Looks like some species of Calvatia—a puffball mushroom. Most of them are edible when young and white throughout; I have actually eaten them before, and recall that they were pretty good sauteed. I would defer to those more experienced in mycology, though. In other words, don’t listen to me; I’m just some guy who ate a mushroom, and didn’t die! 
4 Likes
Yes. Sliced and sauteed in butter or bacon grease.
But, the interior should be solid white… if you’re starting to see change of yellow, brown, purple… they’re past their prime and flavor will be off.
3 Likes
Although I have passed on eating those that I saw this year, I hear the the puffball is “the tofu of the mushroom world.” That is, not much flavor, but it does reasonably well at picking up the flavors of other ingredients. Many people use it as pizza crust. Some make French toast out of it (reviews on this are ok to disgusting).
2 Likes
Thanks all for replied. I sauteed it in butter and salt pepper. The texture is very tender, not like like button mushroom had bite resistance, it does resemble tofu. But the flavor still has the savory taste. I peel the half skin off ,leave the half skin on. I like the skin on if I eat it next time
10 Likes
Yummy! 
@ZombieFruit If it’s any consolation, @IL847 has a much more tolerant and appreciative taste palate than most people. She like likes her pawpaws browning and gooey soft. I won’t even touch the stuff once it gets to that stage. >_<
You’ll never really know until you try something yourself though. For me, texturally and flavor wise, I’m not keen on puffballs.
1 Like
Tofu is exactly how I would have described it. I like tofu, but I don’t really need a tofu substitute.
1 Like
I prefer a good morel or chanterelle, but when Ma Nature gives you puffballs, you run with it. Mostly, they’re a carrier for butter &/or bacon grease!
5 Likes
That’s what inoculated mushroom logs are for. >_<
1 Like
FWIW, I found a nice batch of Shaggy Manes a couple days ago alongside the road near my house. I’m recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture, so my mushroom hunting is reduced to whatever I can see from the car. 
In addition, a friend brought me a nice bunch of Hen of the Woods, which pops up regularly under the oaks behind his house. Another friend send me pictures of what appear to be ~100 Honey Mushrooms growing in his yard. I didn’t see them in person and in any case I’m not yet 100% confident in my identification of that species. I’ve never eaten them.
1 Like
I’ve eaten them. They’re decent, but they’re a lot of work. They’re best if picked on the young side and you peel the slimy skin off the cap.
I’ve found that a little soy sauce towards the end of cooking helps bring out their innate flavor (as well as adding soy sauce flavor, of course). Once I figured that out, they went from “I guess you can eat this” to “I’d go out of my way to eat this” in my book.
1 Like
Shaggy Mane is the 1st wild mushroom I ever picked myself and then ate. In the process of confirming the ID, I found a source who called it one of the top 3 culinary mushrooms in the world. Given that endorsement, I figure it’s just up to me to bring out the best.
2 Likes
Shaggy mane is one I haven’t quite sorted out yet. The breaded recipes haven’t worked for me, and treating them more like sauteed mushrooms led to an unappetizing slurry. I should see if there are still some popping on the trails by my old office building. Them and blewits…
But, I agree with what you’re saying there. Great cooking comes from making good food from difficult ingredients. It doesn’t take a culinary genius to make a filet mignon taste good.
The last recipe I used had me heat them until the water was gone and the butter had started to brown. So no slurry. The taste was quite strong, and I thought maybe they’d be better diluted in rice or something.
had a huge flush of blewits last week near my chicken run but on the downhill side. all the manure washes down there when it rains so i figured not to take the chance. picked them for the chics and they loved them. lucky birds.
2 Likes
I think I mentioned it here, but it could have been a different thread. Use only young shaggies that the gills are still pinkish with no liquidessing. Rinse, split in half lengthwise, dip in seasoned egg wash, and then cracker crumbs. Sautee in some butter till browned on each side.
When I make shaggies, it’s pretty much a short-term thing. Meaning you need to be cooking them ASAP after picking. Any blackness = gross…ness
1 Like
I haven’t tried quite that exact preparation, but I’ve always picked young ones and cooked them within hours (at most) of picking. Just gotta keep trying, I guess.
Once the nights dip into the mid 20Fs is it game over for finding mushrooms? I looked 2 weekends ago but didn’t see much but the forest i looked in was awfully dry///we did get some rain since then//.but this next week looks cold.
So long as day temp is above freezing, you can have fruiting, but it really depends on what mushrooms you are referring to.
1 Like