Proper drying technique: why most people are doing it wrong
234 replies · Cultivation
I see a lot of variation in how people approach drying and I think there's more bad advice out there than good on this topic. The goal is getting water activity below 0.6 — which prevents mold and degradation — and doing it without destroying your psilocybin.
Pre-dry first: lay them on a cooling rack, fan blowing over them, 24-48 hours. They should be 'cracker dry' — snap, not bend. Then and only then use desiccant. The desiccant is the final stage, not the whole drying process. Using only desiccant on wet mushrooms doesn't work fast enough to prevent mold.
Food dehydrator with temperature BELOW 40C (104F). Above 40C you start degrading psilocin. 3-4 hours at 35C, then move to desiccant for final drying. This process is faster than fan drying alone and doesn't damage the product.
The cracker dry test: pinch the mushroom between two fingers. If it bends, it's not dry enough. If it snaps with a crisp break and feels light, it's properly dried. Mushrooms that are spongy or flexible have water activity too high for safe long-term storage.
231 more replies — forum posting coming soon.