Tis the season for puffball mushrooms. So many of you have posted pictures of the giant white mushroom balls growing in your yards.
Puffball spores travel with the wind and once they land, can grow anywhere from gardens to woods to lawns.
We asked the Minnesota Mycological Society and the reason for this year’s bumper crop of puffballs is all about timing.
Giant puffballs have a pretty short window for growing. Late August is the peak time and the growing conditions at that time have to be right, or you won’t see many puffballs.
But if you remember, August was a wet month with plenty of rain. It was timed just right for a prime puffball season.
Puffballs don’t have any poisonous lookalikes and they are edible!
When you pick the mushroom, make sure it’s completely white. Any green or yellow means it’s too old. When you slice it, the inside should be white and firm, without any tunneling.
John Lamprecht with the Minnesota Mycological Society suggests slicing them thin and using those slices to replace the eggplant in eggplant parmesan.
Check out more information and some great recipes from Forager Chef here!