Ron Kopec and Iza Glinkowski start Mushroom of the Week: Puffballs from Lemont

Ron Kopec starts Mushroom of the Week with a photo of Iza Glinkowski showing puffball mushrooms from Lemont.

“Yes, this is a giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea),” emailed Greg Mueller, chief scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden and co-author of “Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States.”

“It is safe to eat IF it is pure white and uniform inside. When it gets older, the inside starts turning yellowish–it then gets bitter and can cause stomach upset.”

MOTW, the celebration of mushrooms and their stories around Chicago outdoors, runs as warranted on the Sun-Times’ outdoors page. Submit nominations on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).