Help! Drying amanita muscaria

[Pissed_and_messed]

Fly agaric is pain in the ass to dry in open oven. Big chunks even when cut, takes some time. So much that I am afraid they get moldy because I also need to shut off the oven for night.
Now, the question is, is it good idea to just shove the stuff into honey that is antifungal and has sugar that absorbs moisture?
Or does it make it more difficult to evaporate moisture?

 

[Shinji Ikari]

Nah you'd just be setting yourself up for botulism by putting them in honey wet. I remember reading that some people tie them up and hang them with string to dry them out. Or maybe just stick with the oven and a deep baking tray?

 

[Cheshire_Kat]

I remember reading that some people tie them up and hang them with string to dry them out. Or maybe just stick with the oven and a deep baking tray?

If you are in a climate that is warm and dry that works wonders.
As an alternative, food dehydrators can be had for under $40.00 and will do the job just fine.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

I use grill tray, I figured it is better if warm air raises straight through them from beneath. Also I have kitchen hood on

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

yeah dehydrators are great
I just don't get money any earlier than tomorrow
Might be wise investment anyway as I have been planning to start gardening also later this year
If I just get my shit together
Thanks for your time

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

how high temperature desirable compounds can take before evaporating or decomposing?
I am definitely playing on safe side now

 

[Cheshire_Kat]

I used to dry mine at 65 C (140 F) with convection and they dried nicely, but I'm not sure of the high temp limit.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

at least you could make em tea so it is not awfully low but I have distinct memory that I had read it is soon after 150 celsius when the stuff loses potency fast.

 

[SpiralusSancti]

Best way so far was drying them on a radiator, ofc for that you need both radiator and winter. O boy, should be hunting for those soon.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

I put lil' salt on batch that is almost 30 hours old now. I do prefer making tea but I guess they will go just fine with dark chocolate once it is time.
How long have you guys oxygenated them? I have been told that desired compound yield gets better and better for a year, I have used 3 month oxygenated shrooms without ill effects.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

Imma gonna answer myself here
It seems to be I have mistaken on everything
Open air decarboxylation over a year does not seem effective-drying solely is pretty effective in converting ibotenic acid. I am gonna finish it on making tea with citric acid (desired pH 2.5-3, boiled and simmered for few hours). For some reason even decarboxylating in closed jar seems to be more effective than open air decarboxylation after it is dried. I didn't get the science behind.
Apparently optimal drying temperature is 40-80 celsius, higher temperature yielding less ibotenic acid and more muscimol-but for some reason going over 80 C while drying seems to degrade both compounds to inactive in significant amounts.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

I was wondering why everyone seems to do it wrong, but it turned out, I had mistaken. They were right all along.
I am no sure why, but either turning oven little hotter or cumulative heating over hours with gas oven seemed to rapidly make material very crispy all of a sudden-still not quite there, but this will be success definitely. I turned the heat off now.

 

[AlsoTapered]

Stringing mushrooms over a radiator was a common sight when I visited hippy friends in the 1970s. It's almost a lost art. But there were simple 'liberty cap' psilocybin mushrooms common to the UK. Fly Agaric had some strange preparations such as boiling them in milk. Maybe their is a scientific reason for using milk but you heat them to decarboxylate the ibotenic acid into muscimol. Removing a toxin AND increasing potency is a nice 2 for 1 deal.

 

[SpiralusSancti]

I just make a tea after drying them (be it in oven or in last attempts on radiator). In fact last couple times I used it I just toss & wash and it worked the same, even better cuz tea/soup ain’t the tastiest thing in the world. I use small doses so I don’t think proper preparation is nearly as important as when aiming for a “trip” dose. I still do, many years after first tying them plan to use a heavy dose one day. It ain’t worthless for combos either.