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Freezing Mushrooms before Drying

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blue.magic

blue.magic

Rising Star
I ran in a problem my BRF cakes do not fruit in sync so I harvest little bit of mushrooms almost every other day. This makes my fruit dryer run almost non-stop with just a single plate.

So I am thinking about collecting the mushrooms in a freezer until there is enough quantity, then drying them all at once.

What do you think? Would freezing harm their potency? They would be stored in a plastic bag with a dessicant.
 
SnozzleBerry said:
Afaik, you won't be able to dry them after the freezer, they will turn to mush.
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Are you sure? I have frozen few caps earlier (after spore printing - so they was pre-dried a bit) and then they dried just fine after refrigeration.

Maybe I will leave then on air for few hours, then freeze.
 
I agree with SnozzleBerry. The mushrooms will turn to mush in a fast rate taking out from freezer. Well unless your drying machine can dry the mushrooms in a faster rate, but it'd probably taking longer time and efforts if you consider the defrosting stage.

The easiest way is to just air dry them IMO.
 
Definitely agree with both above replys. Freezing expands the volume of the water present in the cells causing some (or most in the case of soft fruits like mushrooms) to burst. Hence the mush.
Just air dry as you go
 
It's not just that they turn to mush. When they've become mushy, they are far more vulnerable to other fungi. If you've frozen them, keep them frozen until the exact moment you want to eat them. De-frozen mushrooms can go bad in a single day. Such a waste :(
 
Okay, thanks.

It seems there is no other simple option than to dry small amounts as they come. Maybe pre-dry the bits on a piece of paper towel, then place them with the rest in a dryer (mine uses mild heat so they are dried in few hours and cracker-dry in 11-13 hours).

Anyway, this problem will resolve itself by going from cakes to monotubs.
 
I had the same question, but a different motivation, and came across this thread.

I'm growing mushrooms for the first time and going through a steep learning curve.
The biggest problem is the timing (coupled with some mistakes I made, which slowed down the growth) turned out a bit unfortunate. I'm going away next week and I'm not coming back until April.
Before I leave, I'll have to dispose of the contents of my grow chamber and I'm sure it will include small immature mushrooms and pins.

So my thinking is this:
- I'd like to let the mushrooms grow for as long as possible, to maximize the mass of the harvest before I close the whole operation.
- I won't have the time to dry the harvest. To dry it, I reckon I'd need a couple of days, and I don't want to steal from grow time. Considering that I've only harvested a couple of mushrooms so far, and have dozens of pins or small immature mushrooms, each day is precious. A day can make a huge difference in the yield.
- By the same token, I most likely will not have the time to eat them all before I go.

Therefore, harvesting all the mushrooms (including not fully mature ones) on the day of my departure and freezing them fresh seems like the best option to maximize the yield, which can be consumed after I come back from my trip.

I understand it will turn them to mush, but if it's only an aesthetic / sensory disadvantage, I'm ok with that; in the stomach everything is a mush anyway. Unless someone can suggest better options?
 
my understanding is, from a metabolic standpoint, the fruits are most potent just before the veil breaks.
psilocin is present in fresh fruits, but will certainly degrade when the fungal cell walls rupture, via autooxidation, but also catalyzed enzymatically. Theoretically, this would be inhibited with lower temperature, but accelerated upon thawing. Fan drying at room temp largely preserves psilocybin, and I've found that fan drying for a few hours, followed by vacuum desiccation, is very effective to get them cracker-dry overnight.
 
benzyme said:
my understanding is, from a metabolic standpoint, the fruits are most potent just before the veil breaks.
psilocin is present in fresh fruits, but will certainly degrade when the fungal cell walls rupture, via autooxidation, but also catalyzed enzymatically. Theoretically, this would be inhibited with lower temperature, but accelerated upon thawing. Fan drying at room temp largely preserves psilocybin, and I've found that fan drying for a few hours, followed by vacuum desiccation, is very effective to get them cracker-dry overnight.
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Thanks. I'll try and pick them as soon as they're ready and put them under a fan.

As for thawing fresh-frozen mushrooms should I go this route, I don't think this needs to be done slowly or at all. I can just toss the frozen mushrooms in the Nutribullet with a banana for taste, blend it and drink straight away, leaving no time for the psilocin to degrade.
 
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