TV Guide: Storing Your Fungi in Honey

[camMyco]

I am waiting for my ginkgo to arrive, and then it is off to the kitchen! I'll let you all know how it works out.

[Godflesh]

How did I miss this?! Very Nice!

[mycobri]

i just gave it a try and it came out similar to yours
i followed your exact ingredients as well
it sure does smell good

im not ready to sample it yet -plus i have never had ginko before
..but it does look tempting

i gotta find me a plastic spoon

[Justin9619]

thanks for the wonderful recipe TV! I'll be sure to whip up a batch this weekend

[TVCasualty]

Glad to see y'all trying it... and thanks for all the positive comments!

Mycobri: Try some gingko by itself to get a sense of its effects. If you have it in powdered form, measure out around a quarter of a teaspoon and take it with something strong flavored, since it's bitter. I put it in my coffee sometimes, and it does add a slight bitter herbal tinge to the coffee that isn't particularly good but it certainly wakes me up more than the coffee by itself.

More and more people are taking it, especially those at risk for Alzheimers since it promotes oxygen flow to the brain (verified in clinical studies), which may help protect cognitive function over time.

[camMyco]

I just received my ounce of powdered ginkgo today. I will make a batch in the next day or three.

[mycobri]

it really does taste good one spoonful has done me nice

[TVCasualty]

Tonight is usually a good night to dip into the honey jar, unless you like lighting bottle rockets while holding them in your hand, in which case being drunk is better.

[Boylobster]

TV, where do you get your avatar images? They're always so counter-cultulicious!

[camMyco]

Okay, I finally made it to the kitchen. The recipe looked so good I doubled the batch. I will try a teaspoon tonight and see how it goes. Thanks for a great recipe.
</IMG>

[camMyco]

Great mix! I started with a teaspoon and an hour later I had to have another it was such a nice buzz. Great combonation, I think the ginkgo really helps it out, I did not have ginger but I did not have the usual stomach upset. Best trip in a long time!

[TVCasualty]

Glad to hear it worked out!

Now that you know what one tsp. will do for you, you can dial in your experience right where you want it! Each batch is different since each harvest is different, but all the spoons within a well-mixed tub are the same. I'm really looking forward to making some honey out of Pan Goliaths, where one spoonful might put me in outer space. I love this hobby.

Originally Posted by Boylobster

TV, where do you get your avatar images? They're always so counter-cultulicious!

Thanks... I just find them in passing while randomly darting around cyberspace. You know the one that fits when you find it...

[Boylobster]

Thanks... I just find them in passing while randomly darting around cyberspace. You know the one that fits when you find it...

Yea', yea', I heard.... I was just thinking that most of your avatars would make really cool stencils - you mind?

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by Boylobster

Yea', yea', I heard.... I was just thinking that most of your avatars would make really cool stencils - you mind?

No, though I'm not sure what you mean by 'stencils.' For permission to use other people's artwork, you'd have to ask them. I just swipe my avatars off other sites so I'm in no position to grant or deny anything- have at it!

[Boylobster]

No, though I'm not sure what you mean by 'stencils.'

I guess that's what we get for hanging out on a forum drenched in clandestine drug slang... y'know, like, stencils man, the best shit around!!! That is, typically two-tone cutout images that can spraypainted (or what have you) onto t-shirts, sidewalks, police stations, churches, etc. Stencils.

[golly]

Well i finally made some honey shroomz..In this case 130g dry bluefoots..
Have to say TV , that was a great tip about heating the honey prior to mixing
the powder..Managed to get 65g dry equiv in one half pint..
The mix looks a bit courser and drier than yours but everything is well coated...4grams of this mix = 1g dry...

[TVCasualty]

Wow, that is some densely-packed honey!

Looks good, too. I settled on the ratio I use as a compromise between potency and density; I keep mine in the fridge or freezer, so any stiffer of a mix and it's like concrete to spoon it out unless I wait an hour or heat it up (which I don't do after initially making it). I like seeing people take the basic recipe and adding to it or changing it; it's evolution in action! I'm always messing with it or thinking about new ingredients to add...


A week ago I began my first Everclear extraction. I plan on getting it to a known potency (say, 2-4 mL per dry gram equivalent) and adding it to warm honey, then letting the alcohol evaporate and hopefully I'll have honey that is indistinguishable from regular store-bought, but packs a punch! I'll mix up enough extract/honey so I can dig into it every 3-6 months or so for a couple of years to see how long the potency stays high (assuming it starts out that way!).

