How do you store magic mushrooms?

You managed to grow your own magic mushrooms! Now you have two options; harvest and immediately eat fresh or harvest and store. Chances are you'll want to save at least some of your harvest for the next trip. And it has to be done the right way, because the magic mushrooms lose their strength when they are damaged or dried out. In this article we explain how best to store magic mushrooms and you can still enjoy your own cultivated magic mushrooms 2 to 3 years after harvesting!

Storage of freshly harvested magic mushrooms

Do you want the magic mushrooms like to eat mushrooms fresh? Then it is important to plan the harvest and the trip close to each other. Fresh mushrooms can only be kept in the fridge for a few days. Don't have access to a refrigerator? Then store the mushrooms in a sealed jar and place them in a dark and cool place. Try to avoid light and moisture as much as possible and make sure that insects do not have access to the mushrooms. These are all factors that can damage the mushrooms and thus cause a reduction in strength or even ensure that the mushrooms are no longer edible.

Difference between truffles and magic mushrooms

The storage of magic mushrooms should not be confused with the storage of truffles. Although the two magical fruits are very similar in appearance and effect, they are very different. Truffles have a longer shelf life in the refrigerator than magic mushrooms, but they can go bad just as well. The way in which the mushrooms or truffles are packaged has a direct influence on the shelf life.

When using magic truffles are usually vacuum packed and sent to you. There is an expiration date on the packaging. Of course, the shelf life differs per type of truffle, but in general you can store them unopened for one to two months in the refrigerator (2 to 4 degrees). Once you have opened the package, it is very susceptible to moisture and you should consume the truffles within a few days.

Since the sale of magic mushrooms has been illegal since 2008, psychonauts have massively switched to growing magic mushrooms themselves using a grow kit. You can achieve multiple harvests with a grow kit. To prevent waste and to enjoy your magic mushrooms to the maximum, we recommend drying the mushrooms.

Would you like to see what the entire magic mushroom cultivation process looks like? Then read the following report: The ultimate mushroom growkit manual.

Drying mushrooms

Moisture is the biggest enemy of the fresh psilocybin mushroom. When moisture builds up, the mushrooms, just like mushrooms, can become moldy and quickly expire. That is why dried mushrooms have a much longer shelf life, because they are less susceptible to moisture.

You can dry your home-grown magic mushrooms in different ways. Before you choose a method, you should always pre-dry the mushrooms. You do this by, for example, placing them on a piece of cardboard or a towel (make sure they do not touch each other) and in a well-ventilated area. It is also possible to place the towel or piece of cardboard with the mushrooms in front of a fan. In both cases, the mushrooms are pre-dried within a few hours. Pre-drying means that the mushrooms have already lost most of the moisture, but to be able to store the mushrooms really well and even freeze them, they must no longer contain any moisture.

Different drying methods

There are several ways to dry magic mushrooms. Below are the most well-known ways. Check out which method appeals to you the most and read more on our blog: Tips for a hassle-free mushroom harvest.

1. Air dry

Letting the mushrooms dry in air and heat is the simplest, but also the least surefire way. You place the mushrooms on a towel or, for example, kitchen paper in a well-ventilated, warm room. You leave them here for a few days to a week and you replace the towel or kitchen paper every day. Make sure the mushrooms don't touch each other!

2. The use of silica gel

This is a professional way to improve your eyest to dry. Silica gel  is used by companies because it absorbs moisture well and is non-toxic. You can easily order silica gel online.

3. Drying with magnesium sulphate

This sounds very complicated, but it isn't! It just takes a little more prep time, because you have to bake the magnesium sulfate (also called Epsom salt or magnesium salt) in the oven first. It also contains a certain amount of moisture, which must first be removed before it can be used to dry the mushrooms.

Common mistakes

It is now clear that storing magic mushrooms in the right way is essential for later use. There is a lot of information about this subject, because there are several roads that lead to Rome. So choose which way suits you best, but in any case make sure that you don't make the following common mistakes:

• Freeze the mushrooms immediately after harvesting.
  
  

This is absolutely not possible! The magic mushrooms can only be frozen after a completely successful drying process. Moisture causes the rupture of cell walls. Tiny water droplets turn into sharp crystals that then expand. The mushrooms are seriously damaged as a result. Are the mushrooms really well dried? Then you can keep them in the freezer for a lifetime. The effect of the mushrooms will diminish with time, but you can really enjoy your harvest for a long time!

• Dry the mushrooms by heating
  
  

Heating fresh mushrooms is also strongly discouraged! Many people are tempted to heat the mushrooms (for example in the oven) to speed up the drying process. However, the active ingredients of magic mushrooms are very sensitive to heat. If they are exposed to such a high heat source for a long time, you destroy the powers and you might as well eat mushrooms. So in this case, patience is literally a very virtue!

Summarized

Growing and storing magic mushrooms yourself can seem overwhelming. However, this doesn't have to be the case at all! With a ready-made grow kit you will receive all the handles you need for a successful harvest. We offer many different types of psychedelics in our Smartshop. While your mushrooms are growing, learn how to preserve mushrooms and make sure everything is ready to dry your magic mushrooms well or store them in the fridge and consume them within a few days.