Page 274 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods
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Stump Puffball, Lycoperdon

               pyriforme (LYCOPERDACEAE)











































        STUMP PUFFBALLS grow on decaying hardwoods              SPORES: 3-4.5 µm, globose, smooth, olive-brown
        and conifers, including logs, stumps, and mulch. If     EDIBLE PARTS: young fruiting body
        the wood is buried, these mushrooms can appear ter-
                                                                KEY MEDICINAL USES: This mushroom shows strong
        restrial. Widely distributed and common, they occur
                                                                antimicrobial activity. It has been applied externally to
        in scattered or dense groups from summer to early
                                                                wounds and sores.
        winter.
                                                                HOW  TO  EAT:  Puffballs  are  edible  when  they  are
        FRUITING BODY: Young puffballs begin nearly round,
                                                                young, firm, and completely white throughout. Before
        soon  developing an upside-down pear shape.  They
                                                                cooking, remove the tough outer skin and discard any
        are 0.6-1.8 inches (1.5-4.5cm) tall and often nearly as
                                                                specimens that show signs of yellowing.
        wide at the bulge. The dry exterior is whitish to tan
                                                                PUFFBALL SCRAMBLED EGGS: Ingredients: puffballs
        when young, and mostly smooth or with sparse tiny
                                                                (halved),  olive oil, 2 splashes sherry, salt, pepper, 1
        spines. In  age,  the skin  toughens, becoming brown,
                                                                splash soy sauce, 3 eggs, 1 splash of milk, grated Par-
        cracked, and granular. A hole emerges at the top of the
                                                                mesan. Sauté puffballs in oil. Once tender, reduce heat
        fruiting body, through which the mushroom releases
                                                                and add sherry, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Sweat for
        its spores.
                                                                5 min. Whisk 3 eggs with a splash of milk. Pour over
        STERILE BASE: The sterile base, which may be bare-
                                                                mushrooms, add Parmesan cheese, and scramble.
        ly developed or stem-like, is whitish and chambered.
                                                                WARNING: Inhaling spores can cause respiratory ill-
        Tiny, white root-like rhizomorphs extend from it and
                                                                ness, especially in immuno-compromised people.
        permeate the surrounding wood.
                                                                POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKE: Earth Ball, Scleroderma
        SPORE MASS: Beginning white, firm, and fleshy, the
                                                                citrinum - tough, warty skin; insides usually black or
        fruiting body’s interior turns yellowish and gritty as
                                                                purple-blue though occasionally white. Some deadly
        it ages, eventually becoming an olive-brown powder.
                                                                Amanitas grow from a whitish egg sack; if bisected, a
        This spore mass is released through a pore at the top
                                                                white mushroom is usually visible
        of the puffball.
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