I find these all the time in my garden and orchard (and even along the edges of my driveway). At the same time, I haven’t eaten one yet, and I’m not sure why. They have an interesting texture, and could surly make a large meal. You want to eat them when the interior is still white.
Once the mushroom has matured, the entire interior becomes one giant pouch of purple spores which is rather frightening, especially when you step on it.
Size: 2-8 in high and/or broad. Family: Agaricaceae Habitat: Grassy fields Identification: "The fruiting body is 5–20 cm (2–8 in) high and/or broad.[1] When young it is relatively smooth and spherical or slightly flattened and purplish or brownish.[1] It has a chocolate-brown or purple-colored gleba with a smooth exoperidium. As it matures it often becomes pear or irregularly-shaped and the exterior skin takes on a dark or silvery colour. As it ages the exterior dries and cracks and the fleshy spore-bearing interior breaks away to be distributed by wind and rain. After the spores completely disperse, "a soft leathery cup-shaped sterile base lightly rooted to the ground remains". From wikipedia
