Drying Mushrooms
Learn All About Drying Mushrooms
Although many fungiphiles prefer their mushrooms fresh, drying mushrooms is a relatively easy process, and many like their taste when dried, as well.
There are various ways of drying mushrooms. One is to place the mushrooms on sheets of paper inside a drawer. Leave them there for a full day. This method works well with the smaller size of mushrooms than with the larger varieties. Sometimes people using the drawer method of drying mushrooms use a silica gel in the drawer, to help capture humidity.
Another way of drying mushrooms is to use an oven. You put your mushrooms into an oven set at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and leave them for two to six hours. Leave the hood fan on the whole time, if you have one. Be careful not to use any higher temperatures, because this can destroy the psilocin and psilocybin.
The next method of drying mushrooms is the freeze dryer. These have been called the “psilophile's dream”, because they preserve the most flavor and have a fairly quick turnaround time for drying.
Another way to dry mushrooms is by solar drying. To use this method, you will string your mushrooms on cleaned fishing line, making sure to leave space between each mushroom. You hang the lines in the sun for two days, until they are brittle. You will need to bring the lines inside at night before dew can form, or if rain is forecast. Once they have dried, you pasteurize the mushrooms and store them in airtight containers. They generally keep well for several months this way.
To pasteurize mushrooms, you need to preheat your oven to 175 degrees F, and spread the mushrooms one inch deep on any baking trays not made from aluminum. Heat them for fifteen minutes, flipping them once. Then spread the fruits on a clean towel to cool.
To begin drying mushrooms, select only specimens that are in excellent condition. Make sure they're firm, relatively free of worm holes, and able to withstand handling. Clean the mushrooms carefully, and try to keep excess water from being absorbed by the mushrooms. Clean the cap's top with your finger, a damp cloth or a small brush. Trim the stems off before drying.
Cut broad, even, flat slices of mushrooms, about 3/8 of an inch thick. Try to make the slices close to the same width, to assure that they will dry at the same rate. Don't leave the mushrooms lying around after you prep them. Put them in rows on your trays, avoiding overlapping, so that they will be able to dry evenly.
As you can see, there are many means of drying mushrooms. When they're dry, be sure to put them in airtight containers, to keep their taste and aroma intact.