This thing about their being more potent before the veil tears should be addressed, yes, they are, but this I suspect that this is because at a certain point they will not get any MORE potent, so you either have 1 gram of potent mushroom or 1.3 grams of slightly less potent mushroom - in short it really doesn't make much difference when you pick the things - you get the same amount of active ingredient, If you pick too soon you get less yield and so, it is usually better to pick later than earlier. The main reason for picking before the veil breaks is so that the mushroom is less likely to break up when dried and stored and because if you have too many, those spores get everywhere.
Update...monster cake is nearing completion i think..would like to get yalls views on it..should i pick the big ones or let them grow? More potent if u pick before the veil tears..not sure if they are close to doing that or not..also 4 of my other cakes are pinning too and will upload better pix when they mature a bit..the sixth cake doesnt seem to have pins nor contam,will wait then investigate its only day 5 in the fruiting chamber so im guessing i shouldnt be worried just all the other cakes are on the road to mushville...any thoughts or suggestions?thx