fresh shrooms vs. dried shrooms

i've heard the experience is quite different. could anyone explain.

also, do you think the experience is only different because the fresh ones are more potent so you're eating more of the fabulous fungi!

 

Dried once are not less potent. Only if they are too old/aren't kept well. Good preserved dry shrooms have generally a stronger effect per gram because it's more concentrated (since they've dried out).

 

Right now I have 21gs that seem to be pretty dry, how would you reccommend I store them? They will be used within the next month, so it's not long term.

 

I dunno, I used to buy them in the coffeeshop and not stored them for longer than a week myself.
Stored them in the fridge, I think that's good for a few weeks more as well. Just keep 'em dry and dark.

 

Keep air away from them, get them as dry as possible, keep them in the dark, and in the freezer. If it's not possible to put them in a freezer, then cool dry dark sealed.

They should be at least dry enough so that if you bend a stalk, it will break...not bend.

I think it's much harder to dose them wet because the water content can vary a lot. Some lose 10x weight when drying, some more or less. If they are dry, you can get a better idea of what you are taking by weight.

 

I agree, except about the air thing. I understood it's better to just keep them dry, cool and dark but it's good to let air circulate through it (by little holes in the cover for example). If it's not dried out yet and it's sealed airfree the left over moisture can't go out and that's not good for the shrooms.

 

it is virtually impossible to not lose SOME tiny amount of the alkaloids during the drying process, no matter how careful you are not to damage the mushrooms. so in terms of individual mushrooms, yes, the fresher the better. however, if they are dried properly the loss is so tiny it might as well not be discussed, as there is no noticeable change at all.

that said, dried mushrooms, even when pretty poorly cared for or heat dried, are still much more potent gram for gram than fresh mushrooms.

 

they are all caps. does this bend test apply for caps as well? I'm pretty sure they are quite dry...I'm hoping to finish most of them with some friends next time it's warm.

 

caps get super dry easily. they will break if they're dry. no question at all