remus mozart

5:15 pm - 02/21/2012
general question - has anyone dried mushrooms for presentation/decoration and how did it go / what did you do? I picked a few shelf mushrooms I want to put in my curio, and Id also like to start large glasspane shadowboxes full of pinned/identified mushrooms for the walls, with spring coming. Right now mine are in a ziplock in the freezer for the night, to kill any larave that might be nesting in them, but Id like to be prepared for what to do tomorrow when I take them out.

I was going to just take them out and let them air dry, but i dont know if there is a quicker method? Especially with shelf shrooms, they are so flipping big.
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ilea 22nd-Feb-2012 01:35 am (UTC)
When I made shelves out of my shelf mushrooms I used this tutorial. There's a section where they talk about drying.

http://findermaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/mushroom-shelf-tutorial.html
etxeberria 22nd-Feb-2012 01:55 am (UTC)
I didn't even know this was a thing. I am thoroughly intrigued!
ilea 22nd-Feb-2012 02:00 am (UTC)
Oh yeah they're pretty strong too. I have books on my largest mushroom shelf.
888mph 22nd-Feb-2012 01:58 am (UTC)
My mycophobic self is crying forever for this. *runs away screaming for the mountains*
kittrel 22nd-Feb-2012 02:06 am (UTC)
Those are the most amazing thing I have seen all day! o.o Thank you for sharing!
galingale 22nd-Feb-2012 03:30 am (UTC)
Phenomenal.

I've seen etched shelf mushrooms (http://americanmushrooms.com/heerkens/pyrography.htm), art with spore prints (http://petemclean.wordpress.com/tag/spore-prints/), fabric dyed with mushrooms (http://allfiberarts.com/2011/aa091610b.htm) and even art about mushrooms (http://redwoodcoastcreativearts.typepad.com/redwood_coast_creative_ar/2010/02/for-the-love-of-mushrooms.html), but had never stumbled across the idea of using the shelves as ... well...shelves.

Thank you -- I shall be sharing this with my friends in the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society!
_last_serenade_ 22nd-Feb-2012 03:28 pm (UTC)
wow, that is really cool. how did yours turn out?
ilea 22nd-Feb-2012 08:54 pm (UTC)
Really nicely. I used several coats (like 3 or 4) of matte clear protectant spray and they look just like they would as if they were on a tree. I'd take a pic but I *just* got my new camera today and I haven't had a chance to charge it (or read the damned manual) yet.
willowistari 22nd-Feb-2012 04:35 pm (UTC)
Oh man this is awesome, thanks for the link. :D
inna68 22nd-Feb-2012 03:57 am (UTC)
We go mushroom hunting every year. So some of them end up as dried. Usually we dry enough to hold for two years (in Colorado you only get good season once in two years). And even at the end of the second year they are much better then any store bought dry ones. The only way to speed up a process is to use dehidrater, otherwise it is old "wait till ready". Anyway, you are just going to use them for presentation. The only thing is, dried mushrooms pretty much loose lots of their looks doe not matter what you do...
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