Potency estimate

[Mycolangelo]

FOAF was away for a few days and upon return found that those left in charge did not harvest on time.

The shrooms, many big fully mature and likely spored out, the fruiting chamber was all purple.
Anyway what are your thoughts on how much the potency is diminished?

[spacecake]

Don't worry,potency will be lower but not much !

[Hippie3]

not even enough to really notice, imo.
although the flavor will be a bit more bitter from the spores, imo.

[Mycolangelo]

Sounds like a good time to make chocolates!!!

[BigStemz]

w0rd, check this out there damn good

http://forums.mycotopia.net/showthread.php?t=4995 (Magic Chocolate Grahams)

[Mycolangelo]

12 oz of semi sweet bakers chocolate 36g SA dried and powdered made 10 chocolates
Don't eat too many

[perrch01]

yeah the potency loss, if any, has never been enough for me to notice but damn do they taste awful, feel like i'm eating the asshole out of an elephant, haha

[panic]

never noticed any difference myself.

[TVCasualty]

Heavy spore loads on cakes or on the casing (depending) inhibit further mushroom production from the spots covered w/ spores. If the cakes or casing is covered w/ spores subsequent flushes will likely be smaller...

[viraljimmy]

Originally Posted by TVCasualty

Heavy spore loads on cakes or on the casing (depending) inhibit further mushroom production from the spots covered w/ spores. If the cakes or casing is covered w/ spores subsequent flushes will likely be smaller...

Did you get his from a published source, or is it from personal experience? Because it does seem to me my cakes don't want to pin where they get spores dropped all over them.

[viraljimmy]

Originally Posted by perrch01

yeah the potency loss, if any, has never been enough for me to notice but damn do they taste awful, feel like i'm eating the asshole out of an elephant, haha

Yeah that, and there is an increase in the nausea factor from shrooms that spored, imo. I throw away the ones that are already dropping spores, besides making prints.

As a side note, I have tried lots of ways of ingesting them, and something I came up with - when you are munching down some dried shrooms, chew up a few potato chips with them. Not like a whole bag, just like one chip with a mouthful of mushroom. Between the salt and the texture, it totally gets rid of the gagging thing (I have) choking them down. Instead of forcing down something unpleasant, it's just like eating some peanuts or something.

[TVCasualty]

Originally Posted by viraljimmy

Did you get his from a published source, or is it from personal experience? Because it does seem to me my cakes don't want to pin where they get spores dropped all over them.

Both, though I can't remember at this point where I first read it. Probably somewhere in one of Stamet's books is my guess. If I get a layer of spores over a surface I want to continue fruiting, I just give casings a good scratching and cakes get a light superficial scratching to expose some un-spored mycelium. It's not a problem I've had much anymore, thanks to keeping a close eye on things and grabbing them as soon as they're ready (even to the point of changing my day's schedule to be there right on time, a few hours makes a big difference).

And if you toss the mature ones, at least save the stems! Or, save the whole thing and make an alcohol extract...