it's too mature for you to eat. The inside of edible puffball mushrooms should be solid and perfectly white, like a marshmallow, or fresh mozzarella balls. When puffballs start to mature, the gleba in the center may start to turn yellow or green. This isn't necessarily a sign that the puffball is toxic, but it may be a week or two too late to eat it.
To identify an edible puffball mushroom, cut the mushroom in half from the top of the cap to the bottom. The inside should be perfectly white with no markings, especially no gills. If it's at all yellow or greenish, it's too old, and you should look for another one.
It's important to correctly identify puffball mushrooms before eating them, as there are several species of poisonous Amanita mushrooms that can look similar to puffballs during their early growth stages. For example, the warted puffball mushroom (Lycoperdon pyriforme) is only edible when young, before the caps become brown.
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Bug damage: Cut away infested portions
If you've found bugs on your puffball mushrooms, don't panic—they can be saved! Firstly, inspect the mushroom for colour. If it's yellow or greenish, it's too old, and you should discard it. If it's perfectly white, it's still good to eat, and you can cut away the bug-infested portions.
Puffball mushrooms are particularly susceptible to bug damage because they grow anywhere their spores land. They're not bonded to a particular tree, so they can move around. This makes them more accessible to insects.
To check for bug damage, slice across the base of the stem. Small, circular holes in the cross-section indicate bug infestation. In most cases, eggs are laid in the base of the stem, and the larvae travel upwards, so you can trim the stem until you no longer see any holes. If the bug damage is extensive, but you still want to salvage your mushrooms, you can try placing them in a plastic bag, sucking out the air, and putting the bag in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. The change in air pressure will draw out the larvae, and they'll cling to the sides of the bag.
Remember, bug damage and well-aged mushrooms often go hand in hand, so ensure your puffball is still edible besides the bug damage. If you're unsure, it's best to discard it.
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Storage: Chill or dehydrate puffballs
Puffball mushrooms are spherical mushrooms that don't have a cap or gills. They are very hard to grow commercially and are rarely found in shops, so you will most likely need to go foraging for them. Like all other types of mushrooms, puffballs don't last long before they start to go bad and smell. After all, they're basically big balls of protein, so they spoil quickly, just like meat.
To extend the life of your puffballs, you need to chill them as soon as possible. If you get them in the fridge right away, they should have a great shelf life. Puffballs will stay fresh the longest if they're kept whole. However, large puffballs may not fit in your fridge in one piece, so you'll probably need to slice them into segments.
When storing mushrooms, it's important to avoid common mistakes that can reduce their longevity. Mushrooms are very perishable and need to be stored in the right conditions. They should be stored at between 40-45 °F (4-7 °C). Your refrigerator is typically the best place to keep them this cool. If you have a root cellar, you may be able to store your mushrooms there, provided the temperature is appropriate.
Mushrooms are composed primarily of water and need to be exposed to air to last longer. Avoid storing mushrooms in an airtight container, as this is a recipe for spoiling and rot. They need to breathe. Leaving them uncovered in the fridge exposes them to too much air, which dries them out. Always wrap them to keep them hydrated and firm. Plastic bags trap moisture, turning mushrooms into a soggy mess. Paper bags can also cause mushrooms to dry out and become shrivelled. Beeswax wraps, on the other hand, let mushrooms breathe while keeping them protected. When wrapped in beeswax wraps and stored in the fridge, mushrooms can stay fresh for up to 10 days.
Another option for preserving puffballs is to dehydrate them. Dehydrating mushrooms will change their texture and they won't be as good as fresh, but they will still be safe to eat.
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Removal: Mow, aerate, or use fungicide to remove puffballs from lawns
Puffballs are members of the Basidiomycota sub-kingdom, and some varieties are safe to eat. While they aren't considered a pest, you may want to remove them from your lawn due to concerns about poisonous species, or simply because you don't like their appearance or smell.
Puffballs can be removed by mowing or breaking them off, but they will usually reappear until their food source is used up. To prevent regrowth, it is best to remove the organic food source from the soil. Mushrooms thrive in conditions of organic-rich, fertile soil, and increase in rainy and cool weather. Therefore, to prevent and minimise their growth, you should:
- Avoid overwatering your lawn to prevent waterlogged soil.
- Use inorganic mulches, such as rocks, gravel, or rubber pieces. Avoid organic mulches, such as bark mulch and wood chips, as these encourage mushroom growth.
- Remove dead leaves, stumps, and roots in the fall to starve the fungi.
To remove puffballs more quickly, you can aerate your lawn by scarifying it with a vertical mower or dethatching the grass with a power rake. Alternatively, you can use a fungicide. There are fungicidal sprayers that can be hooked up to a garden hose, or fungicidal powders that can be mixed with water or sprinkled on the lawn and then watered. However, it is important to carefully follow the directions for amounts and mixing ratios to avoid damaging your lawn.
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