It’s Almost Time to Find These Edible Giants in New York

While most Hudson Valley residents are still enjoying summer, a select few are looking forward to September, when they can begin to hunt for giants...

There is no shortage of amazing treasures hiding in our local forests. While some locals are currently helping New York State by documenting the turkeys they see, and others are finding unexpected guests in their hummingbird feeders, other foragers are getting ready for their favorite time of the year.

Giants Hiding in the New York Woods

Thanks to the high number of bigfoot enthusiasts in New York, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of woodland explorers on the hunt for abnormally large specimens. While sasquatch may be nothing more than a beloved legend, another massive resident is quite real.

Giant Puffball Mushrooms in New York

Calvatia gigantea, also known as giant puffball mushrooms, are a fungus native to New York State that can grow to staggering proportions. While "normal" examples are generally no more than 12 inches in diameter, some behemoths can reach a size of more than four feet (below). The best part is that they're edible.

Identifying Puffball Mushrooms

Puffball mushrooms are solid, pale orbs with a white interior that lack typical mushroom "gills". Jokingly nicknamed the "the other other white meat", these fungi can be treated similarly to your favorite cut of meat.

It is recommended that professionally-identified puffballs should have a purely white interior (with no discoloration or worm tunneling), and when harvested should be refrigerated immediately. The fungus can be baked, grilled (above), or even cut thinly and used as a substitute for lasagna noodles.

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The best time to find puffballs is in the fall season, and the good news is that giant puffballs are tough to misidentify, as any other puffy fungus (or these "golf balls" often found in New York woods) are much smaller. Check out some more local edible mushrooms below.