Ranger discovers 24 pound giant puffball that can feed over a dozen people
A ranger was cruising through the countryside when she made a discovery that stunned her and her coworkers. She found a fungus that weighed a little under two stone and it was big enough to feed her 15 coworkers.
Some people refer to puffballs as “breakfast mushrooms” because they blend so well with eggs. But they also serve beautifully as side dishes with dinner entrees. A thick slab of puffball develops a lovely golden color when browned in butter. They are often cut into cubes for cooking writes www.mssf.org
It weighed a total of 24 pounds and measured out to be just shy of 60 inches in diameter. It was so large that she needed the help of one of her colleagues to get it back to the office. They carried the monstrous discovery in a jacket and made their way back.
After the puffball was placed in the Falkirk Council office, pictures were taken to document and prove its existence. The finder was shocked: it’s the first time she had ever encountered any fungi of that size before. The first time she picked it up, it was just a giant, awkwardly shaped ball and she couldn’t even get it to the car.
She needed a hand to get it back to show the crew, and it caused quite a scene. After it had made its way through the office, the team cut up the mushroom for 15 people to take home. After it was cut up, it was discovered to have a very marshmallow like texture.
They served it in bread and fried it the same night. The giant mushroom sparked a discussion of the different ways to cook up and use the mushroom, and provided a lot of fun recipes for the team to share and use for meal preparations. Some people put the mushrooms into a massive stir fry while others topped the mushrooms with Parmesan. Some people even dipped it into an egg or enjoyed it with butter.
It‘s common for puffball mushrooms to come to fruition during the late summer months and throughout autumn. They commonly grow to the size of a football, but there have been sightings of giant puffballs measuring up to 44 pounds.
The largest one that has ever been measured grew up to 64 inches in diameter. The puffball mushrooms are known throughout history as a wonderful ingredient and were used in Greek and Roman civilizations.
Falkirk Council’s Ranger Service has a passion to protect its local habitat, but that doesn’t stop them from having fun while providing a crucial service for the local residents, Mail Online reported. It also doesn’t stop them enjoying the local produce as well.