I was making my way to my treestand this evening and found a half dozen giant puffballs all around my tree. I climbed my tree and sat out the last couple hours of light. The deer were on their feet and I watched a couple small bucks chasing does all over the hill side. Fun action, but no big boys yet. On my way out I grabbed one of the medium sized puffballs (yes, some were bigger).
I knew puffballs were edible, but I mean, just look at it. Does it look edible? It took a bunch more research to convince myself to actually eat one. The key when eating a puffball is it HAS TO BE PURE WHITE. If it starts to turn yellow at all (entering the stage when it turns into that big dead "puffball" we have all intentionally stepped on in the woods) then it is past its prime and not edible. This one was pure white and in perfect condition, so I cut it into about 3/4" steaks and pan fried it in butter until golden brown on both sides.
The results??? Delicious!! It was like a little piece of fried dough. It was mild in flavor and just a fun little snack. I bet puffballs would actually be pretty good with a little maple syrup on them for breakfast too and be a nice paleo replacement for pancakes.
