Q: I have found in my yard something which resembles a potato, but I think is some type of mushroom.

It is embedded in the ground, round, light tan in color, and when crushed it has a black core.

Do you know what this is and what I need to do to get rid of them?

A: It’s a puffball (aka: earthball), probably Scleroderma polyrhiza . My son pointed out a couple at the base of our deck steps this afternoon in late September.

It is reputed to be edible – but I’m not sampling it!

The interior is a dark purple mass of tissue and spores. They will eventually dry and form a light brown mass of spores which will be spread by the wind – or by kids kicking them to see the puff of “smoke” they emit.

See Puffball Mushroom