onz Posted October 11, 2005 gotta be quik! I'v got pics i'll post later! I would very much like to dry my mushrooms for easier consumtion, how ever last time i tried this I was defeated by parasites. Day 2 of drying process I wake up to maggot infested mushrooms. very sad, and discusting to wake up to and TOUCH. I thought about putting a couple of drops iso alc to sterilise but I don't want to extract the goodies. Please help, anyone familier? thanx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted October 11, 2005 Try washing them in water briefly and get rid of any bits of dirt (or poo)... air them for 20m min and then whack them in an airtight box on a perforated cooking tray or suitable mesh frame to lay the shrooms on above a layer of anhydrous compounds (camel closet etc used for keeping clothes from going moldy - I think its calcium chloride???). Make sure the mushrooms dont touch the anhydrous layer. It dries them quite fast and literally sucks moisture out of the mushrooms and air, helping mitigate conditions for pests. You could try sterilising the mushrooms by washing them initially in a water solution that has a small amount of lemon and garlic added. Citrus and garlic are great in the garden as a natural way of keeping pests away from plants and how knows might add some cooking zest to your goods. Geez man - you really got maggots?? I wouldn't have thought mushrooms were their choice of carrion... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted October 11, 2005 Those maggots are larvae of the fungus gnat and washing the shroom will not prevent them as the eggs are laid into the flesh before harvest. You could make up your own pyrethrum spray from fresh herb (which is edible), or you could occasionally spray the shrooms with IPA which would make it very uncomfortable for them. Drying them quickly is the best prevention. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 11, 2005 lavae exactly! cancer seeds waiting to hatch! looking on the shroomery about such but haven't found anything cept for drying and many comments saying just eat'em. -_- but still lookin No worries though s'all good, I'll just try'n fan dry'em with the (hopefully) warm spring air tomorrow. i'll post any findings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted October 11, 2005 wonder if the larve stain blue if ya squish 'em ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rev Posted October 11, 2005 i hear they can be ground down and insufflated with remarkable effects Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 11, 2005 lmao p.s. the shroomery search was no good. the actual search, i found more relative documents without it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted October 11, 2005 Dude, It's easy, well atleast it has been for AFOF. Hold them by the stem, give them a few very sharp flicks on the top to dislodge most critters. If there big tear them in half or quarters( i don't bother, but mine are never that big) place them inbetween a single peice of news paper, place them on a shelf in your fridge, they should be dry within two or three days. Just a theory: The cold of the fridge would also help cease/slow larvae hatching, allowing the shroom to dry b4 they can get going. Warm weather will just help the maggots hatch and thrive. This is the only meathod AFOF has tried, but from the results, would not bother trying anything else as this is more than satisfactory. All instructions say it takes that long with fans and dessicants anyways, also the psylosin/psilocybin break down slower at lower temps, so assume this may also help retain higher levels of these. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mescalito Posted October 11, 2005 The mycological version of the agave' worm :D I've heard about Ozzy snorting lines of live ants but maggots? I never cease to be amazed... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 12, 2005 cheers naja will try 2morrow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eeroborroc Posted October 13, 2005 (edited) . Edited September 13, 2013 by eeroborroc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted October 13, 2005 Onz I just noticed our kitchen has a machine that uses ultra violet light to sterilize cups - wonder if an ultra violet light could help in preventing bacteria and larvae? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 14, 2005 Botanica, thats sounds well worth a try, wish i had a uv light. Good news is I'm pretty sure everythings fine, my mushrooms appear quite far from dry but there is no sign of any infestations. I'm a little skeptic about the fridge after looking at them in the morning but only put'em in last night so, yeah. sorry haven't posted pics yet coz bit busy (Xam yesturday) and I have to work out the whole upload pics to pc crap. cheers, catch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted October 14, 2005 Trust afof, the fridge works! If the papers ot dry, then u might become concerned, but if it's dry just wait till tonight. You should see obvious drying by then. Paper should be open on three sides and not folded close around the edges, just like u were drying some green ;) If your worried at all, like afof was the first time, tear them down into even smaller sections, they will dry super fast. Atleast subs do, cubes should too. If your super worried, consume them now a little bit of honey will kill the taste and they don't taste that bad apparently. Ofcourse, only do this if you are living in one of the more liberal european nations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted October 14, 2005 Has anyone ever had the opportunity to freeze dry mushrooms? