preserving mushrooms

Discussion in 'Magic Mushrooms' started by gib_0101, Aug 3, 2007.

  1. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    I'm very happy right now. My substrate is starting to bud pin heads (6 out of 9!), a couple of which are about to mature into full mushrooms (YEAH!!! :party: ).

    Now I want to preserve them. There's a method offered by erowid involving a large bowl, a couple sheets of mesh, and some anhydrous calcium chloride. This procedure seems rather complicated and pricy, plus I've searched around for the chloride and can't find any.

    So I have two questions:

    1) How long will mushrooms stay edible once picked?

    and

    2) The erowid site mentions that there are other drying techniques. What are some simpler ones. I've heard that preserving them in honey is a good way to do it. Will this work? Also, if anhydrous calcium chloride specifically can't be found, is there any other chemical SWIM can look for?
     
  2. undercooked

    undercooked Member

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    Just use some type of dessicant. Damp-rid, which is usually sold in the household sections of stores works well (I think that it is calcium chloride). However, silica gel will also work. Just put the dessicant and the mushrooms in an airtight container together in some way where they do not touch. Damp-rid is really convenient because it comes in a container that has holes in it, and all you have to do is dump it out of the plastic bag it comes in into the container.

    First, though, you should lay them in front of a fan for a day or two, or else the dessicant will be ineffectual.

    They will keep for maybe a few weeks fresh if refrigerated.
     
  3. Willy_Wonka_27

    Willy_Wonka_27 Surrender to the Flow

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    you should fan dry them. get a box fan. most houses already have them. you know, the 2' x 2' square fans? there are 2 ways to use it.
    the first way is to get a large cardboard box (a little less than 2' cubed. it should have four sides, a bottom, and no top.) put the shrooms on the bottom of the box. lay the box fan on top of the box, so the fan will blow down onto the shrooms. with this method, you can put the fan on high, and they will dry quicker.
    the second method is to lay your box fan on the ground. place a few bricks under it to elevate it off the ground, because when its placed directly on the ground it gets really noisy. lay a window screen on top of the fan, and tape it down. place the shrooms on top of the fan and turn the fan to low.

    the shrooms should be dry in a few days.

    after fan drying, many people continue the process using a dessicant. to do that you will need screen, Tupperware, and "DampRid". open the Tupperware and sprinkle a layer of DampRid on the bottom. place a screen above the DampRid and put your nearly dry shrooms on the screen. make sure the shrooms don't touch the DampRid. then close the Tupperware up. after 24 hours, your shrooms should be completely dry!

    store them in a dry, cool, dark place.
     
  4. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    Thanks for the advice.


    How vital is it that the moisture not mix with the Damp-Rid? I mean, on the erowid site, they recommand soaking a cloth with Damp-Rid and placing it below the mesh with the mushroom, but still held above the bottom of the container with another mesh. This way the moisture will fall to the bottom of the container and not mix with the Damp-Rid.

    What if I just wanted to do the following: For every mushroom I pick, I stick it on a toothpic, and I stand it up in the container with the Damp-Rid sitting on the bottom (I'll add something to the other end of the toothpic to keep it balanced). The moisture would end up mixing in with the Damp-Rid but I wouldn't need a cloth or meshes.
     
  5. undercooked

    undercooked Member

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    Your damp-rid will absorb a lot of moisture and need to be replaced eventually. There are similar products that you can bake in an oven and reuse. Maybe you can do the same with damp-rid, but I have never tried it.

    I would not recommend your idea with the tooth picks, because whatever you're drying will probably end up falling into the damp-rid, and frankly, it sounds like too much effort.

    As I said before, you can buy containers of damp-rid with a bag of the dessicant in. All you do is open the bag, dump it into the container (which has holes in it so that it works), and then put the container into a box (a cardboard one will work fine) or something with whatever you are drying. This is probably the easiest possible way and works just as well as anything else. This is the product that I speak of: http://www.riteaid.com/stores/instore_specials/detail_item.jsf?tnumber=T20093&categoryId=4

    Another idea that I have had but have never tried is to buy some pantyhose and put the damp rid in that.
     
  6. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    I really appreciate the help, Undercooked.

    I've been phoning and looking in person all over the city for Damp-rid and most people haven't even heard of the stuff. It's an American product, right? I live in Calgary, Alberta, so I'm not sure if they distribute to my area. Some people whom I've talked to recommend vermiculite. Do you know if that would also work?
     
  7. 36fuckin5

    36fuckin5 Alchemycologist

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    Yes, I believe it is. Try asking a hardware store. That's where I get mine.

    Not even close. Check this out. It should be of some help.
     
  8. undercooked

    undercooked Member

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    I don't see how vermiculite would do anything, but maybe it is just something unknown to me.

