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Puffballs are great mushrooms but they need to be ripe enough

Radek Štěpán 21. 10. 2025 1 views

If you had to name a type of mushroom that appears after every rain, what would you answer? Yes, the common puffball. Unlike the giant puffball, this small mushroom is often neglected. Giant puffball is collected by mushroom hunters for their taste. They are great breaded and fried. But you should not skip small puffballs because they taste great too. We shall tell you how to prepare common puffballs but first, we shall teach you how you can test the ripeness of a puffball.

Puffballs grow in meadows and in forests

You can find them everywhere. If you just walk through a garden or forest, especially after rain, you will find plenty tiny round mushrooms. You will find different shapes and colours and you can collect them from May or June until late autumn.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Puffball maturity test

Squeeze the puffball lightly with your fingers. If you cannot do that easily, you have found a puffball in perfect condition. If you squeeze it easily, you have found and old one. If you want to be sure, pull it out of the soil and cut it with a knife in half. If the inside is white, then you are ok and you may take it. If the inside is yellowish, it is probably old and you cannot use it. Leave it.
Old and matured puffballs only contain dried spore dust.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Peeling

You need to peel puffballs before use because the skin is a bit tough and you do not want it in your dish. Peeling is usually easy. Just break a piece and peel but you may get one that is hard to peel.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

There are many uses for puffballs

Puffballs are great canned. If you are pickling mushrooms in vinegar, mix few puffballs in and you will add an extra taste. We tried only puffballs without other mushrooms, but the result was not good. They are also great in scrambled eggs.