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 14, 2005 OK decided to brake'm up and found hatchlings. fuck! haven't cheked both bags but fuck. Anyway I instantly thought of wtf to do as a quik kill without damaging mushrooms. "I'll smoke'em out!" I yelled. But they will "sufocate" won't they. I mean, should I drown'em in smoke or will I just be wasting my lungs? Bit of a crazy dream this one. I only want to eat'm dry cozza the low potency of bellcaps. p.s. Freeze-drying would be sweet.. in theory p.p.s. mother told me today she wants'em out of her fridge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted October 14, 2005 what the hell are bell caps? Are u even in Australia? Try making a brew out of them instead then, u can concentrate the goodies in a small amount of water, flavour it and drink.Maybe this is better for you. Instructions can be found on the net. Latin name for bellcaps??? Latin is universal, but common names change from state to state and person to person. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spiders Posted October 14, 2005 When I use a normal damprid type method to dry the mushrooms the maggots are the first thing to dehydrate and you can often find them down on the calcium c. by themselves - they usually jump out and die, but i guess some stay inside upon drying. For me drying is a quick process - usually two days and they are snap dry without a problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 14, 2005 lol, you scared me :D Panaeolus campanulatus (bell-capped panaeolus) I presumed calling them bell caps would be as definitive as calling Panaeolus cyanescens blue meanies. Didn't end up 'smoken'em out'. chopped them up whilst discarding/killing/chopping any critters i could find. now at warm temperature and appears to be stable. I have big fear of waking up 2morrow and finding the other newspaper wrap left in fridge infested. I'm pretty sure with the ones i've broken up, chopped and mildly heated that I should have no more complications there. *sigh* ... damprid sounds like the most effective method. Definetly to be tried next time. thanx for the help everybodeh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest d0tb0y/n00dle Posted October 15, 2005 When a friend of mine had maggot problems, he got a piece of cardboard and lay a chicken wire screen really close above it, and put the mushrooms on the screen. He then smeared honey all over the cardboard and waited. Hundreds of maggots must've smelt the honey and they came out of hiding, and dropped thru the screen and got stuck in the honey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted October 15, 2005 Sorry Onz if this isn't working for you. It normally works fine. Although the fridge is old and not frost free(still CFC) , but there is nothing in it, it's set to about the warmest a fridge will go 4 deg. But they should be crisp by now. And from what I know about Pans, they shouldv'e dried easier than the subs. Should be crisp by now! the bigs sometimes take 3 days to fully to fully crisp. I dunno what ur prob is, try other meathods, there easy to find on the net, but it shoulda worked. I've seen half deteriorated/eaten subs dry fine in there. Maybe u need to pick them earlier in the morning before the bugs get going.? Maybe ur just unlucky. P.s. U always end up eating a few bugs in ur shrooms. It's alright they ain't poisonous and they are full of protein. All shrooms have a few bugs, but your bug prob sound rediculous. Maybe freeze them for an hour before you dry them, this should also kll anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 15, 2005 noodle thats amazing, I've heard of it with flies but maggots/lavae wouldn't have thought. naja its not too bad. its my own fault man the mistake was not having enough breathing space when i wrapped'em the first time and put them in the fridge. Plus its a cold fridge and didn't notice the dial was up a half. I read that defrosting shrooms yields a discusting, smelly, slimey mess. Its realy not a big problem, as everything I picked was fine at the time of picking. which is why i wanted to sterilise for the drying. I knew they're just had to be lavae present, but wanted to kill them b4 hatching. so i could dry without a worry. The coldness of the fridge definetly inhibited they're growth, so I got'em nice and early on. everythings basicly sweet now so I just have to wait'n see if anything comes up b4 they're finished drying. SMURFADELIC! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
occidentalis Posted October 16, 2005 lol, you scared me :D Panaeolus campanulatus (bell-capped panaeolus) Onz, have you confirmed the activity of this species? It's quite common in my area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onz Posted October 16, 2005 It is believed the potency varies considerably, and will be at best mild. lycaeum states it only contains psilocybin, no psilocin . I am yet to confirm, I would have this afternoon, but the company turned sour . this'is a different subject but I'd love to continue it further... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blog Posted October 19, 2005 It's hard to know what to do, drying them with calcium chloride you're sure to lose a good percentage to maggots, maybe if you think you'll use the dried mushrooms in the next couple of months you'd be better off using heat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