'Topia taught me the Everclear extraction TEK (among a few hundred other things), and so I'm happy to finally be able to slowly return the favor, one thread at a time. Merging the Everclear and the honey might make for some spectacular synergy... two great tastes that taste great together! Stay tuned!

[golly]

Well that's an interesting idea fo sho...You would evap down to a high consentration where it becomes gooey then mix in with honey...?.....I think it's worth trying...

As far as my jar goes , i'm thinking about remixing with a bit more honey
cause there are some air gaps that should be filled...That would end up more like a 1:5 ratio..
For the additional herbs , the plan is to mix them in when i make the tea..The Ginko and Ginger sound good ...The tea is made with apple juice then strained....

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by golly

Well that's an interesting idea fo sho...You would evap down to a high consentration where it becomes gooey then mix in with honey...?.....I think it's worth trying...

As far as my jar goes , i'm thinking about remixing with a bit more honey
cause there are some air gaps that should be filled...That would end up more like a 1:5 ratio..
For the additional herbs , the plan is to mix them in when i make the tea..The Ginko and Ginger sound good ...The tea is made with apple juice then strained....

Yes, the idea is to put the magic in honey in a way that is undetectable (until someone eats some). A jar of this stuff would have to be handled/watched carefully as it would be easy for someone who doesn't know to accidentally sweeten some tea or whatever with it and end up on the moon! This wouldn't be the best storage option in a house with children or roommates who aren't clued in (just ask my friend's housesitter who got into his stash of hash-oil fudge and got floored for 12 hours!).

As long as the amount of dry weight that is extracted is known, and the amount of honey you're mixing it into is known, then it doesn't really matter how much alcohol it's dissolved in; more just means longer until it all evaporates from the honey (it won't support fermentation like trying this with a tea would). I'm guessing that all I need to do is pour the everclear extract into the honey, cover the jar with some tyvek held on with a rubber band or something, and put it in a dark spot or even the refrigerator. After awhile, all the alcohol will evaporate, and then I can put on a regular lid.

BTW: My first extract has developed the amber color everyone reports, and I've been shaking frequently like I'm supposed to. I'm looking to filter it sometime this coming week, then some is going into honey!

[Hippie3]

copied to the vaults

[Hippie3]

you know,
i was just re-reading this thread
when i was struck by an idea
spun off a comment of TV's about spicy honey-
if one can make magic honey
why not magic jelly too ?
ever had jalapeno jelly ?
looks like mint but watch out-
it ain't mint.

but seriously
why not
jelly ?

[anarchOi]

infact, why not jello?
jk

magic jelly sounds nice. a magical pb&j would be the shite i must say.

i was wondering, why not add other herbs? maybe some blue lotus or something calming like that (saw someone talkin bout it on the first page)? a mix of the right herbs and some mushrooms could be quite pleasant

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by anarchOi

a mix of the right herbs and some mushrooms could be quite pleasant

Indeed it is!

We can spend the rest of our lives tinkering with honey recipes, or drawing inspiration from them for something else entirely, like "Hippie3's PsychoJelly." It might be time to assemble a large-scale psychedelic cookbook, something suitable for coffee table display, that details extractions, potentiation, recipes, etc. A kitchen is a chemistry lab, after all...

I'm going to try adding some cayenne pepper to some of my alcohol extract (but probably not the honey) to give it a 'bite' as a way to identify it as something "active." If I can manage to mix some ginkgo tincture and cayenne with the extract and fit it all in a dropper bottle, it would warn someone not to take too much and cayenne doubles the effectiveness of many herbs, especially gingko, so it'd be a heady brew.

The sky's the limit for psychedelic culinary possibilities...or maybe it isn't!

[GoVols]

TVC I really like the cook book idea.

Sold at a local head shop near you

(I have no idea what that smiley means but Ive been wanting to use it)

Just made my first batch of this stuff tonite.

Plan on trying this weekend. Looks just like yours.

[TVCasualty]

Sweet!

Let us know how it turns out, I'm especially interested of course. Also, I've seen a lot of people using that weedpoke smilie, but like you I don't know what the hell it's actually saying...

A big, slick, hardcover psychedelic chemistry/cookery coffee table book would be a lot of fun to read, and sort of be a sly form of counter-propaganda: the stuff inside in nice expensive coffee table books can't be bad, right?

[bear]

Originally Posted by TVCasualty

As long as the amount of dry weight that is extracted is known, and the amount of honey you're mixing it into is known, then it doesn't really matter how much alcohol it's dissolved in; more just means longer until it all evaporates from the honey (it won't support fermentation like trying this with a tea would). I'm guessing that all I need to do is pour the everclear extract into the honey, cover the jar with some tyvek held on with a rubber band or something, and put it in a dark spot or even the refrigerator. After awhile, all the alcohol will evaporate, and then I can put on a regular lid.

