Great job! Your mushroom caps are open and they’re ready for harvest. But you’re thinking to yourself, what do I do now? Once mushrooms are mature, you have to think about these next 3 steps: harvesting, drying and storing them. These steps are very important as they help to determine the potency and quality of your mushrooms. At first it might seem daunting and confusing, but practice enough, and these will become second nature for you.
Fully mature mushrooms have open mushroom caps. However, sometimes not all of the mushrooms mature at the same time. You may have a large amount of small, undeveloped mushrooms, called pins. You should not let that deter you from harvesting your mature mushrooms. You don’t want to wait for those to be ready. Everything on your cake is going to be harvested. To “pick” a mushroom, you’re going to want to hold the base of the mushroom firmly, but gently, twist and pull with steady pressure. If your mushroom happens to snap, don’t be dismayed! Just twist the rest out of the cake. Healthy pins can be left to mature, but damaged pins or pins that have stopped growing known as “aborts” should be removed as soon as possible. However, for convenience and efficiency, you can just harvest all your fruiting bodies; mature mushrooms, pins and aborts, then prepare for your next flush! All fruiting bodies contain both psilocybin and psilocin, and it's even though that pins, and aborts have higher percentages of both psilocybin and psilocin, compared to mature mushrooms!
Drying
This stage is extremely important. Properly dried mushrooms store longer, have better potency and their texture is more crunchy than squishy, which many people prefer for ingestion. You never want to use heat to dry out your mushrooms. That is, do not put them in the sun or in the oven. There are a few ways to dry your mushrooms at home that do not require any specialized equipment. One of the easiest methods is to place your mushrooms on paper towel or cardboard in front of a fan for at least 48 hours. Another method that involves a fan is to place a small fan inside a plastic container with a cover (like a tub or tote) and placing the mushrooms inside with it and closing the lid.
Another way to dry them is by using a dehydrator. However, when using these, you want to make sure the temperature does not go above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A good one to use is this one (HYPERLINK).
Storing
Unless you’re able to use all your mushrooms at once, you’ll have to think about storing them. They can be stored in Ziplock bags, but you have to make sure that you get rid of as much air in the bag as possible. The less air that they are exposed to, the longer they will store. Another great option for storage is in an airtight jar, such as a Mason jar. Another tip that many growers use is to place a silica gel pouch in the jar because air will seep in over time. Other than keeping them away from air, you’re also going to want to keep them away from heat and light. A cool, dark cupboard is a great place to store your mushrooms. Mushrooms dried using a fan can keep for a few weeks, while those dried with a dehydrator can keep for 6 months or more without a loss of potency. But remember, the longer you store these mushrooms, the less potent they become. You’re also going to want to keep an eye on them because if they grow any kind of mold, you’ll know they’re exposed to moisture and it’s time to get rid of them, you never want to eat or consume mushrooms with mold growing on them!
Now you know how to harvest, dry and store your mushrooms to preserve quality, potency and yes, even aesthetics! Happy farming!