Keep Pajaritos in the fridge at 4 to 8 °C and use them within a month. That is Avalon's advice on its Pajaritos page (Avalon, Pajaritos). An opened pack goes faster than a closed one, so plan to finish it within a few days. Blue patches on the truffles are a normal reaction of the fungus; mould, slime or a sour smell are not.
The storage label, line by line
| What | Advice | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where | fridge, 4 to 8 °C | Avalon, Pajaritos page |
| How long, closed | within one month | Avalon, Pajaritos page |
| How long, opened | a few days, in the closed bag | general practice for fresh produce |
| Freezer | no | see below |
| Drying | no | see below |
| Out of the fridge | as short as possible, away from sun and heaters | general practice |
Fresh truffles are a perishable product. At room temperature they lose moisture faster, the pack can sweat, and mould gets a chance. A hotel minibar is usually cold enough. A bag in a warm car or on a sunny windowsill is not.
Before and after opening
The bag protects the truffles from air and from drying out. Once it is open, press the air out, fold the top over and close it with a clip, or move the truffles into a small airtight container. Put them back in the fridge right after you have weighed out a portion.
If you split a pack over two sessions, the second portion is best used within a few days. That also fits a typical stay in the Netherlands: buy close to the day you plan to use them, and only as many packs as you need.
What blue spots mean
Where psilocybin fungi are bruised or cut, they turn blue. Researchers in Jena showed how this works in Psilocybe cubensis: one enzyme turns psilocybin into psilocin, a second oxidises the psilocin, and the oxidised molecules link up into blue chains (Lenz et al., 2020). A few blue patches on truffles that were pressed together in a bag are this reaction, and do not mean the pack has gone off. Large blue areas mean more of the active substance has been changed, so that pack may be weaker.
When to throw a pack away
- fuzzy white, green or black growth on the surface
- a slimy or wet surface, or liquid in the bag
- a sour or rotten smell, different from the usual earthy, nutty one
- a pack that has been out of the fridge for days
When in doubt, do not eat it. Spoiled fungi can make you ill whatever their psilocybin content.
Why not the freezer
Like most fresh produce, truffles tend to turn soft and wet after thawing. Research on Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms found the biggest loss of psilocybin and related compounds in fresh material stored frozen at minus 80 °C; dried material kept in the dark at room temperature lost the least (Gotvaldová et al., 2021). That study looked at mushrooms, not truffles, but there is no reason to expect a freezer to work better for truffles. Avalon's page for its Valhalla truffles says plainly: do not freeze.
Why not drying
Drying would make truffles keep longer, but it changes their legal position. Fresh truffles are sold legally in the Netherlands; for dried truffles the situation is less clear, and the Jellinek classes them under List I of the Opium Act, together with the pure substances (Jellinek). See the law for details. Fresh, in the fridge, used within the month is the simplest route.
Truffles from a grow kit
Truffles you harvest from the Pajaritos grow kit are fresher than any shop pack. Avalon writes that they keep for at least two weeks in the fridge, and advises using them within three days of harvest.
Fresh truffles
Pajaritos - Magic Truffles
€14.95
Avalon Magic Plants
Grow kit
2X Growkit Pajaritos Magic Truffle – BUY 1 GET 1 FREE
€39.00
Avalon Magic Plants
Related pages
- A first session: how much of the pack to take
- The law: fresh and dried, in and outside the Netherlands
- Strength: the other Avalon truffles next to Pajaritos