Anglerfish said:

Well, but at least the alkaloid content is intact.

Tip: don't oven dry small fungi such as liberty caps, it is not needed, and is prone to burn or damage the mushrooms.

Put them on baking sheets (they don't stick at all) and let them simply air dry, should be cracker in 12 to 18 hours given that you've spread them evenly out.

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Mice-Helium said:

Proton said:

Jesus did you burn them in the oven or were they just a bit past their best when you picked them??

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50°C in a Fan overn for 2hrs, maybe a little bit long, cracker dry though.
Main issue was how much they stuck to the foil.
Bought some none-stick paper for the next haul though.
I will reduce the time for drying though or stop being cheap and by a dehydrator

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Proton said:

Sorry man didn't mean to come off critical, they just look pretty dark haha

You want airflow so they'll dry more effectively.  No need to worry about cleanliness at this point - they've been growing out in a field after all!

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It's cool man, I'm still no pro at this yet (as you can tell )
I'll take any criticism/help on board.

Mice-Helium said:

Anglerfish said:

Well, but at least the alkaloid content is intact.

Tip: don't oven dry small fungi such as liberty caps, it is not needed, and is prone to burn or damage the mushrooms.

Put them on baking sheets (they don't stick at all) and let them simply air dry, should be cracker in 12 to 18 hours given that you've spread them evenly out.

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Thanks for the advice! Place them in a still air box or just anywhere clean?

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Nightwalker said:

Hi everyone, the time of year has come around again and I'm hoping to double my pickings after last year's shitshow, is it the right sort of time to start looking in the south West? I live near Bristol area and theres one feild where I picked about 350 or 400 last year and was wondering when it would be worth going out to have a look. I'm still a noob at this it's only my second year picking so sorry for the dumb questions.

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Seems like they've been popping up all over the country.  I was down near glasto a couple of weekends ago and found just two but a good sign that they're on their way and coming through!

With the weather we've been having I wouldn't be surprised if your spot is doing well - good luck

kastan said:

Anyone had any luck in the West Midlands? I've been out for weeks now and seen fuck all, just a few identifiers here and there.

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Stone Dippy said:

Got about 500 in a couple of hours on Dartmoor today! 😀

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Stone Dippy said:

Got about 500 in a couple of hours on Dartmoor today! 😀

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Damn son, did not expect Dartmoor to be kicking off so hard... Got my spot down there, will have to do a trip this weekend or next!!

Anglerfish said:

Mice-Helium said:

Anglerfish said:

Well, but at least the alkaloid content is intact.

Tip: don't oven dry small fungi such as liberty caps, it is not needed, and is prone to burn or damage the mushrooms.

Put them on baking sheets (they don't stick at all) and let them simply air dry, should be cracker in 12 to 18 hours given that you've spread them evenly out.

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Thanks for the advice! Place them in a still air box or just anywhere clean?

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Like mentioned above, air flow is crucial, leave them on a tray or table, avoid enclosures like boxes, cupboards etc.

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Could you rig up something like this>



an old computer fan, a new one only cost a few £££, for when you want to dry those huge hauls quickly. You could put them in front of a radiator for a few hours. This little old fruiting chamber holds four tiers, and is plenty for the small number of libs I used to find.

jedimafia said:

Our real first find of the year today.  Found roughly 140 in the lakes/central Cumbria but "only" high up in the peaks.  Took all day mind to start finding them!

Anyone else had any finds in the Cumbria area?  We only have one "solid" picking location, would love to hear of any other spots if anyone cares to send me a pm i'll happily keep it secret

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Yeh fellow Cumbrian here, had a good bit of success over the west of the Lake District, 300meters up, I have seen them below 100meters!

I found these below today, roughly took 2 hrs, and they have dried now for 5hrs

[url=https://files.shroomery.org/files/19-40/987973322-IMG_8819.jpg]