Drying Magic Mushrooms

Once you harvest your Mondo magic mushrooms, you have two options: either eat them fresh or dry them for storage. Whatever you choose, doing it correctly is important to avoid rotting or molding.

Congratulations! Your mushrooms have survived the difficult section of their journey. Having gone from tiny pins into fully formed fruiting bodies under your watchful gaze, the transformation from mycelium into magic mushrooms is complete. An important reminder here is to pluck your shrooms before the veil under the caps has fully detached.

Now that you’ve harvested from your grow kit, you have to decide on which of the two roads to take – consuming your mushrooms fresh or drying them for storage.

Consuming fresh vs dry mushrooms

Freshly harvested psilocybin mushrooms only stay fresh in the fridge for about two weeks at 2–4°C. When refrigerated it is important to keep them in a paper bag or perforated plastic to prevent moisture buildup, as it can lead to mold.

If you don’t plan on eating your entire harvest within 2 weeks, however, drying them out to preserve them is essential. Microdosing also requires you to dry the mushrooms before storage. A full flush from your Mondo Grow Kit will provide you with plenty of microdoses if you preserve them correctly.

Easiest drying methods

There are a couple of different ways to dry your mushrooms. Although some are more effective than others, your decision should be based on the tools you have at your disposal and the conditions in which you live. The good news is, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive equipment to dry your mushrooms – a DIY set-up will work just fine. 

Pre-drying

Pre-drying refers to removing excess water from your mushrooms before drying them out completely. This is important if you want your shrooms to be properly dried; by the end, they should snap when bent. Having your shrooms reach this level of dryness is important both for their shelf life and for measuring consistent doses and microdoses.

To start pre-drying, spread out your mushrooms on a piece of cardboard or a towel so that they aren’t touching. Then leave them in an aerated spot somewhere, or place them in front of a fan. An important point is to make sure they aren’t exposed to direct light or sunlight as this can reduce their potency.

After a few hours have passed check, on them to see if they have dried out on their surface (if using a towel, you may have to move them around periodically to avoid trapped moisture).

Air-drying

You may choose to go for the easiest option and simply air-dry your shrooms all the way. To do this, simply continue the pre-drying process for a couple more days, until your magic mushrooms are brittle enough to snap when you bend them.

Bear in mind, this method carries certain downsides; if the room they are drying in is too humid, your shrooms won’t dry properly for really long-term storage. Some moisture may be left in the center of the fruiting bodies which can lead to dosing inconsistencies or can even lead to mold developing over time.

Advanced drying - Using a dehydrator

If you decide to go down the technical route instead of 100% air drying your fungi, you can use a dehydrator. This will softly heat your shrooms while ensuring a constant flow of fresh air in and out of the dehydrator.

As with the air-drying method, lay out your mushrooms on the drying racks so that they aren’t touching. Keep the heat low (around 40°C) to make sure that you don’t sacrifice the potency since higher temperatures can reduce psilocybin content. 

Check up on the mushrooms every so often over the next 4 to 8 hours, until they snap when you bend them; after this you can pack them up for long-term storage.

This is the pricier method of drying magic mushrooms, but it is arguably the best way. It will consistently result in shrooms that have dried all the way through, maximizing their shelf life and optimizing your ability to accurately dose.

Using desiccant

Another option is to use a desiccant, which absorbs moisture. For this method, just make sure your mushrooms are properly pre-dried first. You can then scatter some desiccant among your shrooms and let it work it’s magic (just make sure the desiccant isn’t in direct contact with your mushrooms). This can also be used to ensure they don’t spoil during storage.

And there you go; now that your Mondo grow kit has been successfully harvested and dried, you can store them away to be used whenever you need them.