This is a recipe for 1:1 hot water mushroom extract powder using mason jar in instant pot
With your feedback this recipe could be tweaked to become a legit way of making mushroom medicine at home. It is similar to the traditional single extract 1:1 hot water mushroom extract powder recipes found online, but adapted to a mason jar in an instant pot and attempts to incorporate the mushroom wisdom of u/Kostya93, the moderator of this subreddit.
This is completely new to me. I’m not a chef or alchemist, just disappointed with what I buy and now want to know what is in my mushroom supplements. I’ve used this recipe for only 6 batches of online purchased “ground” lions mane, chaga and turkey tail USA wild foraged fully mature fruiting bodies.
PREPARE
fill Ball, Kerr or similar mason jar(s) halfway with warm, pure, mineral-free water, such as distilled water.
use mushroom “powder”. Grind fruiting bodies or “ground” mushrooms to a powder. I pulse a low watt electric “spice grinder”. My understanding is this does not generate enough heat to damage the mushroom medicines.
add a tablespoon or two of mushroom powder to the jar(s) and give it a few minutes to mix with the warm water and rehydrate. This is a tricky part. How much powder can be added to the water to get a successful extraction plus the maximum amount of finished product? Six tablespoons powder (3 ounces) to 8 ounces of water could be a beginning batch for you. This ratio is 1:2.7. The mushroom types seem to have different optimum ratios.
repeat step 3 above until the jar contents no longer swirl 100% easily top to bottom, or it appears the decoction is half powder and half water. Leave space for headroom. Let it settle 30 minutes and add more water if necessary. Filling mason jars in instant pots up to 70% is a limit often mentioned. What defines a successful extraction? Is it when the decoction will easily swirl in the jar after cooking? Or can it be pushed to have a higher ratio of powder? How little water to have a successful extraction? Extra water after cooking is not a problem, it just extends the time to get to a powder.
EXTRACT
place trivet in instant pot stainless steel liner
add water to the instant pot liner slightly less than the top of the trivet, about 2 cups
finger tighten mason jar(s) using the standard 2 piece top
set time to 40 minutes for 15 psi or 50 minutes for less than 15 psi. The instant pot community says to increase cook time by 1.3 for less than 15 psi instant pots. 10 minutes has been added because of the pot-in-pot mason jar. The glass is an insulator and delays the initial boil, so some time has been added. Is 10 minutes correct?
set high pressure, set keep warm off, do natural pressure relief and begin pressure cook
after the cook and when natural pressure relief has ended wait a few minutes longer then carefully place very hot jar(s) on a padded room temp item (like a dish towel or silicone pad)
when the jar(s) are cool enough to open agitate the decoction. I’m using the whisk attachment on a milk frother for 60 seconds. Would a home ultrasonic cleaner be useful? Other comments?
the extract is complete! You can consume this.
If you are not ready to proceed to a shelf-stable powder, place jar(s) in fridge for a week or in freezer for longer term
REDUCE
warm the uncovered decoction on a low temp (120F to 130F) dry heat source, avoiding direct heat. I’m transferring each jar into 3 flat-bottom stainless steel 4” cake pans. By using mason jar screw lids as a trivet for each pan, place the pans on the large burner of a ceramic stove top or similar, or an electric skillet. A mug warmer should work too. Set the heat source on lowest temp and use a thermometer to test the temperature of the liquid. The mason jar takes too long so I divide the decoction into 3 pans.
dehydrate the reduced decoction when the consistency is like ketchup
DEHYDRATE
food dehydrator - scrape reduced decoction onto a fruit leather tray(s) or parchment paper. Set the temp to 110F. Be patient, it takes 15 plus hours and needs to be monitored. Your machine may specify a limit of fruit leather trays at the same time, because they inhibit air flow. Turn off the machine at night until you are experienced. When it is solid enough to flip, do it. Then when it gets dry, flip it again. If it breaks up, no problem, just turn over the pieces. Stop when it is leathery and brittle, snapping easily. It snaps in two, does not bend. Let it cool in the dehydrator overnight. 95F takes too long.
other methods - there are articles online about using an oven or air drying
STORE
grind into powder. Seems a fine powder as seen in purchased extract powder capsules would be good to maximize surface area for absorption.
store in clear glass bottles with a tight seal, such as baby food jars. The clear glass is to monitor any mold etc. should it happen.
add a 1 gram Kraft silicon dessicant to the jar
store same as purchased extract powder
shake the jar now and then
DOSE
I’m not qualified to describe a dose, however I measure out my powder with a gram scale.