Drying and storing magic mushrooms: keep your stash in top shape

Have you finished your magic mushroom cultivation and need reliable advice on drying and storing your harvest? Then you’ve come to the right place.

We explain a drying method that starts with pre-drying and ends with dehydrating in a food dehydrator to remove all moisture.

Read on as we guide you through the two main phases of this process and outline the corresponding steps to ensure your harvest is properly dried and stored for maximum longevity.

Why should you dry magic mushrooms?

The answer to this question is simple: by drying magic mushrooms, you extend their shelf life in an easy way. This is essential to prevent your valuable supply from spoiling quickly. In addition, the mushrooms’ volume decreases, making them easier to store.

To demonstrate the benefits of proper drying, let’s look at the differences in shelf life across various storage conditions in the overview below.

Storage method	Shelf life	Assessment
Outside the refrigerator	1–2 days	Rapid dehydration and spoilage. Not recommended.
Refrigerator (2–4°C)	5–10 days	Store in a paper bag or breathable container. Preferably no plastic.
Cool and dark place (dried mushrooms)	Months to years	Best method for long shelf life. Store dry, airtight, and in the dark.
Freezer (dried mushrooms)	Years	Only suitable for fully dried mushrooms. Quality of fresh mushrooms may be affected.

* Never store mushrooms in airtight bags or containers. Moisture trapped inside can cause mold and spoilage.

How do you dry and store magic mushrooms?

Learn what you need for efficient drying, followed by the process steps.

Requirements

PHASE 1: pre-drying magic mushrooms

Start by pre-drying the fresh mushrooms to remove most moisture naturally. Pre-drying has two major advantages: it is energy-efficient, and the mushrooms are not exposed to excessive heat, which could cause the loss of active compounds.

1. Prepare your drying area

Depending on what you have at home, you can choose to pre-dry on kitchen paper, tea towels, sushi mats, or the racks of a food dehydrator or oven.

If you are pre-drying on kitchen paper or tea towels, start by lining a suitable surface, such as a cutting board or tray. The kitchen paper and tea towels serve as a moisture-absorbing base for the mushrooms. Using a cutting board or tray is recommended because it makes it easier to move the drying mushrooms later.

If you have sushi mats, drying racks, or oven racks at home, these are also excellent for pre-drying. The big advantage is that air can circulate freely around the mushrooms. This prevents mold formation and speeds up the drying process.

2. Spread the mushrooms over the surface

After completing the preparations above, cut off the ends of the mushrooms with substrate attached. Then spread them out on your prepared surface. Make sure they do not touch each other for optimal drying.

Ensuring the mushrooms do not touch is especially important when using kitchen paper, as moisture can build up if it cannot escape properly. The paper may become too wet and stick to the mushrooms, leading to mold growth.

If you have grown very thick or large mushrooms, it can also be useful to tear them into smaller pieces. This ensures that the drying process proceeds evenly.

3. [Optional] Cover the mushrooms

Optionally, you can add a second layer of kitchen paper or tea towels on top. This layer absorbs moisture and shields the mushrooms from light.

4. Place the mushrooms in a dark and dry room

Next, place the setup in a dark and dry room to allow the drying process to proceed as quickly and evenly as possible. Optionally, you can use a fan or space heater if the room is cold or humid. For fire safety reasons, always ensure you use these tools safely.

5. Regularly check whether the mushrooms are dry

Regularly check whether the mushrooms are dry enough. Under optimal conditions, this takes about 2–3 days. The mushrooms will look dry but still feel somewhat leathery and will not break when you bend them. This is because some residual moisture remains. We will remove the remaining moisture using the method described in phase 2.

PHASE 2: drying your shrooms with a food dehydrator

Removing residual moisture from the mushrooms usually takes 4–8 hours at 40–50 °C. The exact duration depends on the size of the mushrooms and the amount of residual moisture.

In addition, the quality of your food dehydrator plays a role. We have personally had good experiences with the Stöckli Dörrex — not the cheapest model, but effective and easy to expand with additional drying racks.

Below, we describe how to continue the drying process.

6. Spread the mushrooms over the drying racks

Start by spreading the mushrooms over the food dehydrator racks. Make sure they do not touch each other so the drying process proceeds evenly and efficiently.

7. Dry and test

Set the food dehydrator to 40–50 °C and dry the mushrooms for 4–8 hours. During the drying process, test regularly whether the correct level of dryness has been reached.

The simplest way to do this is by bending the mushrooms. If they do not bend but break, you know they are completely dry. Mushrooms at this stage are often called “cracker dry.”

8. Store the dried mushrooms

Now fill your jars with the mushrooms and add a few silica gel packets. The silica gel absorbs the very last bit of moisture still present in the jars and mushrooms. You can then seal the jars and place them in a cool and dark room.

If you want to take an even more thorough approach, you can also store the mushrooms in vacuum or Mylar bags. Fill the bags, then add a few silica gel packets again. Then carefully vacuum the bag and seal it. Once the bag is properly sealed, the mushrooms can even be stored in the freezer, further extending their shelf life.

Always take care not to vacuum bags too tightly. Sometimes dried mushrooms have sharp edges that can perforate bags. When this happens, bags are no longer vacuum-sealed, and you will need to start over.

Always have a supply of magic mushrooms: dry and store wisely

After completing the steps above, the drying process is finished. You now have—if all went well—a nice supply of dried mushrooms at your disposal, which will remain in optimal condition for a long time. Ready to use whenever it suits you!

As soon as your supply starts to dwindle, you can start a new cultivation project. For example, make new mushroom spawn, or directly grow a new batch of mushrooms in a monotub if you already have spawn available. This way, you are always well-stocked.

Drying and storing magic mushrooms: keep your stash in top shape

Table of Contents

Why should you dry magic mushrooms?