Be sure that the fridge is rated for storing flammables or you might have a fiery surprise.

[TVCasualty]

Turns out everclear doesn't evaporate in a fridge fast enough to cause me any concern, plus I'm going in to get stuff to eat during the day so the fumes get chances to dissipate (I can't smell any anyway).

Now ether is another story, and people have certainly blown up their kitchens storing ether in the freezer, but enough alcohol (for drinking) is kept in fridges and freezers around the world to have heard about problems, if there were any.

[GoVols]

Well, I "tested" this stuff out yesturday. I had the day off and I wanted to know what kind of punch this stuff packs before rush this weekend.

One word.... HOLY SHIT

It usually takes 4dry grams to get me going good. So I took two teaspoons for what should have been 2 grams. And I took one about 30-40 mins after the first.

I usually have good visuals, but nothing ever like this. They were 3-d, comming off the wall towards me. And for the first time a bit of color.

The trip didnt seem to last as long, but it wasn't short, and was way better than usual. I contrabute the slightly shorter time of trip to the smaller dose.

And I dont have the shits today

This is a really cool mixture.

I think one would need at least 30 different recipes to fill the cookbook.

And this would have to be one of them.

[TVCasualty]

I really believe at this point that the ginkgo is a potentiator. Several people have told me that the best results from the honey came from eating a dose pretty much exactly like yours- a spoon then wait 30-45 minutes and eat another one. They did it that way in case one was too much, but when they thought they could handle the second it actually was more like three. Surprise!

Two spoons spaced some time apart have given everyone better results than taking both at once, so that tells me the ginkgo probably really is a MAOI and the 30-45 minutes allow what was in the first spoon to boost the second.

Likewise, that probably means that eating a bunch of ginkgo around 30-60 minutes before eating mushrooms would also work if this is true. However, there is also that cinnamon and nutmeg in there, and nutmeg may have something to do with it although the amount is very small, and cinnamon is kind of mysterious. My money is on the gingko...

P.S.- Glad to hear you don't have the shits today, I didn't know that was a problem for some people when they dose... Ugh.

[GoVols]

Lol, yea, the day after its like I took some kind of laxative.


Today I stopped by and bought some liquid extract ginko. I really like the way it helped me be clear headed. Ill just drop some in my coffee in the morning before class.

I will also use it, a drop or two under the toung when I eat in the future. Only when not using this mix of course.

[TVCasualty]

Older people are being encouraged to take gingko to help prevent dementia (esp. Alzheimer's, or as they called it in the southern Appalacians, "Oldheimers") and to help them maintain their cognitive function. I believe that mushrooms in general and my honey recipe are very healthy for us.

I'm really becoming convinced that the "Fountain of Youth" is eating psychedelic mushrooms and running around playing like a little kid on a regular basis, excercising our brains constantly with new challenges and puzzles, and helping our brains get enough blood flow and oxygen (what gingko does) during that excercise. All I know is a lot of my trip buddies and I still get carded for beer sometimes (less and less, I admit) and most of us are past our mid-30's! I love confusing clerks by pointing out the sign that says "If you are/appear under 35, be prepared to show ID" and saying "I clearly appear/am over 35, so according to your sign I don't have to." I can almost see the little fuse in their brain blow. My mushroom-eating yoga-teaching 36 year old (at the time) gorgeous friend from way back even got carded for cigarettes! (Yes, I know, yoga and cigs? But life is complicated sometimes, no?)

Clearly, my honey recipe will make anyone smarter, sexier, and happier. Get you some while supplies last!

[GoVols]

Originally Posted by TVCasualty

(esp. Alzheimer's, or as they called it in the southern Appalacians, "Oldheimers")

Clearly, my honey recipe will make anyone smarter, sexier, and happier. Get you some while supplies last!

Its actually "old timers" that they call it. I just have "some timers"


I do feel like the sexiest man alive when I am on shrooms. I often walk up to the hottest chick around and start talking to her, much to the dissapointment of my girlfriend And I am convinced that she wants to sleep with me.

Let me just say that the mix was a big hit this weekend at the frat house.

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by GoVols

Its actually "old timers" that they call it.

I can give you the coordinates from Google Earth to where they all it "oldheimers." It might just be at the one particular Feed'n'Seed close to the North Carolina line that I used to go to, though.



