How to dry and store psilocybe mushrooms
STEP 13. Save your mushrooms after harvesting for a long time! How to dry magic mushrooms properly and save their potency. How to dry shrooms without dehydrator. The best tempretaure for mushroom drying. How to store magic mushrooms for years
STEP 13. Day 32-33. How to dry and store magic mushrooms: complete guide
How to store fresh psilocybin mushrooms?
Right after harvesting fresh psilocybin mushrooms can be stored for a few days (5-7 days) in the refrigerator at +3°...+5°C (37-41°F). The same way as for edible mushrooms from supermarket.
How to store mushrooms for a long time?
Dried mushrooms is the the best way for long-term storage. This method has been tested for centuries on edible mushrooms, and psilocybin mushrooms aren't exception.
Dried mushrooms can be used for making capsules for microdosing or consuming for tripping in different ways like mushroom chocolate, mushroom tea, lemon-tek, blue honey, mushroom shake etc.
🔴 Check out Mushroom Consumption Guides and Recipes
Fresh magic mushrooms can be frozen, however you need to follow some recommendations to do it properly and save mushroom potency
🔴 Check out How to freeze fresh magic mushrooms
Basic rules for drying mushrooms
🔴 Don't put mushrooms on newspapers / magazines / prints. The ink contains heavy metals. Save yourself from an additional portion of toxic substances. Use paper towels or baking paper instead
🔴 Don't put mushrooms on direct sunlight! UV light has negative effect on psilocybin and mushrooms lose their potency faster
🔴 Recommended drying temperature up to 122°F (+50°C)
🔴 The less time mushrooms are exposed to oxygen the less psilocybin is lost
🔴 Don't chop mushrooms into small pieces, dry them full. When you chop them the area of oxidation increase, so that the loss of potency increases. However no problem if you cut them into 2 pieces to fit your dehydrator (sometimes we have huge shrooms!)
Actually, about 10-50% of mushrooms activity is lost even dried them properly. This is considered normal!
Drying rate for long-term storage
Mushrooms are 90% water. This means they dry out at least 10 times. Remains on average 7-10% of dry matter.
For long-term storage, we need to leave dry mass only. The mushrooms should be dried like cracker or fruit chips.
When you bent they should crack and break easily.
Temperature for drying magic mushrooms
Temperature range for drying mushrooms is +20°..+50°C or 68-122°F.
At a lower temperature, they will dry too slowly and will interact with oxygen for too long. This leads to the loss of mushrooms psychoactivity.
At higher temperatures psilocybin begins to decompose into psilocin, which is released under the influence of oxygen and magic disappear!
But what about mushroom tea? - you can ask. Because tea is brewed at temperature about +70°C or 158°F and higher.
When heated water to +90°C or 195°F psilocybin transforms into psilocin extremely fast. Therefore, when consumed it in the form of tea, your stomach doesn't waste time on this metamorphosis and absorb it immediately. As a result, your trip starts faster.
This is the main trick of mushroom tea. But tea with released psilocin is drunk immediately unlike dried mushrooms you are going to store for a long time. Therefore, we need to maximise the preservation of the available psilocybin in mushrooms and prevent its rapid breakdown and release.
When heated above +137°C (280°F) or prolonged boiling, the psychoactive components of psilocybin mushrooms are completely destroyed. Mushrooms are still edible after that, but meaningless.
Let us remind you during proper drying up to 50% of mushroom psychoactivity is lost. It's impossible to avoid. But proper drying can minimise these losses.
Let's check easy methods for drying mushrooms at home.
How to dry magic mushrooms
Let's check the most popular methods how to dry magic mushrooms at home.
1️⃣ How to dry mushrooms in dehydrator
The most common convenient and fast way to dry mushrooms. Shrooms in the dehydrator dry out evenly.
Put harvested mushrooms in a single layer in the dehydrator. You can lay them out on a thin cloth, so that small mushrooms do not fall through the dehydrator mesh during drying process.
Set the temperature in the range of +35°..+45°C or 95-115°F, but no more than +50°C or 122°F. I prefer to dry at low temperature, +35..+40°C or 95-105°F.
Drying time from 3 to 24 hours, depending on the weight of mushrooms and temperature. Manual to dehydrator contains information about drying time depending on weight and temperature.
The readiness «crisp, like chips» is determined empirically.
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Food Dehydrator, Temp Control, 5 Trays, Gray/Black - $36.88
Dryer Machine, Overheat Protection, Digital temperature, White - $56.33
Presto Standard Food Dehydrator, White - $59.87
Food Dryer Machine, 5 BPA-Free Trays, Dishwasher Safe - $59.99
Professional Food Dehydrator, 5 Trays, White - $69.59
Dehydrator Machine, Digital Timer, LED Temperature Control, Silver/Red - $74.98
Food Dehydrator Machine, Digital Timer, 6 Trays, Black - $98.99
Professional Dehydrator Machine - 6 Stainless Steel Trays, 50 Free Recipes, Silver - $141.99
But what to do if you don't have such device? All methods are listed below for your help!
2️⃣ How to dry mushrooms without dehydrator and fan
Mushrooms can be dried at room temperature without any extra gadgets.
