Posted on 10/11/2022 5:04:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Puffball season is nearing its end, but some Quebecers will be eating their mushroom for days
Mélanie Greffard and her husband usually head out to a nearby forest or the Eastern Townships to forage for mushrooms. So the pair had quite the surprise when they stumbled upon a Calvatia gigantea — a giant puffball the size of two basketballs in their backyard near downtown Quebec City last week. It weighed in at nearly six kilograms.
"At first, it's almost kind of scary, like, 'What is this thing?'" Greffard said, laughing. "We were really impressed with how big it was."
Giant puffballs are large mushrooms, edible when fresh, that grow on grassy areas, often on lawns or fields. They typically appear in August and September, but puffballs the size of Greffard's are a rare find.
Greffard, who grew up in the countryside, credits her mother with getting her interested in mushroom-picking as a child. She said this discovery was pure luck.
"We're right in the heart of Quebec City … and nature is all around us. It's just right there, in our backyard," she said. "It's just really cool to see that."
Greffard found a puffball at the same spot last year, but it was in its "puffing stage," which is when the fungus begins to change colour inside and starts producing spores and is no longer edible.
So she was happy when she saw that this one was firm inside and "very nice and white," a sign it's still good to eat.
Greffard made two soups with the fungus, dehydrated parts of it and even gave some slices away to friends. But a week later, she still had some in her fridge.
The family finally ate the last pieces on Friday, fried in panko crumbs.
Greffard said she's not too sad it's finally gone, except for the mushroom soup still in her freezer.
"I'm getting a little bit of an overdose of mushrooms now," she said. "Our house smelled like mushrooms for 24 hours, I think, because we had to dry some in the oven."
'Huge' puffball found near Listowel Easy to identify Robert Rebselj was also able to enjoy the giant fungus this year.
The Quebec City resident, who has been picking mushrooms for about 20 years, is usually the one in his household who finds puffballs. But this year, his girlfriend struck mushroom-gold.
She found a giant puffball in a city park that weighed about 3.5 kilograms. Rebselj said it was the biggest puffball he's ever seen.
"I was pretty impressed and a bit jealous too, because I'm supposed to be the mushroom picker here," he said.
Picture of a giant, round mushroom cut in half on top of a washing mashine. Robert Rebselj's girlfriend found this giant puffball in a public park in Quebec City that weighed about 3.5 kilograms. (Submitted by Robert Rebselj) Rebselj made a soup with the fungi, using a recipe he found online.
"I pretty much just chopped it all off, and I took the biggest pot we had for boiling, like for a corn-boil size," he said, "and pretty much almost filled it up."
"We're going to be eating it for, like, the next month."
Rebselj said puffballs have a similar flavour to the white button mushrooms commonly found in grocery stores but with a slightly nuttier or woodier taste. He said their texture resembles soft tofu or marshmallows.
He said the giant fungi are a good mushroom for amateur pickers to look out for, because they are easy to identify and can't be confused with poisonous mushrooms.
And while he's keeping his best foraging spots a secret, Rebselj said the best place to find mushrooms is in mature forests.
But be warned, mushroom picking "gets addictive, and you want to learn about other ones," he said.
"It's a never-ending quest for knowledge as well because there are so many kinds and in so many different shapes."
Warning: While many wild mushrooms are edible, some are poisonous and can lead to severe illness or death. It is important to never consume a mushroom unless you are sure of what it is, and to consult an expert in case of any doubt. The Cercle des mycologues amateurs de Québec and the Cercle des mycologues de Montréal both offer identification services.
Goodness gracious, great balls of fungi . . .
Oh, Gus the Gardener’s gone now
And you went with him, too
The fungus here
Reminds me of
The fun Gus is having with you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt1i6oZXW2o
Been getting these in my lawn in ohio this year. Never had them before. About softball size, pretty firm and solid. Not about eating them though.
I had one in my yard last year that looked exactly like a human brain.
Mega Peep.
Looks like it should be dipped in chocolate.
Taste like everyday white mushrooms but a bit more woody. Sounds good to me. It would be cool to dry one whole and hang it in the kitchen if for nothing more than a conversation starter.
Great balls of umami, in other words...
Are you sure it was a mushroom? Did you eat it? LOL
It’s mad season
Butter, not chocolate! these are delicious. Growing up we used to eat these actually dipped in butter when we found them in the meadow.
They’ve got big balls! But we have the biggest balls of them all!
Additions:
4 kg fresh ramen noodles
1 kg tofu
5 heads Bok Chou, seared
1 kg spring onions, chopped
4 Ostrich eggs, soft boiled
Dried bird chilies, to taste
750 ml sesame oil, to finish
Instructions:
For broth, bring water to just under a simmer. Add kombu, puff ball, garlic, ginger, and chilis. Let steep for about 20-30 minutes.
Remove kombu, add bonito flakes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then strain broth.
Bring strained broth to a simmer and simmer until the broth is reduced to about half it’s original volume. Season with soy sauce and vinegar.
Sear tofu in a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil for about 5 minutes per side until it’s nicely seared. Also sear bok choy in the same skillet. Cut the baby bok choy in half, drizzle with oil and sear cut side down for five minutes over high heat.
Cook ramen according to package right before serving.
Immediately serve hot noodles with chopped seared tofu, bok choy, split ostrich eggs, and chopped scallions.
Ladle simmering broth over the whole bowl, then season with a pool of sesame oil on top, and eat immediately. Feel free to season with extra soy sauce.
Fungi ping
Oh, that comment was just a continuation from a recent topic about Peeps.
Literally, certainly butter.
I’m impressed. The biggest one I’ve ever found weighed in at 5 pounds. After trying a lot of different recipes, we decided the best was to slice them into about 1” thick slices, brush them with olive oil, and grill them, just as we would a big portobello.
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