BTW: One potential ingredient that I'll probably try making a sample batch of when I have a few caps to spare is cayenne pepper. Not too much, but enough for a little bite. According to several herbalists I've talked to, it increases the effectiveness of many herbs, including Ginkgo, and just by itself gets people fired up for some excitement...

[TVCasualty]

As I do more research on things like this, when I come across information that I feel I should add, I'll post it as I find it. However, I also encourage everyone to do their own research on anything they plan on ingesting, especially potent combinations designed to alter consciousness. Don't take any one person's word for anything when it comes to ways of tinkering with your brain!

Recently as I was reading more about Ginkgo I learned that there is some concern about mixing it with Ibuprofen, or anticoagulants like aspirin. Ginkgo can lower platelet aggregation, so combining it with blood thinners or NSAIDs can cause problems, like excessive bleeding or possible brain hemorrhage in extreme cases. The studies that found this were using concentrated extracts designed for medical use, however, and the levels of active compounds in the dried leaf are very slight in comparison. This significant difference in potency of dried leaf vs. concentrated extracts was even noted in the literature.

Also noted was Ginkgo's synergistic effect on MAOI type anti-depressants, which has been shown to magnify both positive and negative effects of those drugs. Best not to mix them.

This is a powerful herb, and there must be a good reason why Chinese monks preserved it through the last Ice Age in Bonsai form, which is the only reason we still have it today (no known wild, native stands exist). There are also Ginkgo leaves in the fossil record from the Permian period of the Paleozoic Era (around 270 million years ago, just before the dinosaurs!).

To me, that's pretty cosmic, man. Just don't mix it with Advil.

[Hippie3]

Chinese monks preserved it through the last Ice Age

um, the most recent ice age ended about 10,000 years ago
well before writing, china and monks even existed.

[TVCasualty]

People who lived in what is now China and were somehow disciplined and stable enough to preserve a species of tree through an Ice Age, then.

[Hippie3]

IF they did
no one was able to record it
as there was no written language yet
c. 7500 BC — Beginning of the Pengtoushan culture in China.
according to wiki
in 8000 BC the people in that area were barely two steps out of their caves,
living in small scattered communities that were just beginning to learn agriculture.
you refer to 'monks'-
of what religious discipline ?
btw the ice age ENDED in 8000 BC,
it began tens of thousands of years earlier,
when the people were even more primitive.

there was no civilization to care for the plant thru the entire ice age
that began 70,000 years ago and ended 10,000 years ago.
[ actually ginko was pretty much gone except in central china by 2 million years ago.]

[Myc]

TV,
I'm finally catching the bus here and tried your tek. Very simple and not as time consuming as other teks. I find this method of storage desirable because it appears "innocent" and doesn't readily arouse suspicion.
I took the dry ingredients (with the addition of gensing, rose hips, and cayenne pepper) and blended them together with the dried fruit bodies. I heated the honey on low power in the microwave and poured it over the dry powder which I had loaded into a measuring cup for mixing. Thanks for the competent weight meaurement (185g).
I find that the recipe, without the addition of the cayenne pepper, has a distinctive "shroomey" aftertaste. The pepper wipes that taste out quite nicely for those of you who like spicey foods. Also, I was unable to find ginko leaf powder so I simply bought dried leaves and powdered them in the coffee grinder myself.

You sir, are the man!

Thanks for the great tek.

[Jake420]

About halfway through reading the first page I was thinking to myself, "What if someone were to combine the everclear extraction technique with this honey storage technique?"

Awesome man, great minds think alike.

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by Jake420

Awesome man, great minds think alike.

God help anyone who's mind thinks like mine!

Seriously, thanks for all the props. BTW: evaporating everclear extract in straight honey needs some more work. the everclear needs to be super-filtered first I think, since it made the honey a creamy colored solid at room temp (and didn't taste too good). So, the R&D continues...

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

there was no civilization to care for the plant thru the entire ice age
that began 70,000 years ago and ended 10,000 years ago.
[ actually ginko was pretty much gone except in central china by 2 million years ago.]

I'm sorry, I should have been more precise- I forgot to add the word "little" to Ice Age, which does dramatically alter the nature of the claim. I'd forgotten some of the details since I recalled it from memory, and it was an old memory! Brain fart, in other words.

So, I had been referring to the Little Ice Age, which was a big enough deal to warrant the extra protection, but not so bad as to wipe out civilization, and happened very recently.

[Hippie3]

indeed,
the little ice age only ended about 150 years ago, only lasted a few centuries.
even less in some areas.
huge difference.

[Jake420]

God help anyone who's mind thinks like mine!

Yikes! I retract my statement! Hehe