storing birch polyphore

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Hi Had a problem last year I'd stored up a 2l icecream container full of birch polyphore.

I'd dried it in the airing cupboard for a month or so till they were hard.

late autumn i checked my stored birch polyphore and found it had turned to dust! something had eaten the whole lot! (in the sealed container)

can anyone advise me how to stop this happening?

Cheers

 

[Toddy]

Tiny little maggots do it. All they leave is the outer shell
The only way I kind of found to stop them was to cut the fungus up while it was fresh and dry it out really thoroughly on the radiator.
They need some moisture to survive.

I tried nuking one once in the microwave, wouldn't advise it though, the damned thing burned out from the centre. I could smell burning 'somewhere' in the house but couldn't see any smoke. Then realised that the fungi I'd 'cooked' to dry out a bit more quickly were awfully hot
Broke it open and it was charring nicely

cheers,
Toddy

 

[JonathanD]

If you store them in a warm dry place like an airing cupboard, that should be OK. Microbes in the pores can break it down in airless containers too. Those little maggots are a pain though, to get rid of them, freeze the polypore for a couple of days before drying out.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

cheers I might try the freezing method (but don't tell my wife!

 

[JonathanD]

cheers I might try the freezing method (but don't tell my wife!

Yeah, I hear you. I'm still recovering from the cramp-balls incident. For future reference, don't put them in an old ice-cream container labelled Alfreds Cakes.

 

[Toddy]

We could really do with a coffee sputtering smilie

cheers,
Toddy