Puffball for Lunch

 When I was walking in the yard a few days ago I noticed a puffball mushroom recently up and made a mental note to check back. Yesterday, while mowing, I saw that it had grown quite large ... about four inches in diameter. I picked it and decided it would be today's lunch.

A slice of puffball mushroom for lunch

Here's how the puffball looked before I picked it ...

 I washed the mushroom with plain tap water, rubbing any dirt from the rubbery surface. And then I dried it and began slicing it. I made each slice about half an inch thick because they reduce when fried. The first slice (bottom right) I discarded. Puffballs are best when their insides are pure white, Once the spores turn yellow, they are unusable (in my opinion, anyway).

 I fried each slice individually because we have only a  small frying pan. It's just a simple matter to fry the slices in butter. Nothing else is needed beyond the addition of some salt and pepper when finished.

 As the slices fry they take on a creamy golden color. The insides stays soft and creamy, almost like brie cheese. I don't consider this mushroom to have much flavor so the butter is necessary (oil would not make them nearly so good).

 Mom and I ate about half the puffball. Lunch tomorrow is already planned.