Giant Puffball

Giant Puffball / Langermannia gigantea (Calvatia gigantea) — the giant among puffballs, a spherical mushroom without a stem, reaching a diameter of 10 cm and a weight of more than 10 kg! Young specimens are white and firm, then gradually turn brown and soft. The inner mass starts off pure white, then turns greenish-yellow, and finally brown, drying out like a sponge upon maturity. The outer skin cracks and flakes off in pieces. The remaining mushroom, resembling a loofah, can persist for several months without decomposing.

Grows from May to late autumn on forest edges, lawns, and clearings, preferring nitrogen-rich soil. A mature mushroom is unmistakable, but young specimens resemble small white puffballs. Puffballs and earthballs (except for the false giant puffball) are edible until they lose their whiteness.

An edible and high-quality mushroom, best sliced into chunks, coated in flour, and fried in oil.

Cultivating Giant Puffball on a home plot: on a garden plot in tree shade, dig a hole 2 meters wide and 25-30 cm deep. Mix in tree leaves (aspen, birch, poplar, willow) and their branches. Cover with forest compost or soil from under trees to a depth of about 5 cm. Evenly sow the dry mycelium previously mixed with 1 liter of dry soil. Water the soil using drip irrigation and cover with branches. After the mycelium has colonized the bed (after one month), cover it with last year's leaf litter. Fruit production occurs 4-6 months after planting. To ensure continuous fruiting, periodically re-inoculate the bed with mycelium. Recommended dosage: 10 grams of mycelium (1 packet) per 1 m2.