Giant Puffballs!

The end of the summer has come.  We have been to reunions and parties the last three weekends.  We had a great get-together this past weekend here at our home.  My cycling as been erratic, but I did get a chance to get a few rides in this past weekend.  On one ride, I saw a large white ball sitting in the woods about 15 feet from the road.  When I was riding back, I pulled off the road and went up to the white ball.  Was it a bag of trash, a mushroom, a deflated toy ball?

I pushed it gently with my hand (no, I did not think it was some alien life-form preparing to turn me into a blob).

It was a giant puffball mushroom (Langermannia Gigantea).  I took some pictures of it (in one photo I have a water bottle next to it).  The puffball was about 12 inches (30 cm) at its widest.  It was the largest one I had ever seen!

Just yesterday I saw 2 more nearby our house by the historic Bement-Billings homestead.  It must be puffball season.

A site I frequent states these are edible when newly emergent.  I like mushrooms, but think I'll pass on picking some myself.  It would have been nice sliced and sautéed with a little butter though...