Hi All,
I am new to wild mushroom foraging and have recently been having a good deal of luck finding some oyster mushrooms near my house. I have eaten several freshly picked, and they have been delicious. On my first trip, I harvested some extra to try drying. I first tried in the oven and that was a disaster, so I ended up getting a dehydrator for next time. Well, a few days ago, I picked some fresh right off a decaying tree in my backyard, ate some, and put the rest in the dehydrator at 110 degrees for roughly 5-6 hours. They look like a beautiful golden brown and they break like a cracker, so I know they are dry. Here's my question...I know these are fresh as I just picked them right before they were cut up and dehydrated, yet the have an awfully strong ammonia/pee smell. I have read that is a sign that they've gone bad...but they were just harvested and dry. Is this just normal for oyster mushrooms to smell that way? I am perplexed.
Thanks!