One thing that everyone who's looking into vaccuum sealed storage should consider is the popular opinions on the containers. By this I mean the plastic tubs you can buy to seal things into. I was just looking into getting a few to go with my Foodsaver Freshsavee hand-held system (the bags are great,) and upon reading the reviews on Amazon I learned that apparently a very common problem with the tubs is cracking, especially across the bottom. Maybe people are depressurizing them too far, or maybe the Foodsaver brand--which is the only brand I looked into--isn't using materials with the proper strength and flexibility for the depressurization cycles they go through. I don't know for sure, but I decided to stick with my trusty gallon-size Freshsaver bags. In my limited experience the bags are great, but I was also reading that the tubs lose their seal pretty easily and commonly (especially when they crack...obviously.) Just something that I think should be noted and considered. If I can save one person the $15-$20 on the shoddy tub then I'm satisfied.
As far as dehydrators, I think they're super worth it. I have a Presto Dehydro, probably the base model, which is all you need aside from extra trays. It ran me about $45, not counting the two extra expansion trays for it (it supports up to eight and comes with four,) and two mesh screens for little fruits that like to fall through the trays when dry. Also, a controllable thermostat is groovy to have, but is totally unnecessary for our purposes. I don't recall the exact temperature at which Psilocybin begins to degrade at, but this risk is greatly overstated in most people's minds (the temperature required for degradation, I believe, is somewhere around 350°F, and most food dehydrators operate at significantly less than that.) Storing mushrooms away from humidity is FAR more important that storing away from mild warmth like an 80° apartment. Since switching from PF cakes to monotubs, my dehydrator has been the number-one best and most useful purchase I've made since buying a PC. If you're reading this and trying to decide, I say absolutely do it, you'll be so glad you did, especially if you're growing in bulk!
Desiccant packets for long-term storage is always a good idea, but don't try to scavenge them from beef jerkey and such. Used desiccants will rehydrate your mushies to an unacceptable extent, causing rot and nasty problems. I also like to put oxygen absorbing packets into my storage bags before sealing, as oxygen, even in small amounts, is a bigger threat to mushrooms than your 175° food dehydrator, especially over multiple months, and even more so over years, should they survive uneaten for that long.
All these things can be found on Amazon (which doesn't require a credit card, by the way, in fact I haven't ever had a credit card in my life- I always use Amazon cards,) and all of these things will make your life much easier.
After sealing up the bags, I simply label them with the strain, date, and mass of it's contents, then I put it in the drawer in my fridge and sleep well knowing they'll be just as good in a year as they are today. That's what really matters most to me, after all.
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