Giant Puffball
Calvatia gigantea · Agaricaceae
An unmistakable white football in a field. Excellent eating while the flesh is pure white throughout.
Edible. ALWAYS slice a puffball in half from top to bottom before eating. Pure even white flesh only. Any yellowing means discard.
Read the full foraging safety guidance.
Season
July to October
Where it grows
- Grassland
- Pasture
- Hedgerows
- Nettle patches
Identification
- Cap
- 10-80cm, a white leathery ball with no stem, yellowing and splitting as it ages.
- Gills / pores
- None.
- Stem
- None.
- Flesh
- Pure white and marshmallow-firm when good; yellow, olive or powdery when past it.
- Spore print
- Olive brown when mature.
- Smell & taste
- Pleasant when fresh.
Lookalikes
Young Amanitas in the egg stage are also white balls but, when sliced top to bottom, show the outline of a tiny mushroom inside.
In the kitchen
Slice thickly, egg and breadcrumb, fry like a schnitzel.
Recipes using Giant Puffball
Also edible
Penny Bun
Boletus edulis
The most sought-after wild mushroom in Britain: nutty, firm and richly scented, with a pale bun-like cap and a fat netted stem.
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
Egg-yolk yellow, trumpet-shaped and smelling faintly of apricots. One of the safest and finest edibles once learned.
Field Mushroom
Agaricus campestris
The classic mushroom of unimproved pasture: white cap, pink gills darkening to brown, and a clean mushroomy smell.