John Curran | Sep 30, 2020


Now that the leaves have begun dropping and the crisp of autumn is returning to Frontenac County there’s no denying the season has turned and with it comes a delectable treat from the forest floor.

Puffballs are mushrooms, but unlike so many others out there they are not poisonous, nor do they have any poisonous lookalikes. That makes them one of the easiest and safest sorts of fungus to harvest and enjoy in the fall.

Perth Road resident Lynne Hendry and her family got to do just that recently after her grandkids, Adelyn, 7, and Thomas, 6, went for a walk with her husband Jim. Walking around Deer Valley Lane, the kids decided to trek up to the top of a very steep hill.

“That’s where we found the puffball, on a high cliff while bushwhacking with our grandpa,” said Adelyn.

After climbing that big hill, the rest was easy.

“It was not hard to find,” said Thomas. “We just looked up and saw it, it was so big and white, it was easy to see.”

Coming down the hill carrying such a big treasure was not so easy, but the kids eventually made it down with their harvest intact, said Hendry.

The area has been quite fruitful as this isn’t the first puffball found there this season.

“Grandma found one a few days before, too,” said Adelyn.

Puffballs grow anywhere their spores land and unlike mushrooms such as chanterelles or hen of the woods, puffballs can move around from season to season as their not bonded to a particular tree. They generally encompass an area or puffball patch, rather than a specific GPS point.

For Hendry, puffballs are a connection to her past.

“Growing up we spent our summers on Buck Lake and I remember how excited we all were to find the first pure white prize, a sure sign that summer was ending,” she said. “Dad would slice it thin and fry it up in a big pan with bacon and eggs for breakfast.”

For the kids, it’s a lot simpler than that.

“We love puffballs because they taste good, are fun to find and they are the biggest mushrooms we have ever seen,” said Thomas.

This year’s harvest was too large to use all at once, so it has been sliced, pan fried, and frozen to enjoy throughout the fall and winter.

When harvesting puffballs there are a few things to keep in mind.

When you pick any puffball, no matter how big or small, flip it over and check the bottom. Cut away any part with dirt attached. Next check it for colour: if it is in any way yellow or greenish, discard it and look for another one because it’s too old. Also, if you see tunneling into the bottom it can mean worms, cut away the mushroom flesh to remove any sign of tunneling and the insects that made the holes.

Puffballs are somewhat like meat in that they are really just a giant hunk of protein. Like meat, if you leave puffballs on the counter after harvesting, they’re going to rot. It is imperative that you chill the puffball if you don’t plan to eat it right away. If it is too large for your fridge, cut it into hunks that will fit.

The Hendry’s have multiple vegetarians in their family and like to use puffball as a substitute for tofu. One of their favourite dishes at this time of year is puffball lasagna. It calls for fried puffball slices instead of pasta noodles.

Your imagination is really the only limit to how you can use puffball in your kitchen.

“We could make it into lasagna or quiche or lots of other things,” said Thomas.

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