251 replies to this topic

[BetweenDimensionalPassings]

If you want your mushrooms tasting like pretzels, get a dehydrator. :D

[hyphaenation]

Drying then is one thing... keeping them dry long-term is something other. I like to use a vacuum sealer to seal them free of air.

[MLBjammer]

I will agree with the crowd here, I don't think there is a "too dry", but there defiantly is a not dry enough.

I think one of the big factors where a dehydrator comes into play is the relative humidty of where you live. Where I'm at in the wintertime the RH is often below 20%, fan drying alone works well at that time of the year. But if you live in Florida and its summer time, your probably going to have to do more than just fan your product.

I live in the Southeast with high humidity for much of the year, so dessicant or a dehydrator is definitely required here.

 

As Hyph said, for storage make sure all the air is removed from the bag before you put them away.  If they are cracker dry, you can put them in the freezer.  I keep mine in a dresser drawer, and I have used them several years after storage without any noticeable loss of potency.

[BetweenDimensionalPassings]

Wouldn't vacuum sealing smooch the goods making it dust or all broken? Kind of curious because I'd like to start dry-aging my meat and this could serve two purposes! :D

Not sure how long these last dried before going bad but I'd assume a long time, with air-sealing I'd assume a lot longer. Opinions?

Edited by BetweenDimensionalPassings, 06 September 2014 - 09:13 AM.

[hyphaenation]

No it does not do that, at all.

[BetweenDimensionalPassings]

You don't know how happy I am to hear that! Was going to get one either way but now have given me the idea of getting custom bags to seal. Maybe brand them a bit. LMFAO!

[papa_legba]

i'm thinking of going solar for dehydrating. from test I prefer the bag appeal. btw my test was done in the middle of winter, snow on the ground.. was well satisfied 24 hrd later. now got to get time to make a bigger model.

Edited by papa_legba, 06 September 2014 - 04:35 PM.

[thamolas]

What a great thread! Drama, excitement, and information abound... Thanks, all!

Edited by thamolas, 16 September 2014 - 08:31 AM.

[gremlinchode]

I wish I found this a couple of days ago!!!  This is awesome.

[BCMushMan]

I agree drierite is an AWESOME dessicant.  Its easy to REUSE though!  Place pink drierite crystals in a toaster oven at 400°F for 20 minutes or more if they don't turn back to blue.  Pink indicates the salt crystal is full of moisture, drive it out with heat and reuse many times.  Its not really cheap though, here in Canada you will pay upwards of $20 a pound for it (cuz we are overtaxed retarded Canadians).  I'll reuse mine many times until the crystals do not work anymore.

 

I have a home made dehydrator using the mild heat from my computer.  Place your wet mushrooms in a paper bag and place on top of your computer (mine is built into my desk).  After 3-4 days they will be nearly dry.  Finish the drying process by placing the nearly dry mushrooms into an AIRTIGHT container with activated drierite and in no time (1-2 days), you will have the driest  mushrooms on your block.  Good luck to all & keep your medicine free from bacteria and other fungi that may want to take over your marvelous mycology meal.

 

NicK

☼♠☼

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Edited by BCMushMan, 15 December 2014 - 03:27 PM.

[samundson]

I'm a newbie and had a problem drying the harvest from my first flush of Golden Teacher.  I put them directly in an airtight container above a screen separating the desiccant.  After a few days, I saw new growth.  See the attached photos.  I'm sure that the desiccant became saturated.  From what I have found in a few other postings on Mycotopia, I think this is  tomentose mycelium.  If so, I believe they are still edible. Has anybody experienced a similar problem?  I air dried them under a fan for a day and then put them in proper desiccant and they are now crisp.  I have not tasted them yet and am wondering if it's safe to test a small amount.

 

I dried the subsequent flushes successfully, so I'm not looking for advice on that.  Everybody has posted excellent advice on how best to do that.

 

<a href='https://mycotopia.ne...00903-154422-1/'><img src='https://mycotopia.net/uploads/gallery/category_3/gallery_168221_3_2421642.jpg' alt='20200903 154422 (1)' /></a>

 

<a href='https://mycotopia.ne...00903-154435-1/'><img src='https://mycotopia.net/uploads/gallery/category_3/gallery_168221_3_52500.jpg' alt='20200903 154435 (1)' /></a>

 

 

 

 

[EYMAIOS]

In between all those approaches I follow a middle way:

 

I dry the split stems in front of a HEPA hood in a small room supplied with an electric dehumidifier.

Room humidity like Antarctika!

No heat, no humidity and definitely no solar harm.
Then grind it and keep in honey for ever...