Today Gnome and I found some new mushrooms on our land.  Gnome is the expert on fungus and can usually make spot identifications; and so, when he exclaimed that we had found “King Alfred’s Balls”, I responded with glee because it was such an amusing name.

I did an Internet search on King Alfred’s Balls and came up with nothing.  After an extended search, I finally found the actual name of the mushroom was “King Alfred’s Cakes” or Crampball”.  The Gnome had the right identification but he mixed up both of the common names!  Anyway, it is interesting because I could not find any documentation of the mushroom ever being found in Central America; records show that it has been found in Europe, Northern America and Australia.  This may be the first spotting of King Alfred’s Cakes in Belize!

The mushrooms feel like rocks to the touch and when you actually cut into them, they are black on the inside and have the consistency of charcoal.  Apparently, when King Alfred was hiding away in the countryside during the war, he was given the task of tending to the cakes in the oven.  He forgot (or fell asleep, or something) and the cakes ended up resembling charred balls.  The other common name is actually due to the fact that it was once a belief that if you carried these mushrooms under your arms, they would alleviate cramps.

These mushrooms are inedible (boo-hoo! No recipes for this one!).  They can actually be used as tinder and can be used just like charcoal.

After all this, Gnome still insists that King Alfred’s Balls is a much better name!