Freezing shrooms: pros & cons

How to freeze psilocybin mushrooms properly

Can I freeze fresh magic mushrooms

It is common question we get and the short answer is YES. Freezing has been widely used as an alternative to drying. (for edibles as well).

Proper freezing allows you to save alkaloids in mushrooms. This is the main advantage of such storage method.

However this method has disadvantages as well, because it's easy to spoil the harvest with improper freezing and all magic disappears.

How freezing can spoil your magic mushrooms

Water, which makes up to 90% of the mass of the fungus, crystallizes when freezing. Thus, frozen mushrooms will retain their shape with ice crystals instead of their own cellular structure.

Since ice expands during crystallization, cell walls are destroyed and loose alkaloids.

Frozen mushrooms after defrosting can turn into a shapeless mass and have zero effect.

One more example how you can spoil your magic mushrooms.

How to freeze fresh magic mushrooms and save potency

Remember, the faster and deeper mushrooms are frozen, the less and smaller ice crystals are formed in them. Thus, the structure of mushroom cells is preserved better.

🔵 Don't wash your shrooms!

🔵 Don't cut mushrooms, whole fruits save more potency.

🔵 Pack them in plastic sealed containers or airtight zip bags for freezing (available on Amazon)

🔵 Put them in the freezer at -4°F (-20°C) and lower temperatures. Don't freeze mushrooms if you have higher temperatures! If we freeze fresh shrooms at 14-23°F (-5..-10°C) then we can move them to trash bin from the start, they will loose potency for sure.

❄️ Ideal is «quick dry freeze» mode at -4..-22°F (-20°..- 30°C). This temperatures work good for freezing mushrooms

❗️If you are not sure about freezing conditions don't use this method, just dry mushrooms. Check out: How to dry and store psilocybe mushrooms

❗️Defrost mushrooms before consumption only!❌ Psilocybin mushrooms shouldn't be frozen again after defrosting. This is the main disadvantage of this storage method. Since any sudden shutdowns of the refrigerator can ruin the frozen crop. Therefore, drying mushrooms is still preferable method.

💡 In case of using liquid N2 for freezing we don't have water crystallization, don't ruin cell walls and don't have oxidation. However it's not an easy way to implement at home

Freeze-drying method

Freeze-drying is used in industrial scale.

Freeze-drying (aka lyophilisation or cryodesiccation) read more on Wikipedia — is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product, lowering pressure, then removing the ice by sublimation.

In contrast to dehydration by most conventional methods that evaporate water using heat. This is the best and most expensive method that totally preserves mushroom structure, shape and color.

Can I freeze dried magic mushrooms

Yes, it's safe for mushrooms, because they already dehydrated. For dry mushrooms freezing slowing chemical kinetics of reaction and preserves the mushroom tissue better.

Although you can store dry mushrooms at refrigerator or room temperature in dark place and airtight bags/jars for 1-2 years.

Can I freeze magic mushroom chocolate with dried mushroom powder

Yes, you can freeze magic mushroom chocolate (chocolate with dried mushroom powder). Make sense to do this if you want to prolong chocolate expiration date. Such magic chocolate don't lose potency in freezer and can be stored for 1-2 years.

🔴 Check out: Magic mushroom chocolate recipes

Have a shroomy day!