There are plenty of fun names to go around for Lycoperdon Perlatum. For the purpose of this article, we’ll refer to it as the Common Puffball. However, you might also hear it called the Gem-Studded Puffball, Warted Puffball, or even the Devil’s Snuff-Box. This puffball fungus falls into the Agaricaceae family.

As its name suggests, the Common Puffball is the easiest type of puffball to find around North America. This type of mushroom has spines coming out of it. They are firm and cone-shaped.  As a whole, these mushrooms are pear-shaped and are usually around the size of a golf ball.

Common Puffballs like to grow in fields, alongside roads or trails, and in grassy clearings in the woods. Make sure to collect only the young ones because they become less edible once they mature. With age, Common Puffballs can develop a greenish or yellowish color on the inside that is not good for eating. The interior of a Common Puffball also becomes powdery with age. Meanwhile, the young ones have white and firm flesh.

There is a way to tell if a Common Puffball is mature or not without having to cut into it. A mature Common Puffball eventually develops an opening in its top so that it can release its spores. You’ll want to steer clear of Common Puffballs that are at this stage because their flesh has likely already become darker and powdery.

Before you begin cooking Common Puffballs, make sure to slice off the bottom end and check for signs of bug damage. Again, check to make sure that the flesh of the mushroom is white and firm. Once the mushrooms have been cleaned and inspected, you’re ready to start cooking. Check out the recipe below to find out how to cook up some delicious fried Common Puffball mushrooms. 

Fried Common Puffball Mushrooms

Ingredients:

•           Common Puffball mushrooms

•           Salt

•           Ground black pepper

•           Grapeseed oil

•           All purpose flour

•           Panko breadcrumbs

•           Eggs

•           Arugula

•           Lemon wedge

•           Olive oil

Directions

1.        Preheat oven to 225

2.        Add a few pinches of salt to the flour

3.        Cut the Common Puffball mushrooms into roughly 1/2 inch slices.

4.        Spread the mushroom slices in the flour to coat them. Next, dip them into the beaten eggs and then into the panko breadcrumbs.

5.        Heat around a 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil in a pan and add the coated mushroom slices once the oil starts sizzling. Cook each side until they are golden brown.

6.        Place the browned Common Puffball slices onto a cookie sheet and place them into the preheated oven so that they remain warm while you finish up frying the rest.

7.        Once all the mushrooms have been fried, dress them with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and arugula to taste.

This fun and tasty recipe is a great way to enjoy the fruits of your labor after you’ve gone out and taken the time to forage for mushrooms right here in Northern California. You can serve these fried Common Puffballs with your favorite dipping sauce.

Want to find your own? We have mushroom foraging classes all season in Marin, Sonoma, and the Santa Cruz Mountains.