Nothing compares to the mouthwatering aroma of sauteed mushrooms filling your kitchen, not to mention how delicious they taste when combined with steak or roasted vegetables. Unfortunately, shrooms can potentially become dangerous to consume if they go bad, unlike other compounds that might simply become less potent. So how long are mushrooms good for on the shelf? For your benefit, we will go over the shrooms in this article. Please keep reading.
The Average Shelf Life Of Shrooms
As recommended by many users, fresh magic mushrooms have a short shelf life. They only keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator, even when properly stored.
On the other hand, dried mushrooms have a longer shelf life. Dried mushrooms should keep for six months to a year in ideal conditions. However, be aware that a variety of ailments can shorten their life. Dried mushrooms, for instance, can only be stored for a few months due to inadequate packaging or moisture exposure.
Why Do Mushrooms Go Bad?
Like all plant matter, magic mushrooms are susceptible to rot and mold growth. Shrooms can turn into a hazard for consumption if bacteria or mold start to grow on them. This is the term used to describe bad mushrooms. When this occurs, they are no longer suitable for consumption.
The psychedelic substance in mushrooms, psilocybin, will deteriorate over time even if they don’t develop mold or bacteria. Although they won’t be as potent as newly dried mushrooms, degraded mushrooms may still be safe to eat.
In general, if your mushrooms are exposed to moisture while being stored or if they are kept fresh, mold and bacteria could become an issue. Heat, UV light, or oxygen exposure are more frequently the culprits for the shrooms’ active compounds to degrade.
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What Is The Shelf Life Of Mushrooms?
Shrooms’ safe shelf life mainly depends on how they are stored and what kind of mushrooms you have:
- Fresh mushrooms — shortest shelf-life (3–5 days)
- Dried mushrooms — moderate shelf-life (6–12 months)
- Microdose capsules — moderate shelf-life (12–18 months)
- Mushroom chocolates — moderate shelf-life (12–18 months)
- Mushroom honey — long shelf-life (2–3 years)
How To Tell If Your Shrooms Are Expired?
Here are some warning signs that your mushrooms are, or are getting very close, to their expected shelf life:
The Mushrooms Are Slimy
This is a surefire indication that your fresh fungi have gone too far. The mushroom is about to rot if there is a film of slime on it. The saying goes, “If a mushroom is completely covered in slime, it’s past its prime!” Do not eat.
The Mushrooms Have Dark Spots
Unless they’re combined with slime or if they’re very dark, spots on your mushrooms aren’t always a sign that they’re bad. Due to handling during packaging, some mushrooms may naturally develop blotches, light bruises, or mild discoloration on the caps.
The mushrooms are no longer fresh if the spots are dark in color, obvious, and present in addition to the other red flags listed above. Discard the spots if they even slightly resemble decay.
The Mushrooms Are Smelly
Fresh, raw White or Brown mushrooms have a very light aroma that is almost undetectable. To smell that earthy scent, you had to place them right up against your nose. The smell of spoiled mushrooms will probably be very noticeable.
The mushrooms are expired and starting to decompose if you open the packaging or bag and get a foul smell.
The Mushrooms Are Wrinkled Or Shrunken
Wrinkles are typically not a sign of expiration. Indicated by a diminished scale of the cap itself, also known as shrinkage in size, it means your mushroom is beginning to dry out after being kept in the fridge for too long.
Since mushrooms are made up of 95% water, they exhibit dehydration symptoms more visibly than other produce. If they are a little dry, think about eating them right away and rehydrating them by adding them to a soup or other moist dish to improve their texture.
The Mushrooms Are Deformed Or Cracked
Every mushroom has a unique shape, but one that is noticeably malformed may have dried out in the refrigerator and become shriveled. The mushroom may be drying out if the cap begins to crack.
The same advice applies: eat the mushrooms right away or discard any that are wrinkled or shrunken.
How To Store Shrooms In The Fridge?
If you can’t dry your mushrooms for some reason, you can store them in the fridge on an unbleached paper towel in a paper bag. To prevent decay, the paper bag should be rolled up around the mushrooms fairly tightly.
Fresh, whole mushrooms can be stored in the fridge like this for five to 10 days. To stop further decay, they must be dried afterward. Truffles and other low water content mushroom species will have a shorter fresh shelf life than other mushroom species.
It is therefore best to check for mold after three to five days if you intend to keep your mushrooms in the fridge for an extended period of time.
For those wondering how to store mushrooms for a week or for a short period of time, this method is ideal.
How To Keep Mushrooms Fresh Longer?
While your mushrooms will have their expected shelf life, there are many things you can do to keep your ‘shrooms fresher, and longer.
When the mushrooms are ready, paper bags them and keep them in the container that they came in. Since they were created by professionals to keep your food fresh, mushrooms are best stored in their original containers.
But after opening the package, you can move your mushrooms to a paper bag. Instead of a sealed plastic bag, this will allow the moisture that the mushrooms naturally retain to be slowly released, preventing premature aging.
Know when to wash your mushrooms and how to do it. Many people believe that after opening a package of mushrooms, the next step is to wash them before eating, just as you would with other products.
However, washing mushrooms under a running faucet can change their texture and shorten their shelf life. Instead, only lightly brush any dirt off your mushrooms before eating them with your hands or a damp paper towel.
Your mushrooms can be frozen, marinated, or dried to store for later. While it’s recommended to consume fresh mushrooms within 10 days of harvest, freezing or dehydrating them can help you keep your mushrooms longer.
They can then be included in popular dishes like soups, sauces, and other dishes. Even dehydrated mushrooms can be ground into a powder and added to drinks like smoothies and other things. Finally, marinated mushrooms can be kept for up to a year by sealing them in mason jars.
Conclusions
You should throw away your mushrooms right away if you notice that they smell sweet or strange, have blemishes, are discolored, or have mold growth that is visible. Consuming mushrooms that exhibit these symptoms could be dangerous.
Therefore, even with proper storage methods, make sure to always check your mushrooms before ingesting them and keep them from being used after their expiration date.