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Chuck H
Stranger (than most)


Registered: 12/14/12
Posts: 129
Loc: Island in the PNW
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Convenient drying method!!!
#19219432 - 12/02/13 08:58 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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I figured I'd post this here since I didn't see a "preservation" forum and it seems to me that the "hunters" are the ones that can use this trick. Certainly growers too, but their more likely to have a favorite method already. So...
I was looking at some mushrooms that I simply air dried by laying them out on paper towels. I wasn't satisfied. They were still pliable. The humidity here in the PNW rarely drops below 60 or 70. I once tossed a jar of dried Marasmius because they went stale in four months after they were dried on "necklaces" and sealed in a mason jar. I didn't want this fate for my cyans! So I had a thought (rare). My home has forced air heat. The air coming from the vents is luke warm, dry as a bone and provides circulation for air exchange. So I layed my cyans out on a T-shirt in the approximate shape of the floor vent and folded the other side of the T-shirt over the top. Then I layed the package on the floor vent. Cracker dry in a couple of hours!!! I suppose if you have more pressure from your vents or if your vents are on the wall you could also tape the bundle in place. Worked dandy for me. Free dehydrator! Cant wait to try it with next years Marasmius!
-------------------- "Fungally speaking, we are smiled upon most favorably." David Arora
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Prolific Mycognome
Extra-Dimensional Being



Registered: 09/02/13
Posts: 113
Last seen: 7 months, 29 days
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Chuck H]
#19220363 - 12/03/13 12:53 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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No heating running at this time of year... we're saving on power by using our wood burning stove. I doubt a chimney will work in its place, no sense in trying to smoke my mushrooms.
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Chuck H
Stranger (than most)


Registered: 12/14/12
Posts: 129
Loc: Island in the PNW
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Haha! Nope. Did I mention this only applies to forced air!?! I sure do miss my wood stove though. I don't mind cutting wood so it's like free heat when the job is done. I've considered alder smoking Chlorophyllum olivieri (woodland shaggy parasol) for the flavor combination and then use it as a garnish or spice!!! Will probably actually do it some day. But indeed, don't smoke your actives.
-------------------- "Fungally speaking, we are smiled upon most favorably." David Arora
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Ran-D



Registered: 12/19/10
Posts: 16,315
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Chuck H]
#19221331 - 12/03/13 09:54 AM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Floor vents, must be nice. All I have is little plug in heaters so usually only the room I'm in is warm.
So I was reading about drying in dehydrators and it says not to do it indoors because some pinner people are allergic to that kind of stuff. Do you guys do yours outside? My house has no outlets outside so that's really not an option for me.
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Chuck H
Stranger (than most)


Registered: 12/14/12
Posts: 129
Loc: Island in the PNW
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Ran-D]
#19222402 - 12/03/13 02:04 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ran-D said:So I was reading about drying in dehydrators and it says not to do it indoors because some pinner people are allergic to that kind of stuff.
Not to sound ignorant, but what are "pinner people"?
I read a story about an AIDS sufferer that died from an Armillaria mellea mycelium infestation!!! And some allergy prone people are sensitive to mushroom spores I guess. I've never had a problem though.
Something I've done in the past when drying edibles is to lay them on a screen, set the oven to it's lowest temperature but leave the door open. Then I put the screen in the oven and set a fan right on the open oven door. Not as dry as the floor vent but pretty good. Seemed a little warmer than I'd be comfortable with for actives though.
-------------------- "Fungally speaking, we are smiled upon most favorably." David Arora
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred


Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Chuck H]
#19222461 - 12/03/13 02:22 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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I dry my stuff inside but have worried about it for health reasons.
Drying Ganoderma is the worst. Stinks up the whole place. Paxillus smells amazing! Nom nom nom. I wouldn't eat them but I wanted to drying them.
I think I will devise a way to dry outdoors to avoid health issues.
The inside of my dryer, where the fan pulls the air, is orange now from Gymnopilus spores. Really pretty color but points out that there are a hell of a lot of spores floating in my house.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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Ran-D



Registered: 12/19/10
Posts: 16,315
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Ganzig]
#19222597 - 12/03/13 02:54 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Do you use the same dehydrator for all mushrooms or do you have a seperate one for edibles?
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maynardjameskeenan
The white stipes



Registered: 11/11/10
Posts: 16,391
Loc: 'Merica
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Ran-D]
#19222668 - 12/03/13 03:07 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ran-D said: Do you use the same dehydrator for all mushrooms or do you have a seperate one for edibles?
I use the same one for all mushrooms, I wash the trays often. Drying Ganoderma or Gymnopilus makes the house reek.
-------------------- May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy. AMU Q&A
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred


Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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I use one for all as well.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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maynardjameskeenan
The white stipes



Registered: 11/11/10
Posts: 16,391
Loc: 'Merica
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Ganzig]
#19223382 - 12/03/13 06:05 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ganzig said: I use one for all as well.
All for one and one for all!
-------------------- May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy. AMU Q&A
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Prolific Mycognome
Extra-Dimensional Being



