SHAKE AND BAKE: MAKING YOUR OWN EDIBLES

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On August 1st, 2018, Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensaries began the sale of cannabis dry leaf or flower to their patients. Prior to that date, dry leaf was not an approved form of consumption in Pennsylvania. Fast forward two years into the program and Ilera is the first of our grower processors to drop cannabis shake for patients. Edibles remain in the unauthorized category although it is a preferred delivery method for many. In their place, we have tinctures and capsules, which provide the necessary relief for patients, but can be reminiscent of pharmaceutical medicine for some. Evidently there is nothing like a cannabis edible. Patients can create their own medicinal treats with the help of dry leaf and distillates.

WHAT IS SHAKE? 

Shake consists of small pieces of dry leaf that have broken off from larger buds during handling. In your container, you will find what looks like ground up dry leaf along with small pieces of buds and stems. Although these pieces are falling from larger buds, shake can either result in a harsh coughing fit or a smooth vaping session. Rather than use your lungs as a test dummy, save your full buds for inhaling and use shake for infusing.  

Before infusing your shake, you must decarboxylate or activate the THC. Decarboxylation is the chemical reaction in which THC-A and CBD-A are transformed to THC and CBD by adding heat. The heat removes a carboxyl group from inactive cannabinoids at 220-240 degrees Fahrenheit thus making them activated and able to connect with your CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. This is what delivers the psychoactive response to the brain and body. Once your shake is decarboxylated, it should be slightly brown in color and ready to be added to a soluble fat like butter or oil and incorporated into your recipe. The only con to infusing with dry leaf or shake is that the dosing is not precise.  

WHAT IS DISTILLATE? 

Distillate is a cannabis oil or extract in which the final product has been systematically stripped of all materials and compounds except one specific cannabinoid. In Pennsylvania, our distillates are THC distillates typically with terpenes reintroduced to the extract. While all distillates are concentrates or oils, not all cannabis concentrates, or oils are distillates. A cannabis oil is only a distillate if it has gone through the process to strip and remove all other compounds and materials.   

Distillates are among the most versatile forms we have in our market. It can be vaporized, dabbed, eaten directly and incorporated into topicals and food. They are typically packaged in syringe-like applicators but can also be found in cartridges. For infusing purposes, we suggest utilizing distillate from an applicator because it will be easier to measure and control. Additionally, it provides a more precise and accurate dosing for your edibles. If my Farmacuetial RX Full Extract Cannabis Oil has about 800mg of THC then the edibles will have that same amount of THC in the final product. Depending on what the edible is, the milligrams can be divided to know how much THC each piece contains.  

The THC is already activated so there is no need to decarboxylate your distillate. Just whisk your distillate into your butter or oil and start infusing! This super potent, concentrated form is great to make edibles for those with a high tolerance without buying copious amounts of shake or leaf. Also, with a distillate-infused edible, there is no overpowering cannabis flavor (that’s if you aren’t a fan of course). 

CONSUMING + DIGESTING EDIBLES 

Once the edible is consumed, it must be digested through the stomach, liver and blood-brain barrier, before any effects are felt.

The onset can take between 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on many factors including metabolism and even the type of edible. Studies show that a high concentration of hydroxy-THC, the main active metabolite of THC that forms in the body after decarboxylated cannabis is consumed, is generated when cannabis is ingested before being absorbed by fat and blood tissues in the brain and body. This means that you need to ingest less milligrams of THC in edible form to feel its effects in comparison to THC being absorbed by the lungs. This also means that the body holds on to converted THC in our lipid or fatty tissues for a longer amount of time resulting in a longer duration of effects. Therefore, edibles last longer and take longer to take effect, typically lasting 6-8 hours. Although every human has an endocannabinoid system, THC does not affect all of us in the same way. For some patients, the onset is gradual whereas it can be quicker and almost instantaneous for others.  One thing we can count on is that the result is generally the same for everyone -- a long-lasting, consistent, full body experience. Whip something up and enjoy relief!

HOW TO:

Cannabutter - Jar in Pot Method:

Required Kitchen Gadgets:

Cheese cloth

Large wide mouth jars

Large pot

Dish towel

Baking sheet, parchment paper makes life very easy here too.

Ingredients:

Cannabis

Butter

*I like to use 3.5g - 7g of cannabis to 1 stick of butter and adjust recipe potency by adding cannabutter to unmedicated butter. 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 240℉. Break up cannabis onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, remove and let cool. Place your sticks of butter in the jar(s) and line the bottom of your pot with the dish towel. Put the cooled cannabis into cheesecloth(s) and tie off into sachets. Place sachet(s) into jars with butter and put the lid on the jar, not super tight, but closed. Put the jars into your towel-lined pot and fill the pot with water above where you think the butter would be in the jars once melted, but not to the top of the jars. Simmer your pot on low heat for a few hours, carefully swishing the jars around here and there to move around the sachets. Remove jars from pot and when cool enough remove and squeeze out the cannabis sachets.  You can discard these, but you can also freeze them to use in future recipes! Let your cannabutter cool, if you have liquid, drain off then store the cannabutter in the fridge or freezer.

1 Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Required Kitchen Gadgets:

Hand or stand mixer

Big bowl

Cookie sheets/pans

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup melted cannabutter

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

2 cups +/- chocolate chips

Instructions:

Mix melted butter, brown sugar, sugar in your large bowl until blended, add in egg + yolk and vanilla and beat until creamy.  Slowly add in your dry ingredients starting with the baking soda and salt and adding your flour just until everything is mixed. Stir in your chocolate chips, cover bowl, and refrigerate for 20 min. Scoop cookie dough onto nonstick baking sheets and bake in a preheated oven at 375℉ for 10 mins or until cookies are lightly brown. Check every minute or two after 7 min.

Delta 9 PA by Keystone Integrated Care dispensaries provide medical marijuana in Pittsburgh and Greensburg/Latrobe, PA. We offer affordable medical marijuana cartridges and other products, online reservations, curbside pickup, and quality service to patients in Western Pennsylvania.