The feeling of thorough excitement when you come across a bounty of magic mushrooms is priceless. That blissful feeling of being able to enjoy the magical mushroom trip is unparalleled. Whether you decided to grow magic mushrooms or got lucky to shop a whole lot of high-quality truffles, the next part is the trickiest of them all – Storing it. Embedding good storage techniques in your journey with mushrooms is vital to retain the potency, flavours, and shelf life of the fungi. They are sensitive and susceptible to damage, diminished content, and come with a high risk of decomposition.
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Here are four simple ways to store
truffles and magic mushrooms that will preserve these magical ingredients as
their best self.
1. Drying With Desiccants
Drying is one of the most efficient ways of preserving the integrity of truffles and Magic Mushrooms for a long time. The trick with drying mushrooms is to avoid the use of heat. Many use heat to expedite the drying process, but this could damage the sensitive compounds that are responsible for the psychoactive benefits and health properties and reduce potency.
Start by pre-drying to reduce the moisture. Put the shrooms on a plate and place them in front of a fan in a dim room. This process will soak about 95% of the water and leave a rubbery shadow of the fungi within a few hours. The next step is to use potent desiccants to dry out the left-out water from the shrooms.
Desiccants
include simple ingredients at home like Epsom salt that can absorb the moisture
from the mushrooms. These desiccants can be dried and reused for your next set
of shrooms as well. In the case of Epsom salt, you
have to bake it on a sheet for about 2 hours and powder it to use for your
drying process. Alternatively, you can also choose store-bought silica gel.
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What
you need
●
Desiccant of
your choice
●
Drying racks
●
Spacers to
separate the racks
●
Paper towel
●
A container
to seal the shrooms
How
To Prepare The Shrooms
- Lay down about 3 cm of desiccant in the
bottom of the container and arrange paper towels over it.
- Place the rack inside and spread the shrooms
evenly. Place the next rack and repeat the process.
- Seal the container and place it in a dry
dark place for three days.
- Check if the shrooms reach a consistency
where they crack under pressure. If so, your shrooms are ready for
storage.
2. Freezing
Freezing is yet another simple way to extend the life of your mushrooms. Frozen shrooms last almost indefinitely, and you can defrost a small portion as per your dosage whenever to enjoy a lovely trip. The first step to preserve your shrooms by freezing is to make sure you are dry them out. You can use the instructions on how to dry them from the above step and place it in a plastic zip-lock bag in your freezer. Remember to never freeze fresh mushrooms as the temperature could destroy the membranes of the fungi, thereby affecting the potency. Dry them up completely before you place it in a bag and freeze.
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If you still prefer
using fresh mushrooms, you can refrigerate them for about 30 days without
destroying the constituents. Make sure to keep airborne spores from setting on
the surface to avoid decomposition.
3. Vacuum Packing
Vacuum packing helps to elongate the shelf life without damaging the potency of the shrooms. You can invest in food vacuum packers, which make storing shrooms in your refrigerator easier. The fungi can last for about three months this way.
You
can also use freon, which is used in air conditioners to cool the air.
- Place the required amount of shrooms in a
zip lock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Place the freon nozzle inside the bag and
inflate up to 25%.
- Squeeze out the freon and follow it by
repeating the above step at least a few times.
- Remove the spray and place the bag in the
freezer to store indefinitely.
4. Knock Up Into An Edible
Disguising your shrooms into edibles is a wonderful way to extend the life of your magic fungi. Powdered mushroom has a long shelf life, and it is easy to store and include into any recipe of your choice. You can add it to your baking mixture, curries, sauces easily without much hassle.
Alternatively, you can also whip rich shroom infused edibles such as honey, chocolate that can be useful. Psilocybin can last active up to three months in chocolates or honey. Also, some of these infusions pose an advantage of elevating the benefits of the shrooms. It could make the trip even more intense and fabulous.
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To
prepare mushroom powder,
- Start by dehydrating them.
- Place them in a food processor and grind them to a fine powder.
It is now safe to store for at least five months.
To
infuse shrooms into chocolates,
- Place a bowl of chocolate on a saucepan and
melt it.
- Remove the chocolate from heat and add the
mushroom powder. Mix thoroughly using a spatula.
- Cool the dish and refrigerate it for use.
- You can also pour it into chocolate molds and freeze them to enjoy anytime you like.
You
can similarly prepare shroom honey or oil to utilize the power of the fungi in
discreet forms while preserving its integrity.
Conclusion
Now that we have discussed some of the best ways to store truffles and magic mushrooms, you can reap the fruits of your labour and enjoy these amazing fungi and the benefits whenever you need them.