    I have heard of people using rice, and I am sure that there are probably many natural alternatives. Another good desiccant (I learned how to spell in the meantime!) is silica gel, which should be available at most craft stores (do they have Michael's in Canada?) or perhaps your local florist, as it is commonly used for drying flowers; silica gel is the material contained in those packets that come with new clothing.

    I know that Rite-Aid carries Damp-rid and that Walgreens sells cartons of a different product that is basically the same thing. However, I've never been to Calgary and don't know what chains operate around there.

    Another alternative would be to check your local thrift stores for a used dehydrator, but make sure you use the lowest temperature setting or disable the heating element if you opt for a dehydrator. They're usually pretty cheap second-hand, and you might be able to get one for under $10 USD if you're lucky. They're also useful for drying food.
     
  9. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    Thanks Undercooked,



    I'm going to look around for some cilica gel and maybe call around for a dehydrator.
     
  10. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    I just plucked my first mushroom. It's bleeding green! Seriously! There's like a dark green/blue die on the inside that's gets on everything it touches. Is this normal?
     
  11. in da snake

    in da snake Member

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    ^^ idk about the bleeding part,


    But if you want to keep your shrooms for years and still have them active put them in CO2. A easy way of doing this is fill a mason jar 1/2 way with vey dry shrooms. Put in some dry ice and put the lid on DO NOT TIGHTEN IT, unless you want it to blow up. Once all the dry ice is gone close the lid. Because co2 is heavyer than air it stays in the jar.

    Idk if this will work well, but makes sence seeing how the blueing is air distroying the active chems.
     
  12. undercooked

    undercooked Member

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    Yeah, you really need to define "bleeding" because it doesn't sound good, the way you put it. If it is green, then it may be trichoderma, in which case, you should throw out that batch. However, P. cubensis bruises blue, so it may be normal. Your best bet is to post a picture here and in the contamination forum on shroomery.org or at least peruse shroomery to get an idea of what contaminating molds look like.
     
  13. 36fuckin5

    36fuckin5 Alchemycologist

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    Definitely post a picture for us. I've got a little mycology experience with several different strains and I've never seen "bleeding." Bruising is normal, though.
     
  14. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    I attached a picture.

    I've circled the really noticeable parts in red and marked them with numbers. Spot #1 is the first mushroom I picked (the one I first reported on). There was a green/blue liquid coming out of this spot right when I cut it, and a bit of it got on other things. Spot #2 is the second muchroom I plucked. This was a much more clean cut, and although the center of the stalk was the same green/blue, it was leaking as much. The other 3 mushroom I picked today. Spot #3 looks like some kind of bruising (it didn't result from cutting). On the other side of this mushroom is another dark spot just like the one circled. All mushrooms in the pic are from the same cake.

    What do you make of this? Contamination or normal brusing?
     
  15. 36fuckin5

    36fuckin5 Alchemycologist

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    #2 looks a little weird. Normally bruising doesn't lighten in the center like that. #1 also looks funky. #3 seems to be normal bruising to me, but it shouldn't be leaking and staining things. Could you get a close-up pic of some of the bruises?
     
  16. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    I'll see about getting a zoomed in pic.


    In the mean time, I'm wondering how long it takes for a mushroom to bruse? This green/blue stuff appeared as soon as I cut the stem (there was never a moment that I recall when it wasn't there). Would brusing form that fast?
     
  17. undercooked

    undercooked Member

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    The more you describe it, the more it sounds like contamination. It usually takes a few minutes to bruise unless they were before you picked them. Additionally, bruising is a result of the psilocybin oxidizing (somebody please correct me if I am wrong), so it doesn't sound like bruising if it is something that is coming from the interior. The stipes are hollow, so my guess would be that some kind of mold, probably trichoderma if it is green, colonized the interior.
     
  18. 36fuckin5

    36fuckin5 Alchemycologist

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    I have to agree. I've waited up to 30 minutes for mushrooms to bruise before. And yes, the bluing is from oxidation. Green is not normal at all.

    Could you get pics of your cakes and/or casings? That may help.

    Sorry for you to have to find out this late that you have contams, if that is the case. I've always caught mine during colonization, and that was bad enough. I couldn't imagine the feeling of thinking that you finally get to sample them, only to find out that you can't.
     
  19. foxbrand80

    foxbrand80 Member

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    i don't see any green stuff, they look normal to me..but yeah, let somebody look at that if it's green..?! and about the bruising, undercooked is right...that bluing can happen immediately or take awhile...
     
  20. gib_0101

    gib_0101 Member

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    Yeah, the cake with the infected mushrooms is slowly getting darker and darker. It wasn't that noticeable when I plucked my first mushroom, but now it is. It sucks, like 36fuckin5 says.

    The good news is that today I plucked my first mushroom from another cake, and it seems fine. It had a slight bluish tinge on the inside but nothing like the mushroom from the contaminated cake. It's not getting everywhere either. It clearly looks like brusing. I'd say this mushroom is good to go.
     

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