Steve Lekwa: Giant puffball mushrooms thriving, despite hot and dry weather

The early morning news warned that summer-like heat was due by afternoon, but it was only 60 degrees when I left the house. Nearby Hertz Woods was a perfect place to take a sunrise walk before breakfast.

The planted prairie that surrounds the woodland offered a colorful mix of smooth blue asters, white heath asters, sawtooth sunflowers, stiff goldenrod and pale white gentian. A different, but equally beautiful, mix of flowers were blooming along several paths that loop into the woods off the main perimeter trail around the area.

Goldfinches were feeding on already spent woodland sunflowers. Heart-leafed asters offered dense clusters of little pale blue flowers, and both broad-leafed and arrow-leafed goldenrods were in bloom. White snakeroot added clusters of little round white flowers the size of pencil erasers.

The most noteworthy sighting of the day, however, wasn’t flowers. I’d never seen so many giant puffball mushrooms. Many species of mushrooms prefer cool, moist conditions, but puffballs have thrived in spite of hot, dry weather. There were several patches of 20 or 30 white fruiting bodies in an area no larger than a big room, and more were scattered around the woods. They’ll gradually turn from white to gray and brown before crumbling like fluffy pieces of old dry sponge. A bump or puff of wind on an old puffball releases clouds of microscopic spores that drift off to start new puffballs somewhere else.

There is no other mushroom in our area that can be mistaken for one of these giants of the mushroom world. The softball- to larger-than-football-sized fruiting bodies are amazingly light. The somewhat leathery skin and inner flesh of the mushroom are both pure white when the mushroom is fresh. The edible high protein flesh has a texture and appearance similar to tofu or eggplant and can be used in many of the same ways. It isn’t used if the flesh has begun to turn tan or brown.

Fresh puffballs can be baked, grilled, sautéed, fried or boiled. A long, sharp knife helps in slicing these monsters. The skin is removed before cooking. The mushroom has a mild, nutty and earthy flavor by itself but can take on almost any flavor depending on the seasonings and method of cooking.

I have enjoyed cubed puffball fried with scrambled eggs in omelet fashion. One Internet recipe showed it sliced like pieces of white sandwich bread, brushed with olive oil (or melted butter) and seasoned and grilled for a few minutes on each side like steak. Another showed small cubes of it breaded and fried to a golden brown. Yet others showed it used as a filler for meatloaf or an addition to soup. It can even be frozen or dried, but like most things, it’s best when fresh.

The internet was loaded with information on harvesting and cooking puffball mushrooms. A piece of puffball can gently be sliced off a large one, and the rest will keep growing. My wife would disagree, but all the recipes looked very tasty to me.

It’s always best to go a little easy when trying a new mushroom dish for the first time. It’s said that moderation is good in all things, and that can be particularly true for wild mushrooms. People can react very differently to various edible mushrooms. I used to love eating morel mushrooms but overate them a time or two and became sensitized to them. Even a tiny serving makes me quite sick now. Yet, I can eat button mushrooms like those found on pizza or shiitake mushrooms often used in Chinese cooking without worry.

I might have to eat alone, but I’m sure tempted to harvest some puffball while they’re fresh and try a new recipe.