Gem-Studded and Pear Shaped Puffballs

Pear shaped puffballs are common wild mushrooms every forager should know. Easy to identify with few caveats, they may not be as prized as other wild varieties, but the volume you can harvest quickly, as well as the mild flavor are good attributes. Today we'll go over what you need to know about them. As they're so similar and may grow together, I'm covering both Apioperdon pyriforme, and Lycoperdon perlatum in this post.

Background

Many mushroom hunters will have an experience with these fungi similar to mine: I disregarded small puffballs, assuming they just weren't worth the effort. Neither the flavor or texture ever impressed me much.

But, last week my friend Lorenzo Tavani and I stumbled on a nice five pound fruiting that was too good to pass up. After cooking through the lot, I learned plenty, the most notable thing being that I probably prefer them to other puffballs.

Unlike giant puffballs, which are in the genus Calvatia, both of these mushrooms used to be in the genus Lycoperdon. The brown pyriforme was recently moved into the newer genus Apioperdon.

Here's the two species, side by side. Personally, I find the light brown pyriforme a little easier to clean and cook, with a firmer texture compared to perlatum.

Both mushrooms enjoy the same habitat and can often be found in close proximity after a good fall rain, typically in deciduous or mixed forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin where I hunt. Other, similar puffballs can be found in coniferous woods, but these are the two most common I see.

Giant Autumn Form

Over the past few years I'd noticed something strange in the patch where I see the most A. pyriforme. After heavy fall rains I kept finding larger puffballs growing in the same places the smaller ones do.

Try as I might, In all of my books I couldn't find a species that fit the characteristics and specific size and shape (although pestle puffball came close). Then, after buying an old copy of the wild mushroom guide Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America by the Bessettes, based on a friend's recommendation I finally got some clarity.

Apparently, on occasion in the fall A. pyriforme can occasionally create a larger form. Just a fun thing to know if you come across some. I've encountered similarly large fruitings of L. perlatum in coniferous woods in Northern Minnesota when I hunt matsutake in Late September-October.

Identification

These are both wood-decomposing mushrooms typically found growing on stumps (hence the other name stump puffball) buried wood, or growing in soil rich in lignin, which can also mean a pile of wood chips.

Occasionally they can form dense colonies sometimes described as resembling a loaf of bread (a braided loaf of brioche of challah, to be specific). When mature, the interior becomes greenish brown and powdery, and a pore opens on the top of the mushroom to release spores, which plenty of children will be familiar with.

Both species are edible and can be used interchangeably in recipes. Here's the big differences between the two.

Pear Shaped Puffball / Wolf Fart Puffball (A. pyriforme)

Generally the smaller of the two, these mushrooms are covered with a thin, beige to light brown, smooth skin. Occasionally I see some with speckles on the skin that can resemble Scleroderma, or earth balls.

A notable characteristic is that when removed from the soil, the mushrooms will come up with a clump of white rhizomorphs attached that look like roots.

One thing I originally found confusing about A. pyriforme is the presence or absence of spines on the top of the mushroom. While they're typically described as smooth, and that can be true after a rain, they often have small particles on the cap that will rub off, which will trick some (including me) into thinking they're L. perlatum.

When I've picked the large fall type they've had more pronounced small spines that flake off, which further confused me until I read the passage in the Bessette's book.

Gem-Studded Puffball / Common Puffball (L. perlatum)

These are white mushrooms that can be ball to pear-shaped. L. perlatum is notably whiter, and typically a bit larger than A. pyriforme. It's also covered in tiny spines that will immediately break off when they're handled.

When cut vertically, in my experience, these can confusingly have more of a pear shape than the A. pyriforme, even though pear shaped isn't their common name. I also usually notice the "pore" on the top of the cap is much more visible during younger stages of growth, appearing like a grey dot or a fungal nipple.

Look Alikes

While I describe these as an easy mushroom to identify (and they are) there are a few species that could in theory be confused with them to go over, specifically earth balls (Scleroderma) and young Amanita buttons that haven't yet broken their universal veil.

There's also other puffball species that look very similar like the mushroom in the image below, which, if I had to guess, is something like Lycoperdon curtisii. Note the pronounced spines. Any true puffball will be edible.

Earth Balls / Scleroderma

Also known as the false puffball or pig skin puffball, these small mushrooms also grow on the ground in clusters and small groups and might confuse some at first. But, cut one open and you'll immediately notice a dark blue-black interior that becomes powdery with age, where puffballs should always be white when fresh or green / yellow when past prime.

Interestingly, I've read multiple reports of this species being sliced and dried when very fresh in Eastern Europe. The dried slices are added to soup as you would a bay leaf, discarding it before serving. After trying it a few times myself I found the flavor near unnoticeable and I can't recommend it personally.

Amanita Eggs

The only real dangerous mushroom to mention here are young Amanita eggs. While most mushroom hunters will be familiar with these, the possibility exists someone could confuse the two. As Amanitas can be lethally poisonous it's important to know the differences. They're often egg shaped, but not always, as you can see with the A. bisporigera buttons below.

