There always seems to be a lot of debate in the various drug orientated news groups as to how long magic mushrooms will last for. I have dehydrated mushroom powder that I grew four years ago and believe me, it is still as potent as the day I packed it. But the secret is in the packing.
Here are the main things to remember about long term storage. First of all, dry the mushrooms until they are as crisp as crackers, then put them in a blender (I use a Magimix) until they are reduced to a virtual powder. Then pack in glass jars with screw on lids that have interior rubber seals. As an added precaution, seal the thin area between the bottom rim of the lids and the bottles, with silicon. Using glass is very important. Plastic may appear impervious to air, but over a long period of time it doesn't seem to be. I once put mushroom powder in sealed plastic containers for a year and at the end of the period the powder had declined a great deal in potency. Also - very important - tamp down and compress the powder into the jar while packing. This ensures that there is minimal air inside. When you finally open up the bottles, give them a bit of a shake and then open the lid. If you see tiny particles of powder floating upwards as you open the lid, you will know that the powder has remained bone-dry and is therefore still very potent. But you can also tell by the colour - the browner the powder becomes, the more moisture it is absorbing. The ideal is to maintain them at the colour they were when packed (a light greyish beige). I don't freeze the powder, or refrigerate it, though I suppose this would probably serve to extend the life of the powder even further.
Which brings me to another interesting point. It is well known that wine is improved by being `put down' and matured for a few years.
Well, I have been handing out samples of mushroom powder to close friends that I packed four years ago and the response has been incredible. People say to me that they have never had such fantastic experiences as they do with my product. And my experiences match theirs.
There are other people here growing and marketing stropharia cubensis mushrooms, but it seems that my four year old product is hugely superior.
Somehow the notion of mushrooms attaining a sort of spiritual maturity by being kept for a few years really appeals to me. Perhaps having been born, crucified, dismembered, dried and laid to rest, mushrooms then need to be enveloped in the magnetic field of Gaia and bathed in the force fields of the planets for a few years in order to reach their full life-transforming potential.
Here are the main things to remember about long term storage. First of all, dry the mushrooms until they are as crisp as crackers, then put them in a blender (I use a Magimix) until they are reduced to a virtual powder. Then pack in glass jars with screw on lids that have interior rubber seals. As an added precaution, seal the thin area between the bottom rim of the lids and the bottles, with silicon. Using glass is very important. Plastic may appear impervious to air, but over a long period of time it doesn't seem to be. I once put mushroom powder in sealed plastic containers for a year and at the end of the period the powder had declined a great deal in potency. Also - very important - tamp down and compress the powder into the jar while packing. This ensures that there is minimal air inside. When you finally open up the bottles, give them a bit of a shake and then open the lid. If you see tiny particles of powder floating upwards as you open the lid, you will know that the powder has remained bone-dry and is therefore still very potent. But you can also tell by the colour - the browner the powder becomes, the more moisture it is absorbing. The ideal is to maintain them at the colour they were when packed (a light greyish beige). I don't freeze the powder, or refrigerate it, though I suppose this would probably serve to extend the life of the powder even further.
Which brings me to another interesting point. It is well known that wine is improved by being `put down' and matured for a few years.
Well, I have been handing out samples of mushroom powder to close friends that I packed four years ago and the response has been incredible. People say to me that they have never had such fantastic experiences as they do with my product. And my experiences match theirs.
There are other people here growing and marketing stropharia cubensis mushrooms, but it seems that my four year old product is hugely superior.
Somehow the notion of mushrooms attaining a sort of spiritual maturity by being kept for a few years really appeals to me. Perhaps having been born, crucified, dismembered, dried and laid to rest, mushrooms then need to be enveloped in the magnetic field of Gaia and bathed in the force fields of the planets for a few years in order to reach their full life-transforming potential.