How to Make Marijuana Edibles
Marijuana can be consumed in countless ways. Although many people prefer to smoke marijuana, tasty edibles are quite popular, too. Whether it is cookie edibles, brownies, cannabis butter, or another option, you can find a host of ways to enjoy marijuana with your food. Are edibles good? There are options that should appeal to just about everyone.
You can make your own edibles, which is easier than you might think. Of course, you can also find premade edibles offered through dispensaries, including popular brands like Highly Edible. Below, you will find answers to some of the most common questions regarding edibles.
Are Edibles Safe?
In general, you will find that edibles are entirely safe, as long as you take the same precautions as when you are preparing other types of food. However, the one risk that comes with edibles is that people don’t know their tolerance. Someone might have part of a cookie or brownie and not feel immediate effects, so they believe they are immune to edibles, or that they have a high edibles tolerance.
However, that’s not usually the case. What many fail to realize is that it takes longer for the THC to get into the system with edibles when comparing edibles vs. flower that is smoked. Often, it will take 45 minutes to an hour or longer to feel the effects. Don’t make the mistake of taking more after 15 minutes because you don’t feel it. Give it some time and start with small portions first. See how it feels after an hour or two, and only then have some more if needed.
One of the other things to remember about edibles is that they look and smell great. Someone visiting your home, your kids, or your pets aren’t going to realize that they are your “special treats”, so keep them out of reach since you do get high off edibles. You always want to be careful.
What Are the Different Types of Edibles?
There is virtually no limit when it comes to types of edibles today. Some of the most popular include baked goods, which you can make on your own or buy. Additionally, you can find gummies, hard candies, minds, chocolate, drinks, baking oils, and even savory items like pretzels and crackers.
How to Make Edibles with Marijuana
Below, you will find the basic instructions to prepare your marijuana and cannabis butter, so you can start cooking and creating your edibles. Although there are some steps involved, it is far easier than you might realize. You can start today and be ready to start baking before you know it.
Select Your Cannabis Strain
The first thing you need to do is consider the strain of cannabis you want to use for your edibles. What is the best strain for edibles? There are three main strains—indica, sativa, and hybrid. The one you choose will depend on the type of marijuana edible side effects that you are hoping to experience.
Indica strains are a good option for those looking for a relaxing experience with their edibles. These will help you to deal with anxiety and insomnia. Sativa, on the other hand, will provide you with a euphoric effect. Hybrids will depend on the dominant strain—indica or sativa. If it is equal, you can expect some elements of both of these plants.
Decarb the Cannabis Flower
If you have ever wondered why the most popular way to consume marijuana is through smoking, it’s because there aren’t any psychoactive effects unless it is heated. If you hope to get high off edibles, you will first need to prepare the weed properly, which means cooking it. This process is called decarboxylation. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to do.
First, you will preheat your oven to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. You will then break down the leaf into smaller pieces and place them on a cookie sheet. Make sure that there is plenty of space between the clumps of flowers, so no pieces are sitting on top of one another.
Put the cookie sheet into the oven and then monitor it for about half an hour to 40 minutes. It should have a golden brown color. You want the green of the leaf to be gone. At that point, you can take it out and let it cool. After cooling, you can put it into a food processor and pulse it for a second or two. This ensures it is ground up nicely.
Prepare Cannabutter and Other Ingredients
Next, you will move on to making the cannabutter, which is simply cannabis butter that you will then use when cooking. You typically use butter in many baking recipes, including edibles like weed cookies. Baking with cannabutter is easy, as you just use your cannabis butter rather than regular butter.
First, bring a quart of water to a boil in a saucepan. When it is boiling, you will add your sticks of butter to start creating the infusion for the edibles. Then, add the marijuana and reduce the heat so it simmers. The marijuana should float around two inches from the bottom of the pan. You will then cook this mixture for three hours. This will give it time to thicken nicely.
Once it is thick enough, you will remove the mixture and put it into a bowl lined with cheesecloth. Squeeze the liquid butter through the cloth and then let it cool for about an hour. Put it in the refrigerator until it reaches the texture of butter.
The cannabutter side effects are going to be the same as the effects of smoking marijuana for most people. The biggest difference is that it will take longer to feel these effects.
Making edibles without butter is possible, but only if the recipe doesn’t call for butter. In addition, there is a range of different types of ingredients you can buy today including cannabis oil and even taco seasoning.
Cook and Bake with Cannabis-Infused Ingredients
Now that you have an understanding of how to create marijuana that can be used in cooking, and you can make your own ingredients for edibles, it’s time to get started. Find some great marijuana edible recipes, gather your edible ingredients, and enjoy creating some edibles that get you high. You can use some of your favorite current baking recipes, as well. Just replace the regular butter with cannabutter.
How to Make Edibles Without Cooking
Although you will need to make sure the marijuana has been prepared properly through the decarb process, you don’t necessarily need to bake with them in the traditional sense. You can use the cannabutter or cannabis oil to make various “no bake” recipes for cookies, cheesecake, and other foods. It can work well with many no-bake options. You could even spread the cannabutter on toast in the morning, for example.
You can create some incredible edibles with THC that are going to provide you with a tasty treat that keeps on giving for several hours. The health effects of edibles tend to be similar to other forms of marijuana. Some use edibles for headaches for example, while others use them to relax and deal with stress. Others just want to have a feeling of euphoria. It’s up to you.
When you are buying edibles or marijuana flower, you want to be sure you are buying from a quality dispensary. Check out our options in Missouri (Joplin, Dexter, Gallatin, and Pacific) and Colorado (Fort Collins).