Peel Puffballs?

[Macaroon]

Does anybody else here peel puffballs before cooking? I never have, I just brush 'em vigourously to get that gritty crumbly stuff away and then fry 'em in butter. I came accross a nice little
group of small-ish ones today and picked them, fired up the little gasifier and got 'em going in a bit of butter.........MMMmmmmmm..............

Along comes an old forester fella from the locality, great woodsman and very good old-fashioned campcraft skills, and I asked him to stop and have a brew which he did. He asked if I'd peeled the 'shrooms before cooking them and seemed surprised that I'd never heard of that; he didn't know precisely why but said nobody ever ate them without peeling in the old days.

Anybody shed any light on this?

 

[cranmere]

I never peel mushrooms of any kind unless they are really grubby.

 

[redandshane]

In bigger older puffballs the skin can be a wee bit like soft leather I have done both and to be honest once cooked I didn't notice any difference If anything peeling is a bit of a faff

 

[Joonsy]

Don’t know about puffballs but I have heard of peeling field mushrooms. Some people say peel them as a way of cleaning them (because you shouldn’t wash them) but I’ve never bothered myself and think it’s a waste of time. I think it’s probably a bit like the placebo effect In that it has a psychological effect on making fussy eaters feel better even though it probably has no benefit at all. Nice find anyway.

 

[Macaroon]

Sorry peeps, I haven't worded the O.P. very well; I've never peeled or washed a 'shroom in my life and neither would anybody from 'round and about here. Old Marcus was referring specifically to Puffballs, said that none of the old-timers would eat this particular species without peeling first; he just couldn't remember why

 

[cranmere]

Nope, never peeled puffballs either.

 

[Joonsy]

A bit of a google found this saying some people develop an intestinal irritation from the outer skin of puffballs, I have eaten lots myself with no problem though perhaps it affects some.

http://www.mykoweb.com/cookbook/puffballs.html

 

[Macaroon]

Now then, that might be it.............at least it might jog the old boy's memory!............and I'll ask around some of the older folk tomorrow.

Thanks for taking the time, Joonsy

 

[Joonsy]

that's what the forum is for sometimes things get passed down through the generations for so long the actual reason why such and such was done in the first place becomes a little foggy over time, might just jog the old boys memory. ATB

 

[Dave]

Yeh, I peel em. My grandma used to.

 

[Macaroon]

Mushrooms in general, Dave, or just Puffballs? And have you any reason for doing it?

 

[dragon32]

Hi all,
My Dad always said "if it peels its a mushroom and a toadstool if not" He was talking about field mushrooms. Maybe doesn't apply to puffballs as I have never peeled them unless they are big and old.

Don

 

[cranmere]

That's interesting. I do know that some mushrooms upset some people and not others, chicken of the woods is one of those.

 

[Dave]

mushrooms in general Mac, and no, no real reason.
Maybe my culinary palette is more refined than yours, ahha?
What does hughfurrywhippingspool do?

 

[Macaroon]

Everybody is more refined than me Dave, an not just in a culinary way

I've got no intention of peeling or washing any mushrooms, but I'm intrigued to know why these people in these parts do/did peel just the Puffballs.........

 

[petrochemicals]

Most mushrooms have a very tough outer in comparison to the inner, and the older the tougher including the ones from the supermarket, iKve peeled them before.

 

[sasquatch]

Common puffballs get peeled when I harvest them, nothing else does. No real reason apart from that's what I was told to do when I started foraging. ..

 

[xylaria]

I have never peeled puffball. That counts a giant puffball I had to cut up with a saw as it was the only thing large enough to slice it, spiny pestles , or large pestle , none of them get peeled. I have been asked if wild mushrooms are peeled like shopped bought ones, by some on forage with me. Some species of russula and bolete need sticky stuff and debris scraped off the top. I always thought peeling was one of those wierd things like throwing salt over the back door step that people do. It would make some sense if it made the mushroom more digestible, as problems with digestive enzymes are genetic. So gran says peel a mushroom , she might not explain it gives grandad the farts if you dont. It did have someone explain that they peel mushroom because they grow in horse muck.

 

[John Fenna]

My mother in law always spent ages peeling every mushroom/fungi (because that is what you do) I have never peeled any (because I see no reason to).
The best mine get is a quick rub or a bit of a scrub

 

[cranmere]

The peel upsetting some people seems to be a common one. I suspect it might be that it doesn't digest properly on the way through and so irritates the gut.