InoculateTheWorld
When you think of a mushroom—whether psilocybin or portobello—you probably envision a stem and cap common for this type of fungi . The new Snowball mushroom is anything but typical.
This particular strain of “magic mushroom ” is aptly named, as it resembles dozens of snowballs packed together. Mycologist Pope Joseph painstakingly coaxed a mutation from another mushroom species into creating the look he wanted, says Drew Collins, founder and CEO of InoculateTheWorld (ITW). His company distributes mushroom spores and introduced the Snowball mushroom to the world.
The Snowball is a significant development in growing mushrooms that have psilocybin, a compound that causes psychedelic effects, such as visual and auditory hallucinations. This form is unlike anything that’s ever been seen in mushroom cultivation before, Collins says. “I’ve been describing it as that moment you look out the window of a plane and there’s a never ending field of clouds.”
Joseph’s work required stabilizing the mushroom’s desired phenotypes for two and a half years, Collins says. “There was a deep level of perfectionism, organization, and thoroughness in his work—thousands of petri dishes with complex labelling systems.” A phenotype is an observable trait in a living thing, such as hair color. In this case, the mycologist was looking for a characteristic shape—not psychedelic effects. According to Collins, the Snowball “has undergone a series of genetic mutations that have been intentionally selected to isolate this cloud-like form.” They are pure white, except when bruised. Then the marred spots turn deep blue. Joseph cultivated them in a well-hydrated blend of coconut coir—the fiber from the outer husk of a coconut—and the minerals vermiculite and gypsum. InoculateTheWorld The white, cloud-like Snowball mushroom turns blue when bruised or sliced. Joseph discovered the mutation when he was researching ITW’s “Penis Envy” strain of magic mushroom. “From there, it was domesticated over the course of years through tedious trial and error,” Collins says. “Joseph asked if we’d be willing to be stewards in sharing it with the greater public. You can imagine our excitement.”
While the Snowball was mostly developed for its looks, it’s been testing high in active alkaloids—which include […]
A Scientist Grew a Groundbreaking New ‘Mutant’ Form of Magic Mushroom
