hyzenthlay Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Talk about a coincidence. The day after I decide to get serious about learning at least a few types of mushrooms, I notice these things in my neighbor's yard. Never seen anything like them around here before and poking around online hasn't turned anything up yet. They're spongy on the inside and have a very strong...uh...mushroomy smell. Some other mushrooms were growing right next to them which I'm pretty sure were poisonous (white cap and gill + ring, even if I didn't notice the cup that's supposed to be the big red flag for amanitas) It wasn't a very thorough inspection though because my neighbors already think I'm weird enough as it is and I wanted to hurry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 The mushroom in the photo is a Skull-shaped Puffball. There are two species... http://mushroomexpert.com/calvatia_craniiformis.html http://mushroomexpert.com/calvatia_cyathiformis.html One type will turn purple inside, and the other type turns green. Either type is edible, and good, when the inside is white with a consistent texture of cream cheese. Once the inside begins to turn darker... even a little bit darker... this type should not be eaten. These puffballs are good simply sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices ans fried in butter. But a really good thing to make with this type is Puffball Parmesan. Use beaten egg and breadcrumbs to coat the slices, fry in olive oil, stack the pieces with mozzarella in between. Spoon on some spaghetti sauce and bake for about 30 minutes. The other mushrooms mentioned do sound like Amanitas. But it's impossible to determine the ID without more information. However, it should be pointed out that some poisonous Amanita types first sprout as white egg-shaped globes that resemble edible puffballs. For this reason, any puffball that one plans to eat should be sliced vertically down the middle. If there is an outline of a mushroom inside, then DO NOT EAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyzenthlay Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Awesome, thanks. Some variety of puffball was the first thing I thought of but most of the pictures I saw were white...finally found some just like it once I had the name. I tried a little slice with some olive oil and salt and pepper and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten, I'm not exaggerating at all. Going to force myself to wait awhile before frying up the rest just in case but this is taking some willpower. There were quite a few, I hope they keep okay in the fridge a couple days. e: thanks for the tip on identifying the imposters as well, I'm going to be combing the countryside for these babies after every rain from now on so I needed to know what to watch out for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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