My friend from peru got a problem with his internet connection so he asked me to ask his question here...

He's peeled some cacti but noticed that it's PRETTY wet and it would propably take weeks to dry without a food dehydrator (and he doesn't have any). What can he do? He figured , that the peeled bits are going to mold in a couple of days...or is he wrong?

I admit I don't know a thing about cacti...but you couldn't go wrong with sticking them in the freezer--at least until you can make a plan. In fact, most modern refrigerators are self-defrosting--which means that if you put them in the freezer uncovered they will EVENTUALLY dessicate without doing anything more.

But you could probably also dry them in the oven on the lowest setting, no?

Propably, but he doesn't have neither.
That was a stupid thing to do. I told him to wait till getting an oven!

Put it out in the hot sun... ?

A quick rinse in some hydrogen peroxide will at least temporarily zap any mold that's trying to get started.

Maybe check craigslist for a dehydrator I've seen them go for real cheap510 bucks.

it can be dried in an oven at a low temp with a fan blowing over it.

Not that I am an expert, but puree and boil, not sure you really need to dry it out. I could be completely wrong, but if you do a search on the internet there is plenty of links that use fresh flesh.

the advantage of drying the cacti is that you can keep it for a very long time

..and you need it dry to perform an extraction. My friend told me that it takes around 1 week to mold. He's got access to an oven in time though. Unfortunatly, he's got only 40g dried from a cactus 80cm long and 7-8 in diameter.

for consuming without extraction freezing then blending and simmering is fine.
swims extracted the purest mesc he has ever seen with the standard tek on cactus tea - almost pure white before being washed - cant comment on the yeild tho as nothing was weighed.

see

Wow Phlux that's beautiful man! Pure as the driven snow! I don't think you should roll it all up into a doobie tho ;D



As to the drying, I've seen wet Pach get rust colored mold after just a couple of days when left to dry on a sheet of newspaper.
Ever used calcium chloride to dry shrooms? I would try that method to get the initial water out. You'll probably need a fair amount of calcium chloride and maybe a large plastic storage tub to use as drying chamber. Expensive, yes, but when it comes to entheogens I think no price is too high. If you want a diagram Obiguhl I'd be happy to throw one up for ya. Otherwise just check shroom drying teks and adapt it a bit for your needs.

ahh that rust thing
i noticed a lot of cacti do that when cut - the lighter part does it - not the green outer flesh, the core does it the most - and the fastest - i think its some kinda non-mesc alkaloid oxidizing - no idea tho.
never been a problem before

It would be expected that "protective" enzymes would be nearer the surface of the plant--explaining why the white seems more susceptible that the outer green part.