Havn't seen one of these for a while!

[ROCKIT]

Sunday off, which is quite rare.
Happened to visit a local garden centre, just for a coffee, before that I took the dog for a quick walk to the back of the site where there is a large field, covered with about 200 of these.........

To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement.
This was a reasonably small one, but was fresh as a daisy!!

It's about 25 years since I last saw or tasted one.
Fried up with Garlic, pepper in butter!
Thought I'd share.

 

[psafloyd]

What is it?

 

[ROCKIT]

You could have a guess!

 

[Busybee123]

You could have a guess!

Is it a puff ball?

 

[sugarbush]

You could have a guess!

A giant hail stone

 

[Shabro]

Oooo I wish they were a bit more common around here, havent seen one since I was a kid.....

 

[zubzub]

MMMmmm they taste real good when as fresh as that.
enjoy

 

[beeatshellards]

supersize, it will feed a family of 4 !!

 

[susbees]

Giant Puff ball. Yum . Have only found two in the nine years we've been here..one in the front garden and one outside the tennis club where a child asked his father what it was and he replied "lump of polystyrene". Win for me .

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've found a few over the years but 200 ?
When you're fed up eating them make some concentrated mushroom sauce for cooking. Keeps well and has lots of uses.

Cumbria South Lakes........Preston...................mmmmmmm not far
Where's your field?

 

[Headnavigator]

They can be beautiful. We found one weighing 2lb 14oz last year and ate much of it sliced like steaks. Tried unsuccessfully to give half of it away. Loved it while I thought 'mushroom' but when I realised it reminded me of tofu I rather lost interest.

 

[ROCKIT]

Yep! A Giant puffball.

http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Calvatia-gigantea.htm

I also thought that it was polysterene that had blown into the field. What I found amazing was that they were spread pretty much uniformly around the field, in various stages of decay. I would have expected them to be concentrated in a small, localised area.

The last time I found one it was in a nettle strewn hedgrow and there was only two!

 

[topbar]

Thats really good i only ever seen one at school when a kid brought it in. Never seen anything like that other than that time, and i spend all my time out side.
U must be in the right area.

 

[milkermel]

we have occasionally had them in our garden, but now the sheep and chickens get at them before me!