Ever wonder how they get that cannabis into those delicious little brownies? Or what makes a delicious edible cookie? Making your own edibles can be a fun and delicious way to manage your condition. Edibles are often preferred by patients managing chronic conditions. The effects tend to provide longer lasting relief, making them ideal for those managing pain. Any good edible recipe begins with one basic building block – cannabis infused butter, or cannabutter.
If you’re not familiar with the difference between edibles and smoking or vaping, hop over to https://thegreenalternativedoctor.com/blog/getting-started-with-edibles and learn about the basic rule of edibles; Start slow and be patient.
The most important step in creating cannabutter is preparing your marijuana for the process. The raw cannabis plant contains no THC. It contains THC-A which is non-intoxicating cannibidol. THC-A must be converted to THC through heat in order to have desired effects. When smoking or vaping, this process is done instantly. In order to initiate the process for an edible, you will need to learn how to decarb.
Decarbing
That is right. The trick to making the BEST cannabutter is decarboxylation. Scary word, but its actually a simple process. By decarbing your medical marijuana before using it to make edibles, you are activating the THC so it is effectively absorbed allowing it take the desired effects with a higher potency. Decarbing simply involves heat and time.
Decarb Directions:
- Set oven to 220-235 degrees
- Finley grind your cannabis (coffee grinder, spice grinder)
- Spread thin layer over parchment paper on a baking sheet
- Bake for 45-60 minutes
Cannabutter Recipe
Ingredients
●1 cup of butter
●1 cup of water
●1 cup (7-10 grams) of ground decarbed cannabis
Directions
- Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of butter to a saucepan. Simmer on low until the butter melts.
- Add ground cannabis
- Simmer on low for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally (do not boil)
- Let the butter cool. Then strain the cannabutter by placing a standard funnel on top of a jar. Line the funnel with a cheesecloth. Pour the butter into the strainer allowing the butter to strain through cheesecloth into the jar. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth.
- Keep the jar of butter refrigerated if not using right away.
Note: If excess water forms at the bottom of the jar you can separate the butter and water with a knife and drain the extra water out.
Dosing Cannabutter
Experimenting with the cannabutter will give you an idea of the potency. To test the potency, spread a ¼ teaspoon on a snack and consume. Wait an hour to determine how strong the dose is. You can then adjust the amount of cannabutter you use in your recipe based on this. Remember, start low and be patient!