Canna-cooking: Making your own edibles
Edibles 101
Understanding the process, the dosage and storage to help you master making your own edibles
While edibles will not be legal in Canada on October 17th, there is nothing that’s stopping you from making you own! Here’s your chance to get creative. Once you have the process and bases complete, you can add infused products into any of your favourite meals. When making edibles, it’s important to stick to strain that’s right for you and know your dosage.
The first and most important step in making your own edibles is decarboxylating your product. If you do not decarboxylate (also known as “decarbing”) your cannabis before starting your recipes, you may not end up with the desired end product. Some recipes state that you are decarbing the cannabis within the process of the recipe, but if you start with decarboxylated cannabis, you increase your chances of achieving the desired results.
Decarboxylation is the process in which THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) is converted to the well-known and much respected compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). This conversion occurs by applying heat to cannabis at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. If you smoke cannabis, the conversion happens when the plant matter is ignited, before inhaling. If you are not igniting and inhaling the cannabis, you still need this conversion to happen for you to feel the effects through digestion.
How to calculate THC dosage when you are making your own edibles
Cannabis strains can contain a THC level anywhere from <1mg – 30mg+.
To illustrate dosage, we are going to use an example THC level of 10 per cent:
1 gram = 1000 milligrams
10 per cent of 1000 milligrams = 100 milligrams of THC per 1 gram of cannabis
Think of it like this, if you had a box of regular store-bought cookies, and one cookie weighed 1000 milligrams and you knew that the cookie was made of 10 per cent sugar, 10 per cent of 1000 milligrams equals 100 milligrams of sugar in that cookie.
Using that same 10 per cent THC level example:
If we use 1 oz of cannabis (28 grams) to make 1 cup of cannabis coconut oil (recipe to follow), we will have 2800 milligrams of THC in 1 cup of coconut oil.
If we used ½ cup of this coconut oil to make a batch of 40 cookies, we would start with a dose of 1400 milligrams:
1400 divided by 40 cookies = 35 milligrams per cookie
CANNABUTTER
Ingredients:
· 1 pound (2 cups) unsalted or salted butter, or substitute non-hydrogenated margarine
· 1 ounce cannabis buds, coarsely ground or broken into small pieces
Instructions:
1. Melt the butter on low heat in a double boiler or slow cooker.
2. Add the cannabis and simmer on low-med heat (200-220*F) for at least 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently.
3. Carefully strain the mixture while warm, press or squeeze the plant matter, to obtain all of the oil.
4. Pour the oil into an airtight container, let completely cool before securing lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 60 days or can be frozen until ready to use.
Alternate ways to portion your Cannabutter while still warm, for ease of use:
1. Pour directly into ice cube trays and refrigerate. Once butter is solid, remove from trays and either wrap well with plastic wrap or place in air tight container. Ice cube trays on average are approximately two tablespoons per ice cube.
2. Line mini loaf pan with plastic wrap, pour directly into individual loaf sections. Once butter is solid, remove from pan and either wrap well in plastic wrap or place in air tight container. Mini loaf pans on average are approximately ¾ of a cup.
CANNACOCONUT OIL
This recipe demonstrates the water method, which is a sworn practice by many. You can also make this recipe without using water, by simply following the method used in the butter recipe.
Ingredients:
· 1 ounce cannabis buds, coarsely ground or broken into small pieces
· 14 ounces of coconut oil
Instructions:
1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and add your cannabis. Simmer over low-med heat, stirring frequently for at least 1 hour.
2. Add your coconut oil and return to a simmer for an additional 2 to 4 hours, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat, cool then cover.
4. Let the coconut oil mixture sit for two days in a covered pot at room temperature. Then, reheat the mixture until the oil melts.
5. Carefully strain the mixture while warm, press or squeeze the plant matter to obtain all the oil.
6. Refrigerate the mixture for several hours or overnight. The oil will solidify on top of the water. Separate the solidified oil from the water by hand.
7. Pat oil dry with paper towel or a clean dish towel, then melt the Cannacoconut Oil in a sauce pan over low heat until it is liquid.
8. Pour into an airtight container, let completely cool before securing lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 60 days.
CANNABIS OIL
Ingredients:
· 3 cups oil of your choice (ex: olive, vegetable, etc.)
· 1 ounce cannabis bud, coarsely ground or broken into small pieces
Instructions:
1. In a double boiler or slow cooker, heat oil on low-med heat for a few minutes until it starts to warm and becomes slightly aromatic.
2. Add the ground cannabis.
3. Simmer on low-med heat (200-220*F) for 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently.
4. Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to cool.
5. Strain the mixture, press or squeeze the plant matter to obtain all the oil.
6. Pour the oil into an airtight container, let completely cool before securing lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 60 days.
