Stay warm this winter and comfortably numb with this herbaceous recipe and consumption recommendations.
“There’s a big difference between smoking too much weed and eating too much weed,” says Leather Storrs, chef and co-owner of Noble Rot in Portland. “Smoking too much weed is like drinking too much beer; you know when it’s happening. But eating too much weed is like drinking Scotch – by the time you’ve had too much, it’s too late.”
Side effects of munching too much cannabis-infused food can range from feeling sick to your stomach, to being unable to move (aka “couch lock”). Hallucinations are not unheard of. Overdo it and you might find yourself making deals with higher powers and promising to never touch the stuff again. But that would be a terrible shame, because edibles can lead to a mind-and-body experience much more relaxing than the one you get from simply inhaling cannabis. If that resonates with you, you can buy cannabis edibles online now. It also depends on where you buy your cannabis from, doing research is another important factor if you choose to do this. There are places where you can buy weed online san jose where you can get as much information as possible before you decide whethere or not to buy.
Smoking or vaping is the fastest way to deliver the psychoactive molecule of tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, and other cannabinoids into your system, but doing so only unleashes half of the magical herb’s powers and the high feeling declines rapidly over the course of an hour or so.
Whereas, when you consume marijuana in an ingestible form, THC must pass through your stomach and liver, where it’s metabolized. The effects take time to kick in, since digestion can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, but then they can last several hours and produce a much more intense sensation.
You might say smoking is to eating cannabis as scarfing down a “Happy Meal” is to savoring a leisurely meal at your dream restaurant. Sound intriguing? Why not look up fl dispensaries, or something in your area to find out if they can help you cook up something delicious and fun.
Some users of cannabis-based products also find that using cannabis oil is a good alternative to use in salads, and recipes, for example, Storrs found most commercially available edibles to be unpalatable, so he started experimenting in the kitchen. Since recreational cannabis became legal in Oregon in 2015, he’s created multi-course cannabis tasting menus for catered, private events that feature the whole plant – from shake-roasted beets and coriander-and-hemp-seed-crusted halibut, to spaetzle tossed in cannabis-infused oil. He’s also developed a product line of ready-to-consume edibles, ranging from caramel sauce and ice cream to mayonnaise and pork rillettes, which will be available later this year.
Take your own canna-cookery to the fine dining level with this recipe recommendation that came from Tim Du Bay, “Garden Guru Guy” at Rainforest Organix, organic growers of medical and recreational marijuana near Tillamook, Oregon. It’s a great way for those who want to start cooking with cannabis to learn the basic techniques. Plus, the finished product can be used in a variety of ways. Du Bay recommends eating them on their own, melted in hot milk or cut into chips for cookies.
To make these chocolates, you will need parchment paper, a cheesecloth bag and a silicone candy mold.
CHILL OUT CHOCOLATES
Makes 50, 10-gram chocolates, depending on the size of the mold
3 ½ grams cannabis
4 ounces butter
12 ounces of Theo Chocolate Pure 70% Dark Chocolate or your favorite chocolate
To decarboxylate the cannabis, preheat oven to 240° F. Break cannabis into nuggets of roughly equal size and spread them evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. The cannabis will turn a darker shade and smell sweeter than when you first put it in. Squeeze a bud between your fingers: a nice decarb will basically grinds itself.
To infuse the butter, turn the oven down to 185° F. Add butter to a small, stainless steel saucepan, cover and place in the oven to melt, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble decarbed cannabis into the cheesecloth bag then add the bag to the melted butter. Cover saucepan and place in oven to cook for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
When the infused butter is almost done, put the chocolate bars in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir with spatula. Reheat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted, about 3 minutes.
Pour the butter through a mesh strainer into the bowl of melted chocolate. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract any remaining liquid. Stir until well mixed. Pour the mixture into the silicone candy mold. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Remove the chocolates and store in an airtight container. Depending on the size of your mold, you may need to repeat this process several times; between batches, keep the chocolate mixture warm in the oven until used up. Store in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
This story originally ran in the winter 2017 print edition of Sip Northwest. For the full story and more like it, click here to subscribe.
