Too Late!

In Maine, there is an abundance of mushrooms, some of which are edible. Some time ago I took a class hoping to learn which was which. Even with a bit of knowledge under my belt, I hesitate to eat any mushrooms other than those from the farmers market or grocery.

There is an exception. Several years ago a thing bigger than my head appeared overnight in the yard. Not having any idea what it was, I snapped a photo and put it on Facebook hoping someone could help. From numerous responses, it was identified as a puffball, a variety of mushroom safe to eat.

With that assurance, I took it inside and proceeded to cut into it. The chalky white slices were thick and dense.

Over the next few days the mushroom became the primary ingredient for everything from omelets to soup to stews, all of which were very tasty.

FB mushroom experts did provide one warning. If it isn’t white all the way through, don’t eat it. I am so grateful for that tip as this year’s puffball was the usual leathery white on the outside but was the color of coffee ice cream on the inside.

It was disappointing to see the color, but heeding the warning the puffball was trashed. Big mistake as it didn’t take long for it to have a wretched stench and disintegrate into a mushy mess. The hubby kindly cleaned it up as he held his nose and emitted a few expletives.

When the next one appears, I’ll get to it a little quicker as I don’t want to miss trying it in some new dishes.