So I just got an oz from a guy I have been getting them for a while now. This oz. looks exactly the same as the other batches(these things are huuuge), but the outside of the stems are very, for lack of a better word, mushy. My fingerprint has actually imprinted itself in the stems just from holding it. I've been around mushrooms for years and never seen anything like it. First I was thinking maybe they weren't dried thoroughly enough, but then wouldn't it be mushy on the inside? They are definitely legit mushrooms, but this makes me kind of nervous. Mold, maybe? I dunno, anyone have any idea?
pics, please if what you're describing is a soft, kind of fuzzy white material growing from the stipe, then it's likely that the mushrooms were grown in an environment which provided too much humidity and the mycelia simply grew up on part of the stipe as well as in the substrate. this would be soft and "mushy" but would NOT be wetter than the rest of the fruiting bodies. alternatively, they could have been accidentally wetted after being dried, leaving only the outside moist. more unfortunate would be a dealer attempting a very slight partial rehydration in order to get more money from less mass. lets hope this isn't it. but without pictures it will be very difficult to determine the cause. it is possible that it is moldy or something, but that should have dried when the mushrooms did, if they were contaminated
That sounds EXACTLY like what they look like. I have them stored elsewhere at the moment but I'll get pics up as soon as I can. Nothing to worry about if this is case, I assume. Do you know if too much humidity while growing would effect potency at all?
it shouldn't alter the potency. the potency generally reflects the nutritional value of the substrate (the material from which the fungus absorbs it's nutrients....substrate is to a mushroom what soil is to a plant, as not all mushrooms grow in soil) if this is the case, no there is nothing to worry about - it is simply a natural part of the mushroom, it's just that it doesn't usually grow on the stipe under normal conditions. this is a photo of what is called a "pf cake" or a "pf jar." the name comes from Psilocybe Fanaticus, a pseudonym for a person who pioneered the cultivation technique and spread the information via internet. a very basic explanation is that the jar is filled with a combination of water, vermiculite (a gardening material with no nutritional content), and brown rice flour. it is then sterilized, and mushroom spores are added to it. the white stuff you see growing in the jar is mycelium, the body of the fungus. you can see a tiny little baby mushroom growing on the side - this means it is time to birth the cake and let the mushrooms proliferate in a humid, clean terrarium. the mycelium gathers the nutrition needed to grow and live, and the nutrition needed to fuel the growth of the fruiting bodies. it is also responsible for gathering the moisture needed for growth, which is great as mushrooms are 90% water when fresh. a humid environment is needed for proper growth, but if it is -too- humid then the mycelia will grow from the base of the stem as well, and you'll get that fuzzy white stuff on the sides. it contains the same active substances as the rest of the mushroom, it just is usually not very useful unless an extractrion is done as it is mixed up in the vermiculite and remnants of the rice flour. if this is in fact what it is (i can't find a good picture of a fuzzy stipe) then there is absolutely nothing to worry about. i will say, though, that if this is what is going on, it will be soft and easily altered, but it will NOT be more moist than the rest of the mushroom
Yeah you might wanna head up to the hardware store or wal mart and look for 'damprid' or any dessicant available. If you can't find any dessicants, go to any grocery store or pharmacy and buy some epson salt, put it in the microwave for like 5 mins or even more until all the epson salt turns hard as a rock, crush it up really quickly (so no moisture will quickly seep into it from the outside air). Then once it is crushed up enough, put it in the same AIRTIGHT container that you're storing your mushrooms in (a jar or something like that), and maybe put a layer or two of paper towels ontop of the hardened epson salt and put your mushrooms on that, and close the lid for a few days until mushrooms are CRACKER dry. The above procedure is if your mushrooms ARE wet. A good indicator of mushrooms having moisture still in them is if they are bendable (even a bit bendable is bad. They need to be cracker dry (if you try to bend them they'll just snap completely, a cracker would). If they are wet and you decide to ignore that fact, I guarantee you that you will open your stash sometime soon and find mold
sometimes the fuzz will stay slightly maleable to the touch if not totally dried. mushrooms should be CRACKER dry, else your probably getting 20-80% of your money in water mass.
If the thinnest part of the stem snaps easily between 2 fingers, then you are good. I've had white stems that would hold a finger print that were perfectly dry.
they probably just got some moisture on them. just let them dry out in a dry spot. theyll still be potent.