Registered: 09/02/13
Posts: 113
Last seen: 7 months, 29 days
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Would a space heater work well as a substitute? We have a small one that puts out hot, dry air at about 90 degrees, which I read is an ideal temperature. I didn't see anything on-site about using something like this but it'll no doubt work, right?
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred


Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Quote:
Prolific Mycognome said: Would a space heater work well as a substitute? We have a small one that puts out hot, dry air at about 90 degrees, which I read is an ideal temperature. I didn't see anything on-site about using something like this but it'll no doubt work, right?
The right temps plus dry heat plus airflow = dry mushies. Give it a try. Let us know.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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mountainplayer
Worm Dehydrator



Registered: 01/07/11
Posts: 1,531
Last seen: 30 days, 8 hours
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I've been helping a friend collect mushrooms for a mycologist, some of which may end up being DNA sequenced. Alan told me to avoid dehydrators that don't have a temp control, as going over 140F (I think this was the threshold) could damage DNA. I've been simply air drying, or air drying with the aid of a small fan.
A couple weeks ago, Christian Schwarz requested a sample of a mushroom I collected this season, and I explained to him that it might take some time to dry it before I could send it along. He explained that I was probably missing the boat by air drying, because longer drying time poses more risk of damaging a sample by opening it up to contamination than higher drying temps. He sent me the following link:
www.kahaku.go.jp/research/publication/botany/download/37_3/BNMNS_B370301.pdf
I'm still air drying, although much quicker now that my woodstove is always burning, because as maynarnd and Ganzig mentioned, spores are everywhere when I use my dehydrator on edibles (mainly Boletus rex-veris and Morchella sp) and I'm concerned about cross contamination if I have two or three specimens drying at once. I mean, why bother with worrying about drying temperature if I'm going to coat one specimen with spores from another specimen?
The article briefly mentions this, but doesn't really offer a solution. They talk about using paper bags to isolate the specimens inside the dehydrator, but then say that it hindered drying. They didn't mention whether or not spores from one mushroom, landing on another, would render the sample unsuitable for DNA testing.
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Ran-D



Registered: 12/19/10
Posts: 16,315
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I think the temperature was much lower than 140, I thought it was like 105.
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RuralAnomaly
Sporadic


Registered: 10/05/13
Posts: 2,153
Loc: Spitzenkörper Ohio
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Quote:
Prolific Mycognome said: Would a space heater work well as a substitute? We have a small one that puts out hot, dry air at about 90 degrees, which I read is an ideal temperature. I didn't see anything on-site about using something like this but it'll no doubt work, right?
even though its hot, its the same humidity as the room air that it's (i assume) pulling from. Of course the heat will speed up drying but if you want them preservation dry, wouldn't you need to use some desiccant?
-------------------- bite my basidiocarp
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred


Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: RuralAnomaly]
#19237070 - 12/06/13 03:21 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
RuralAnomaly said:
Quote:
Prolific Mycognome said: Would a space heater work well as a substitute? We have a small one that puts out hot, dry air at about 90 degrees, which I read is an ideal temperature. I didn't see anything on-site about using something like this but it'll no doubt work, right?
even though its hot, its the same humidity as the room air that it's (i assume) pulling from. Of course the heat will speed up drying but if you want them preservation dry, wouldn't you need to use some desiccant?
I don't think so or else my de-humidifier would not work. I don't use a desiccant and my mushrooms get so dry that if you try to move any part of the mushroom it breaks instantly. Bone dry.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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Prolific Mycognome
Extra-Dimensional Being



Registered: 09/02/13
Posts: 113
Last seen: 7 months, 29 days
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Ganzig]
#19237202 - 12/06/13 03:59 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yeah, I'm getting the extension cable and plugging it up within the next hour. They've had plenty of time to lose as much moisture as they're going to so I doubt this process will take a full twelve hours. And I live in the valley, RuralAnomaly, where it's dry as a bone all year long... so the air here is perfect for drying my Big Laughing Gyms.
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Hashfinger
Nippy Wiffle



Registered: 07/10/12
Posts: 4,775
Loc: Georgia
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
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Re: Convenient drying method!!! [Re: Chuck H]
#19237693 - 12/06/13 05:52 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Chuck H said: But indeed, don't smoke your actives.
Lest they be Amanita muscaria! They would be absolutely perfect toasted on a woodstove!
-------------------- Species List (Georgia): Psilocybe caerulescens/weilii, Psilocybe atlantis/galindoi, Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, Psilocybe caerulipes, Psilocybe semilanceata, Psilocybe fagicola, Copelandia cyanescens, Panaeolus cinctulus, Panaeolus fimicola, Panaeolus olivaceus, Gymnopilus luteofolius, Gymnopilus aeruginosus, Gymnopilus junonius, Pluteus salicinus (Ohio): Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, Psilocybe caerulipes, Pluteus cyanopus, Pluteus salicinus sensu lato..., Panaeolus cinctulus, Gymnopilus luteus, Gymnopilus luteofolius, Gymnopilus junonius, Gymnopilus aeruginosus
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