Edibles are without a doubt the most discreet forms of consuming cannabis. First time cannabis users usually prefer it as it tends to mask the taste of the herb, but long term enthusiasts know better than to judge a book by its cover. Edibles are cited as the number one item that is overdosed because the effects take a while before they kick in and when they do, they last for a longer period. They could potentially cause the most unpleasant results if there isn’t a knowledgeable person available to offer guidance on precautionary measures. Now you can easily buy edibles cannabis online with the help of many online platforms and also find good shops around you.
On the other hand, when you get the hang of it, they are a delicious treat, giving you a shot of both dopamine and satisfied taste buds. However, having to visit the nearest dispensary every now and then and spending significant amounts just to achieve that doesn’t really paint a picture of bliss. Luckily for you, it is possible to make edibles from the comfort of your home and if you’re reading this, then I know that you have already decided that it’s time that you tried your hand at it.
Before, we discuss a variety of treats that you can make; it’s important to discuss the basics of preparing the cannabis that you’ll be using so that you can achieve the quality of an edible that would be found in a dispensary. Also, we generally would like to avoid any harm that would befall you if you didn’t follow the appropriate steps.
Contrary to popular belief, an edible isn’t made by pouring in a bunch of raw cannabis into the concoction that you have prepared and this is because of two main reasons. Firstly, cannabis has a strong and unpleasant taste and when incorporated in this manner, that is all that you’ll be able to taste, you will not like it one bit. Secondly and perhaps the most important is that your digestive system lacks the ability to process cannabis in its raw form in a way that would be able to release THC for that euphoric feeling. This is because the herb hasn’t had sufficient time to fully develop its cannabinoids and including it could result in your body rejecting it in totality. It is pertinent that you ensure the cannabis that you use is dried and cured to eradicate the first two hurdles.
If you reside in a state where decriminalization of marijuana has been declared like Seattle, you can walk into any Seattle dispensary and sure enough, you’d be able to purchase cannabis that has already been dried and cured, freeing up your time to explore proceeding stages.
The second stage requires that you stimulate the psychoactive properties so that the THC can be released. This is achieved by exposing the dried and cured cannabis to controlled heat like that of an oven at a specified degree of temperature for a defined time limit. Whilst performing this process, it is important to manipulate the weed into smaller pieces so as to create a larger surface area for the heat to permeate. Considering that THC boils at 314 degrees Fahrenheit, it is advised that the temperature be maintained at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for about half an hour so as to preserve it. The desired result is cannabis that appears to be golden brown in color. What you have created is the appropriate form of cannabis that can be used to make potent edibles.
The final step which can be deemed to be optional is to grind the cooled golden brown cannabis so that you can now infuse it to any concoction that you so desire. The smaller the cannabis the larger the surface area and the better the end product, but this part here is for you to determine what serves you best.
Now that we have our main ingredient prepared and ready, it’s time to get into the meat of it and explore some fresh and innovative recipes that are bound to get you and your buddies all riled up. It’s a mixture of sweet and salty and tart, a little something for everybody.
There are staples that you always need to have on standby that make it simpler for you to execute your recipes effectively and we’ll cover these first before we get into the tasty bit of this article.
CannaButter
Butter makes everything taste better. When it has cannabis infused in it, the name changes to budder and you can just tell that from that name, that whatever it touches becomes better. This recipe requires only three things for you to achieve it, and that is butter, cannabis and cheesecloth that will be used for sieving.
The process is pretty straightforward, you melt the butter until you get it simmering, you add in your cannabis, the recommendation is that for a pound of butter, you add in 1/8 cup of cannabis, you could go lower or higher depending on your tolerance but the figures given hit the sweet spot. Let the butter and cannabis simmer for about an hour until the butter has taken on a greenish brownish color and ensure that you keep stirring the butter to keep it from burning. Once the color has been achieved, the last step is to sieve the butter over the cheesecloth into a clean container and let it cool in the fridge. The result is budder that will be incorporated into many of the recipes that we will explore today.
Canna Oil
Cannabis oil uses a similar concept as budder but the major notable difference is that the ratio of cannabis to oil is recommended as 1:1. If you’re using a cup of oil, you will similarly also use a cup of cannabis. You can use a variety of oils, you just need to pick your favorite and follow along the recipe.
Now that we’ve got our basics established, we get to the good stuff.
