Common puffball is a frequently found mushroom in Latvia from June to November, often spotted in forests, meadows, and fields. Its name comes from the smooth surface covered in wart-like protrusions. It is edible, especially when the inner content is still white and has not turned into spores. Culinary-wise, it is renowned for its flavor among puffballs, boasting a caloric content of 27 kcal per 100 g.

The immature puffball with white flesh is suitable for consumption. Additionally, the spore mass finds use in medicine, particularly in homeopathy and traditional folk medicine. However, in Latvia, there are puffballs from the family Sclerodermataceae, mildly toxic and unsuitable for consumption or medicinal purposes. Ingesting these puffballs may cause weakness, and consuming them in large amounts can lead to classical poisoning symptoms.

If you have doubts about a specific mushroom while foraging, it is better not to take the risk and leave it behind.

Interesting Facts

Kicking a mature puffball with your foot can result in a small puff of brownish smoke, which signifies the dispersal of the mushroom's spores.