Bliss Cameron - Marijuana Cooking - Good Medicine Made Easy

The first time you use a source of cannabis, we recommend that you test the end product by eating just one cookie or piece of cake and waiting at least 2 hours. Note the effect. It is helpful to keep a journal of the process, recording the strain of cannabis, the form (leaf, trim, bud or a mix), the ratio of cannabis to butter used, and the potency and effectiveness of the finished butter. You can take this journal to your recommending doctor to demonstrate the amount of cannabis you require.

Step 1:Clean the cannabis by removing large stems.

Step 2:

Put the cleaned cannabis in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder and coarsely grind. When I initially tried this process, I bought a small coffee grinder and designated it just for this task, but soon I was making larger batches of butter so I switched to using a blender instead. Be careful not to overprocess. If the cannabis is too fine, it will be difficult to strain after cooking. Straining the finished butter will take out most of the leaf material. The cannabis plant has barbs on the ends of the leaf fronds, and these can easily upset a delicate stomach.

This is a simple process during which you heat up the butter several times to remove the excess moisture in it. I always put the Crock-Pot on low only, mostly because I have a tendency to forget about the pot and I know if I leave it on low it won’t burn.

Step 1:

Heat the butter until the side of the Crock-Pot feels uncomfortable to the touch of your full palm, then turn the Crock-Pot off. Skim off the foam that has risen to the top of the pot.

Step 2:

Repeat this twice more, each time letting the butter cool fully before you reheat it. After skimming the third time, add the marijuana leaf.

Step 3:

Stir. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours.

Step 4:Cool for up to 8 hours. Then, in a new series of heatings and coolings, repeat heating, stirring and cooling down 2 more times. The increase in potency it produces is worth the investment in time. By the third heating, the butter will have a thicker consistency.

Step 5:

Set a strainer with a relatively fine mesh on top of a large measuring bowl. The bowl will catch the strained butter.

Step 6:

Slowly pour the butter into the strainer. Use a large serving spoon to press the remaining butter out of the leaf material. Squeeze out as much of the remaining butter as you can.

Step 7:

Pour the butter into a measuring cup.

Step 8:

Put the finished product in 1-cup containers, ready to use when needed.

This method is less time consuming and lower in fat than the butter method, but something is lost with regard to flavor when using the oil infusion as opposed to the butter infusion.

Step 1:

Place 6 cups of canola oil in a Crock-Pot.

Step 2:

You do not have to clarify it. Set the Crock-Pot on low and allow it to heat up until the Crock-Pot is too hot to press your hand against. Prepare the marijuana leaf as described in method I, (4 ounces), then pour it into the Crock-Pot and stir.

Step 3:

Let sit for 3 days, reheating the mixture each day, and straining as in method I on the third day, as follows.

Step 4:

Pour through a strainer into a large measuring bowl.

Step 5:

Press the remaining oil out of the leaf material.

Step 6:Discard the leaf material. Here is how the finished oil looks:

You can keep the finished oil in a canning jar or any other suitable tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 8 weeks.

The following uses water with the marijuana and butter. Simmering the cannabis in water helps to break down the active ingredients. Because THC+ is only soluble in fat or alcohol, these active ingredients end up in the butter and the water can be discarded with no reduction in potency. This method also retains the cream in the butter as the butter is not clarified. This helps to produce a richer cookie, such as a shortbread, if that is important to the patient. It also eliminates the need to grind the marijuana. It does, however, require a larger pot and the need to refrigerate for an additional 24 hours. If time is a consideration, you may want to stick with method I.

Step 1:

Fill a large pot about half full with water. Add marijuana. This process does not require the careful cleaning or grinding needed in methods I and II. You can even use stems and whole leaves. I use 1 ounce of marijuana for one pound of butter. If the final product turns out to be too potent for you, reduce the amount of herb. Increase if a more potent medicine is needed.

Step 2:

Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Reduce to a simmer and continue simmering for about 1 hour.