Puffballs are just plain fun! They are fun to forage for (cute little white balls scattered around the forest), fun to cook with (they are just adorable to look at!) and fun to eat with their marshmallow-like texture. The pear-shaped puffballs are one of the smallest and cutest of the edible puffballs, along with the gem-studded puffballs. The slightly bigger vase-shaped puffballs (size of a fist) and the potentially huge giant puffballs (the size of pumpkins!) are much larger and firmer. These little guys, however, are tiny and you will need to find a substantial amount of them to make a meal. Luckily enough they do grow in clusters so if you spot one, look around and chances are you will find a few more. They tend to grow on decaying wood like rotting logs or stumps, or on the ground in leaf litter or wood chips. They are only good to eat when they are young and pure white on the inside, once they start showing any discolouration just leave them in the forest. Once you start picking them you’ll quickly get familiar with them and be able to spot from a distance, just by the colour of the outside, if they are still edible. If you’re not sure, a light squeeze will confirm edibility for you. You want them nice and firm to the touch.

As they age their insides disintegrate into powder and they lose all their firmness. They do this to help in the dispersal of their spores. A small hole appears on top of the cap out of which the mushrooms will spray the spores in a dust-like cloud. If you find older specimens give them a little squeeze and you will see their clever spore dispersal in action.

We first discovered and tried these little puffballs in the summer of 2020 and now that we have become aware of them we see them everywhere, especially after a good rain. They have a nice long growing season, from July to November so plenty of months to enjoy these delicious little morsels.

They don’t keep well so try and eat them within a day or two of picking them. To prepare them, you want to first clean them and make sure you remove any dirt. Then slice them in half, lengthways. This way you’ll be able to check the colour inside and make sure they are white, chuck them if they’re in any way discoloured inside. Sometimes you will find worms living inside of them so halving them lets you check for any unwanted inhabitants as well.

The easiest way to prepare these little delights is to simply sauté them up with some butter and garlic, add some salt and pepper to taste and cook until they are browned on the outside. The marshmellowy texture is not for everyone, it takes a bit of getting used to, but if you like them they make for a delicious little snack or part of a larger meal.