I was taking a walk before lunch down past the pond to check on the ripeness of the wild apples just beyond it; on the slope of lawn not easily seen from the house was this large puffball. What a shock it was to find it there: how could I not have noticed? I immediately began to exclaim, very loudly: oh no! oh darn! and various stronger imprecations. I believed I had missed the edibility window of this 6 inch mushroom because of its tan color.
My frustrations were so loud that my cat Blinky (named after Blinky Palermo) came down from where he was lazing about to see what was going on.
Then I pulled off a piece of the mushroom and saw that it was pure white inside. Since puffballs are choice eating, I'll save it for tomorrow morning, when I'll be making breakfast for friends. Food from the garden is a treat; wild food is a wonder.
and if they puff like ours do they make a wonderful dye, so never wasted.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that puffball spores made a good dye; thanks for that information.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific find! Love the photo of Blinky with mushroom showing the size. Good eating! yes, wild food is indeed a wonder!
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