Simply lay them out on a paper towel, parchment paper or a baking tray in a one layer, without piling them on top of each other. Leave them to dry out on any flat surface.
Don't expose mushrooms to direct sunlight! Put them in the shade in a draught or in ventilated room. Turn them over once a day to dry evenly.
Such natural drying process will take at least 2 days, depending on the air temperature and relative humidity.
If mushrooms remain soft after such drying, then try to dry them with food grade silica gel, under fan, fan heater or in the oven. This will be discussed below.
3️⃣ How to dry mushrooms with fan or heat fan
Put the harvested crop in a sieve or put mushrooms on a flat surface in one layer and place them under the air stream of regular fan or fan heater. This way you can significantly speed up the drying process or dry slightly soft mushrooms after natural drying.
If mushrooms remain soft during this drying process, try to dry out mushrooms with food grade silica gel.
4️⃣ Drying mushrooms on radiator or heater
During the heating season you can take advantage of warmth of household heating radiators and heaters.
Put mushrooms on a paper towel or parchment. Leave mushroom on a warm radiator or heater for 1-2 days. If the heater is too hot you can put a towel under the mushroom scrolls.
To check the temperature of the radiator/heater just put a thermometer on its surface.
From time to time turn mushrooms, so that they dry evenly.
5️⃣ How to dry mushrooms in the oven
Modern ovens allow you to turn on convection (built-in fan in the oven) and set a minimum temperature +40°C or 100-110°F. This is a great way to dry mushrooms. Preferably place them on a mesh tray rather than a solid tray - this allows air to circulate more evenly on all sides of the mushrooms.
If your oven doesn't allow you to set such low temperature of +40°..+50°C or 100-120°F we still recommend drying mushrooms by the methods described above.
With slightly heated oven you can finish drying soft/moist mushrooms in a warm (not hot!) oven, preferably with open door. You can even check the temperature with a household thermometer because you don't want the temperature to go above +50°C (120°F).
🔴 Be careful! Don't spoil your harvest in hot oven!
6️⃣ Food-grade silica gel for drying mushrooms
Food-grade silica gel is a water-absorbing agent in granules. It is used in packs with spices, nuts, and various snacks. Silica gel is best used to dry slightly soft mushrooms. It will help to absorb residual moisture from dehydrated mushrooms.
Silica gel is also used for further storage. It is enough to put 1-2 packs in each jar/package with dried mushrooms.
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Food Safe Silica Gel Packs Desiccants - 1 Gram - 50/100/200/400 Packs - $7.79
Safe Orange to Green Indication Silica Gel - Rechargeable - 2 Gram - 60/100/120 Packs - $8.99
Premium Safe Silica Gel - 1 Gram - 100/200/400 Packs - $9.99
Food Grade Moisture Absorbers, Non-toxic, No color - 3/5/10g - 150/80/60 Pack - $9.99
How to store magic mushrooms
🔴 It is important to avoid contact with oxygen. That is the main key to save mushroom potency!
🔴 Psilocybin dried mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature (+20°..+25°C or 68-77°F) in a dark corner of any cabinet.
1️⃣ Vacuum sealer machine is my favourite option for mushroom storage. It will avoid mushrooms contact with oxygen for sure. It is convenient to make portions of 5-10 grams and open each pack, when you need it
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Vacuum Sealer Machine - Different Designs - $52.99
Vacuum Sealer Machine - w/Starter Kit, Air Sealing System - $59.97
Vacuum Sealer Machine - Smart Control System - $84.99
2️⃣ Store dried mushrooms in airtight glass jars for food with tightly closed lids.
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3️⃣ Mushrooms are stored very well in tightly closed zip bags (without air in it!)
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Zip Bags for Freezer/Storage, BPA Free - 1 Quart - 75/100/120 Pack - $9.94
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4️⃣ Food-grade silica gel helps to keep mushrooms dry and absorb the slight moisture in shrooms. Always add 1-2 sachets to each jar/pack with dried psilocybin mushrooms.
Shroomok's Choice on Amazon:
Food Safe Silica Gel Packs Desiccants - 1 Gram, 100 Pack - $7.79
Premium Safe Silica Gel - 1 Gram, 100/200/400 Pack - $8.88
Safe Orange to Green Indication Silica Gel - 2 Gram - 60/100/120 Pack - $9.99
Food Grade Moisture Absorbers, Non-toxic, No color - 3/5/10g - 150/80/60 Pack - $9.99
5️⃣ Sign each pack, indicate species, strains, flush, date, weight and any additional info on pack or sticker
How long mushrooms can be stored? Do mushrooms go bad over time?
If stored properly dried psilocybin mushrooms retain their quality and alkaloids up to 2 years.
After 2 years, they don't spoil, don't get worse or go bad, they won't dangerous for consumption. As time passes, mushrooms slowly lose their magic. It just means concentration of alkaloids is decreasing.
🔴 Check out FAQ section for more: Mushrooms Q&A
If you find this guide helpful you can 🍄 Buy Shroomok a mushroom as a donation and say something nice!
Now it's time to move on the next step of our mushroom growing guide and initiate new flush of fruiting cycle — STEP 14. Rehydration of magic mushroom cake ⬇️