Very young Amanitas can resemble puffballs, but in my experience are typically heavier and more dense. The real, unequivocal way to make sure you have a true puffball is simply to cut it in half. Puffballs will be pure white when fresh, turning to dingy green as they mature and prepare to release their spores.

As shown above, cut Amanita eggs will show a cross-section of an undeveloped mushroom inside, including gills which puffballs will never have.

Stinkhorn Eggs

While not poisonous, stinkhorn eggs could also fool some people. These are easy to separate from small puffballs as they have a gelatinous coating and may appear to erupt from the soil or be buried a few centimeters under the surface. They're also about as firm as a golf ball.

When cut in half they have a distinct cross section showing a mass of green spore material instead of the pure white of a true puffball.

Harvesting and Cleaning

Just like other puffballs only pure-white, pristine mushrooms should be cooked. Unlike giant puffballs (Calvatia species) small puffballs have a notably improved resistance to fungal gnat larvae which seem to quickly descend on their larger cousins.

The lack of fungal gnats means a greatly improved shelf life, and I held my small puffballs in the fridge for over 2 weeks without a loss in quality.

While I typically peel giant puffballs as it makes cleaning easier, small puffballs so small and numerous that peeling them individually just isn't feasible. The skin does trap air and cause the mushrooms to inflate when they're cooked.

Also, I left the mushrooms dirty in these images for educational and photographical purposes. Typically I recommend trimming the base in the field.

Compared to other mushrooms, small, skin-on puffballs resist absorbing water, and are now one of the very few mushrooms I will say it's ok to soak in water to clean them instead of simply swishing.

General Cooking

Like other puffballs, simply cooked in a pan and browned they have a soft, spongy texture similar to soft tofu. Browning and caramelization is absolutely key to getting a good flavor from them, but it takes some work to get to that point.

Like giant puffballs, the key to good flavor (and having others actually enjoy them) is concentrating their flavor by removing moisture. I really struggled with these until I started cooking them twice, here's what I came up with. It's the best way I've found so far to cook with small puffballs.

Par-Cooking Small Puffballs to Remove Moisture

First the puffballs are halved, tossed with oil, salt and herbs, then baked at 375F for 30 minutes. It's important to cut them in half so they don't inflate, which will increase the cooking time. After they're cooked they'll be slightly crisp, browned, and will have lost roughly 75% of their weight.

At this point the flavor is improved and they can be held for a week in the fridge to use as needed. Then, when you want to cook mushrooms to use in a recipe, the puffballs are cooked again, which browns them even more and concentrates them into chewy, rich mushroom nuggets.

Of course they can also be dehydrated (the aroma of them drying will offend most people) and the powder added to soups and sauces, ideally toasted. You can puree them too, but the flavor will be much better if they're roasted first to brown them.

A Few Small Puffball Recipes

After par-roasting I think you'll find the mushrooms work well in lots of recipes. Here's a few things I made this week, and a couple old favorites.

Puffball Pasta

The roasted mushrooms fit perfectly into a simple pasta sauce. You can use this recipe featuring puffballs, or better yet, one of my all-time favorites: angel hair with fresh tomato sauce, mushrooms and basil, pictured below.

Puffball and Potato Curry

You can sneak the nutty-tasting roasted mushrooms in all kinds of things. The first thing I made with them was a riff on butter chicken that worked very well.

To make it, cook 4 oz yellow sweet onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon minced ginger in some ghee, add ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ⅓ cup cashews, and one chopped serrano chili. Add one pureed and strained 32 oz can whole tomatoes, 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves and ¼ cup heavy cream. Puree the mixture and simmer with 1 cup roasted puffballs and 1 large peeled, cooked and diced russet potato.

Creamy Puffball Soup with Roasted Garlic

An absolute dead ringer for Campbells cream of mushroom soup anyone will like.

To make it, sweat 4 oz yellow sweet onion and 4 oz celery in 2 tablespoons butter until very soft, add 4 oz diced peeled russet potato, 1 squeezed bulb of roasted garlic, and 1 cup (1oz) par-roasted puffballs. Add 3 cups chicken stock, simmer until the potatoes are tender and puree with ⅓ cup heavy cream. Add 2 tablespoons minced roasted puffballs for texture.

Puffball Tacos

Another good way to use them is simmering in a chili sauce to make mushroom guisado.

After browning or par-baking, the mushrooms are tossed in a mixture of dried chilis pureed with spices and chicken stock and eaten with tortillas. You can use my recipe for mushroom chili as the chili sauce base.

Sweet and Sour Puffballs

Finally, one of the best ways I've eaten puffballs is a riff on sweet and sour chicken. Tossed in a crisp cornstarch coating no one will complain about the texture.

I used the large fall pyriforme above, baking oiled, ½ oz chunks until lightly browned, squeezing out the water, tossing with salt, dredging in cornstarch and deep frying them to finish. Finish in a pan with fried scallions, tossing in the sweet and sour highbush cranberry sauce I mention in this post.

And if you don't feel like par-cooking them, these also make good mushroom tempura. I like to add some vegetables like sliced kabocha squash for contrast.

I know some of you will have experience with these mushrooms, if you do, please leave a comment and share. I get a lot of messages about how helpful the comment section on this site is for people.

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