once the mushrooms off the kit are ready to pick, what is the safest method of drying them? i'm not looking for the fastest way, i want them to dry properly and be free of any mould or other harmful contaminants. thanks in advance
Lay them on a flat surface in front of a fan for a few days until they are "cracker dry," as some people describe it. At that point, put them in a sealed container that has a desiccant in it in a manner that keeps the desiccant from touching the mushrooms. A desiccant is just a drying agent, and there are different substances that desiccate quite well. Some people claim that rice works, but there are commercial products available such as Damp-Rid. The Damp-Rid Refillable Moisture Absorber, which is available in most grocery stores and drug stores, comes with a container that holds the desiccant; it is convenient because it only requires opening a package, dumping it into the container that comes with the desiccant, and then sticking the container into whatever type of box you will be drying them in.
Humidifier? If your drying them you don't want a humidifier, Fresh: can least about couple of weeks in the prefect conditions Dry: can last months ..Store in a cool place I heard you can place them in a freezer, But i'm not sure
DE-humidifier is what I was saying Luke. Anyone drying large quantities of high quality mushrooms is using a Dehumidifier. It's the exact opposite of a humidifier. They need to stay in the dehumidifier until they are dry...which is not quite brittle I would say. And yes, Luke is exactly right...once you have them dried, out them in the freezer. Ziplock will be fine, maybe 2 bags. Of course tupperware would be better.
Are you sure that you're not thinking of a dehydrator? A dehumidifier is a large appliance used to lower the humidity in rooms, whereas a dehydrator is a kitchen appliance used to dry out foods, and I have actually heard of people using them before. There are advantages and disadvantages to using dehydrators. One can fit a lot more mushrooms on a table or something than inside of a dehydrator. However, using a dehydrator is faster than fan-drying, but the heating element must be disabled in some models if it is not possible to set it below a certain temperature. I've also never heard of people storing mushrooms in the freezer. It is true that they should be kept out of the heat, but keeping them in the freezer could potentially harm their potency, especially if they are not utterly dry. This is just a hypothesis, but freezing mushrooms that are not bone-dry could ruin them because, like plants, they have cell walls that would be destroyed when the water inside of them expands from freezing. Storing them inside of a mason jar in a cool, dry place, perhaps with a packet of silica gel, is probably the most practical thing to do. In England, mushrooms stored in a similar manner, but without silica gel if I recall correctly, have been found that were over a hundred years old and still contained psilocybin and psilocin.
