Congratulations on getting a good harvest on your magic mushrooms! That must be quiet the experience. You have survived a lot of challenges throughout the growing process. Now, your magic mushrooms are harvested and ready for consumption. But of course, you may want to preserve them for your mushroom to last for a long time. Nevertheless, considering magic mushrooms can’t stay as fresh as they can for an extended period, there’s a need for you to produce a homemade magic mushroom dryer to let the magic mushrooms get dry before storing. To do this, you need to learn how magic mushroom works.
Fresh magic mushrooms are best for immediate consumption. Dried magic mushrooms, when done well, last for a long time, even for years without any potency decline. If no properly dried, the mushrooms can get molds. However, drying mushrooms is not rocket science. Instead, it’s easy to do even at home. Once your magic mushroom is ready for harvest, you can likewise plant your drying process. After harvest, the magic mushrooms can be dried as well. It follows a process to make sure moisture is out of the magic mushrooms. Given that magic mushrooms are ninety-five percent water, pre-drying the mushroom is essential so no moisture is left which may cause molds. To get started, learn the homemade magic mushroom dryer you can use.
Pre-drying The Magic Mushrooms
The primary step of drying your mushroom is through pre-drying or the primary process of extracting moisture out of the fresh magic mushrooms. There are two various methods of doing the pre-drying method and it depends on you and the weather to see which works properly.
The first approach includes placing the magic mushrooms on a neat tray or dish. Then cover it with a piece of cloth, preferably black. Take the tray or plate into a well-ventilated place, a table or window, where it gets stuck by the sunlight.
The second method is done when the sun is unavailable, and you have to get your magic mushroom dry that day. Place the mushroom on a clean tray and plate and have your fan blowing on them.
After a couple or more hours, the fresh mushroom will start to shrink and get wrinkled. That’s when the moisture evaporates from its parts. Once they feel dry, the mushrooms are not ready to last for a few weeks. If you plan to consume them in a week or two, then the pre-drying stage is enough for the mushroom to survive. However, if you are keen on drying them to keep them longer than a few weeks, then you can continue to the next stage.
Homemade Magic Mushroom Dryer
To keep the magic mushroom potent and available for months or years, there are a few ways to make sure it stays fine. First, you will need a desiccant. You might be familiar with this. It’s a small package that contains toxic ingredients but needed to keep things dry, like your box of shoes, foods, and other packaging. His is called a silica gel. However, getting one is expensive. So, instead of getting one that’s used in some of these packagings, better use an easy alternative.
The job of the desiccant is easy. It absorbs water or moisture from the atmosphere so it won’t stay in the product. The same concept is used to make sure your magic mushrooms stay dry. To save money and get friendly with the environment, the homemade desiccant is recommended. You don’t need to worry, it’s easier than it sounds.
The simplest alternative is Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate. You can purchase them in your local pharmacy. You will need these salts, a baking tray, a hammer, a good container, and your oven.
The process starts with the Epsom salts. Spread them across your baking tray and make sure they are even and more or less 1 centimeter deep. While doing this, start preheating the oven at two hundred fifty degrees Celsius. Then, take the baking full of Epsom salt into the oven and let it stay there for two hours. This is to ensure no moisture or any sign of dampness is present. Once done, take the tray out carefully. The salt will now look like a solid block of cake. There’s no need to wait until the heated salt cools off. Break the block into small pieces immediately using the hammer. Once they turned to small pieces, put them inside the containers, and sealed them. This is now your homemade magic mushroom dryer and they are ready to use.
The next step is to dry your magic mushrooms using your homemade desiccant. To do this, you will use a wide container with the airtight cover, a metal mesh, and paper towels.
First, take the desiccant and spread it on the wide container, preferably plastic. Make sure it is flat and the right size so the desiccant is evenly spread all over. Once done, the bottom layer is finished. Cover it with a layer of your paper towels. The more the desiccant is exposed to air, the more moisture they’ll absorb. So, you need to do these
steps quickly but carefully.
Second, take your metal mesh and bend each side, making a makeshift layer. You can likewise cut it into the container’s shape and let it fit snugly at the center, or near the desiccant. The metal mesh will support the mushrooms and keep them from touching the desiccant. Once it’s properly secured, take your pre-dried magic mushrooms and put them on the top of the metal mesh. Close the plastic container tightly. The desiccant’s job now is to absorb whatever moisture is left on the pre-dried magic mushrooms.
Check on it regularly. The idea is to let the desiccant dehydrate the mushroom unhurriedly until it attains its cracker-dry state, or when it snaps once bent. When they do, you can promptly transfer them into a new container or a Ziplock bag and stash in a neat and dry place.
Conclusion
True enough, whether you are drying your magic mushroom completely to have your stocks ready for any occasion, or sell them and earn more, the process is simple and quick. You don’t need a lot of things. With a few steps, you can make your desiccant and let your magic mushroom get as dry as it can. Plus, it is up to you if you want to go all-in or have it pre-dried only. No matter which one you want, the important point is to ensure your magic mushrooms’ shelf life.
Your homemade magic mushroom dryer will go a long way, and when done right, you can store as many magic mushrooms as you like. Now, you can never run out of it. Everything gets done easily when the steps are followed well. All the important features in life are readily studied, the same as making a homemade magic mushroom dryer. So, instead of throwing away your excess unused fresh mushrooms, go and get them dry and ready for storage.
