Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden in spots. The safest of all UK mushrooms to identify, is also the best tasting in the Puffball family; the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantia. It has no look-a-likes when mature, and will provide a decent sized meal from just one mushroom.

While the pasta water is heating and the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the puffball cubes and ½ teaspoon salt. The pan will be very full, but the puffballs will shrink in size considerably. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the puffballs have released and evaporated their moisture and the cubes have turned golden in spots, about 10 minutes. Focus & Calm: Acts as a great fidget tool to help individuals concentrate and offer a sense of calm. The fungus starts white throughout but when mature the interior turns yellow to purple to brown and becomes many millions of spores called a gleba with a paper thin skin holding them together. The mushrooms are then light enough to be blown around, therefore spreading the spores. Only young puffballs are edible. If you find one that is soft, brownish, or full of spores inside then it’s too mature for you to eat.Since big puffballs can weigh 20 pounds or more, you might have trouble using them up completely before they go bad. You can put thin slices in a food dehydrator to make dried puffballs, like you can do with other types of mushrooms. Then you can re-hydrate them and add them to recipes as needed. Cover with a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese, if using.

To freeze, lay the uncooked cheese-coated puffball slices onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, not touching each other. Freeze them until solid, then store them in a sealed heavy-duty, zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Fry the slices directly from frozen, then add the tomato sauce and mozzarella and bake as directed. cup roasted, salted peanuts or cashews (don't omit these as they really provide a nice crunch in contrast to the soft puffball cubes) I like to poke the puffball with a knife to create an opening they can easily escape from, otherwise, you risk the puffball bursting in a random spot and going all over you. Giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) are the largest and most common type of puffball in most regions. They are found all over Europe and North America.In a third shallow bowl or rimmed plate, stir together the Parmesan cheese, cornmeal, garlic powder, and remaining½ teaspoon of pepper. Engaging Play: The unique texture and appearance make it a fascinating toy, ensuring hours of engagement. Cut the required amount of slices from the puffball, and peel or cut off the outer skin. Brush each side of the slice with olive oil. One of the prettiest of the Volvariella family is the delicate Silky Rosegill (Volvariella bombycina). Even one raindrop hitting the mushroom can cause the spores to shoot out of the fungi at a velocity of about 100 cm/second. This forms a centimetre tall cloud one-hundredth of a second after impact. A single puff like this can release over a million spores in the Common Puffball, the spores being typically 3.5 to 4 microns in size.