Yes!!
Nothing like a good puffball. I found a group today while I was mowing the outside boundary, and picked two for a few delicious meals. I consider it my treat for having to mow a ridiculous amount of greenery on the property and a lot healthier than packets of Skittles.
Martin and his mother are squeamish and won't touch anything foraged, but I love getting a free meal. I dice them, fry them in a little oil or butter, add some herbs, sea salt, pepper and a couple of beaten egg and make a sort of mushroom scramble with a good dollop of tomato ketchup. They don't go slimy like normal mushrooms, they release a little liquid, but on the whole they stay really firm and meaty. A lot of people liken them to tofu. Here's a few interesting ideas for recipes.
While Martin and his mum had river cobbler tonight, I had the smallest of the two puffballs in an eggy-herby scramble with a big glass of red wine. Nice!
I also picked a big bowlful of Victoria plums and a few of the last Monach's, so I'll be making desserts in the coming days. I'm very partial to cooking up a few with port and cinnamon, but Martin and his mother are mad about crumbles (funny how they're not funny when it comes to foraged fruit in puddings)! And yes, I collected them in my cowboy hat - I was wearing it to keep the sun off my head while mowing and my shirt wasn't large enough for the collection job in the end.
Free food. My favourite.
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