Preserving Magic Mushrooms
If you cultivate or handle magic mushrooms and CBD regularly, then one challenge you’ve faced is keeping them fresh. Both can spoil quickly when not stored properly. Fortunately, they can last longer when you preserve them using the correct procedures.
When you learn to store your mushrooms or weed properly, you form a special relationship with your harvest. There is nothing more fulfilling than having a correctly stored stash whenever you need some microdosing, even if it is six months after the harvest.
Here is what you need to know about harvesting, processing, and preserving your magic mushrooms and CBD properly.
Contents
Preserving Magic Mushrooms
One of the crucial things to always remember when using magic mushrooms is that their freshness determines the type of experience you will have when you use them. Mushrooms are a hallucinogen, and if they go bad, their effects can be harmful to your health. You will know that the magic mushrooms you harvested have gone bad if:
They are slimy: Fresh magic mushrooms are never slimy to the touch. If you have preserved yours in the fridge for a while and you notice a slime cover, don’t use them.
They have dark spots: this is usually an indication that the mushrooms are starting to rot. Rot results from the activities of bacteria and fungi, and you don’t want to inhale that.
They have wrinkles: Wrinkling is what happens to magic mushrooms after they have turned slimy. It is an obvious indication that they are a few days away from rotting.
Storing the Shrooms and Truffles
One of the easiest and most convenient ways to preserve the freshness in mushrooms and truffles is low temperatures. If you want them to stay fresh for two weeks to a month, place them in a cool and dark place, and also make sure that the temperatures are between two and four degrees.
However, remember that the fridge undergoes frequent freeze and thaw cycles, and this means that if the shrooms are not stored correctly, they will accumulate moisture, which will eventually turn them slimy, or make them rot.
In case you want to have and store your shrooms for more than two weeks, the best practice is to look for food vacuum packs. Start by drying out the mushrooms such that they will not have any moisture content. When you are sure they are completely dry, do your best to pack them immediately, and ensure the packs do not come into any contact with moisture.
Procedure to Follow when Drying the Shrooms
Here are the steps you can follow to dry the shrooms:
Take your magic mushrooms and arrange them carefully on a paper towel.
If you are not in a hurry to preserve and store them, leave them out to dry for three to seven days.
For a shortcut out of waiting seven days to store the mushrooms, simply use a food dehydrator to remove all the excess moisture from the mushrooms.
Another option for removing moisture from mushrooms is using the oven, be careful when drying shrooms in the oven, and do it at low temperature as this will preserve the active compounds.
Another way to dry the moisture first is by using food-grade desiccants.
When the shrooms are dry, place them in a clean and dry container, and as such, you can store them for weeks, and even months.
How to Store Cannabidiol
Many people imagine that since cannabidiol is extracted from the raw cannabis buds, and preserved in coconut, olive, and other oils, it is not perishable. The truth is that CBD oil sometimes goes bad, especially when stored improperly. If you taste your CBD, and it seems a little off to you, the chances are that it has reached its expiry date.
Generally, preserved cannabidiol takes 12 to 24 months before going bad. However, you can extend its useful life if you keep it away from high temperatures and sunlight.
CBD isolates, which are the purest form of cannabidiol, do not spoil fast like oils and pastes. You just need to store them in a cool and dry place, and they will maintain their freshness for years.
Testing the condition of your cannabidiol
There are simple tests that can let you know if your cannabidiol has gone bad. These include:
A foggy and murky texture: fresh CBD oil usually has the smooth texture of the oil which carries it. If the oil stops having a clear and smooth texture, the compounds in the oil may have started breaking down, forming a precipitate.
Changes in the color of the oil: Most CBD has a yellow or golden hue. However, if it changes color to black and dirty brown, it is an indication that the compounds inside have started breaking down. Change in color often happens when you store the CBD under too much heat.
Changes in the smell and taste: Most CBD will have a mixture of terpenes smell, and the smell of the carrier oil. When it starts going bad, the smell and taste become rancid.
Preserving CBD freshness
There are simple practices which you will find useful in preserving CBD-
Only buy as much CBD as you need. Buying in bulk raises the chances of it going bad before you use it.
Use clean utensils when you use the oil to prevent bacteria and other pathogens from getting into the oil.
Keep the oil away from heat and dirt.
Conclusion
Using spoiled mushrooms and cannabidiol can lead to adverse physical and mental effects. Before you buy or harvest the products, first figure out how to preserve them before storage. As long as you are following the right preservation procedures, you are less likely to end up with a spoiled product.