HOW LONG CAN I KEEP A GROWKIT, FRESH OR DRIED MUSHROOMS?

You want to save your own cultivated magic mushrooms for the perfect moment, we understand that! Tripping on psilocybin mushrooms can be intense, and timing and setting are therefore extremely important. In addition, it is unrealistic and perhaps not so wise to consume your home-grown magic mushroom harvest immediately and completely. But how do you make sure that your magic mushrooms don't lose strength or, worse, get damaged and are no longer edible at all. In this article, we explain how long you can store a grow kit, fresh and dried mushrooms.

Storing your magic mushroom grow kit

A grow kit is also called a breeding set and is intended to growing magic mushrooms as simple as possible. It is a ready-to-use package, including a manual that contains everything you need to start growing the mushrooms right away. The latter is sensible anyway, since a grow kit contains fertilized substrate.

When you buy a grow kit in a physical store, it is almost guaranteed to come out of the refrigerator. In a cold environment, the activity of the mycelium the network of fungal threads of the mushroom species in question is considerably slowed down. The process of propagation and branching is mainly stimulated by heat and to a lesser extent by light.

Shelf life grow kit

When you buy a growkit from our Muhsroomshop ordered, then you may have the misfortune that the package takes longer than desired. It is then not necessarily exposed to light, but to heat. That is why we advise you to get started immediately with an ordered grow kit. The mycelium has already been activated by the journey, and stopping the process again can affect health.

Is it still not convenient, or do you want to wait a little longer? Then place the grow kit in the refrigerator at a temperature of 3 to 5 degrees. The grow kit should have a shelf life of 3 to 4 weeks under these conditions, but due to the living organisms, we cannot guarantee this shelf life. The longer you wait, the greater the chance of contaminations. Ideally, at the time of ordering, you make sure that you have all the supplies ready and that you have left a gap in your agenda to get started with your grow kit!

The storage of fresh magic mushrooms

Your harvest has been successful, and you are the proud owner of a lump of fresh magic mushrooms. To maintain strength and quality, it is recommended to consume the fresh mushrooms as soon as possible. Doesn't work? Try to pack the mushrooms as airtight as possible (for example in a perforated plastic bag) and put them in the fridge. Ideally, the temperature in your refrigerator is set between 2 and 4 degrees. In this way, the fresh mushrooms can only be kept for a few days to a maximum of 2 weeks (but then the conditions must have been perfect).

Shelf life of fresh mushrooms

Despite the fact that magic mushrooms grow quickly and growing them is relatively simple, they are fragile fruits. For the shelf life of fresh mushrooms it is good to know that:

• Magic mushrooms are sensitive to contamination from other fungi;
• Moisture can quickly damage the mushrooms (so keep them in a perforated plastic bag or a paper bag that you can seal well);
• Light and heat accelerate the spoiling process.
  
  

Storage of dried magic mushrooms

Mushrooms consist of 90% moisture, which makes them very susceptible to contamination from other fungi. Hence, dried magic mushrooms have a much longer shelf life than fresh magic mushrooms. When you then vacuum pack the dried mushrooms (as good as possible) and put them away in a cool and dark place, they can be kept for at least a few months without loss of potency.

However, this method only applies when the mushrooms are really well dried. You can test this by trying to snap the stem. Does this go easy and breaks like a dry tok? Then you can safely store your harvest and save it for later!

Fresh or dried mushrooms

Users report that a trip is more intense when the mushrooms are fresh and consumed immediately after harvesting. This may be true. The psychoactive substance psilocybin what is in a magic mushroom and causes you to trip is more stable in fresh magic mushrooms. The moment the mushrooms are harvested, the psilocybin breakdown process starts by exposure to heat and oxygen.

That's why experienced psychonauts prefer to consume the mushroom immediately after harvest. This requires very good timing. If you would like to trip on intense fresh mushrooms, but the opportunity to do so will only present itself in a few days, we recommend that you temporarily put the grow kit in the fridge. This slows down the growth process of the magic mushrooms. Do not do this too often and not for too long. Activating and deactivating can affect the health of the mycelium.