How to find puffball mushrooms

The habitat of the puffball that it almost becomes easier to ask where they are not found. Still, some places are better for looking for these gems than others.

Like most mushrooms, puffballs prefer soil that is rich in organic matter, and which has adequate dampness. This makes them a natural for forest floors, but they also grow in grassy plains and meadows.

Appearances can be deceiving, however. The ground may appear to be dry, yet it can be damp just under the surface. This means that they can be found in what looks like a dry pine forest. The simple fact is that in the forest, puffballs tend to grow in areas where morel and similar mushrooms grow.

At lower elevations, the species of puffball tend to be smaller in size. Giant puffballs seem to prefer higher altitudes, though they have been found at around 4,000 feet.

Puffballs are whitish to off-whie in color, occasionally even light brown. The fruiting bodies, or mushrooms that are collected, are roughly circular in shape and push up from leaf litter. It is sometimes necessary to move leaves and needles away from apparent mounds in order to see them.

Quite often, once they totally break through the litter and into the air, they are already too far gone for use, as spore production has begun in earnest. In fact, this is where the puffball gets its name.

When a puffball is ripe, it is a papery sack containing thousands or millions of spores. A slight touch or a drop of rain produces a fine cloud of the spores, looking rather like a puff of smoke. Since these are too far gone to collect and eat, the idea is to find the mushroom before it ripens.

Simply being observant of raised mounds of leaf litter, and carefully turning these over, will often lead to finds of puffballs. It isn't as easy to find puffballs that are firm enough to be eaten, but the mounds are usually signs to look for. It is so much the better if other mushrooms have been found in the area.

In Oregon, puffballs can be found in and around campsites, especially in primative areas. They are sometimes found from May until September, with the peak occurring before the middle of July, and because they come up quickly, it is worthwhile to keep a watch out for the mounds and other mushrooms growing near camp sites.

If the flesh is firm and white, taking care of it is simple. At the base is a root structure. Cut it off. Rinse the mushroom in clean water to remove bits of dirt and debris, just as you would with a button mushroom bought at the store.

Note that when you rinse the mushroom, it needs to be used soon, as this hastens decay. This is why the button mushrooms bought in the store still have dirt and such clinging to them. The growers know better than to rinse them prior to shipment.

Some people may be against pulling up the puffball and cutting off the roots, stating that it will kill the fungi. However, with the number of spores that every mature fruiting body produces, it is quite unlikely that it will actually cause problems for the mushroom. You aren't going to find them all, and the spores released by those you don't find will grow where ever the conditions are optimal. This is why puffballs often appear year after year, in the same areas.

Once harvested and rinsed, the firm puffball can be immersed in cold water if it isn't going to be used for a while, or it can be sliced and eaten, raw or cooked in a meal, immediately.