Michael White ponders... THE GIANT PUFFBALL

If, whilst passing a field you notice a white sphere nestling amongst the grass, it may be worth investigating. Hopefully it will turn out to be a beautiful creamy puffball and if it doesn’t, at least you can console yourself with the game of footie.

The giant puffball calvatia gigantean is a gift to the novice fungal forager. Easy to spot, easy to identify and superb eating, it is definitely one to watch for. Ranging in size from a football upwards, it certainly lives up to its name. The European record was so large in fact, that it was initially mistaken for a slumbering sheep! As with all puffballs the giants must be eaten young when their flesh is pure white throughout, any indication of brown being a sign that they are past it. These majestic fungi can be found growing on un-ploughed grassland, particularly near sources of rotting organic matter as they thrive in nutrient rich environments.

When mature, giant puffballs produce quite literally billions of spores and in times past these ultra-fine particles were used as a coagulant to prevent bleeding. On the subject of spores I can’t resist imparting this rather gratuitous fact. If every spore from a single giant puffball grew successfully and every spore from its offspring also grew, the third generation would constitute a mass roughly 800 times the size of Earth! Don’t be alarmed though, a puffball apocalypse is unlikely, as very few spores ever grow.

Good young specimens are extremely tasty, their flavour being mild and mushroomy with a gratifying hint of earthiness, backed up with a firm texture even after cooking. The abundant white flesh can be used to replace domestic mushrooms in most recipes and traditionally the large balls were hollowed out, stuffed with seasoned meat and vegetables and baked slowly. The size and texture of this fungus also lends it well to frying in large slices and you could even try puffball steaks on the barbie. Mushrooms are, of course, an integral part of the full English breakfast and if you’re a fan of such things why not try this wild foods take on your morning fry-up?

Puffball Pileup

1 thick slice of giant puffball
beaten egg
oil
freshly cooked bacon
freshly grilled tomatoes
1 freshly fried egg

1.season the puffball slices and dip in beaten egg
2.fry on both sides until golden brown
3.place puffball on a warmed plate
4.arrange bacon and tomatoes on top and crown with a fried egg