Giant Puffball

Sep 16, 2010

by Lorraine Julien

Now that late summer is here, it’s a great time for walking in the Land O’ Lakes – there are no bugs and you never know what you might see. I’ve noticed this summer that there have been a lot of mushrooms of all types - perhaps it was the weather that, although very hot and sunny most of the time, was never really dry for a long period, as we seemed to get heavy rains on a regular basis.

A few days ago, while walking along a seldom used driveway near our home on Kashwakamak Lake, we suddenly spied a large, round snow-white object. It was the grand-daddy of mushrooms, a Giant Puffball! At first glance though, it almost looked like a human skull, bleached white by the sun (I guess we have been watching too many C.S.I. episodes!). I didn’t really want to pick it but I’m sure a car would eventually have run over it if it had been left. The discovery of the Puffball was exciting for me since I hadn’t seen one since I was a kid (a long time ago!).

Puffballs of various kinds are quite common all over the world and are usually found in damp leaf-strewn soil near the edges of forests, and in fields (even in some desert areas). Most often they pop up in late summer or early fall. The Giant Puffball’s very appropriate name is Calvatia Gigantea.

I used a sharp knife and cut into the Puffball and, since it was also snowy white inside, I knew that it was fresh and safe to eat. (If the Puffball had started to turn a light brown or greenish colour inside, it would not be edible and could cause digestive upset, to say the least). To prepare the Puffball for cooking, I just rinsed it off and removed some rough areas where it had been attached to the stem. If desired, you can peel off the skin but it is not necessary. I then sliced and cut the meaty part much as you would ordinary farm-grown mushrooms. You can sauté, broil or cook as you would any other mushroom but I decided to fry it in butter for a few minutes to a golden brown. Several friends and neighbours each got a taste of this delicacy. My friends and neighbours who tried the delicacy thought the taste and texture was similar to regular farm-grown mushrooms.

Though most Puffballs can grow up to 28 inches in diameter, this one was about 12 inches across. Apparently, some have reached diameters up to 59 inches across and weights of up to 44lb. If the Puffball had been left to mature, it would have decomposed, rotted and dispersed millions of spores. Considering the number of spores produced by the Puffball’s sponge-like mass, it is surprising that they are not everywhere underfoot. Unlike most other mushrooms though, all the spores of the Giant Puffball are created inside its globular body. Once they mature and turn brown, they are like large brown bags and if you happen to step on one, the spores fly out all over the place. Children sometimes like to jump on them but it should not be encouraged as the spores can be dangerous to inhale. It seems strange but I’ve read that in past years, the dry spores were used medicinally as a coagulant to help stop bleeding!

Even though many mushrooms are edible, unless you are an expert on fungi and mushrooms in general, you should never pick or eat any wild mushrooms without an expert opinion. I’ve eaten only Giant Puffballs (when they are white and not mature) and Morels, as their appearance is unique and both are fairly easy to identify. Even then, you must be very careful as there are poisonous Puffball look-alikes such as the button stage of the Amanita family, of which some are edible and others are poisonous.

A handy field guide is the “Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada” book by George Barron. It describes in detail the mushrooms that are edible and those that are poisonous. There are illustrations and descriptions of more than 600 species of fungi including Morels and the Giant Puffball.

Please feel free to report any observations to Lorraine Julien at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Steve Blight at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.