How Do You Test Puffball Mushrooms For Edibility?
I was sure I’d found puffballs (Calvatia and Lycoperdon) on yesterday’s hike. I followed my own rules for identification and edibility. Last night I matched features of the mushrooms with my field guides, notes and trusted sources. Finally, a couple of hours after dinner, I cooked and ate one small piece of what know is edible. This morning, I ate two more tiny pieces and if I continue to feel fine, lunch will be a sautéed mushroom omelet. Once again, I have “Wildman” Steve Brill to thank for personally encouraging me to apply my foraging skills to mushrooms – and for posting detailed information on his website. In the field, I gathered little mushrooms growing out of buried, decaying logs. They were soft and when I broke them open their inner flesh remained white. That was enough to put them in paper bags and take them home. Once I got them out again, I matched their qualities and shapes with my field guides and “Wildman’s” website. I knew the worst case scenario is that the poisonous
