Buying Pisolithus tinctorius
($15.00 per pound plus your shipping cost)

Identification

Pisolithus tinctorius (PT) is a blown colored thin or no skinned puff ball most commonly used for cloth die or forestry. Application for forestry is for reforestation or inoculating existing trees. In some cases there might be what is called a thin skin covering the spore area on top. The skin might be better described as a crust. it is not leathery or tough as with thick skinned puff balls.

Where to Find
PT grows almost everywhere in North America and around the world. Most common habitat is roadside, cut banks and ditches. It is best to find areas with little or no ground vegetation, past clear-cut or few trees. Tree types are conifer and ever green hardwoods. PT forms a symbiotic relation with trees and some shrubs, so completely baron areas are unlikely to contain PT.
How to Hunt
The best way I have found to hunt is to drive slowly down graveled back roads and look where described above. They can also be found on paved roads but driving slowly can cause problems for other drivers. It is best to use two people. Each can look on their side. If you hunt alone, drive in looking on one side and out looking on the other.
When and How to Pick

PT fruits in the fall, beginning in middle September and continuing thru October. The fruit does not decompose rapidly. Fall rains and wind disperse the spore. The mushroom is ready to pick when the top has completely turned to spore. You can test for ripeness without picking. Stick a knife into the top from above. If the knife comes out slightly wet or wet, it's not ripe. Signs of unripe are black tar looking tops or tops that look seedy when cut. Heat, hotter the better, ripens them in a few days or a week, depending on size and sun exposure. They will not ripen after picked. The entire mushroom is not desired, only the powder tops. Throw  the root away. Either pull the mushroom out and cut the powder area off into a bucket, or cut the top off while the mushroom is in place. Pulling is best. Be sure the mushroom is ripe. Immature mushrooms have little or no spore and are useless. No rocks please.
Other Details

I want mushrooms from Washington, Oregon and California only. Area of origin is connected to area of use. Do not send mushrooms that are soaking wet. They don't need to be completely dry, near dry is acceptable. Email me for shipping instructions. matsiman@matsiman.com