Magical Magic Cookie Bars
The ingredients call for
1 cup cannabutter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 can condensed milk
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
The name lets you know that your taste buds are in for a real treat. If this is your first time baking, then you should know that it is customary to preheat the oven to achieve a desirable temperature and for this particular recipe, the oven needs to be preheated to 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Whilst that is happening, you’ll get right to it and add cannabutter to your baking dish, follow that up by sprinkling graham crackers and pressing on it lightly to achieve a firm base. You can then get in and pour in the rest of your hard ingredients and finish it up by pouring the condensed milk. You then bake this in the oven for 25 minutes and the resulting dessert is astounding golden cookie bars.
Cannabis Red Velvet Pancakes
I have never eaten anything red velvet and got disappointed. Pancakes are a common breakfast item, they are almost foolproof food, it’s really difficult to mess them up. But because I want to make sure that you get all the relevant ingredients, I’ll still go ahead and post them, because we are committed to getting this right.
½ cup cannabutter, melted and divided in half
1 ½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup organic cane sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon red food color
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
The process is quite simple: combine all the liquid ingredients using half the cannabutter , and then combine all the dry ingredients in a separate container. Pour the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients to make a batter and on a hot pan use the remaining cannabutter to make pancakes.
Black Pepper Drop Biscuits
This recipe requires no hard work, a little mixing here and there and you pop it in the oven. The ingredients are as follows
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 tablespoons coarsely ground fresh black pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons cold cannabutter, cut into small cubes
3⁄4 cup buttermilk
By now, you’re aware that anything that is baked needs pre-heating and we’ll follow the same process as the first and heat the oven to 350 degrees while preparing our ingredients. In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together until well mixed. Fold in the cold unsalted butter and cannabutter until the mixture is somewhat coarse. Slowly add in the butter milk while stirring till the mixture comes together. Scoop the mixture with a tablespoon onto a baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between scoops, bake for 15 minutes.
Moving on from sweet and baked goods, we’ll dive right into comfort foods.
Cannabis Infused Shrimp
The ingredients
15-20 Medium to large raw shrimp
¼ teaspoon Cannabutter
1 Yellow onion
2 Green onion or scallion
1 tablespoon Old bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon canna oil
To achieve great tasting shrimp, season the shrimp with the old bay seasoning set aside. Thinly slice the yellow onion and scallion and in a pan add the 1⁄4 teaspoon of cannabutter and ¼ teaspoon of canna oil and let it shimmer. Add the onions and scallions until browned then add in your seasoned shrimp and let it cook until it’s firmed up. Remove from heat, it’s ready to serve.
Cannabis Spinach Quiche
When it comes to comfort food, quiche embodies that and this recipe is perfectly balanced in that regard.
Here’s what you will require to create this beautiful masterpiece.
1/2 cup cannabutter
3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1 small white onion (finely diced)
10 oz package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
4.5 oz can of mushrooms (drained and chopped)
6 oz package of crumbled feta (herb & garlic)
8 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup milk
1 (9″) unbaked deep pie crust
Salt and black pepper to taste
Anytime I indicate baking in the recipe, we know we have to preheat, but this one is slightly different, raising the degrees to 375. In a skillet, melt the cannabutter and add in your onion and garlic, cook until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, spinach and the cheeses, leaving out ½ cup of cheddar cheese for later. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
Next, spoon the quiche mixture into the unbaked pie crust, in a medium size bowl; beat the 4 eggs and 1 cup of milk. Once combined, pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the spinach filling in the pie crust. Place the spinach quiche into your preheated oven and allow it to bake for 15 minutes. Remove the quiche from the oven and add on the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Place the quiche back into the preheated oven and continue to bake it for an additional 35-40 minutes.
Cannabis Butternut Squash Soup
Nothing screams comfort more than soup, and we had to ensure that this tasty recipe gets to you.
Ingredients
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium white onion (small dice)
1 small red pepper (small dice)
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 ½ tbsp. cannabutter
Cut squash into chunks, and set aside. In a large stock pot melt unsalted butter and vegetable oil. Add diced onion, red pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion becomes translucent. This will take you about 8 minutes. Add in the squash and stock to the pot, bring to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender. Remove squash chunks and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Lastly add the super ingredient cannabutter and gently stir for 4 minutes ensuring that it’s evenly distributed.
These recipes go to show that cannabis has so much versatility that it can be used to make a five course meal. I hope you have as much fun making these meals as I had sharing them with you. The golden rule for edibles is always give it time to kick in before you go in for more.