The Current Buzz Newspaper VOL 2 ISSUE 7 | Page 16

The Current Buzz Vol 2 Issue 7
Page 16
The BLUNT Truth
Beyond Brownies by Amy Addams
the gist of the genesis of edibles –
Decarboxylation or Decarbing
The purpose of our recipes is to help you work
with Medical Marijuana (or MM for spacing
reasons) when you don’t want it in your lungs.
We do our best to give you all you need to rock
your recipes with minimal fuss and equipment,
but if you are going to make edibles, you need
to decarboxylate your MM. If you do it right and
take your time, decarbing is no big deal. You
got this.
What is Decarboxylation (AKA: Decarb,
Decarbing) is the oldest organic chemical
reaction around, along with its opposite
reaction, photosynthesis (carboxylation).
When cannabis releases carbon dioxide and
water on a cellular level, THCA from the plant
is converted to THC, smoking MM does this
through heat; and when it goes into your lungs,
it releases the THC. Baking it in the oven
does this as well, but the THC stays with the
MM. THCA can also convert to THC by aging
MM in a dark place (doing the opposite of
photosynthesis) for a REALLY long time. If you
are interested more in the science behind it,
Wikipedia has a well-written description.
Tip: DO NOT buy ‘pre-decarbed’ buds from a
local dealer offering you a too-good price. It’s a
scam. They took most of the little THC crystals
produced by decarbing.
You will need:
• Medical Marijuana (we have an ultra-
easy Cannabutter recipe too)
• TWO baking pans (metal or glass are
great, disposable aluminum are not
recommended), one should fit inside of
the other easily.
• aluminum foil
• parchment paper (not necessary, but
great for protecting your buds from
scorching, browning too fast and
keeping your crystals from sticking
to the pan. It is also good for seeing
everything after you’ve decarbed. It’s $4
per roll at WalMart, has other uses, you
have over $100 of MM. Don’t get cheap.
• An oven in good working order (not a
toaster oven)
• An oven thermometer (optional, if you
have an oven you know is accurate)
• A timer
• Optional: EverClear, used to stop
Cannabutter from becoming green, we’ll
explain later, just get a little $2-3 one
that holds a tablespoon’s worth. If you
take to decarbing, you can buy more
later
• Optional: spray bottle for Everclear (see
previous item, above). You can use a
spoon if you need to. Thanks to High
Times for this tidbit of info. It truly works!
Instructions:
Turn the oven to 240 degrees Fahrenheit (115
C) to preheat.
Put the smaller baking pan inside the larger.
(WHY? It provides an insulation against rapid
heating and allows crystallization to happen
unimpeded by heat. Using one pan, the oven
turning on its heat (as a quick blast to keep its
temperature up) interrupted the process. That
extra pan really helped protect the bud from
rapid heating/cooling.
Cut a piece of parchment to fit inside the
smaller pan and place it inside.
Over the parchment, break your buds into small
pieces about the size of M&M’s or a fingernail.
You will want to pull out larger stem bits and set
the seeds in aside (You may have future baby
plants there). Make sure the marijuana is a thin
layer with no overlaps yet close together. If you
use a processor, go gentle. You want it lumpy.
Tear off a piece of foil to fit over the pan and
cover.
Bake for one hour, turning at 35 minutes (that’s
what worked best, I don’t know why). Remove
from oven and remove foil cover. Place on
a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10-12
minutes.
Spray lightly with Everclear in spray bottle.
WHY: Everclear breaks down some of the
cellulose (what makes plants green), thereby
keeping the Cannabutter from becoming too
green. Be real: green chocolate chippers are
pleh. You can also spoon Everclear lightly over
the decarbed MM and mix it around if you only
have spray bottles of questionable origins.
Make Cannabutter:
Since you’ve stunk up the house, might as well
go for broke. We have a simple Cannabutter
recipe that anyone with a pulse and a slow
cooker (Crock Pot) can make. You will do better
with a smaller Crockpot than a larger one
(about $15-20 at WalMart), so if you are serious
about future edibles, they’re worth the money.
For every pound of Cannabutter, you need one-
ounce MM (keeping in mind your dosing):
1 pound butter (four sticks, 16 ounces) to one-
ounce MM (28 grams)
½ pound butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces) to ½ ounce
MM (14 grams)
¼ pound butter (1 stick, 4 ounces) to 1/4-ounce
MM (7 grams)
After you’ve sprayed Everclear on your MM,
you will want to let it cool another 20 minutes.
During that time, unwrap sticks of butter into