But beware, as some species of Earthball can remain white in the middle; though they are still much firmer to the touch and without the spongy effect inside. The skin will still be tough and warty. Grill the slices on the barbecue or cook them in a grill pan until they are nicely browned and you have good char marks on each side. (On our barbecue it takes about 10 minutes per side on medium heat, lid open, rotating the slices on a diagonal halfway through on each side to get a grill mark grid.)

If you don’t want to eat the skin, it peels off pretty easily. You can either use your fingers or a sharp knife to remove it. Inside, the mushroom should be pure white with a spongy flesh and nothing else. Young fresh edible Puffballs have white spongy flesh all the way through the mushroom. See the Common Puffball sliced through below right. To extend the life of your puffballs, you need to chill them as soon as possible. If you get them in the fridge right away, they should have a great shelf life. Good times to go looking for puffballs is in the late summer or early fall. Depending on where you live, they should be out from August until October. 3. Harvesting PuffballsThey range in size from the 1-inch-long dwarf or pygmy puffer to the freshwater giant puffer, which can grow to more than 2 feet in length. They are scaleless fish and usually have rough to spiky skin. All have four teeth that are fused together into a beak-like form. Diet cups (720ml) pasta sauce (tomato-based or cream-based) - a 650ml (22oz jar) +¼ cup (60ml) of the pasta cooking water works fine, too Add a pinch of salt to the water to help keep any bacteria at bay, and a teaspoon of molasses to give a source of food to the spores, and stir thoroughly. You can put thin slices in a food dehydrator to make dried puffballs, like you can do with other types of mushrooms. Then you can re-hydrate them and add them to recipes as needed.

Stress Relief: For those with fidgety fingers or anxiety, these balls act as a calming tool, offering a soothing tactile experience that can help focus and de-stress the mind. A couple weeks ago my friend Alex called me up saying, Hey, wanna go mushroom hunting? There are tons of honey mushrooms out in our forest! alex looking for mushrooms at the path's edgeyour favourite dipping sauce - or try one of these easy sauces: marinara sauce, currywurst sauce, honey mustard sauce, smoky chipotle sauce, easy curry ketchup, spicy orange mayonnaise One last way to cook with puffballs is to use them as a substitute for tofu. Since they absorb the taste of other stuff you cook them with, this is a good option. Not all are as easy to identify as the giants though; other family members range in size from less than a marble, to bigger than a beach ball. There are roughly 18 members of the true Puffball family in the UK. Identification Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the puffballs and sprinkle with the parsley. Toss and add more salt to taste, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6. * * * * * Light crispy parmesan puffball fries with a soft fluffy interior are just perfect for dipping into your favourite sauce. They're low fat, if baked, and full of flavour. These fries make a great appetizer, and can also be coated, then frozen, for convenient use on busy days. 5. Puffball Fries Modern medicine confirms that compounds in some species of puffball mushrooms have a hemostatic effect and are particularly effective at slowing and stopping nasal and oral bleeding. Durable & Safe: Crafted to be robust and long-lasting, these puffer balls are made with non-toxic materials, ensuring they're safe for all ages. The safest of all UK mushrooms to identify, is also the best tasting in the Puffball family; the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantia. It has no look-a-likes when mature, and will provide a decent sized meal from just one mushroom.To freeze, lay the uncooked cheese-coated puffball slices onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, not touching each other. Freeze them until solid, then store them in a sealed heavy-duty, zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Fry the slices directly from frozen, then add the tomato sauce and mozzarella and bake as directed.