Soccer ball-sized mushroom found in backyard

By CNN Newsource

Published September 13, 2023 1:09 PM

By Jessica Kisluk

LONDONDERRY, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A mushroom the size of a soccer ball was found in a Londonderry backyard amid a “banner year” for the fungus.

University of New Hampshire home horticulture program manager Sean O’Brien said the giant brown ball of fungus found in the backyard could be a giant puffball mushroom, or Calvatia gigantea.

The inside of the mushroom is dense, spongy and bright white. They appear on the ground in the fall in the Northeast, according to Penn State Extension.

The giant puffball mushroom is edible, but only while it is young and pure white. O’Brien said there are look-alike mushrooms that are not edible.

O’Brien emphasizes wild mushrooms should only ever be eaten after being confirmed in person by an expert.

The largest giant puffball mushroom recorded was more than 8 feet in diameter and weighed 48 pounds, according to Penn State Extension.

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