The Best Ways to Grind up Your Mushrooms

Though it’s not entirely necessary, psychedelic mushrooms are traditionally dehydrated before consumption, and that’s especially important if you plan to grind them up.

There are two major reasons for this: shelf stability and accuracy in conventional dosing.

Dehydrating Mushrooms

It is possible to consume psychedelic mushrooms without dehydrating them first, however there are a few factors to consider: 

Mushrooms are approximately 95% water, which means you’re required to consume a lot more material to consume the requisite active ingredients (psilocybin & other tryptamines). When fresh, the active ingredients (psilocybin & other tryptamines) within the mushroom are usually more potent than when dry, so it can be hard to determine the correct dosage.    Mushrooms contain fibers called chitin which our stomachs can find difficult to digest and can cause nausea – you consume a lot more of that with fresh psychedelic mushrooms.

READ: How to Make Shroom Tea: The Ultimate Mushroom Tea Guide

How To Dehydrate Mushrooms

When dehydrating mushrooms, you want to make sure to use a dehydrator which keeps your mushrooms under 180ºF. Temperatures higher than that can activate the psilocybin and degrade it, reducing potency.

You’ll want to dehydrate them until they are cracker dry, which can take a couple of hours to several hours depending on the size/thickness of your mushrooms and how many you dry at once. You can cut mushrooms into smaller pieces to help them dry faster, but you don’t want to grind them up until they’re fully dehydrated.

Storing Dehydrated Mushrooms

You’ll want to store dehydrated mushrooms in a sealed (airtight) bag, ideally with a desiccant pack, in a cool, dry, dark place. Refrigeration or freezing could cause moisture to develop, so it’s best to avoid storing them in the fridge. Ideally, you don’t want to grind mushrooms until you’re preparing them for consumption; ground up pieces of mushroom will degrade potency over time, so it’s better to store them whole long-term.

READ: Growing Magic Truffles: A Beginner’s Guide

Grinding Your Mushrooms

When choosing how to grind your mushrooms, the method may depend on your purposes and what items are available to you.

You can grind mushrooms:

By hand. Crumble the cracker-dry mushrooms between your fingers. This doesn’t create uniformity, but it’s simple, easy, and if you’re grinding them up to immediately mix into a beverage or a food for immediate consumption, this method requires no tools whatsoever. Using a plastic bag and a hammer. This one can create a finer grind than your hands, but still lacks uniformity. You likely have both of these items readily available, but take care not to damage the surface beneath the bag. 

Using a mortar and pestle. This is likely the ideal method. This method has been used by humans since the Stone Age to grind up food and medicine. You take small amounts, then grind in circular motions using the pestle to pulverize the mushrooms into powder. This creates uniformity, and can get your mushrooms down to powder form. This is ideal if you’re seeking to measure doses into capsules for microdosing.

Using a grinder. Honestly, this is not the ideal method, and can cause your cannabis to smell like mushrooms (smoking mushroom isn’t going to do anything for you, FYI), and your mushrooms may get stuck in it — it’s not really designed for the shape of mushrooms compared to the buds of a cannabis plant. Using a small electric coffee grinder. For large quantities, this may be your best bet — but you may never get it clean again, so either prepare to have “a mushroom grinder” or prepare for some funny coffee beans. You also don’t want to use a coffee grinder that has leftover coffee bean material in it because your mushrooms will taste like your coffee blend. You can fill your grinder and pulse the dried mushrooms until they’re thoroughly pulverized. This will also create uniformity and a powder-like consistency, which you can then use in capsules, candies, or teas.

If you plan to grind up mushrooms for capsules and longer-term storage, know that potency can degrade with time, especially once you’ve pulverized your mushrooms. Keep ground mushrooms — or capsules containing them — dry, and in a cool, dark place.

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